NTT DoCoMo announced today they have developed a child-friendly 3G mobile phone, the FOMA SA800i. In addition, DoCoMo has established the Kids' Advisory Board of people with expertise in children's issues, who will advise the company on the development of products and services beneficial to children.

Additional child-oriented features are available when the phone is set to "Kids' mode." Menu and instruction screens replace more difficult Chinese characters with simple Japanese alphabetic script ("hiragana" characters). The phone can be set to remain on until the child enters a password. Parents can use another password to prevent children from changing the handset's security and network settings.

The handset also has a direct call function. When the user presses the call button, contact information for up to five registered people pops up on the screen, making it easier to call or e-mail them.

The SA800i is compatible with "Kids' i-mode," a service for FOMA i-mode subscribers. The service will restrict access to unofficial i-mode sites to prevent children from viewing adult content. The "Kids' i-menu" will list only content suitable for children. There is no monthly fee for the service, but packet communication charges will apply.

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