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

Year: 2007

Mobile Books a Big Hit in Japan

Magic iLand has quickly established itself as the gold standard for mobile phone novels. Work published there is guaranteed hundreds of thousands of readers and lots of street cred. Since its inception, the library has added at least 10 new titles per month. It includes frequently updated reviews and instructions on how to write a mobile phone novel. Last month, the site held the world’s first mobile phone novel award — with the cooperation of heavyweights like NTT DoCoMo, D2 Communications and video-rental giant Tsutaya.

Handset Makers Sued over Bluetooth

Three major electronics companies have been sued by a foundation which claims that their use of Bluetooth wireless technology infringed on patented work at the University of Washington. According to the lawsuit, Bluetooth-based computers, cell phones and headsets made by Matsushita, Samsung, and Nokia have violated four patents, including one that was issued for research done in the mid-1990s by Edwin Suominen when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Washington.

DoCoMo Super 3G Spending Forcast

DoCoMo will keep initial investment on its so-called super 3G network down to 100-200 billion yen ($841 million-$1.7 billion), according to reports in the Nikkei shimbun. DoCoMo has spent a total of 2.8 trillion yen on its 3G network in the past six years. Since the company will use existing base stations and other equipment for the super 3G, it would be able to keep down the necessary initial capital spending, the Nikkei said.