Year: <span>2005</span>
Year: 2005

Year: 2005

eAccess Courting Goldman Sachs

ADSL Broadband firm and mobile carrier wannabe eAccess is in discussion with American’s Goldman Sachs Group regarding significant investment in the firm. eAccess issued a Japanese press release in response to an article in the Nihon Keizai Daily. The article reported that the company plans to partner with Goldman Sachs with an investment by the American corporate giant of 25 billion yen through GS Capital Partners. Goldman Sachs has ties with Universal Studios Japan and could smooth plans for eAccess to distribute Universal video games over Japanese 3G cell phones. The article went on to say that they may also develop phone-based travel content including golf and hotel reservations for properties with Goldman Sachs ties.

Vodafone Makes E-Moji Mail Work

Vodafone Japan is making it easier for Japanese multi-slackers to stuff their email full of pictographs and surf it on over other carriers’ systems intact and with no extra steps. Due to differing specifications with each carriers’ pictograms (or E-moji), it hasn’t been possible for Vodafone users to send emails that included picture fun to other carriers’ handsets. The company’s pictogram conversion function now automatically changes the Vodafone pictogram codes into the corresponding display format for DoCoMo and KDDI cellphones.

Toshiba's 3.2 Megapixel Image Sensor

Toshiba has announced the latest addition to its line-up of Dynastron complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors for integration in mobile handsets. The new ET8E99-AS [ .jpg image ] brings 3.2-megapixel capability to cellular phones and other camera-enabled mobile devices in a small package, offering, according to the company, low-power consumption and high-level performance. Samples of the new sensor are available immediately and mass production will start within the calendar year. The ET8E99-AS will be exhibited at CEATEC JAPAN 2005, from October 4 at Makuhari Messe.

Japan's Mobile Digital Terrestrial TV to Launch April 2006

Japan's Mobile Digital Terrestrial TV LaunchWe have signal. Mobile digital terrestrial TV broadcasting hits the wireless airwaves in Japan April 1st, 2006. Japanese telecom carriers and commercial broadcasters will be ready to start simulcasts of hybrid terrestrial digital programming and data feeds to cellular phones in just a few months. “Our handsets will be ready to comply with that date and we are targeting March/April 2006 release of mobile digital terrestrial TV phones,” NTT DoCoMo spokesperson Tomoko Tsuda told WWJ.

No April Fools prank, the start up date was announced by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Vodafone also confirmed to WWJ they should make the April deadline. “We are gearing up production to have handsets ready in time for the start of this new digital TV service,” says Vodafone spokesperson Matthew Nicholson. Details on when other broadcasters will start mobile programming and what contents they plan to spin to mobile should be available soon.

DoCoMo Announces Japan's First Digital Broadcast Cellphone

DoCoMo Announces Japan's First Digital Broadcast CellphoneDoCoMo has developed their first mobile handset to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting and analog TV in one 3G Foma package. The P901iTV handset, by Panasonic, targets the start of mobile digital broadcasting in April, 2006 and will make its public debut at the upcoming CEATEC Japan 2005 trade show October 4 to 8 at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba. (WWJ will be on-hand to get photos and video!)

The twist-style handset comes with a 2.5-inch, wide-view main LCD screen plus a sub-display, antenna-embedded earphone for enhanced TV reception, and 2.2-megapixel camera. The handset can only handle around 2.5 hours of continuous digital TV viewing; 1.5 hours of analog — ruling out Lord of the Rings style 3-hour viewing marathons. DoCoMo’s Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet is part of the package as well, enabling the phone to be used as electronic money.

Vodafone and KDDI have had demonstration models of terrestrial digital TV receiver/handsets for some time. Last may their latest versions were up and running at the NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories open house. Vodafone displayed the 801SH Sharp CDMA Qualcomm handset with a hybrid split-screen displaying TV images on the upper half with the bottom reserved for scrolling data feeds. KDDI showed off a similar au prototype handset by Sanyo. Check-out our video report from that event here.

Vodafone Enables Pre-Paid via ATM

Vodafone Japan has announced that starting 17 October 2005 it will offer a new service for its Prepaid Service which will allow customers to recharge their prepaid mobile phones at bank ATMs or via internet banking. Using the electronic payment system, dubbed ‘Pay-easy’, customers will now be able to recharge their prepaid mobile phones at financial institution ATMs by using their bank cards or cash, and also via internet or mobile banking. This new service will be available to most existing Vodafone Prepaid Service customers and will be Japan’s first that allows clients to recharge their prepaid mobile phones at ATMs of financial institutions.