Content Providers
Content Providers

Content Providers

Peru Decides to Adopt 1Seg Standard

The Transport and Communications Minister of Peru, Enrique Cornejo, has announced the country will officially adopt ISDB-T, the Japanese terrestrial digital TV system of technology. Cornejo made the announcement after a meeting between the head of State, Alan García, and the Prime Minister of Japan envoy, Shunichi Yamaguchi, at the Government Palace. Japan will carry out several programs to assist in the implementation of digital television in Peru, such as human resource training and economic cooperation.

Louis Vuitton Styled Custom QR Code

The always-on Jean Snow posted an interesting tip on a groovy style QR Code campaign running for Louis Vuitton. Produced by SET, and designed by Takashi Murakami, this is definitely a level-up from the good old black & white standard. While we have covered several unusual 2D barcode offerings in the past, such as Design QR and Ishinokoe, this next-gen full color version certainly raises the bar.

GMAP Launches Find!Tokyo iPhone App

GMAP Launches Find!Tokyo iPhone AppWe knew they would do it finally eventually. GMAP, with Enfour, have launched a fantastic bi-lingual Tokyo map application on the iTunes App Store. Find!TOKYO is perhaps ‘the’ most comprehensive location tool available for the metropolis, featuring thousands of custom designed maps for the iPhone and iPod touch screen.

The application includes fully scalable Tokyo train/subway map, interior maps of major stations, area maps and a detailed directory with maps of hotels, cinemas, parks, temples, shrines, etc. Along with the maps, many locations are tagged with photos and relevant information for use as visual guides or to learn about the locations. The content is stored inside the application so there is no need to access the Internet; ideal for the iTouch and overeas iPhone users.

There is a 600 yen one-time fee for Find!TOKYO, which includes future version updates, so you’ll never get lost in Tokyo again.. a killer deal at twice the price!

Japan's Soft Power for Global Business

Of course this stunt was bound to get a few tongues wagging, however the meat within, indicating the Feds renewed push for moving domestic digital content into markets overseas, is apparent if not politically motivated. Prime Minister Aso, a well-known manga maniac, was recently quoted as suggesting his government would like to create 500,000 new jobs in the music, fashion and media space by 2020.

NEC Provides Telefonica Blog Platform

NEC has announced that it is providing Telefonica Espana with a blog platform for their SNS service, “KETEKE,” which includes blogging and “Contenedor Multimedia” where registered SNS users may share photos and videos, in addition to a calendar where members can check and coordinate their schedules. These functions are available through not only the computer and mobile, but via the companies television service “Imagenio” as well. This platform was apparently designed based on an established blogging product from Japan that has been adapted to suit the needs of Telefonica, according to the statement.

MCN Wins EContent Top-100 Award

Tokyo-based MCN-Inc made the Top-100 list – smack between Microsoft and McGraw-Hill – under the Mobile Content and Search Engine Technology categories on EContents 8th annual most influential digital companies contest. According to the press release MCN’s recognition by a panel of 14 judges, who reviewed hundreds of candidates, comes at the conclusion of a remarkable year of global growth for the company. In 2008 MCN launched mobile content and commerce search services with more than 20 mobile operators and portals in Japan, Europe, and S. Asia and launched allwords(sm), the mobile Pay-per-Click (PPC) content promotion program and extended its subscriber reach to over 300,000,000 users worldwide.

A Common Metric for Mobile Advertising

According to a Business Beat article in the Nikkei Weekly print edition [.pdf], nearly as many people in Japan access the Internet through cellphones as PCs, so major advertisers and service providers have apparently come together recently in an effort to create a new way to measure the audiences visiting mobile websites. Some 40 companies including Coca-Cola and Panasonic as well as web agencies such as Nifty, DeNA and NetRatings Japan have established a study group to identify a common method to quantify mobile web usage.

All Systems Go for Tokyo Game Show

CESA has just issued a press release with final details for this TGS 2008. The total number of exhibitors this year will be 209, including 89 exhibitors from overseas. The number of booths has marked a new record of 1768. As of August 18, they received entries of a total of 613 titles by 64 corporations and organizations. A list of the participating companies is provided on the official English website. We’re looking forward to another Great Tokyo Game Show! Meanwhile, here’s our video from 2007.

MCN Announces Global Launch of allwords

Tokyo-based Mobile Content Networks (MCN), has announced that its popular mobile content merchandising program, allwords, is launching globally following its success in Japan since launching earlier this year. Initial allwords(sm) distribution partners will include Thailand’s AIS, DTAC, and TrueMove, Avea of Turkey, Scandinavia’s Tele2, and myGamma.com, BuzzCity’s fast growing mobile social network. MCN also confirmed that it will roll-out allwords in the U.S. as part of a commercial trial it is conducting with a leading mobile operator.

American Heritage for the iPhone

Tokyo-based Enfour Inc. and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company have announced the global rollout of the first iPhone and iPod Touch applications featuring the American Heritage dictionaries and other best-selling Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reference titles. This custom-built iPhone application features fully searchable and updated definitions, real-voice audio pronunciations, zoomable graphics, bookmarking, annotation and history.