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

Year: 2005

Mobile Tetris No. 1 on Verizon

Verizon Wireless is giving classic arcade games new mobile life with Get It Now and the getGAMES shopping aisle. A virtual software store on customers’ wireless phones, Get It Now offers customers a selection of more than 500 games, productivity tools, information services, ring tone providers, wallpaper providers, an IM chat client — Mobile IM — that includes access to Yahoo! Messenger, MSN(R) Messenger, or AOL(R) IM (AIM), and more right at their fingertips. Looking at the most popular game titles from Verizon Wireless, it’s no surprise that the most widely played and famous computer game of all time leads both the top 10 games and top classic games categories. Namco’s Tetris(R) by JAMDAT Mobile gives addicts longing for video game action the freedom to play the game virtually anytime, virtually anywhere. Available on Verizon’s select Get It Now-enabled phones for $2.99 monthly access or $6.99 for unlimited use purchase.

Vodafone K.K. Sponsors Contest for Student Research using Mobile Phones

Vodafone K.K. announced today that for the third time it will sponsor Vodafone Mobile Eco School 2005, a contest where high school students use mobile handsets for scientific research purposes. Vodafone Mobile Eco School is a Vodafone K.K.-sponsored programme that lets students freely conduct research on ecology, science and environment themes with the latest Vodafone K.K. handsets (*Vodafone K.K. plans to lend Vodafone 902T handsets for research purposes. Communications made for research purposes will not be charged.) The Grand Prix team will receive a prize of 200,000 yen and a field trip to the United Kingdom. The field trip is scheduled to include exchange with U.K. high school students and other cultural activities. Applications for 3rd Vodafone Mobile Eco School to be accepted from 1 June.

Softbank Gets Test Service License

Though Softbank seems to be making more headlines with their pro baseball team, the Hawks, than Internet and broadband ventures, the company is moving decidedly forward in its long-range plan to provide mobile W-CDMA phone service in the domestic market. On 30 May, the company received its hard-fought for license to test service in the 1.7-gigahertz band. This is not yet a license for full operation as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is still working on allocation policy for this and one other bandwidth.

Vodafone K.K. to Offer 3G W-CDMA Roaming in South Korea

Vodafone K.K. announced today that starting 7 June 2005 it will offer roaming services on SK Telecom Co., Ltd.’s W-CDMA network for its 3G customers, making it possible for them to use in South Korea the handsets that they normally use at home. The agreement marks the first time for an operator in Japan to offer roaming in South Korea on a W-CDMA network. Vodafone K.K.’s Global Roaming Service lets customers use Vodafone K.K. 3G handsets in countries and regions abroad in addition to Japan. Previously, customers traveling to South Korea had to rent dedicated CDMA handsets to roam on local CDMA networks. With the opening of W-CDMA networks in South Korea, however, it is now possible for customers using Vodafone K.K. 3G handsets to take their handsets for use in South Korea, a top-ranking travel destination for Japan residents with over 2.4 million travelers visiting in 2004.

KDDI's Shock and Awe with Tough New Casio 3G Handsets

KDDI's Shock and Awe with Tough New Casio 3G HandsetsCasio’s rugged water-and-shock resistant mobile handsets from KDDI launched at a press event held in the celco’s shiny Harajuku Designing Studio first-floor theater; both features are firsts for a 3G handset and the G’zOne [flash site here] certainly looks like it should be hanging from a REI backpack while its user hammers pylons into a sheer rock face. An optional handle-cum-customized protector curves around the handset’s top edge, just begging for a carabiner clip. The phone has two screens, a 2.2-inch QVGA on the inside and 1-inch circular screen centered in the front cover.

All three models, the C303C, C311CA and C409CA, are covered in a tough polyurethane material with a magnesium alloy body to absorb hard knocks. G’zOne’s front screen functions as an electronic compass orienting with the built-in GPS tracking system and linked to KDDI’s signature EZ Navi walk navigation system, all ready for urban trailblazing. Even if your most arduous climb is the subway steps at Harajuku’s Omote Sando station, that water-resistant function could come in very handy when typhoon season hits. KDDI says the handset can withstand 30 minutes in water at a depth of one meter (although they admit tap water was used in the testing rather than chilly spring snow run-off). Thankfully the launch day event was held inside… 🙂

Tomy Looks to Mobile Phones for Driving New Toy Sales

Tomy Looks to Mobile Phones for Driving New Toy Sales

The wireless road warriors from Tomy have put cell phones in the drivers’ seat with these tiny remote control cars that can zip along in response to signals from infrared-equipped handsets. Licensed by Disney, Putica (petite car), comes in three classic Disney cartoon character designs from the 40s and 50s: Susie the hot rod, steam engine Casey Jr. and Pedro the plane. Overseas readers may not recognize these anthropomorphic mechanicals from the past, but these are by no means obscure for Japanese consumers. Regional marketing of secondary and even obscure characters from old Disney cartoons have become a huge spin-off industry here. Susie, the little blue hot rod, has her own line of character goods. These hot-rods are priced at a mere 1680 yen. To synch controls with most mobile phones, drivers can download a free software application from the online Tomy Putica website.