Following the company's stupid iPhone/iPod touch app serial release (like this), Kayac, a funny web app developer based in Tokyo’s suburb, just made something new to make our hard days more cheerful.

Tanimania, it is a breast enhancer that enables to make the breast of you or your girlfriend much sexier than ever - but unfortunately it's available only on an iPhone screen, not real one.

Just shoot someone's portrait including a specific part of her (a male's breast is not recommended), and adjust the image position so that it should be corrected as you expect.   Additionally, the app allows you to put a mole on her face virtually.

Tanimania is available at AppStore for almost USD1.28 (JPY115), and the app's title comes from Japanese slang "tanima" standing for a sexy woman's cleavage formed by the breasts.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Company, Japan, Joke, Software by Masaru IKEDA
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Kohmi Hirose, a Japanese pop singer/song writer, who is also known by her joining Twitter this year, made a Twitter (unofficial) song, one of 31 suggested Japanese Twitter accounts, had the first "Twitter Live Concert" in Japan. (I just do not know if there were similar concerts in other countries yet)

The short concert with 4 songs, with about 200 audience who had applied to follow the special twitter account @live1113, only costed 140 yen (1.5 USD, seems to be decided by magic number of Twitter), provided free WiFi access and Ustream livestream, encouraged watchers to tweet.

All MC by Kohmi Hirose was done only on Twitter by using Macintosh set on the stage. She did not speak at all.

See Also:

Twitter account for this event @live1113 [J]

Hashtag #kohmi1113 search on Twitter [J]

Mainichi Shimbun News [J]

Snankei Sports News [J]

Tags: Event Report, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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BCN's cellphone sales ranking, which once was used to declare iPhone triumph in Japan, showed interesting status these weeks.

Last week, iPhone 3G (8G) sales was ranked at the 3rd, whilst the latest 3GS (32G) ranked at the 4th.

This week 3GS (32GB) takes back the highest position among iPhones ranked by 5th. 3G (8G) is 7th.

# iPhone 3GS are in supply so this is not by lack of 3GS products on shops.

Softbank Mobile, which exclusively sells iPhone in Japan, has been running "iPhone for everybody" campaign since early this year (2009-02-27), which gives iPhone 3G for free if you sign up 2 years contract. The campaign was originally set [J] until the end of May, extended [J] to the end of September, extended again [J] to the end of January 2010.

Softbank Mobile also waives 10 months basic charge for switching users from other carriers. Combined of those aggressive campaigns, they keep the most user-increasing carrier position in October [J].

[update 2009.11.16]

A NTT Docomo seller shows "Buy Docomo, get free iPhone 8G" signboard. Of course you cannot connect the free iPhone to NTT Docomo network, but anyway you need a Japanese cellphone to access Japanese mobile web... so does this make sense??? (photo by cooley)

See Also:

How to get iPhone 3G with $200 in total [J]

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Japan's second largest telecom company KDDI announced yesterday that it would invest USD9M (JPY800M) on Banglaseshi largest ISP bracNet next January.   The rate of the diffusion of the Internet service in the country is as low as 2% despite the country is ranked as the world's 7th in the number of the population.   With this investment, KDDI aims at developing infrastructures in the country and providing reasonable Internet services to the people.   KDDI plans to have 50% of all bracNet shares in accordance with the ISP's request.

BracNet was co-founded by Tokyo- and San Francisco-based venture capital firm Defta Partners and and Dhaka-based non-profit organization BRAC in 2005, and is also known as the ISP edition of the country's well-known community financial service Grameen Bank who has won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.     KDDI will send their four persons to the ISP's board.   The ISP now owns and operates 110 Internet cafes all around the country,  and it also provides Internet connection service nationwide.

Tags: Community, Company, Japan, News by Masaru IKEDA
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Microsoft Japan announced yesterday that it would launch Windows Marketplace for Mobile in Japan next month.   The company already started the service in the U.S. last month.   Similarly to Apple's AppStore and Google's Android Market, mobile software developers will have opportunities to sell their application titles to Windows Mobile(WinMo) users all around the world.   As of this writing,  30 game app developers including Capcom, Konami and Prope[J] announced they would provide WinMo game apps at the market.

Plus, Tokyo-based long-standing comic publisher Shueisha[J] also tied up with Microsoft and announced the publisher would start distributing the well-known comic title Dragon Ball for Windows Mobile Phones in Japan, the U.S. and Europe in the beginning of next year.   The two companies are now working on developing collaboration services to engage more consumers, and they plan to introduce specially designed Internet Explorer tool bar and Windows desktop wallpapers featuring Shueisha's cartoon characters.

Dragon Ball on Windows Phone   (c)Copyright Shueisha and Bird Studio

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