KDDI have announced the introduction of their new Business Messenger service, which will enable users to send and receive voice calls, text, and still pictures to a group of up to 20 people at a time. Targeting the corporate/consumer market, the offering can initially only be used with Casio’s E03CA [ .jpg ] handset scheduled for release in December this year.
DoCoMo have just announced they will start marketing a BlackBerry handheld device and BlackBerry-enabled service on 26 September 2006. The BlackBerry 8707h, made by Research In Motion Limited (RIM), and DoCoMo’s BlackBerry Network Service – enabling RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Solution – will be targeted at corporate customers. The BlackBerry 8707h operates on both W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS networks and can be used overseas for voice and packet (data) communications. WWJ has been following this story; see our related posts here and here.
SoftBank has just issued a press release – together with HTC – indicating that High Tech Computer Corp. CEO Peter Chou and Vodafone KK President and Representative Executive Officer Masayoshi Son have signed a strategic collaboration agreement under which both parties will collaborate to develop and sell 3G PDA phones in Japan. According to the statement, products will be available as of late 2006.
KDDI has just added a few tasty tidbits on their recent announcements: the new W43S handset by Sony Ericsson is ready to roll as of Friday, 15 September, and they will have some interesting new BREW titles (including mobile multiplayers) on display at next week’s Tokyo Game Show. As an apparent counter measure to the free iPod Nano ‘bribe’ just announced by SoftBank Mobile, KDDI has also introduced the new “Large Satisfaction Campaign,” which will offer a variety of prizes for new users.. whew!
To celebrate the upcoming official re-branding of Vodafone KK to SoftBank Mobile, due for 1 October, we just received a press release [.PDF in Japanese] announcing the company will offer – starting today – a free 2-GB iPod nano to customers who buy their 705sh handset. We expected to hear more from the folks in Shiodome about their mobile number portability battle plan and this looks like a good start. We also should point out that Vodafone have already been selling the best example of an iPhone, the V803T by Toshiba, in Japan for well over a year now.
DoCoMo announced today they will form a business and capital alliance with Aquafairy Co. to develop fuel-cell products. DoCoMo will acquire an approximate 36.5-percent stake in the company through a purchase of newly allocated shares in the near future. Aquafairy, which develops and markets micro fuel cells for mobile devices, was established in Osaka in 2006 and has 11 employees. It has capital of 33 million yen.
