Editor’s Note
Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

WWJ to Host 3G Teleseminar

Slots are still available for the “Japan Mobile Goes Global” teleseminar (Th., Feb. 5, 15:00 UTC), shaping up to be one of this quarter’s best intelligence events direct from Japan. Hosted by the Wireless Watch Japan Media Project the “Japan Mobile Goes Global” teleseminar will bring five of Japan’s top industry experts together to discuss, debate, and forecast how local developments in 3G, m-commerce, downloadable applications, and handset technology will affect Europe, GSM markets, the US/Canada, and elsewhere. The teleseminar will permit callers to listen live to exclusive commentary and ask questions to obtain expert advice direct from savvy Japan insiders.

KDDI Hits India, Attacks Viruses

KDDI seems to have heard its master’s voice and has just announced that it is following Qualcomm into India. In a separate announcement, KDDI also said it was introducing anti-virus measures into its phones in 2005. KDDI said today, January 19, that it is forming Indo-Fuji Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. with Fujitsu Platform Technologies taking a 12% stake, to provide network construction and spice up international data transmission services for the rapidly exploding Indian market.

WWJ Teleseminar: Japan Mobile Goes Global

The first 2004 WWJ teleseminar, “Japan Mobile Goes Global,” will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2004 at 15:00:00 UTC. Register today for this unique event – your chance to listen to expert insiders forecast how developments in Japan will affect markets elsewhere in 2004. Callers can also ask questions and challenge the pros. Contact us for registration details.

Vodafone's 2-Megapixel Camera Phone

Sharp’s V601SH handset hit the Tokyo streets in late December with a rollout price under $200 (19,800 yen). It features an embedded 2-megapixel CCD camera capable of capturing 2.02 million effective pixels and comes with autofocus and 20x zoom capability. The 2.4-inch QVGA CG silicon screen provides a bright and clear image display and is compatible with Bitflash’s vector imaging technology that allows documents (such asMicrosoft Office and Adobe Acrobat) to be scaled with very little loss of quality, so users can easily zoom into a specific area on a large spreadsheet document. The unit can also record 320 x 240-size .3gp video clips at 15 frames per second as well as display still images, games, and video clips on a TV using the video output function. In addition, the V601SH is the first cell phone to support Bow-Lingual, an entertaining dog barking translation function based on a toy device first offered by Takara. The software, contained on an SD memory card (which you have to purchase separately) can be loaded into the phone. When you’re within 15 inches of a dog, the program can register and is supposed to analyze the beast’s barks. We just shot a video episode featuring a live demo of a hound ordering a Doggy Treats and Perrier that will be coming online soon! (only WWJ could make this possible folks…). Meanwhile, as we get geared up for our January 2004 Wireless Watch programming, take a look at this short video clip we made using the V601SH on New Year’s Eve at the Hakone Shrine. Kotoshimo Yoroshiku! Win. Media 56k 300k

KDDI to Adopt Mobile FeliCa for 3G

In a decision that could be a huge boost for mobile phones to become e-wallets, KDDI has decided to adopt Sony Corp’s technology in smart cards for use in third-generation mobile phones that it will develop with Hitachi Ltd. This is wonderful news for chances of the evolution of the mobile phone’s morph into one of the so-called ubiquitous devices that Sony’s Idei has been promising for longer than hack journalists can remember. The news is out that KDDI has decided to adopt Sony’s FeliCa, thus removing a major barrier to the contact less IC card’s promulgation outside of DoCoMo in Japan, and also bringing the technology into a major cdma carrier.

Japan's Nov. Subs Growth Lowest Since '96

Japan’s Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) has just announced that November’s growth in mobile phone subscribers was the lowest since records started in 1996. According to the TCA’s figures, the net increase in subs (minus cancellations) was 332,900. Again, KDDI took the lion’s share: KDDI took 239,000 or SEVENTY PERCENT of the total! Remember, in October, for the first time ever, KDDI took 50 percent. Merry Christmas to KDDI!

Sharp and Panasonic part of new FOMA lineup

Well, that’s two more in the bag. Excitement is building here about what DoCoMo has up its sleeves for the next FOMA rollout. I was relaxing reading a newspaper in my favorite coffee shop in Tameike-Sanno this week and what should I overhear…. Sharp and Panasonic are the latest　cellphone makers to complete development of handsets for DoCoMo’s 900i Foma series. NTT DoCoMo is keeping pretty quiet on the phone’s features right now but, if you’re keeping track, you can add the SH900i and P900i to the D900i from Mitsubishi Electric as part of the new Foma line-up due in the first few months of 2004.

Vodaphone K.K. Fun with 3G Numbers

What’s up with all the analysis of Vodafone recently? The slow uptake of its W-CDMA service and failure to keep up with Au/ KDDI’s cdma1x/WIN service in terms of new subscribers has some press and analysts questioning the carrier’s strategy. But let’s look at the larger picture: Vodafone had 93,200 subscribers at the end of November — its first year of 3G service. That’s hardly a “ringing” endorsement of VGS (Vodafone Global Standard.) On the other hand, it’s not bad at all for a service which has not had the benefit of a high-profile promotional campaign. In fact, Vodafone has only put out a few low-key displays at official shops. In contrast, NTT DoCoMo had 142,400 subscribers at the same point in the life of FOMA and it had been promoting FOMA every chance it could. Now it has decent handsets at bargain prices and a network that it claims covers 99.6 percent of Japan’s population, DoCoMo is adding about 300,000 subscribers per month. So let’s not forget that it’s really still very early days for Vodafone.

What Happens When Mobile Mail is Cheap

If you read Daniel Scuka’s guest viewpoint late last week, you’ll know the key difference between Japan and Europe – SMS mail pricing. While his opinion is his own, we noted this spectacular example of what can happen when mail (SMS or SMTP) is cheap – like it is in Japan. Ironically, this story comes not from an advanced, Western European market like Germany, France, or the UK, but from the Czech Republic – where SMS messages cost as little as 0.03 euro each and local municipal authorities are exploiting the ubiquity of cellular to bring eGovernment services to the masses.

Micro-Fuel Cells offer More Power

The current buzzword in personal electronics is Wi-Fi, but the full potential of the latest laptops, cell phones and PDAs is being held back by batteries that last just a few hours. Major consumer electronics firms like NEC, Toshiba and Motorola, along with a number of startups.. are working on micro fuel cells, which theoretically can generate power 10 times longer than conventional batteries.