A Reuters report cites yesterday’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun (newspaper) as saying that Apple Computer plans to start a music download service in Japan by March 2005. The Nikkei said Apple aimed to offer more than 100,000 songs with an emphasis on Japanese music at its “iTunes Music Store,” which is expected to be the largest music download service in the country. But it’s unlikely to happen exactly as Apple might wish, and here’s why.
DoCoMo have just launched their next generation FOMA handsets at a splashy event at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel — complete with bikini-clad beauties, big-name stars, and a sound and light show that blasted their five new 901i handsets into the spotlight. The D901i, F901iC, N901iC, P901i, and SH901iC models all come equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, stereo speakers, and enhanced audio and video for even more multi-slacking fun. In a ‘Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!’ press event move, DoCoMo announced that only the SH901iC will be ready for nationwide release on 26 November. Other handsets will ‘follow’ with no specific release dates given. DoCoMo says sales of FOMA cellys stand at 7.3 million. Sales of i-mode-compatible FeliCa e-wallet handsets stand at 600,000 units; infrared signal-compatible handsets, 27.2 million, and bar-code reader terminals, 14 million. Watch our video report here.
KDDI Corp., a leading CDMA2000 mobile operator in Japan, has deployed Starent Networks’ high-performance core network platform for its 1xEV-DO network at 800 Mhz. The Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway is providing high-speed data services to KDDI’s subscribers through its CDMA 1X WIN broadband service. KDDI has the largest CDMA network in Japan with more than 18 million subscribers and has the most 3G subscribers in the country with over 16.1 million. The Japanese mobile communications market has long been one of the largest and most progressive, with a projected $13.4 billion in data revenue for 2004. This makes it the world’s largest market with two to three times the revenue of other leading countries according to analyst firm Ovum.
KDDI will support business partners with a new mobile solution service by establishing the KDDI mobile solution partner (KDDI-MSP) division. In “KDDI-MSP”, positive backup is performed in broader ranges, such as various promotions by the operating support by development support by offer, technical support, etc., case introduction, joint business, etc. of technical know-how, use of a KDDI brand, common pamphlet catalog creation, etc., to companies that develop mobile contents and services for the KDDI/au mobile platform.
From the Tokyo Game Show, in which long-time Tokyo mobile entrepreneur Neeraj Jhanji, builder of the first (and probably only) IM i-mode client for AOL, provides WWJ subscribers with an exclusisve look at his Until Now Very Quiet Plans (indeed, a working demo) to create a mobile version of the globally überpopular Habbo Hotel community service… er… site… or whatever it is. OK — it’s a networking community for digierati burnt out on traditional RPG shooters. In any event, Habbo’s mobile potential is huge (we think) and Neeraj is likely one of the few who can make it happen.
Love comes to the really, really small screen in a mobile, only-in-Japan, soap opera made exclusively for KDDI 3G cellys. The live-action soap opera, Yokohama 80s, follows the predictable lives, loves, and losses of young, beach-loving Japanese boys and girls back when Madonna was still Like a Virgin. Eighties’ big hair, big shoulders, and big hits have been downsized to tiny, two-and-a-half-minute broadcast bites. The story is adapted from Shogakan Shukan’s weekly Big Comic Spirits-series “Tokyo Eighties” (published as a serial manga) but features all-new original characters and storylines by the same author. Can the mobile laundry soap commercials be far behind?
