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ACCESS Announces Global Profile for NTT DoCoMo's i-mode Service

ACCESS Co., Ltd., a global provider of mobile content delivery and Internet access technologies, today announced the immediate availability of its new i-mode Global Profile, an integrated software solution that is optimized for the i-mode services deployed NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode alliance partners. i-mode Global Profile is a new profile that forms part of ACCESS’ NetFront Mobile Client Suite. i-mode Global Profile includes ACCESS’ market-leading NetFront technology as well as a Multi-Media Messaging Client, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), and an SSL encryption module. All technologies comprising i-mode Global Profile were developed by ACCESS and offer tight integration and functionality optimized specifically for i-mode.

Rocking & Rolling at Mobile Monday

Thrilled to join with nice folks at HP Bazaar to co-host a rocking good MoMo Tokyo debut event on 13 September and it seemed as though most of the unwired digerati within commuting distance of the Pink Cow, in ubertrendy Shibuya, were there. In today’s Portable Reportable, Chief Editor Daniel Scuka quizzes WWJ’s Lawrence Cosh-Ishii on what he saw and heard at the Mobile Monday launch in Tokyo.

MobileTV: Hype or Reality?

With KDDI’s May 2004 announcement that they had developed handsets with embedded digital TV tuners and ample battery life, and with NHK, Mobile Broadcasting Corp., and others promising direct-to-mobile broadcasts, TV is again being widely touted as the “next big thing” for the mobile platform — and not just in Japan. But before we truly see an era of television-keitai convergence, several critical issues must be understood and addressed. Many of these are fundamental flaws in the concept of mobile phone-TV convergence, and suggest that we are simply witnessing the introduction of the “next big hype” for the mobile platform.

(Part 1 of a two-part series. Next week: Mobile TV Rocks!, by WWJ chief editor Daniel Scuka.)

Manga for Mobile: Video Preview

Manga for Mobile: Video PreviewJapan’s 3G networks enable new types of high-bandwidth mobile content that weren’t viable under 2G for either economic or technical reasons. One of the coolest is mobile manga, delivering full-color comic book magazines to cell phones. There’s a manga stuffed in every Japanese commuter’s back pocket (together with a ketai), so porting manga to keitai could make an awful lot of money for content producers. It’ll also save a bunch of trees. Wireless Watch Japan was at Mobidec 2004 recently held in Tokyo and files this sneak preview from Digital Garage Mobile’s booth.

Softbank Blocked from 3G Spectrum

Softbank Corp., Japan’s largest Internet provider, complained that its plan to offer a new mobile phone service could be thwarted by the government’s refusal to provide the necessary bandwidth. Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder and chief executive of Softbank, told a news conference Monday that the company wanted to begin offering 3G service utilizing CDMA2000 technology. But he said the telecommunications ministry’s decision to allocate the key 800mhz band exclusively to NTT DoCoMo Inc. and to KDDI Corp., is blocking Softbank from launching the service.

Bluetooth Driving Hands Free

The (enforced) Road Traffic Law comes into effect Nov. 1 banning mobile phone usage while driving. With stiff fines, and even prison terms, announced people will be shopping for alternatives like this new Handzu-Free Bluetooth product. Tested to run on over 40 different DoCoMo Mova handsets these handy little devices will likely see critical mass adoption in Japan during the next year, then again it’s always a good idea to read the fine print..