DoCoMo announced today that they will expand FOMA 3G international roaming and videophone services in Europe and Asia. Starting from 12 July, WORLD WING and WORLD WALKER users in Seoul, Korea will be able to use the FOMA N900iG handset for voice communications and accessing i-mode. Germany will join the lineup of countries where DoCoMo users can enjoy videophone roaming services, followed by Italy on 26 July.
While Sun has wrapped-up their annual gathering for Java junkies, held in San Francisco from 27-30 June, we thought you might enjoy watching some of the presentations from this year’s event. James Gosling’s “Java Technology Contributions for the Next Decade” is an interesting peek into the future of Java for mobile and more! Note: For ‘some reason’ the only option for viewing the available video streams is Real Player… 😎
ACCESS announced today that it has entered into collaboration with Infineon Technologies, the world’s fourth largest semiconductor company, to facilitate the development and deployment of next generation mobile handsets worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement ACCESS will work with Infineon to bring state-of-the art mobile browsing and mobile JavaTM functionality through its advanced NetFront Mobile Client Suite to Infineon’s APOXI® application framework and Multimedia Mobile Phone Platforms powered by the S-Gold™ base band processor family. The collaboration with ACCESS further reinforces Infineon’s ability to provide mobile handset manufacturers worldwide with comprehensive solutions that streamline the development and deployment of 2.5G and 3G mobile handsets.
Now here’s a twist: just when we’ve spilled a lot of ink lately telling you how Japanese mobile Internet players are succeeding overseas, in comes a press release from Dublin, Ireland-based Upstart Games Ltd. announcing that their Tokyo subsidiary, Upstart KK, has launched what they call the first multi-carrier service dedicated to providing Japanese mobilers with access to popular US and European games. With a catchy name and the allure of foreign brands, the “Best of West” gaming contents channel may just grab a few thumbs, not to mention per-download revenues.
According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) report, Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2005-2009, the media and entertainment (M&E) industry will increase at a 7.3 percent compound annual growth rate to $1.8 trillion in 2009. The US remains the largest M&E market but not the fastest-growing one. It has been outpaced by Asia/Pacific where China is on track to overtake Japan as the region’s entertainment giant by 2008.
Now that TV viewing has jumped off the couch and onto the streets over wireless handsets, Japanese TV broadcasters are scrambling to adapt content and programming to mobile viewing. Colorzip Japan is introducing a Technicolor technology that could bring TV mobile marketing into focus for broadcasters.
Colorzip Japan recently announced it is working with strategic partners Fuji Television Network, and Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on a late-summer launch of TV applications for its two-dimensional server based code recognition system, ColorCode, linking TV broadcasts to related digital content for sponsored websites, music samples, contests and prize drawings.
The technology could eventually provide easy access to TV programming in progress or rebroadcasts via subscriptions. For now though, the developers are looking at links to mobile program websites as well as contests and promotions. Colorzip Japan CEO Christopher Craney told WWJ, “TV companies are working on this initially as a way to promote their programming.” (Evan Owens, Director and CTO, made a presentation about this technology at Mobile Monday Tokyo’s April Event — Ed.).
