DoCoMo Market is a Portal not a Store
There has been plenty of ‘discussion’ about the DoCoMo Market for Android apps, this article should help explain matters. http://bit.ly/91dBDf
DOCOMO made headlines in Japan early this year when it announced the April launch of “docomo market,” a mobile Internet portal providing easy access to mobile content and apps around the world. Today, a half-year later, the portal is helping more and more smartphone users in Japan discover mobile apps and content.
As a Japanese-only service, however, the portal has received less attention overseas than in Japan, so we’d like to take this opportunity to update our English-speaking readership on DOCOMO’s open initiative to nurture Japan’s smartphone apps market.
The new service is not actually a store, but rather a portal to sites offering mobile applications and content. As explained when the service was first announced in January 2010, docomo market is targeted at Japanese users who are unfamiliar with smartphone apps.
Most apps currently are offered overseas, and in English, which complicates searches for Japanese-speaking users. Moreover, the overwhelming number of apps now flooding the market can make searching extra tedious.
In response, DOCOMO decided to launch a portal that conveniently aggregates the world’s best and most popular apps, and then explains them with handy descriptions written in Japanese, thereby enabling users to quickly grasp the app’s purpose and suitability to individual needs and preferences. Full article via DoCoMo Mobility – Issue #30.