Year: <span>2003</span>
Year: 2003

Year: 2003

NEC America Releases HDM Handset

NEC Corporation today announced, through its subsidiary NEC America, a leading provider of innovative communications products, solutions and services, the launch of its 515 High Definition Mobile+ (HDM) handset to be sold through AT&T Wireless retail outlets. This exclusive relationship offers the benefit of AT&T Wireless’ powerful network combined with NEC’s global experience in handset development and manufacturing. Available to U.S. consumers on July 28, the 515 HDM will serve as a premiere gaming handset delivering both enhanced game play capabilities and multimedia messaging.

DoCoMo finds software glitch on SH505i

Japan’s largest mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo said it is offering a free software update to users of its latest SH505i mobile phone handset due to software bugs that could erase certain data. The software problems involve the i-APRI service, which allows users to download games and other types of application software from NTT DoCoMo’s network.

HP guns for bigger mobility market

HP is gathering its forces to get an even larger piece of the Asia-Pacific mobility market. And if the press launch of a series of mobility devices earlier this month is any gauge, it means business. Shown off to a few dozen journalists were the world’s smallest dual slot expansion Pocket PC (the HP iPAQ Pocket PC h2210), the world’s first Pocket PC to include 128MB of RAM, integrated biometrics security and wireless LAN network access (the HP iPAQ Pocket PC h5550), and one of the world’s thinnest wide screen notebooks with Intel Centrino mobile technology and WiFi capabilities (the HP Compact nx7000).

We'rrrrre Back!!

Wireless Watch Japan is back – with a new URL, a new Web site, new staff, anda new service model. We’re ready to go for a 2003 fast proving to be a breakout year for wireless in Japan. WWJ regulars will recall that our last email newsletter and video programwere posted around April 30. Since then, the site’s been in hibernation mode while we rebuilt the backend, upgraded servers, and thought long and hardabout how to place WWJ onto a sustainable, future-oriented footing. And Here We Are!

Vision for the Future of Wireless Watch Japan

Vision for the Future of Wireless Watch JapanDaniel Scuka is a familiar face to the Wireless Watch Japan community not only as the co-founder and visionary behind the media project, but also as the site’s video host. Prior to his move to the business manager’s seat at WWJ (as well as a relo to Frankfurt), Daniel organized a team of journalist successors to take over WWJ in Tokyo. Newly joined reporter and video host John Alderman interviewed him just before he left. Daniel shared the ideas the spurred him to create Wireless Watch Japan, the activity that still inspires him, and his forecast for the future of the mobile Internet in Japan. This program is a great, quick overview of what makes Japan the world’s most exciting market and an important test-bed for the globe’s mobile industry. Full Program Run-time 14:35

What's Being Switched On in Japan's Wireless Biz

If any of you begin to note a slightly limey tone to future Viewpoints, it’s because the WWJ team has a new member, moi – Paul Kallender, as Tokyo correspondent. Take a look at my my bio. below and you will see that I am fully capable of deploying my creative weapons of article construction well within 45 minutes! I’ll be filing weekly with my take on the trends animating Japan’s mobile biz, as well as offering insight you can’t get from our competitors -most of whom either don’t live in Japan or are not actually independent journalists. I can’t follow in ex-editor-in-chief Daniel Scuka’s footsteps (partly because he’s in Germany and I’m in Japan), but I do hope you’ll bear with meas I attempt in my own way to “rip the faceplate” off Japan’s wireless industry. Given my Aikido background, I will be doing my best to at least throw some of the PR pap journalists have to rewrite into the digital dustbin of history. In short, come to WWJ for the stuff you can’t get elsewhere.

Agreement for Wireless IP Telephone

NTT-ME Corp, a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp, and US-based Agere Systems Inc, a provider of advanced integrated circuit solutions for communications, said on July 15, 2003 that they have signed an agreement to jointly develop wireless IP telephone devices similar in shape to existing mobile handsets.

helloNetwork and Far East Tone to Launch Multimedia Services in Taiwan

helloNetwork, the top developer of Java(TM)-based wireless streaming media technology, has partnered with Today Fast East Tone (FET), the third largest mobile carrier in Taiwan, to launch a new range of services which provide multimedia services to FET’s Bravo subscribers. These new services include downloadable movie clips and MTVs for a variety of different GPRS and JAVA enabled handsets.

Yamaha Expands Ringtone Melody Distribution Service Throughout China

Yamaha Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instruments and a leader in digital audio, announced today that it will expand its “Ringtone@YAMAHA” ringing melody distribution service in China giving customers using CDMA mobile phones of China United Telecommunications Corporation (China Unicom) a vast choice of different melodies for their handset ringers. The service to distribute harmonic 16- and 40-tone ringing melodies nationwide will begin on July 1, 2003, permitting China Unicom CDMA mobile phone subscribers.