DoCoMo explained that there was a glitch in the software for handsets made by Matsushita Communication Industrial Co. Ltd., one of the latest models offered by DoCoMo. The handset was popular as it could accesses the Internet and employs Java.
DoCoMo has found that the phone suddenly loses power when accessing a small number of websites, Japan’s biggest wireless carrier said in a press statement. The phenomenon, due to a glitch in the phone image processing software, occurs only with a small number of web sites and only when the phone’s image display is in the ‘small size’ mode. Additionally, problems arise when the handset is switched back on as information previously stored, including recorded phone numbers, mail addresses and saved data, was erased.
A DoCoMo spokeswoman added that replacement models were being prepared and that DoCoMo would notify users as soon as they become available. The company stressed that the problem can be fixed by cancelling the smaller setting for the image display, and stressed that it did not interfere with voice calling or other functions of the phone.
The announcement comes one week after DoCoMo said it would replace 103,000 handsets from a previous line of models, manufactured by Sony, Hitachi Kokusai and Japan Radio, which were also discovered to have software problems. The situation for DoCoMo is particularly sensitive as it was expected that the company would launch a new line of further advanced 3G mobiles early this year.
