Sign of the Times
Sign of the Times

Sign of the Times

Bandai Introduces SmartBerry Handset

Bandai Introduces SmartBerry HandsetBandai, famous for the ’90’s Tamagochi craze, has introduced their new SmartBerry Communicator device. Targeted at young girls, this slider styled touch screen unit offers profile personalization – a virtual business card with blood type and birthdate as given examples – to be shared with trusted friends via real email, including photo attachments and emoji icons of course, with instant chat and multi-player gaming functions, just to name a few.

Available starting this weekend, for about $100, the company has forcasted moving 100,000 units in Japan by spring 2009.

You have to wonder how long it will be before the folks at Mattel catch-up with something like this for Barbie Girls too.. Egad! More details after the jump.

3G iPhone in Tokyo – TGIF

3G iPhone in Tokyo - TGIFWell it was a long time coming but this morning at 07:00 the first 3G iPhones started hitting the street here in Tokyo with almost 1,000 die-hard fans in line at the SoftBank Mobile flagship store in Omote-Sando eager to buy the next-generation mobile computing device.. while supplies last.

Wireless Watch Japan was on the scene, last night and all morning for the launch party at Bic Camera in Yurakucho, shooting some video and chatting with the crowd. Doesn’t he look happy!

We have a ton of material to edit down but for the time being we pulled a few screen grab teaser shots. More after the jump.

DoCoMo Joins the Symbian Foundation

In a landmark announcement yesterday, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DoCoMo expressed their intent to unite Symbian OS, S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) to create one open mobile software platform. Together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone they plan to establish the Symbian Foundation to extend the appeal of this unified software platform. Membership of this non-profit Foundation will be open to all organizations. This initiative is supported by current shareholders and management of Symbian Limited, who have been actively involved in its development.

Nokia announced plans to acquire the remaining shares of Symbian Limited that Nokia does not already own and then contribute the Symbian and S60 software to the Foundation. Sony Ericsson and Motorola today announced their intention to contribute technology from UIQ and DOCOMO has also indicated its willingness to contribute its MOAP(S) assets. From these contributions, the Foundation will provide a unified platform with common UI framework. A full platform will be available for all Foundation members under a royalty-free license, from the Foundation’s first day of operations.

SoftBank Announces iPhone Service Plans

As the hype anticipation builds, Softbank Mobile has released the the applicable subscription plan details for Apple’s 3G iPhone. According to this announcement, purchase of iPhone 3G 8GB model will run approximately 23,000jpy, or 960jpy month over 2-year term and unlimited data packet usage is priced at 5,985jpy per month. The package provided will be their popular ‘White Plan’ offering free domestic voice calls between SoftBank handsets from 1:00 to 21:00 and a SoftBank original mail service with receipt notification ‘Email’ for free.

Panel Urges Limit on Mobile for Kids

A Japanese government panel has called on parents and schools to help limit the use of mobile phones by children to prevent them from accessing “harmful” information on websites. These measures are necessary to “protect children from harmful information and other negative influence involving the use of mobile phones” including “crimes and bullying,” the report said. It called for limiting mobile phone for children use just to voice calls. More details after the jump

Renesas Considers Taking FOMA Global

According to this report, Renesas is interested in offering the FOMA platform as a handset reference design to companies outside Japan. FOMA, or Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access, is Docomo’s 3G network standard design followed all Japanese handset makers that provide cellphones to DoCoMo. Considering the vested interest of Renesas in SH-Mobile this ‘news’ is not surprising. However, it does indicate that more players and products are gearing up for the shift towards LTE.

Hakuhodo Wins Mobile Marketing Award

The annual D&AD award winners have been announced with a ‘Yellow Pencil’ going to an interesting campaign by Tokyo-based agency Hakuhodo for snack food client Tohato.

The World’s Worst War used two new spicey snack flavors as opposing forces and engaged players to invite friends, thereby increasing their own personal rank, to join forces of either the Habanero Evil Army or the dreaded Satan Jorquia… Yikes. Better to watch the video!

Via Communities Dominate Brands.

KDDI May Have Net Subscriber Loss in April

Local media is reporting that KDDI may show a net subscriber loss, for the first time ever, in the month of April as a result of phasing-out their legacy Tu-Ka network. According to Bloomberg news, comments made yesterday by KDDI’s CFO, Satoshi Nagao, indicate the net month-on-month decline could be in the 100,000 clients range. The company had just over 234,000 contracts for the service, less than 1% of their total customer base, as of April 1st.

Mobile Marketing for the 21st Century

Our research partners over at Infinita have just pulled the wraps off a new report focused on mobile advertising and marketing in Japan. As usual the materials are detailed and informative and nearly as deep as the niche itself. If you’re at all interested in this important segment then we suggest a review of (at very least) the free sample — details here — would most certainly be time well spent.

Tokyo Joins Mobile Phone Recycle Effort

The Communications and Information network Association of Japan (CIAJ) and the Telecom Carriers Association (TCA), which jointly operates the Mobile Recycling Network (MRN), have established a partnership with the Tokyo Metropolitan government to promote the recycling of cellular telephones. MRN has asked individual local governments for their cooperation in promoting the collection of cellular phones, but this is the first case where a prefectural government has established a council and asked for participation of the Mobile Recycling Network.