i-mode
i-mode

i-mode

NTT DoCoMo, Nippon TV Form Business Tie-Up

DoCoMo said today that it has agreed with Nippon Television Network Corp. (NTV) on a business tie-up to develop content and related services that combine mobile communications and conventional TV programs. Under the agreement, the companies will form a seven-year limited liability partnership, D.N. dream partners LLP, on April 3, 2006 (tentative), with DoCoMo investing five billion yen and NTV five billion yen. The partnership will invest in content and also develop content itself, including TV programs that can be viewed with mobile phones.

Bouygues Buys NEC Video Platform

NEC Corporation announced that NEC, via its subsidiary NEC France received an order for a video streaming solution from Bouygues Telecom in France. The video streaming platform developed by NEC, which consists of a set of servers and integrated software based on PacketVideo Network Solutions technology, enables Bouygues Telecom customers to watch live TV and a smooth and speedy access to Video-on-Demand on i-mode enabled EDGE Handsets.

Israeli i-mode in Trouble?

Launching the i-mode platform last September was supposed to be Israeli wireless operator Cellcom’s most important innovation in years, and one of its most significant ever. It was designed to distinguish Cellcom from the other wireless operators and substantially boost the company’s content revenue. Timing is everything in life, and that’s true for i-mode, too. Its fate was sealed the moment that Cellcom’s new owners replaced the company’s management. The new team, headed by CEO Amos Shapira, doesn’t believe that i-mode should be Cellcom’s main content platform. (We’ll take this article with a pinch of wasabi for now — Eds.)

Info Plant Mobile Users Survey

Online market researcher Info Plant has released the results of a survey on cell-phone functions and services. The company conducted a survey of 7,905 NTT DoCoMo i-mode users nationwide, 12-23 December 2005. When asked which functions and services they usually use that are available on their handsets, 85.4 percent of respondents answered “alarm,” followed by 83.3 percent for “camera (for still images)” and 81.6 percent for “ring tone.” When asked which functions and services they wish to have, the top favorite was “TV,” followed by “GPS navigation” and “pass/ticket for train and bus;” “key,” “ID card,” and “anti-crime buzzer,” were among the top 10 answers.

DoCoMo Announces 702i-series 3G Handsets

DoCoMo Announces 702i-series 3G HandsetsNTT DoCoMo held a press conference in downtown Tokyo this afternoon to announce the spring roll-out of five new handsets in the 702i-series for FOMA 3G phones (Sharp, NEC, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi and Panasonic). The series includes three ‘designer’ models — a first for DoCoMo. The carrier invited three prominent designers to work on the SH702iD, the N702iD and the F702iD. If the solid success with designer models enjoyed by competitors KDDI and Vodafone is any hint, DoCoMo should do modestly well with this new low-budget series.

Big D appears unconcerned over the potential conflict in the series’ naming. The three designer 702s are dubbed “iD” — possibly for “i-mode designer” or “independent designer.” However, the Fujitsu model is also FeliCa- and mobile Suica-compatible, and all FeliCa models to date have been dubbed “iC” (indicating ‘IC chip’). Should the Fujitsu therefore be the F702iCD? The giant carrier also seems keen on promoting its new iD credit-card (website) having created this cool ‘Vitruvian Man’ logo that we’ve noticed splashed all over Tokyo the last few weeks. That new m-commerce application is included on the Fujitsu 702iD model (but not the SH702iD or the N702iD) and we expect there could well be some confusion in the marketplace between these unrelated iD brands.

This is the first 70x-series to offer automatic Security Scan, which uses automatic downloads in the background to update phones with the latest security software from DoCoMo. The five models will be exhibited at Aoyama Spiral from January 17 to 22. More details on today’s press conference after the jump

eBay to Launch on O2's i-mode

O2 is set to announce it has signed up auction giant eBay to its i-mode mobile internet service. The service, which can already be accessed via i-mode enabled handsets, is thought to be receiving its official launch soon. The i-mode version of eBay provides most of the same functionality as the regular internet service, including the ability to bid, search the auction site and monitor the progress of auctions using the ‘my eBay’ function. eBay has already made its appearance on i-mode in a handful of geographies including Australia, France and Singapore.