On Monday, Softbank Mobile announced it had agreed to partner with some 60 companies to provide their restaurant and coffee shop storefronts with the telco's public WiFi service called Softbank WiFi spot[J]. The service's subscribers are also allowed to use BB Mobile Point as well, which is a public WiFi service operated by the telco's brother company Softbank Telecom.

Furthermore, in accordance with Softbank's announcement that it tries to fill the mobile blind spots and signal weak coverage areas, the company started a campaign to give away WiFi access points and ADSL Internet accessibility to offices and stores for entirely free[J]. The access point provided is compatible with Spain-headquartered shared WiFi network FON, which allows any FON users who have visited sites equipped with the access points to use Internet for free or for some charge.

See Also:

CNET Japan: Softbank's WiFi makes you feel better to use iPhone at Starbucks stores[J]

Softbank WiFi spots - participating companies and chains:

• McDonald's[J]
• Subway[J]
• ANA (ANA's lounges at airports)
• JAL (JAL's lounges at airports)
• Starbucks Coffee
• Gindako[J] (nationwide chain serving Japanese octopus dumpling balls)
• Shidax (karaoke restaurant chain)
• Soup Stock Tokyo[J]
• Shirakiya[J] (izakaya chain)
• Jiyuu Kukan[J] (Internet & manga cafe chain)
• Strawberry Cones (pizza delivery chain)
• Mini Stop[J] (convenience store)
• Ginza Renoir[J] (coffee shop chain)
• Colowide (izakaya chain)
• Menard (cosmetics manufacturer & retailer)
• Tokyu Hotels
• Flags Cafe[J]
• Cafe de Crie[J]
• Royal Park Hotels
• Takara Tomy
• Steak Miya[J] (restaurant chain)
• Chimney Group[J] (restaurant chain)
• Yamano[J] (beauty parlor chain)
• Pepper Lunch[J] (restaurant chain)
• i-cafe[J] (Internet cafe chain)
• Cafe Haus[J]
• G-Com[J] (managing restaurant chains and prep schools)
• Sagami[J] (restaurant chain)
• Aisoya[J] (restaurant chain)
• Pizza Willy[J]
• Poplar[J] (convenience store)
• Aloha Table (Hawaiian restaurant chain) and more...

Tags: Company, Japan, News by Masaru IKEDA
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Prior to the iPad sales start in Japan which is scheduled on May 28th, some people who can't help waiting for the day have ordered it on e-commerce sites based in the U.S. where it is already on sale.   Japan Post have got many complaints from recipients that no iPad is enclosed in the parcel delivered, and the postal company is asking USPS to investigate the cases.

Japan Post says the iPad loss cases are mostly reported for the parcels using the international Express Mail Service (EMS) which are routed via New York City, and the iPad devices seem to have been stolen in the U.S. before the parcels get to Japan.   Some honest e-commerce stores use insurances to cover the losses, and they re-send the device to the customers who have reported the losses in the parcels delivered.

via: Mainichi.jp [J], asahi.com[J] and MSN-Sankei News[J]

Tags: Japan, News by Masaru IKEDA
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TEDxTokyo, an independent local-based version of the world's popular innovation conference, is now being held at Miraikan, Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation[J].

This is the second edition of the conference which has been held in Tokyo, and all the sessions are bringing you all around the world via YouTube in English and Japanese as below. (simultaneous interpretation also available.)

Japan's A-list blogger Fumi Yamazaki is in charge of tweeting about what's going on at the conference in English. Enjoy and share what the global innovators are thinking.

Tags: Community, Japan, News by Masaru IKEDA
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Another great work on NicoNico Douga and YouTube.

This is a presentation "What is iPad". Not in English nor in typical Japanese but in Hiroshima dialect.

You may not be able to find what is funny if you don't understand Japanese but a dub made on this video is gaining lots of applause from Japanese users, especially from people who live in Western region of Japan, around Hiroshima.

What is iPad in Hiroshima Dialect

It's not a typical dub made by a person who can speak clear Japanese and fluent English... words spoken in Hiroshima dialect with quite unique accents compared to standard Japanese. If you've visited Tokyo you may feel how it's strange.

It's difficult to say what this would be like in English. Not Irish English, not Indian English, even not Japanese English.

What you can say is you may feel warmness behind those words... some friendliness only obtainable from the words made by people who keep living in their hometown since their childhood. It's not a power obtainable from the text but from the voice.

Comments posted for this video is also heart warming; "I was never interested to iPad. I didn't know what that is. But this is so funny. I feel like I'm listening words from my grand father. I decided to buy iPad."

Well, iPad is one of the most cool and world wide targeted product. Could you imagine a guy who lives in... wherever, totally away from California speaking about iPad with words they speak in their local pub? Or just imagine your grand father's friend is talking about iPad with their own accents and intonations to him. These are not words targeted for people living in all over the world but well communicate for certain people more than the words spoken by the genius, Steve Jobs.

These are words spoken by your local friends, local neighborhoods but broadcasted for all over the world.

Tags: Japan, Joke, Technology, Video by Hiroumi Mitani
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The Japanese and Chinese web industries keep getting closer together. Yesterday Tokyo-based Internet behemoth CyberAgent (currently listed at the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a $1 billion market cap) announced it will take a 20% stake in mAPPn, an Android development firm with offices in China, Taiwan and the US (the press release in Japanese is here).

Financial details of the deal, which was handled by CyberAgent's investment arm, weren't disclosed. But CyberAgent says the agreement is aimed at marketing Android services and apps made in Japan to Chinese customers.

Established just in February last year, mAPPn Wireless has so far managed to churn out a Chinese-language Android OS, an app marketplace and a Chinese Android fan community (next to a number of self-developed apps).

CyberAgent claims that mAPPn OS has been installed on some 60% of all Android handsets in China and expects rapid growth in the future. mAPPn is also releasing apps for the iPhone.

The current tensions between Google and the Chinese government haven't made a big impact on Android's future in China so far, and even Google CFO Patrick Pichette still sees huge potential in that country. We'll keep you posted on CyberAgent's and mAPPn's cooperation.

Tags: Cellular Phone, China, Japan, News by Serkan Toto
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