It seems that Japan’s biggest SNS Mixi and the country’s third largest cell phone carrier SoftBank are getting closer and closer. Following the announcement of the general partnership in the mobile web space, all SoftBank handsets sold from now on will feature a pre-installed Mixi widget.
Sharp’s awesome Aquos 931SH cell phone, which features an 3.8-inch XGA screen with unbelievable 1,024×480 pixels, will come with the widget first. The widget makes it possible to view new message coming from Mixi friends, new diary entries and comments. Users will also be able to access the social network with the push of just one button.
Yahoo! Keitai, SoftBank’s own mobile web service, currently boasts 15.7 million subscribers so this is a good move by Mixi on its way to ubiquity in Japan’s SNS market. Mixi already made a similar announcement earlier this year, when they said their site will be prominently featured on three Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets.
Serkan Toto