Year: <span>2007</span>
Year: 2007

Year: 2007

High-Quality Speech Coding for Mobile

DoCoMo just announced that it has developed speech coding technology, in collaboration with their research labs based in Palo Alto, which will enable better voice quality for mobile phones, yet only requires the low-level computing power of conventional mobile technologies. This new approach apparently targets a wider frequency range of 50Hz – 16kHz, which is approximately the full range of the human voice. By comparison, the frequency range of legacy services is limited to 300Hz – 3.4kHz. There’s a few fancy graphs on this .PDF to demonstrate the performance range.

Emobile Launches Mobile Broadband

Emobile launched its so-called “Mobile Broadband” services, 16-months after the ministry awarded their new license, at an opening ceremony held at Bic Camera’s Yurakucho store in Tokyo this weekend. The company put two debut models on sale: its keyboard-equipped EM ONE terminal by Sharp (details here), which allows users to connect at HSDPA speed and view 1Seg digital tv broadcasting, and a card-type model for laptop computers.

Wireless Watch – Spring Fresh Site Design

Wireless Watch - Spring Fresh Site Design by Mobikyo KKA pleasant April Fool’s surprise for all WWJ regulars here today as we’ve finally moved our tired old website – circa 2003 – into the digital trash can. We have made a few changes, beyond the somewhat tricky migration from Nuke to Wordpress, with this new offering. The ‘tag cloud’ for keywords, ‘share this’ option (with easy article bookmarking) and ‘send to friends’ function, ‘related entries’ (below all posts), a mobile feed version and an improved archive structure should help you navigate the large amount of content WWJ now makes available. As the saying goes, you don’t realize how much stuff you have.. until you have to move it!

One of the more notable changes is that we have opened the extended section of most ‘quick posts’ to free view; we are also happy to bring a couple of great outside contributors into the fold and will be making a seperate introduction for them soon. Full site access to our original Viewpoint articles and Video Programs will continue to be available only to paid subscribers.

Finally, on behalf of our parent, Mobikyo, we are pleased to join with a new local partner, Infinita Inc., to begin offering Japan Mobile Research Reports. Considering our combined experience and network of contacts, this development is a natural evolution for the content and services already on offer. We expect to make a more formal announcement, including additional partnerships, in short order. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the new WWJ site style and look forward to your feedback.

DoCoMo to Sell Exclusive D&G Handset

DoCoMo just announced that the company will begin marketing (only via their Internet online sales channels and for a limited time) the exclusive special-edition M702iS DOLCE & GABBANA handset developed jointly with Dolce & Gabbana and Motorola. The designer model, which costs 75,000 yen (including tax), will be available for purchase via PC and i-mode Japanese language portals from 08:30 on April 20, 2007 until May 31 at 10:30 pm, or while supplies last.

DoCoMo's i-channel Hits 10mln Subs

Adobe just announced that DoCoMo’s i-channel news and information service, powered by FlashCast technology, has surpassed 10 Million subscribers in Japan. DoCoMo hit this important milestone just 18 months after the launch. The rapidly expanding data service is delivered through 25 channels to almost 20 percent of all NTT DoCoMo customers. i-channel allows subscribers to automatically receive five basic channels, including news, entertainment, weather, horoscopes and sports.

CTIA: Ready for Japan?

The annual CTIA event is underway – like spring break for telco geeks – this week in Orlando and the PR is flowing. While there is predictable hype surrounding mobile tv and m-commerce, it’s satisfying to see that indeed the industry over-seas is beginning to embrace the functions and services we have seen developed and deployed here in Japan over the last few years. Now of the course the trick is, after the chatter, what happens next. As they say “the devil’s in the details” so time will tell, but it really does seem that things are warming up under the Florida sun!

DoCoMo's New U.S. Advisory Board

DoCoMo announced today that it will launch a fourth U.S. Advisory Board, which will hold its first meeting in the United States on April 11, 2007. The board will be chaired by former United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Michael K. Powell, currently chairman of the MK Powell Group and senior advisor of Providence Equity Capital, and will include Dr. C. Fred Bergsten, founder and director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who served as chairperson on two previous boards.

Encouraging MediaFLO Survey Results

the first results from an extensive consumer survey of attitudes towards mobile TV. The survey, which was conducted by Accenture Japan and included more than 3,000 Japanese consumers, showed that subscribers are far more likely to take up mobile broadcast services when they experience it firsthand. Survey results after the jump.

[We noted in a recent WWJ newsletter that new digital tv spectrum allocation from the ministry is under review and the various lobby groups are in full motion to state their case — Eds]

Red Herring Announces Japan Conference

Red Herring Asia has announced its first technology and business conference for Japan, to be held in Kyoto on July 22-24, 2007, bringing together major technology companies with a vibrant group of entrepreneurs. Speakers will discuss topics along six editorial tracks: Web 2.0, Entertainment, Wireless, Investment, Cleantech and Digital Living / Digital Workplace. Overarching these tracks will be international comparisons and a lively discussion of how Japan became the world’s most innovative country in 2006, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.
[We are planning to attend so drop us a note if you’d like to connect — Eds]

EMOBILE Selects InnoPath's OTA

InnoPath announced that EMOBILE has selected their Integrated Mobile Device Management Solution (iMDM) to deliver over-the-air firmware updates and configuration management. EMOBILE will be deploying InnoPath’s Firmware Manager allowing for software and firmware updates, in addition to offering its Configuration Manager enabling remote configuration of settings and new services; both applications being offered over-the-air, in real time. With this announcement, the company now has agreements tied with KDDI, Softbank, and eMobile and license agreements with several of the handset manufacturers which are sold under the DoCoMo brand.