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

Year: 2003

Euro Feedback and the Future of WWJ

WWJ subscribers did a great job of summarizing and opinion-izing on the state of the mobile Internet in Europe, and I would venture that the information contained below in today’s newsletter probably couldn’t be purchased anywhere – or if it could, the cost would be substantial. My overall take after reading, editing (slightly), and collating the responses is that – Wow! – Europe’s come a long way in the past two years. It strikes me that Europe 2003 is akin to Japan 2000, with new networks, data services, and innovative business models all being trialed, proven, and – in some cases (Did someone say “KPN i-mode?”) disproven.

DoCoMo Gets a Clearer Signal

A year ago, NTT DoCoMo looked like yet another Japanese company gone astray. A year ago, NTT DoCoMo looked like yet another Japanese company gone astray. After writing off half of the $16 billion it had invested in overseas phone companies, Japan’s No. 1 wireless operator plunged into the red for the first time since its founding in 1991. Its reputation as a leader in innovation took a beating after it was late to offer cell phones with built-in cameras, the latest rage in Japan. And the launch of its much-hyped 3G high-speed mobile service turned out to be a much-publicized flop.

Sony Ericsson: Sublime Japan Handset Design

Sony Ericsson: Sublime Japan Handset DesignThis week, WWJ sits down with Sony Ericsson to look into the design process that animates Japan’s ubercool handset industry. We ask about product planning, design peculiarities of the Japanese market, development for overseas, and about new technologies – like removable memory and swivel cameras. Sony Ericsson is one of Japan’s top handset factories and their new-last-week 505i handset for DoCoMo is the only one with a 1.3-megapixel camera. If there’s something these folks don’t know about creating handsets, it’s not worth knowing. Full Program Run-Time 22:13

Credit Companies Trial IR Payment via i-Mode

Visa International, Nippon Shinpan, Aeon Credit Service, OMC Card, and NTT DoCoMo announced that they have agreed to commercialize credit card settlements using mobile phones, and that they will start a trial service soon. The mobile phones designated for the trial service are NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode-supporting 504i series and 504iS series that have the infrared communication function to download Java applications.