Japanese carrier Docomo looks at wearable devices in a different way

Jun 10, 2014 09:37 GMT  ·  By

When you think of wearables, the first that comes to mind is smartwatches and fitness band. Well, Japanese carrier Docomo has something different in mind when considering this particular category.

When it arrives on the market, the Portable SIM is going to be a wearable that combines a small mobile card with Bluetooth and NFC in order to transform this bracelet-looking gizmo into a standalone authentication device.

Basically, adopters of the Portable SIM will be able to wave their hand at their tablet or smartphone in order to connect and login to phone networks, enabling phone numbers or login details to be shared between devices.

This will eliminate the need to physically insert the SIM card in a certain device, thus letting users switch user identity from a personal device onto the next.

The portable SIM is also capable of securely storing ID and multiple passwords in order to perform automatic input of ID and passwords for different shopping sites and on.

Docomo said this is the world’s first SIM-based authentication wearable that can provide wireless network access.

The device is currently in its prototype stage, but it has been demoed at this week’s Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai. The demonstration included logging into websites like Amazon, Google and Rakuten.

The Portable SIM won’t be marketed in its current prototype form and the company plans to scale it down into a wearable, like a bracelet.

Docomo wants to put your phone's SIM card into a bracelet
Docomo wants to put your phone's SIM card into a bracelet
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Docomo has a different vision when it comes to wearables
Docomo wants to put your phone's SIM card into a bracelet
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