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Gaming Set to Repeat Mobile Music Success

Mobile Music Hot but Mobile Games will Blaze! by Mobikyo KKAs mobile music settles into a steady mainstream growth cycle, with now-well-established hardware and content offerings, many industry watchers are looking towards the Next Big Thing. We think they need look no further than portable gaming, which is set to take mobile by storm. All the ingredients for mobile gaming success are in place: key platforms, faster 3G networks, affordable and flat-rate data, and a keen, heavy using youth demographic that continues to display a never-ending quest for hardware upgrades. Take a look around the streets of Tokyo, and the conclusion is unmissable: gaming for mobile devices is set for impressive growth in the next few years.

To date, the limiting factor has been the actual devices, as it was at one stage with music. The Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, much like Apple’s iPod, have proven to be early major hits as stand-alone units, having sufficient onboard CPU and memory capabilities to run some intensive games. In view of the success of porting the well-known ‘Walkman‘ onto mobile phones, can it be that long before we see the PSP label on a prototype cell phone from Sony Ericsson?

The photo tells it all. Taken recently by WWJ digital media director Lawrence Cosh-Ishii in suburban Tokyo, it shows a group of mid-teen boys waiting for a train at Shimo-Kitazawa station; all are playing with a PSP, blissfully ignorant of the huge poster for KDDI/au’s new music campaign. Note also that the recent BREW 2006 Conference issued a release with the news that Qualcomm and Microsoft will port MS ‘Live Anywhere’ for X-Box 360 gaming onto BREW-enabled mobile handsets. If you don’t think these tech giants have got it right, just watch what the kids are doing!

Online Advertising in Japan

As in many countries with an experienced online population, and borne out by recent data from Video Research Ltd., internet usage in Japan is higher than usage of all other types of media besides television. Mobile ad revenue is also keeping pace with online advertising in general, although it has dipped down somewhat from the boom year of 2004.

Windows Live Messenger for DoCoMo

Microsoft Corp. will release a version of its Windows Live Messenger application for use on NTT DoCoMo mobile phones “very soon,” sources at Microsoft say. Windows Live Messenger is Microsoft’s online chat program, which competes with a similar offering from Yahoo Japan Corp. The Japanese mobile version will allow real-time chat with other users on PCs or phones, access to buddy lists, and a “wake-up” feature that will send e-mail to a user’s phone when friends want to chat.

BREW Developer Award Winners Announced

QUALCOMM has announced the winners of the BREW 2006 Developer Awards, a global awards program that recognizes and promotes the best BREW applications created by wireless publishers and developers. The BREW 2006 Developer Awards — sponsored for the second year in a row by Motorola — recognizes wireless publishers and developers who are creating best-in-class BREW applications and services that are propelling wireless data to the next level. Japanese entries were awarded top honor in 3 of the 9 catagories.

NTT DoCoMo finally needs Microsoft

One of WWJ’s long-time favorite mobile & tech media sites, The Register.co.uk, posted an item last week that stopped us short: “DoCoMo deal opens i-Mode world to Windows Media.”

The point that caught us was right in the opening graf (see if it grabs you too):

“Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, a long standing Microsoft partner in the world of mobile entertainment, is to port Windows Media DRM (digital rights management) to its 3G handsets, allowing for content to be moved between phones and PCs, and bypassing the Open Mobile Alliance DRM.”

Like us, you probably didn’t need the red ink to highlight this article’s boggling assertion that NTT DoCoMo is a “long standing” Microsoft partner; while the two tech giants may not exactly hate each other, there’s been been little love lost as Microsoft has failed at every step of i-mode’s growth to establish any significant…

eMobile Completes Additional Equity Financing

eMobile, a subsidiary of eAccess Ltd., announced today it has successfully completed another round of equity financing with an additional 27.3 billion yen new capital. Following this transaction, the total paid-in capital (capital shares and capital reserve) of eMobile will reach 143.2 billion yen (capital shares: 71.75 billion yen), and eAccess’ ownership in eMobile will be 46.2%. Together with the recent announcement of the project finance transaction of 220 billion yen, eMobile has secured a combined equity and debt capital of over 360 billion yen. The total capital raised should fully satisfy the funding requirement of eMobile’s business plan, according to a company statement released today.

DoCoMo Searching for Search Partner

NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to ally with an online search engine this year to keep pace with expected handset functions by rivals KDDI Corp. and Softbank Corp. “Mobile phones are becoming much closer to personal computers,” said Chief Executive Masao Nakamura during an interview in Tokyo. “We definitely need a search engine.” He declined to name the search engine the company may ally with. Original Source

It goes without saying that since KDDI just announced their tie-up with Google and with SoftBank owning Yahoo! there are few alt. choices left. The betting has already started on whether it will be Ask or Excite.. will be interesting.

DoCoMo Making Moves in Hong Kong

Hutchison Telecommunications said it has formed a strategic partnership with NTT DoCoMo of Japan. An industry source familiar with the matter said the two companies are likely to launch mobile applications related to Hutchison Telecom’s 3G mobile platform in Hong Kong. A spokeswoman of Hutchison declined to give further details, but said the two companies will hold a press briefing on the partnership Thursday.

Web Update 1 June: It’s Official>>

Vodafone K.K. Financial Results for Fiscal 2005

Vodafone K.K. has just announced its results for fiscal 2005 (the year ended at 31 March 2006). Positive net customer additions of 169,200 were recorded in the period due to an expanded lineup of handsets well-suited to the Japanese market, improved network coverage, and the launch of attractive price plans. Net customer additions in the period represented an increase of 79,900 compared to 89,300 in the previous fiscal year and achievement of the turnaround plan announced at the beginning of the period. Consolidated operating revenues declined slightly to 1,467.6 billion yen and consolidated ordinary income declined by 51.5% to 74.4 billion yen. Consolidated net profit was 49.5 billion due to an extraordinary profit of 20.0 billion yen.