Daum, the largest portal site in Korea started new map features (ROAD VIEW and SKY VIEW) on January 18th.

Daum has been providing map service in Korea. But they were not so competitive in the map service market. By providing this map features, I think Daum's map has quite competitive in Korean map service market.

ROAD VIEW is similiar to Google's Street view. The resloution is incredibly high.

Using DSLR camera, they could take high-resolution pictures. As you see in this picture, the pedestrian's faces are blurred, so are number plates of cars.

Full-screen mode allows users to enlarge map.

Although there is only Seoul served at this point, they are going to expand service area.

SKY VIEW is not a satellite picture. It was taken by low-altitude aircraft. Some Korean users say, "I saw my dog's kennel! on SKYVIEW".

Since it was taken by aircraft, quality of photos is better than google map. SKYVIEW provides maps throughout the Korea.

Tags: Korea, New Service by Park Minchul
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The Osaka-based tech start-up Qript Inc. launched Friday its eccentric SNS called "Tsutsunuke [J]", which has several features to avoid its user's long silence to the service.

Note:  "Tsutsunuke" means a situation where the thin wall deprives you of any privacy, and you can hear the tone of your neighbor's voice in a typical type of wooden lodges which were built here in Japan several decades ago.   But such an environment makes you easier to get on well with your neighbors if you live there, and the lodge matron is usually meddlesome.   It's a typical way for university students living apart from their parents, and such a scene reminds Japanese of nostalgia.

"Tsutsunuke" is the SNS of a certain lodge fictionally locating in Osaka, and the matron takes care of you instead of questioning by the system.   She is fictionally 58 years old, wearing a leopard-printed jacket and speaking in Japan's western dialect of "Kansai-ben".

Note:  Wearing a leopard-printed jacket and having hair with tight curls is considered as the fashion of typical middle-aged women living in that region.

When you complete user registration with the SNS, you will be a resident in the lodge and be able to make a note in your diary to be shown to the neighbors.   When you log on, she introduces the neighbors and make a reply to your diary post.   If your diary post is not interesting, she warns you and asks you to improve it.

It is a very human approach powered by the system to vitalize a social service.

The picture above is quoted from Tsutsunuke's user sign-up process.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Company, Japan, New Service, Technology by Masaru IKEDA
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