Amp’d Mobile and Kyocera Wireless Corp. today announced the Jet, an affordable high-speed EV-DO handset for rapid downloading of Amp’d’s unique 3G content launching later this year. Jet marks the first EV-DO mobile phone for Kyocera Wireless, a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, and will be the lowest-priced handset at Amp’d Mobile, the first fully integrated 3G mobile entertainment company for youth/young adults.
The KDDI Designing Studio is under siege by storm troopers for the month of July in a concentrated effort to promote the company’s au Auction Star Wars campaign. They have some pretty cool collectables up for grabs to the highest bidder with all proceeds raised going to charity. WWJ was on hand for the launch and while it was disappointing that Darth Vader would not comment on camera, we did manage to shoot a bit of video at the event just for all the dark-side otaku out there.
KDDI has gone all out to boost the content and related services for this project, which includes everything from custom ring tones and EZ books to Flash games, movie trailers and screen savers. It will be interesting to see what the winning bids are on approximately 20 separate lots donated by Lucas Films, you’ll have until 17 August to get a limited edition — one of only 500 made — 24kt, solid-gold C3PO. We’d rather have a chance to win the ubercool Anakin Skywalker Light Saber that looks like it really works!
DoCoMo’s i-mode goes for the globe! Japan’s leading cellco and its eight alliance partners in Europe, Taiwan and Australia agreed on their first joint procurement tie-up for i-mode handsets. Korea’s LG Electronics will fill what promises to be a very large order for their camera-equipped, clamshell, L342i model with embedded antenna and Java capability. LG has made strong inroads into the European mobile marketplace. A report by IDC on Europe’s mobile phone market showed LG with.. (WWJ subscribers log in to read full story; keywords include terminal partners, i-mode licensees, subscriber count.)
Now that TV viewing has jumped off the couch and onto the streets over wireless handsets, Japanese TV broadcasters are scrambling to adapt content and programming to mobile viewing. Colorzip Japan is introducing a Technicolor technology that could bring TV mobile marketing into focus for broadcasters.
Colorzip Japan recently announced it is working with strategic partners Fuji Television Network, and Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on a late-summer launch of TV applications for its two-dimensional server based code recognition system, ColorCode, linking TV broadcasts to related digital content for sponsored websites, music samples, contests and prize drawings.
The technology could eventually provide easy access to TV programming in progress or rebroadcasts via subscriptions. For now though, the developers are looking at links to mobile program websites as well as contests and promotions. Colorzip Japan CEO Christopher Craney told WWJ, “TV companies are working on this initially as a way to promote their programming.” (Evan Owens, Director and CTO, made a presentation about this technology at Mobile Monday Tokyo’s April Event — Ed.).
All doubts are now removed about who is making “Ferrari Class” handsets and the gloves are off for a bare-knuckles contest in the UK mobile data market. With O2 getting ready to roll out their i-mode portal in the next few months, Vodafone is clearly taking advantage of its relationship with Japanese OEMs and the London young turks need for speed. The GX25 (photo right) has Bluetooth and a QVGA TFT LCD bundled into its tri-band body, and the 3G-enabled 902sh touts a 2-megapixel camera with Video Out function.
Their ad copy says it all: “Jump into the seat with the Sharp 902 official Ferrari merchandise. You too can be part of the team through games, ring tones and customised menu which are all included in this unique package. Enjoy the benefits of this high-quality phone and share the excitement of the Ferrari footage with your friends. This striking Vodafone live! with 3G phone also features a 2 megapixel camera with autofocus and 2x optical zoom. After you have amazed others with your photography skills, why not explore the world of Vodafone live! with 3G to catch the latest music videos, Barclays Premiership goals, film trailers and breaking video news bulletins? All this before you have made your first face-to-face video call!“
DoCoMo’s tiny Mova Premini mobile-phone series by Sony Ericsson is getting a color boost for summer. New Premini II S color combinations of orange/silver, white/lavender, and blue/green push the palm-size handset beyond its mini-macho borders into new territory.
For the Premini II S, the company created a playful Flash movie site called Premini TV. Click on ‘Color Shuffle’ and ‘Light On’ plus the colored dots positioned above them for light effects, then run the mouse over the musical Premini II S handsets covering the screen. It may not sell any phones but it’s fun and DoCoMo needs to keep that frontal lobe awareness with younger consumers.
