Cameraphone turns whole world into a shop

The NEC N902iS uses image recognition to identify products and locate them in an online store

A new phone could enable users to buy any product they can see, even if it isn't in a shop. The NEC N902iS uses image recognition to identify products and locate them in an online store. 

The combination of services offered by the phone could make it possible to instantly buy a watch in the window of a store that is closed, for example, or a piece of clothing worn by a model in an advert.

Companies such as Amazon and Tower Records will make their products available through the service.

The phone, which will be sold by network operator NTT DoCoMo in Japan, also incorporates the company's DCMX mobile credit card technology which enables the phone to act like a credit card. 

NTT did not provide information on pricing for the phone, which will go on sale in Japan this month.

The 114g handset is 23mm thick. It incorporates a 240 x 345 pixel screen, a 2-megapixel main camera, and a VGA-resolution secondary camera. NTT DoCoMo estimates the talk time at between three and four hours, and standby time at up to 540 hours.