To confirm, and as misstated in yesterday’s WWJ Newsletter under “NTT DoCoMo finally needs Microsoft”: the new handset equipped with Microsoft Windows Media Audio software and DRM is the F902iS, and not the N902iS. Sorry for the confusion (the links to the F902iS page were correct). Note, moreover, the item below, “Windows Live Messenger for DoCoMo…”
Microsoft Corp. will release a version of its Windows Live Messenger application for use on NTT DoCoMo mobile phones “very soon,” sources at Microsoft say. Windows Live Messenger is Microsoft’s online chat program, which competes with a similar offering from Yahoo Japan Corp. The Japanese mobile version will allow real-time chat with other users on PCs or phones, access to buddy lists, and a “wake-up” feature that will send e-mail to a user’s phone when friends want to chat.
One of WWJ’s long-time favorite mobile & tech media sites, The Register.co.uk, posted an item last week that stopped us short: “DoCoMo deal opens i-Mode world to Windows Media.”
The point that caught us was right in the opening graf (see if it grabs you too):
“Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, a long standing Microsoft partner in the world of mobile entertainment, is to port Windows Media DRM (digital rights management) to its 3G handsets, allowing for content to be moved between phones and PCs, and bypassing the Open Mobile Alliance DRM.”
Like us, you probably didn’t need the red ink to highlight this article’s boggling assertion that NTT DoCoMo is a “long standing” Microsoft partner; while the two tech giants may not exactly hate each other, there’s been been little love lost as Microsoft has failed at every step of i-mode’s growth to establish any significant…
NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to ally with an online search engine this year to keep pace with expected handset functions by rivals KDDI Corp. and Softbank Corp. “Mobile phones are becoming much closer to personal computers,” said Chief Executive Masao Nakamura during an interview in Tokyo. “We definitely need a search engine.” He declined to name the search engine the company may ally with. Original Source
It goes without saying that since KDDI just announced their tie-up with Google and with SoftBank owning Yahoo! there are few alt. choices left. The betting has already started on whether it will be Ask or Excite.. will be interesting.
Hutchison Telecommunications said it has formed a strategic partnership with NTT DoCoMo of Japan. An industry source familiar with the matter said the two companies are likely to launch mobile applications related to Hutchison Telecom’s 3G mobile platform in Hong Kong. A spokeswoman of Hutchison declined to give further details, but said the two companies will hold a press briefing on the partnership Thursday.
Web Update 1 June: It’s Official>>
NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to make available the flat-rate pricing service of U.S. online music distributor Napster LLC for its new cellphone handsets to be marketed from this summer, informed sources said Saturday. Music distribution has been available for mobile phones at about 300 yen per track in Japan. In the U.S. market, Napster offers more than 2 million pieces of music for users at fixed-rate charges equivalent to about 1,100-1,600 yen a month, they added.
