Tokyo Metropolitan Government bureau of citizens and cultural affairs released an iOS/Android app “Mamore! Shuuma & Elme”(mamore = protect), which is the first ever game app to pass on consumer information by local government in Japan, according to the release [J].

The game itself is a typical puzzle game, where you need to line up three balloons to erase. The app has a notification bar at the top, like mobile ads, to inform heads-up of several anecdotal deceiving cases.

まもれ！シューマ＆エルメ

Genre: Games, Puzzle, Kids

Language: EN

Devices: all

Price: free

Version: 1.0.2

Artist: 東京都生活文化局

Released at: March 25, 2013

User Rating (all version): no rating yet

User Rating (current version): no rating yet

Screenshots

via MyNavi News

Tags: Android, iOS, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Nikkei Business reported as a “breaking news” today [J] that Japan’s largest telco NTT Docomo is planning to start the fixed rate Android app subscription service such like #2 KDDI’s au Smart Pass earliest in June.

KDDI’s Smart Pass, which charges 390 yen (US$4.00) every month for variety of Android apps set, recently passed 5 million subscribers. 1 out of 6 KDDI users using the Internet connection on their cellphone are subscribing the service.

Tags: Android, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Colopl Inc. [J] has released the Android smartphone card RPG app featuring Disney characters, Disney Magician Chronicles [J] in cooperation with Walt Disney Japan Inc. [J].  Download is free.

“Disney Magician Chronicles” is a game where the user becomes a magic academy student and summons the power of Disney friends, embarking on adventure to seek out the legendary “Sun Kaltia” card which is said to grant whatever you wish for.  Collect numbers and marks written by Kaltia (the card) and advance your exploration while casting magic, and proceed through the story as battles with moon magicians unfold.  You can get equipment, items and Mystic Kaltia (magic cards) from capsule machines, exploring the stages, battles with moon magicians, and clearing quests, and you can build up your Kaltia by gathering and combining Mystic Kaltia depicting various Disney characters.  It also makes use of the location game component particular to Colopl that allows you to get special items according to the place you’re at when you register your location.  This title will begin service leading with an Android version, but they are also planning an iOS release.

©Disney

Translation authorized by VSMedia

Tags: Android, Social game, VSMedia by Chiho Komoriya
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Mixi released iPhone/Android free app Nohana [J] today.

The app is a camera application with backend photo storage web service. Every month, you get one free photobook (stamp fee 90-yen = $1 required though) made from your taking photos. The book will have 28 pages with 20 photos.

They said that their business model is to sell the second or more photobooks, such like a gift to grand-parents living remotely.

The app is seen on US iTunes Store, but the texts are all in Japanese. And the truth that the site says 90-yen mail fee only, it sounds like the free book is only available domestically.

ノハナ

Genre: Photo & Video, Lifestyle

Language:

Devices: iPadThirdGen, iPadFourthGen, iPodTouchourthGen, iPhone4, iPhone4S, iPadWifi, iPad23G, iPodTouchThirdGen, iPad2Wifi, iPhone5, iPadThirdGen4G, iPad3G, iPhone-3GS, iPadMini4G, iPadFourthGen4G, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPadMini

Price: free

Version: 1.1.1

Artist: mixi, Inc

Released at: February 15, 2013

User Rating (all version): no rating yet

User Rating (current version): no rating yet

Screenshots

Tags: Android, iOS, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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CyberAgent, Inc. [J] has announced the opening of “GPUImage for Android,” an image conversion framework for Android as an open source for smartphone service development, and “easymock,” a mock server which easily implements transmission tests with a web server.

These open sources were developed for the smartphone auction service Pashaoku [J], which CyberAgent released on August 27th, 2012.  “GPUImage for Android” is an image conversion framework developed for Android, for which until now a representative library did not exist, and it is highly compatible with the iOS version “GPUImage.”  In addition to the possibility for efficient development on a platform that offers service for iOS along with Android, it has features such as original filter functions and response speed.  “easymock” is a mock server that allows the execution of processing tests accompanying necessary web server transmissions for native application development, at step increments during development rather than waiting for the server site.  You can easily test various API expressions, carry out efficient development, and it’s also possible to download the nmp package.  The download site is here [J].

Translation authorized by VSMedia

Tags: Android, iOS, VSMedia by Chiho Komoriya
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