Japan firms balk at MPEG-4 terms
Japan’s mobile video content providers are threatening to snub the MPEG-4 compression format–touted as crucial technology for delivering video to mobile handsets–unless the cost of using it comes down.
Japan’s mobile video content providers are threatening to snub the MPEG-4 compression format–touted as crucial technology for delivering video to mobile handsets–unless the cost of using it comes down.
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries announced today a new 2G/3G service, called “i-mode My Box,” for easy linkage to customized web pages via “iMenu,” the official i-mode portal. The service will be launched on a trial basis beginning at 9:00 a.m. on June 2, 2003.
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight regional subsidiaries announced today that the companies will launch an on-line payments service, named “DoCommerce,” at 9:00 a.m. on May 26, 2003, enabling both 2G and 3G SSL-compatible i-mode handset users to enjoy mobile shopping and pay online with their VISA, or JCB credit cards.
KDDI has been actively developing technologies and services that fuse communications and broadcasting. As a part of these activities, the KDDI subsidiary KDDI R&D Laboratories, in conjunction with NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories has developed a prototype mobile terminal that supports linked communications and broadcasting services in an environment similar to actual usage conditions. The services combine mobile phone services and data broadcasting for mobile terminals that support digital terrestrial broadcasting.
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and its eight subsidiaries announced today that they will launch V-Live(TM) service for videophones beginning May 1, 2003. M-Stage V-Live is a one-to-many video streaming service that enables users to download or stream a variety of live and archived content via 64 Kbps circuit-switched wireless transmission. The new offering will be available for P2101V, P2102V, D2101V, SH2101V, and T2101V FOMA handsets.
Nooper.com is an unlikely name for a technology that aims to turbocharge mobile mail. The system lets users specify events – “Noopies” – and then receive notification (as well as content) via keitai; Noopies can be anything – a Mail Checker Noopie alerts you when your corporate account gets a new mail, a Reminder Noopie tells you when rain is more than 40% likely (Remember your kasa!), and a List Noopie keeps you in touch with multiple buddies on a mailing list. The jury’s still out on whether Nooper can succeed in Japan’s roiling mobile market, but if they can succeed here, they can probably succeed anywhere. Full Program Run-time 16:48
Visa International, Nippon Shinpan, Aeon Credit Service, OMC Card, and NTT DoCoMo announced that they have agreed to commercialize credit card settlements using mobile phones, and that they will start a trial service soon. The mobile phones designated for the trial service are NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode-supporting 504i series and 504iS series that have the infrared communication function to download Java applications.
Mobile Healthcare Inc. today announced the launch of Lifewatcher, a world first in integrated mobile disease management. The new service, which operates over a mobile phone or other handheld device, is the first comprehensive mobile disease self-management system for diabetes or obesity sufferers or individuals with restricted dietary and health needs.
Sure, you can access your bank account balance and buy stuff via celly, but what happens if you loose your handset and some bad dude gets your PIN number? And remember: in Japan, tens of thousands of keitais are lost each year. But one thing the baddies (except for certain famous movie serial cannibals) can’t steal is your face – and today we show you an innovative face-recognition system that’s been ported to mobile phones. “Kaopass” works well and demonstrates one possibility for keitai security in the future. Full Program Run-Time 13:25
Access said Tuesday that it has tied up with US software developer Adobe Systems to enable car navigation systems and Internet-accessible home appliances to read PDF (portable document format) files. Users must pay for software to convert files into PDF, an electronic text format that Adobe developed, but can download software for read-only access free of charge.