Asiajin

iPhone 3G provided by Softbank on coming 11th July will be the first iPhone in Japan. Since Jobs’ announcement, there are bunch of Japanese medias and blogs have been discussing if iPhone 3G is worth buying.

To clarify how iPhone and the latest Japanese cellphones spec are different, Asiajin called for comments on what functionalities they have/want/use, to potential Japanese iPhone buyers on Comparison Chart site Narabe. Here is the result,

iPhone 3G and Japanese cellularphones comparison by Narabe

feature	iPhone 3G	All 2008 Cellphones	Some 2008 Cellphones
Camera over 5M pixels	✖	✔	✔
One-Seg(TV)	✖	✔	✔
One-Seg recorder	✖	✖	✔
Official sites access	✖	✔	✔
Movie taking	✖	✔	✔
Subscriber ID	✖	?	✔
Arrangeable exterior	✖	✖	✔
Number of Native Apps	✔	✔	✔
Fingerprint Authentication	✖	✖	✔
Pedometer	✔	✖	✔
Single-hand operation	✔	✔	✔
Ringersong	?	✔	✔
Emoji(drawing letters)	✖	✔	✔
Earthquake alert	✖	✖	✔
Self-exchangeable battery	✖	✔	✔
Remote Lock	?	✔	✔
Bell typing	?	✖	✔
Flash lite	✖	✔	✔
FM transmitter	✖	✖	✔
GPS	✔	✔	✔
i-Tune Store	✔	✖	✖
mp3 player	✔	✔	✔
PC site access	✔	✔	✔
QR Code	✖	✔	✔
Safari browser	✔	✖	✖
Mobile Wallet(Osaifu Ketai)	✖	✔	✔
Decoration mail(Decome)	✖	✔	✔
Design	✔	✖	✔
Data fixed rate	✔	✔	✔
Blind-touch	✖	✔	✔
Push mail	✔	✔	✔
Waterproof	✖	✖	✔

This was originally asked in Japanese on Japanese version Narabete. Then, I copied the result of votes to the English version.

I initially set “All” and “Some” but “All” can have rare exceptional case, for example special model phones for kids or eldery. Most of “Yes”/”No” look correct but as it is “by polling” so some could be inaccurate.

If you have any features you cannot understand what they mean, please ask by comment.

[Disclosure] Narabe is run by Akky AKIMOTO.

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Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan // Add Comment »

On Friday 4th July, Niconico Daikaigi 2008 (Daikaigi = Big meeting) was held by Dwango/Niwango at JCB Hall, Suidoubashi, Tokyo, with 2,000 atendees and over 10,000 users via broadcast.

This biggest event for Niconico Douga had a lot of new services/functions release, with a secret surprize.

Niconico Douga Update

New version code is “Niconico Douga (Summer)” [J].

• Nico-script(user scripting language for movie play handling) enhancement
• new Nicowari-questionnaire function
• Movie player internationalization plan to German and Spanish from July 25th (English is not planned to avoid big traffic surge, as said.)
• New Niconico-Market’s theme song
• H.264 format is now available to non-paid members
• New policy that parody/spoof/mash-up (so-called “MAD”) are removed if original rights-holder demands (which we already reported)

Niconicommunity

Niconicommunity [J] (Niconico + Community) is a new communtiy feature with which premium (paid) member can open a closed group. The group members can upload movies play and comments privately.

Niconicommons

Niconicommons [J] (Niconico + Commons) is a new web service to provide a registration based license declaration for copyright holders, planned to be released in August. Sounds like Creative-Commons but independent, probably different for targetting mainstream Niconico Douga users, who make parody and mash-up videos using Japanese animation, songs, etc. Social Networking Drawing Service “pixiv” will be the first external service who joins this Niconicommons.

Secret Guest: the “Father of the i-mode” joins Dwango

Takeshi NATSUNO, ex-director of NTT Docomo who led the world most successful mobile web network “i-mode”, appeared and was introduced as a new full-time advisor of Drango.

He talked “There are no other globally competitive contents than Niconico Douga. Most Japanese do not recognize that.”, “I am in charge of making it profitable.”, “I could not make i-mode worldwide because of each countries’ regulation around mobile. But the Internet has no such barriers”.

See Also:

Nikkei ITPro report [J]

Thanks for photos by takesako.

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Tags: Event Report, Japan, Video // Add Comment »

E27 Singapore, An entrepreneur group, will be organizing the 5th Unconference on the 12th of July 2008.

The event has a startup demo session and a break out (unconference style discussion) session. Also there are demo booths of startup companies too.

It seems that startups like yum.sg (gourmet guide), eteract (online dating side) are going to talk. If you are not joining the conference, it’s worth to see their list of startups, it’s a rare occasion to look at Singaporean startups.

It’s a pity that I cannot make it there.

Date: 12th July 2008
Time: 11:30am to 6:00pm
Venue: Matrix@Biopolis
Ticket Price: $10 (if you sign up before 10th July)

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Tags: Community, Singapore // Add Comment »

On Tuesday, one of Japan’s most renowned universities, Waseda Daigaku, opened a virtual campus in Second Life. Waseda aims at making it easier for their students to cooperate with those from Princeton University, which has opened a campus on an island in Second Life last year.

Waseda says it wants to explore the possibilities of conducting cross-cultural research in virtual worlds. Students are also able to access the the private university’s digital archive via Second Life. The virtual campus was designed and constructed by Tokyo-based web company Mobile Factory.

