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Joint Venture to Create Mobile Widgets

SoftBank Mobile, along with China Mobile and Vodafone, is planning to set up an ‘Joint Innovation Lab’ in order to promote the future development of applications for enhanced mobile internet service offerings. According to this statement from the SoftBank corp. website [in Japanese] the 3-way JV will focus on mobile widgets that ensure cross platform operations for security, privacy and billing. This new effort aims to develop an enviroment that will encourage advanced software services, although the lab is apparently awaiting regulatory approval.

DoCoMo Introduces New Logo

DoCoMo unveiled their new corp. logo today at the Tokyo Prince hotel — WWJ was there of course — along with other re-branding elements that are set to be introduced beginning July 1st. The new logo’s color is red, meant to symbolize energy and “Passion” according to the presentation made by Senior Advisor Masahiko Uotani, who is also the chairman of Coca-Cola Japan (video coming asap!). The changes are a direct result of DoCoMo’s review of its branding and related marketing strategies as was announced here last summer.

DoCoMo Achieves 250Mbps Downlink

DoCoMo has announced their latest speed trials in the march towards Super 3G or so-called LTE technologies. According to the press release they have refined the experimental system using an actual wireless environment near its R&D labs in Yokosuka Research Park to record a downlink transmission rate of 250Mbps in the 20MHz bandwidth, the maximum under new Super 3G standards. DoCoMo is continuing to test connection handover from one base station to another, and the functionality of applications in indoor and outdoor environments.

UQ Selects Fujitsu's Mobile WiMAX

Fujitsu has announced that its outdoor base station for mobile WiMAX, BroadOne WX300, was selected by UQ Communications for the company’s nationwide WiMAX services infrastructure in Japan. UQ is jointly owned by KDDI, Intel, JR East, Kyocera, Daiwa and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, and intends to begin offering commercial WiMAX service in Japan starting in 2009 according to the press release issued by Fujitsu.

Disney Mobile Japan Hits the Street

Backed by their telecom operator partner SoftBank Mobile, and with Hillary Duff as the campaign face, SoftBank Mobile held splashy launch parties in locations around Tokyo this week-end. Drawing attention to the companies branded offerings, with over 3 million content subscribers established in Japan over their last seven years operating here, the new MVNO is bullish about it’s domestic market potential. They have indicated a target segment focus, young women, and have a strong industry partners in SoftBank Mobile, including Yahoo!, to run a viable service offering.

HTC Announces Titan II for eMobile

HTC has just confirmed [.pdf in Japanese] the introduction of their HTC TyTN II – or Titan Two – which will become available for sale in Japan on Friday, March 28, 2008 via eMobile, under the product name “S11HT (EMONSTER)”. The HTC TyTN II will be the first device from eMobile supporting broadband voice services and this handset is the eighth model, including designs scheduled for future release, from the HTC lineup to appear in Japan.