Smelling Phones

Japan’s top wireless operator NTT DoCoMo unveiled a mobile phone featuring a touch-sensitive screen and another model that gives off a relaxing scent.DoCoMo’s ‘D800iDS’, made by Mitsubishi Electric, opens up like a clamshell and is equipped with screens on both upper and lower halves, rather than the typical design of one display and a number keypad.Users input characters by writing on the touch screen with their fingers or a stylus. They can also call up an on-screen keypad to dial a number or type a message, or touch the buttons shown on the display to browse the menu screens.DoCoMo said its new handset would let users send hand-written messages and drawings as e-mail attachments and also offer a wider scope for games and other entertainment software.The operator unveiled nine other mobile phones on Tuesday, including a model made by Sony Ericsson that features a 3-inch Bravia flat-panel screen, borrowing the brand of Sony’s flagship TVs.Sony Ericsson also made a new “aroma” handset for DoCoMo, the “SO703i”, which comes with scented sheets designed to relax the users while making calls. The phone offers nine aroma choices for the consumer, each coupled with a different panel design.