Both the Princeton and the Waseda campus can be visited by anyone.

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Tags: Japan, News // Add Comment »

It was inevitable and actually long overdue:
Mega-popular video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga, Japan’s answer to Youtube, announced it will remove movies and anime clips infringing on copyrights held by various Japanese companies.

The move was triggered by a request coming from the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), the Japan Video Software Association and the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Nico Nico came to an agreement with these organizations by promising they will delete all existing video files on the site the member companies regard as problematic.

Moreover, Nico Nico from now on has to install measures to prevent uploading of copyright infringing content on the site. The three associations also said they don’t want to see so-called “MAD” video on Nico Nico if these user-made video and audio remixes violate copyrights.

This is very bad news for Nico Nico.

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Tags: Japan, Video // 1 Comment »

On Thursday railway operator JR Toukai announced they will offer full Wi-Fi on the N700 Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka. This route is the most important one in Japan.

Travellers will be able to access the web in all seats for the first time in Japan. The Wi-Fi connection is even supposed to work in tunnels. The service will also be available at all stations between Tokyo and Osaka.

JR Toukai says they will install 32 hot spots in the 16 wagons of the N700. The company promises the service will be ready in March next year.

Via Nikkei Net

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Tags: Company, Event Report, New Service, Technology // 5 Comments »

Celebration of new Firefox 3 launch was held at a hotel in Shinagawa, Tokyo, with over 300 people, Mozilla Japan staff, developers, translators, web designers, engineers, bloggers and others.

Contributors, Mozilla’s new CEO John Lilly, Mozilla Japan chairperson Satoko Takita

Firefox Ice Trophy

Foxkeh!!, Japan made mascot to appeal Japanese internet users

The next Firefox 3.1 (planned late 2008) code name was recently named “Shiretoko” after Japan’s national park in Hokkaido.

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Tags: Event Report, Japan // 4 Comments »

Mobile Party is a website which supports Japanese wedding celemony afterparty, by utilizing atendee’s cellularphones.

In Japan, usual wedding day goes with the celemony (one of Shinto, Buddism, Christian-style, etc. no matter what their religion), formal reception and casual after-party. The first two usually involves families and relatives with few close friends (the size depends on richness and lifestyle, of course) mainly for elders, then the casual after-party (called “Nijikai”, means the second party) is held at bigger venue with more friends and acquintances, only with young people without family members and relatives.

For this Nijikai, kanji (=party organizer, could match with best man/bridesmaid) are supposed to make an good event schedule with quizes and games related with the marriaging couple.

Mobile Party is targetting for this Nijikai, and effectively uses mobile web application. That means, you can depend on all atendees have a web capable cellularphone in Japan.

By 30,000 yen (US$300), bride and groom’s profile, message boards, photo gallery, party quiz about the couple, bingo game (so typical for nijikai) and direct messaging among atendee’s (as nijikai is often a occasion for another matchmaking) are provided on mobile site.

messages typed in from atendees during party are viewable from PC website by the married couple

See Also:

Foreign game designers in Tokyo celebrates nijikai with original videogame / GMAN-GAMES

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Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan, Service // 1 Comment »

Movie and music rental store operator Geo said yesterday they plan to buy all outstanding shares from Posren (post rental), Livedoor’s online DVD rental service for 560 million Yen ($5.3 million). The deal is supposed to take place July 1st.

Geo tries to close the gap to market leader Tsutaya, which operates Discas for renting DVDs and music CDs online. Another competitor is DMM. Tsutaya announced a new distribution for HD video just a few days ago. Aichi-based Geo’s own service is called Geo Land.

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Tags: Japan, News // Add Comment »

Firefox 3 release press conference was held at Takanawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo Japan.

Satoko TAKITA, chairman of Mozilla Japan gave the first announce of Firefox3 release in the morning at 2:00 a.m. 18th June (in Japan Standard Time), with looking back how they have been updating Mozilla products for years.

Mozilla Japan’s two missions

Firefox occupies 11.8% of browser share in Japanese market. Ms. TAKITA said that two things are important to spread Firefox more. One is to encourage communication among developers between Japan and the world, and the other one is to let Japanese companies use Mozilla’s Open Source technology to assist their development force.

Firefox 3 new features

Mozilla Japan Technical Manager Masayuki NAKANO introduced new features of Firefox3, such like Smart location bar, OS-integrated user interface, improved Add-On manager, HTML5 offline browse, etc .

Default search engines selection for Japan added Wikipedia Japanese and Oshiete goo!, one of the most popular Q and A site (like Yahoo! Answers).

It is also noted that Camellia, Japan made encryption technology is took in the new Firefox.

Camellia

A person from NTT Information Sharing Platform Laboratories explained the newly adopted Camellia encryption technology on Firefox3. Camellia was originally made by Mitsubishi Denki research in 2000, and was explained that is competitive method with leading encryption standard AES.

Firefox no Tomoshibi

Daisuke AKATSUKA, freelance developer who has been involving Firefox Add-On development, talked on his Firefox3 download promotion project “Firefox3 no Tomoshibi” (lights of Firefox3).

On this site, every single Firefox3 download will be visualized on Japan map as a flash. Demo was done with current version Firefox2.

[Update]

The release time is cleared now. 02:00 18th in Japan time.

[Update 2]

I could download it at 01:52.

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Tags: Japan, News // 1 Comment »