Japanese women are so fond of their phones that they even use them in the shower, say manufacturers. This makes waterproofing a must - also good against rainstorms and accidents while texting on the toilet. Panasonic and Fujitsu are touting their waterproof and dust-proof phones as they seek to charm the overseas market at the world's biggest mobile phone show in Barcelona this week.
"In Japan, you can't sell a phone if it's not waterproof. About 90 to 95 percent of all phones sold now are already waterproof," Panasonic Executive Taro Itakura told AFP at the Mobile World Congress.
"Why? This is very unique - young Japanese women prefer to use their cellphones even when taking their showers," Itakura said. "Cellphones have become 'must products'."
A third of damages to phones comes from water, said Florian Sohn, a Panasonic marketing specialist for Europe. "You may drop the phone in the bathroom, or bring it close to water when you wash your hands or it may fall inside toilets," he said. Dust-proofing meanwhile can appeal to customers such as construction workers, he added.
In Barcelona, it showcased its range of phones already available in Japan, as well as a new "quad-core" phone with extra processing power. This technology includes sensors that raise or lower the volume of a call, or even slow down speech if the caller is speaking too quickly.