New Tech & Services
New Tech & Services

New Tech & Services

NTT, Sega Testing 3D Technology

NTT and Sega Ltd. have started a joint experiment that utilizes object recognition technology developed by NTT Laboratory; the technology gives hyperlink functionality to patterns (trademarks, signboards, posters, etc.) as well as to solid things (commodities, etc.) that exist in the real world, and enables combination with various services on the Internet. The technology utilized in this experiment was developed by the NTT Cyber Communications Laboratory. NTT will conduct a verification of business applications through this joint experiment, while Sega will examine the development of new contents that use the technology.

Visto Powers Vodafone K.K. Launch of Japan's First ''True Push'' Wireless Email

Visto Corporation, a leading global provider of secure push mobile email, today announced that Visto Mobile 5 with ConstantSync technology has been chosen by Vodafone K.K. to power Vodafone Office Mail, Japan’s first “True Push” wireless email service. Visto’s device-agnostic push wireless email offering enables Vodafone K.K., to deliver secure push email and PIM on leading handsets, starting with the Vodafone 702NK II (Nokia 6680). This release of the Vodafone Office Mail service follows Visto’s signature of a global contract with Vodafone Group Plc announced in April 2005. Japan is the latest region to launch a Vodafone wireless push email service powered by Visto Mobile.

Gartner Sees $$$ in RFID

RFID technology’s time may finally be coming if implementers can learn to look beyond its current characterization as a product ID-code system, according to a new Gartner report. Findings from “Market Share and Forecast: Radio Frequency Identification, Worldwide, 2004-2010”. According to the report, worldwide RFID spending for 2005 is likely to reach $504 million, a 39 percent increase from the previous year. Accelerating adoption will lead to new license revenue of $751 million by the end of 2006, with worldwide spending topping $3 billion by 2010.

Japan Puts Its Money on e-Cash

Electronic money emerged four years ago as a convenient tool for fast-paced train commuters. The Japan Research Institute, an economic research group, estimates that at least 15 million people here are now using e-cash, a figure projected to reach 40 million — about one in every three Japanese — by 2008. The number of e-cash transactions reached 15.8 million per month in 2005, more than double last year’s figure, according to Japan’s two largest electronic money providers. E-cash is being accepted at convenience stores, department stores, cafes, restaurants, newsstands and electronics retailers — enabling users to go shopping carrying nothing but their cell phones. At some supermarkets, up to 40 percent of all purchases are made with electronic money.

Gadgets, Guards Ensure Kids are Safe

Shock at the brutal murders of two 7-year-old girls in the space of just over a week is pushing Japan to consider everything from bus services to high-tech gadgets to keep small children safe between home and school. High-tech gadgets are an increasingly common way of trying to protect kids unobtrusively. Concerned parents often provide their offspring with mobile phones that incorporate global positioning systems (GPS) for tracking their movements.

Java-Based Video Applet to Deliver Local Broadcast Content to Mobile Phones

Weathernews, the world’s most experienced and trusted provider of mobile weather content with over 1.5 million paying mobile subscribers, today announced its newest offering, the first and only mobile Java application to incorporate MPEG 4 video technology bringing the weathercasts of local broadcast stations to subscribers’ cell phones. Called the Weathernews Network, the new mobile multimedia technology allows subscribers to watch personalized video feeds of local weather news and conditions from their trusted, local broadcasters right from their cell phone (WeatherNews USA is owned by WeatherNews Japan — Ed.).