i-mode
i-mode

i-mode

Openwave to Support i-mode Phone

Openwave Systems Inc., the leading provider of open software products and services for the communications industry, today announced a collaborative agreement with SAGEM, a major international player in telecommunications manufacturing, to deliver the SG321i, one of the first i-mode-compliant phones to be produced by a European manufacturer, to Bouygues Telecom, a French mobile operator acknowledged for its policy of innovation. The phone will use the Openwave Mail Client for i-mode and Openwave Mobile Browser V.7 (V7 Browser), the flagship application from Openwave Phone Suite Version 7.

Index to Acquire 123 Multimedia

Index has announced that it has reached an agreement with 123 Multimedia of France to acquire 66.65% of 123MM’s outstanding shares. As Europe’s largest mobile content provider, 123MM provides various mobile Internet services based on i-mode, WAP, and Java, as well as mobile content using premium SSM, MMS, and SMS services. The French company’s content delivery network covers France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Thailand.

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

NTT DoCoMo to Offer Financing for FeliCa Service Startup at GEO

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that the company entered into a financing agreement with multimedia retail company GEO as part of a strategy to promote i-mode FeliCa service in the Japanese market. Under the agreement, NTT DoCoMo will provide financial assistance for the development of a network system to support i-mode FeliCa service at GEO outlets, and the installation of smart-card reader/writers at approximately 600 GEO shops beginning this November. In order to recoup its investment in the system, DoCoMo will collect a commission for each usage of the FeliCa service. GEO is a major player in the rental and sales of videos, DVDs, CDs and game software.