DoCoMo has announced a new flat-rate data plan designed for mobile PC users who connect to the DoCoMo network via a FOMA PC card, USB-linked DoCoMo phone or HSDPA-capable PC, assure that heavy or regular users of packet-data communications won’t have to worry about widely fluctuating monthly bills. Subscribers will be able to trial the service for 4,200yen/month on an unlimited basis between October 22, 2007 and January 31, 2008.
Cumulative shipments of handsets that can receive so-called 1Seg digital TV broadcasts totaled 11.7 mln units at the end of July according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association. Overall unit shipments climbed 54.6 pct in July from a year before to 5,348,000 units, surpassing five million for the second straight month.
Red Herring Magazine awarded Mobile Healthcare Inc., a Japan-based global healthcare solutions provider offering real-time mobile solutions in the areas of chronic and lifestyle disease management, the Red Herring 100 Asia 2007 Award. Winners were selected from a pool of more than 500 applicants and nominations based in 16 countries including China, India, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Australia and Vietnam.
The number of downloads from legal music and video services in Japan has fallen for the first time, according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), Via PC World. A total of 111.6 million downloads were made during the second quarter of this year, down from 114.3 million in the first quarter of the year. The figures are derived from data supplied to the RIAJ by its 42 member companies. Despite an increase in ringback tones and a jump in cellular music downloads from 23.3 million tracks to 25.5 million tracks, the entire mobile Internet download market shrank 2 percent quarter-on-quarter to 104.8 million downloads, said the RIAJ.
SonyEricsson appointed Hideki Komiyama its new top executive as Miles Flint has decided to step down from the post. Flint, who became president in 2004 and guided the venture to profitability, will remain executive adviser to Komiyama until the end of the year. Komiyama, currently chairman of Sony Electronics, will move into the new job on Nov. 1.
Sharp Corporation has announced a new proprietary “System LCD” equipped with touch screen and scanner functions. The company claims to have successfully embedded an optical sensor, used in devices like scanners, in each pixel of the LCD panel. This technology eliminates the need for films, resulting in a thin clear screen display compared to conventional touch screens. Sample shipments will begin in September of this year, with volume production slated to start next spring.
KDDI will analyze the browsing activity of their “au one” customers from this autumn and introduce targeted advertisements that match the history preference of the individual. Mediba and and DAC (digital advertising consortium) will jointly develop this technique and according to this press release it’s introduction into mobility will be the first in Japan.
ANA will roll-out its new SKiP service, across all 50 airports in Japan to which ANA flies, from September 4 this year. Passengers who wish to SKiP, chose their seat after booking and paying for their ticket, in advance of going to the airport. Thanks to mobile internet technology, seats can even be chosen or changed on the way to the airport. On arrival, they bypass check-in and simply touch one of the following to a reader at security, and then again at their boarding gate: an IC-chip equipped ANA credit card or mileage club card, IC-enabled mobile phone, or printed 2D barcode.
ACCA Networks and DoCoMo have announced their basic agreement to partner in a joint venture, ACCA Wireless Co., Ltd., for the provision of broadband wireless services based on mobile WiMAX technology. The arrangement has been made necessary by the ministry’s decision not to grant 2.5GHz spectrum rights directly to existing operators of 3G mobile services, such as DoCoMo, in order to encourage new market entrants. The companies will prepare to apply for the 2.5GHz broadband wireless access license and develop business after the license acquisition.
DoCoMo held a well attended presser on Thursday afternoon unveiling two new smartphones, the F1100 from Fujitsu and HT1100 from HTC, both equipped with Windows Mobile 6. Full specs in English Here. The F1100 is targeted at business users and enables access via either HSDPA or WiFi networks touting a SIP client for IP telephony. The handset also has the companies signature fingerprint security scan control function. The HT1100 model supports GSM, GPRS and W-CDMA and features the dynamic TouchFLO interface, which appears almost identical to the iPhone UI. According to Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, it is the first 3G version of this handset which was introduced overseas in June. DoCoMo will begin marketing both models in early 2008.
