Use your mobile to unlock your car

Mobil manufacturer Sharp and Japan's DoCoMo network have created a mobile phone that incorporates Nissan's Intelligent Key system, which will enable it to unlock compatible Nissan cars made since 2002. (No, not all of them). It's only a prototype at the moment, with commercial production expected in 2009. [Source: Cellular-News.com]

LG adding Dolby sound to mobiles

LG Electronics and Dolby Laboratories have announced an agreement that'll see Dolby Mobile technology added to LG's handsets. As we mentioned in February, Dolby Mobile is an audio processing technology platform that's designed for mobile applications. The new LG multimedia phones with Dolby Mobile technology will be available from the fourth quarter of 2008. They're the first globally-available phones with Dolby Mobile; the world's first Dolby Mobile phones were released in Japan by Sharp earlier this year. [Press release]

Dolby goes mobile

Dolby Laboratories, the company that's been improving audio equipment for the last 40 years, has just announced Dolby Mobile. It's a new audio-processing technology that brings rich, vibrant surround sound to films, music and TV shows on mobile phones and portable media players. The first products with Dolby Mobile technology are the Sharp SH905i and SH905iTV, which are now available to customers on the NTT DoCoMo network in Japan. [Press release]

Disney ready for Japanese MVNO launch

Walt Disney, which closed its American virtual mobile network and decided not to enter the UK market, says it is launching Disney Mobile in Japan on 1st March in partnership with Softbank. Three Sharp mobile phones, each with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse, will be available. The service is expected to target young adults, not children. [Sources: CNNMoney.com, DVICE.com, AFP/Google, WSJ.com]