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摘要

Rehito Hatoyama and a colleague from the Mitsubishi Corp. trading house have just finished a client meeting in Tokyo's Gotanda district. It's 7 p.m., and everyone wants to unwind over a good meal somewhere new. Is there a great restaurant nearby? Hatoyama, 25, whips out one of his two Internet-capable digital cell phones, clicks on the menu, and several seconds later accesses a "gourmet guide." Cradling the palm-size handset in his left hand, he types in with his thumb the phonetic equivalent of "Gotanda" and is soon scrolling down a list of recommended eateries in the area. He spots one that looks promising and clicks on it to initiate a phone connection. While waiting for the restaurant to answer, he glances at his other cell phone and sees that he has e-mail and voice-mail messages. "It's just so convenient," raves Hatoyama. "I can get information instantly."