SoftBank
SoftBank

SoftBank

MySpace to launch in Japan with Softbank

joint venture with Japanese Internet and telecoms group Softbank Corp. The 50-50 venture, to be called MySpace Japan, will first offer services for personal computers and will eventually allow users to post photos and write blogs via mobile phones. The firms are expected to announce the deal as early as this week after a meeting between News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son. The Japanese version of MySpace is live here however there is still no official announcement from Softbank. [Update: it’s official — Eds]

Shift Announces Mobile Designers Contest

SHIFT holds several competitions aiming to discover fresh creators and support their activities, such as “SHIFT CALENDAR COMPETITION” and “DOTMOV”. This time, in collaboration with Crypton Future Media, they are requesting submissions for a mobile phone as “MOBILE ART COMPETITION”. The works will be functioned as a mobile phone clock, and the submissions are available in 2 forms; analog and digital. The selected works will be broadly distributed within Japan, in a mobile content managed by Crypton Future Media, which can be accessed from an official site of AU and SoftBank.

Brad Pitt Selling for SoftBank

Building on SoftBank’s TV commercial branding campaign – the company retained Cameron Diaz for a series of spots to coincide with the official patchover from Vodafone in early October – we notice that Brad Pitt has signed-on for round two. Mr. Pitt does not have any lines, the 15sec. TVCM simply blasts ‘Walk This Way’ by Aerosmith as he is seen wandering through what appears to be a crowded street market in Mumbai.

Japan's FTC Investigates SoftBank

Japan’s antitrust watchdog has questioned new mobile phone operator Softbank Corp. about its sales tactics, a Softbank spokesman said on Tuesday. Officials from the Fair Trade Commission met with Softbank’s wireless unit on Monday to ask for an explanation of new discounts and sales tactics, the spokesman said, declining to elaborate further. The Sankei Shimbun reported the FTC was examining whether recent sales campaigns launched by Softbank are misleading to consumers.

Softbank Resumes Mobile Transfer Service

AFP has just reported that Softbank, Japan’s newest mobile telephone operator, have resumed accepting MNP applications after a technical glitch over the weekend that prompted strong criticism from rivals. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry ordered Softbank Mobile to study the cause of the problem which occurred after the firm’s system was overwhelmed by the massive number of customers trying to change their operator. Details after the jump.

New Flexibility of Cell Phones

The much-awaited portable-number service for cell phones has started in Japan, enabling users to change carriers without having to change phone numbers. This is a new convenience for customers, but for the cell-phone carriers – NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp. – it heralds the start of a new war. The ease with which users can change carriers is expected to cause fierce competition. It is hoped that the competition will lead to lower fees, better services and more user options.