3G
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3G

Aplix and DoCoMo to Jointly Develop Doja/Java Prototype for FOMA

Aplix Corporation announced today a cooperative agreement with NTT DoCoMo, Inc. to jointly develop a DoJa/JavaTM platform prototype for FOMA(r) devices. DoJa/Java platform is the application execution environment for NTT DoCoMo’s i-appli(r). The two companies will develop a platform for FOMA based on Aplix’s JBlendTM platform technology. Through this joint development, the two companies will assess performance enhancements of the DoJa/Java platform and the possibility of reducing development costs by standardizing the i-appli execution environment.

Ryozanpaku Launches i-mode Pachinko Service in Japan

Ryozanpaku International, Inc., announced today that it has successfully established itself as an authorized Docomo i-mode content provider in Japan. Japanese consumers can now access the latest news and information on the Pachinko industry directly from their mobile phones. In April 2004, Ryozanpaku entered into a service and revenue sharing agreement with MS Communications Co., Ltd. Under the agreement Ryozanpaku is an authorized Docomo i-mode content provider and is permitted to deliver its proprietary content over the Docomo i-mode network.

Macromedia's Flash Lite Shines

Fujitsu's New VoIP/PHS HandsetFlash has been an integral part of the fixed-line Web for years and with its launch on DoCoMo’s 505i-series 2G handsets in spring 2003 (and on FOMA 3G last fall), it has developed into a mobile Web standard in Japan as well; six major Japanese manufacturers are already producing Flash-enabled handsets. Flash has now rolled out on yet another batch of 3G phones, this time from KDDI. We caught up with Macromedia’s senior director of marketing for mobile, Anup Murarka, at KDDI’s launch event in Tokyo and had a fascinating discussion about the past, present, and future of Flash for wireless. Full Program (also available in Real Player and Quick-Time formats) Run-time 20:51

DoCoMo's 1Q Profits Slip 13%

NTT DoCoMo released their first quarter earnings for fiscal year ending March 31, 2005 yesterday. Net income fell to 170.4 billion yen, or $1.53 billion yen, in the three months that ended June 30, from 196.8 billion yen a year earlier. Sales fell 2.5 percent, to 1.22 trillion yen. Despite adding 1.5 million new 3G subscribers they announced a 13% drop in profits over the same period last year. “Our subscriber growth is solid,” Masayuki Hirata, DoCoMo’s senior executive vice president, said at a news conference, “but many of our current initiatives are essentially price cuts, and the migration of customers to FOMA means related costs are increasing.” According to the figures, overall revenue per subscriber dropped from 8,060 yen to 7,400 yen.

DoCoMo Unveil's FOMA N880iES 3G Phone

The new “Easy & Simple” NEC handset [.jpg image] is equipped with a camera that has an effective resolution of 320,000 pixels, and is the first model in the “Raku Raku Phone” series to be compatible with the 3G network. Users can receive voice calls and videophone calls by following the blinking keys and the instructions displayed on the screen. As with previous easy-to-use handsets, this model displays detailed image-based instructions to smoothly walk users through each step of basic operations such as creating and sending mail.

DoCoMo NOT to Drop i-mode in Japan

UPDATE 2: The Feature has “sort of” come clean, admitting their original story that DoCoMo was going to “drop i-mode” was utter rubbish. Of course, we smelt a rat as soon as the story, written by someone poorly translating a Japanese source, flashed around tech pages, as noted from the text following this update…”This story sounds a little fishy to us, since the reference to a Nikkei Shimbun story came from Total Telecom via Techdirt we’ve done some quick fact checks and seems that perhaps its a translation issue and/or a mis-understanding of terms.”

While it is true that DoCoMo is beginning to push migration of 2G (PDC) users to their 3G (W-CDMA) network, that has nothing to do with the i-mode service itself. Most telling is that NE AsiaBP who run the english side of Nikkei have no mention of what would be perhaps one of the most significant stories coming out of Tokyo this month.

UPDATE FINAL: We asked for clarification from DoCoMo PR and will set the record straight. “There is definitely no plan to end the i-mode brand in Japan,” according to the company’s Masanori Goto Saturday on July 24 at 16:00 JST.