Yes, it’s true that people (and especially businesses) still use fax machines, even in Japan. The market seems to be big enough to make Panasonic Japan develop what’s reportedly the world’s first fax machine that enables users to both send and receive messages without having to use paper.
Panasonic will offer several of these devices under the KX-PW 608 series [JP], which will be available in Japan January 23 (there is no announcement regarding sales outside Japan yet). Just like sending emails on a cell phone, users can use the built-in keypad to type messages.
Alternatively, it’s possible to send documents saved in Word or other formats without having to use a PC. All fax messages can be read and forwarded through a built-in screen without having to print them on paper first.
Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]
You can plug this into google translate to read more about it. Pictures also on the site.
http://panasonic.jp/fax/608dl/
You can plug the site into google translate to read more. Pictures are also on the site.
panasonic.jp/fax/608dl
I’m hoping this doesn’t triple post, because my comment isn’t showing. Plug the url in my post into google translate to read more about the fax machine and see the pics.
Hey Josh,
Awesome, thank you for the link!
good post.
thats great idea of sending the fax messages, the technology has been advancing day by day
regards
aartha
Free usb flashdrive sample
@ http://budurl.com/ewnq
Hey, don’t we have this “technology” today? I could have sworn it was called email. Yes, email does allow you to send and receive messages without using paper!
Yes, there are several provides offer sending and receiving fax via emails. One company does that for integrated PBX is called Whaleback Systems:
http://whalebacksystems.com/features-orcafax2.htm
think you missed the bit of sarcasm there Rajesh. paperless fax….yeah, we’ve had that for years – EMAIL!!!. put it simply – if you have a business, and you have to send data from one place to another, and you don’t have the ability to send e-mail, you’re not going to have a business very long
There are a few user-cases that you are ignoring. Believe it or not with a lot of schools, businesses and Government agencies, you have to choices when submitting an application: fax or mail. Email simply isn’t an option in a lot of cases.
There’s where services that take an attachment in an email and send it to a physical fax machine comes into use. It happens all the time…
Agree with Andy… whats the point ? plus, its hardly readable
This technology has existed for 15 years in the shape of fax modems. Even my trusty old Nokia Communicator could send and receive faxes without having to print or scan paper.
Also, 1995 (something) I invented a device that automatically converted incoming faxes to e-mails. We decided not to launch it as a product “because no one uses faxes anymore”. That’s more than 10 years ago.
Sure it’s a dedicated device, but who cares really.
I doubt that it will be released outside of Japan.
Wow impressive. What will they think of next? Paperless mail? Oh wait…
you’d really be hard pushed to type out a decent length fax on that keypad!!!
You’d be surprised… Japanese is pretty easy to write on a phone keypad — most young people can enter it as fast as they talk on their cellphones, and there are even people writing novels with their phones over there.
Meh….. There have been reliable fax-to-email systems available for years, both for businesses and individuals. I use a company called Faxage. I get a fax number, faxes to it are forwared as PDF attachments to my email. To send a fax via email is just as easy.
Not sure what makes this Panasonic device all that special. Paperless fax is already a widespread reality.
Doesn’t make sense. You can do all of this with an e-mail. I’m surprised that facsimiles are still in existence.
Despite the image of Japan as a modern high tech nation, a lot of people there have problems with computers, email, etc. so more discreet devices like faxes have always been more popular.
Anyone who’s worked in an office there would probably have fun stories of printing documents from the computer just to fax (instead of emailing the file), or having to print out an entire website for the company president to read…
Sure, this product doesn’t make sense, but fax machines do make sense to a lot of people who don’t trust emails yet. Not that it’s any more secure…
Panasonic has always been on top of the list!
jess
http://www.Privacy-Center.net
“even in Japan” ?
They still use so much paper here it looks like the 1970s when you walk into a bank.
Very strange that no one came up with this idea sooner.
Here’s one example that’s been around for a bit: http://www.faxalon.com
Yeah they already invented this. It’s called EMAIL…
only in japan