Asiajin

Yesterday’s big news around live streaming was Ustream raised from Japanese Softbank. Today, another mobile video streaming launched from Japan (the service is English/Japanese bilingual), TwitCasting by Sidefeed.

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A free iPhone Application side of TwitCasting is a Twitter client with video broadcasting which boasts low latency (0.1 sec to 0.3 sec within Japan, as they say). On Sidefeed CEO’s blog [J], the CEO Yosuka Akamatsu recommends to use iPhone 3GS for the best experience, though the movie’s frame rate are adjusted with your environment.

The broadcast movie can be viewed on TwitCasting website by standard web browsers (on Flash) and iPhone/iPod Touch (QuickTime).

Here is the introduction video (Japanese audio/English subtitle),

SideFeed is known by its spin-off service Joker Racer, which got the Grand Prix at WISH 2009 startup event in Tokyo last year.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Dentsu Inc., Japan’s largest advertising agency, announced that they started experimental coupon platform iButterfly with free iPhone application.

The application “iButterfly – Coupon Entertainment” can be downloaded for free until the end of March 2010 (requires iPhone 3GS).

On the mobile application, user can look through the iPhone app to the town and find butterfly flying around. By shaking iPhone like using butterfly net, user catches the virtual butterfly carries coupons and contents related to the location.

During the experimental period, three companies or shop group provide the butterflies.

• Tokyo Music Map Group – shops offering good back ground music provides discount coupon
• Yamada Denki – Japan’s biggest electric store chain will offer coupon at its Ikebukuro branch
• Tokyo Gas – regional gas provider will offer a coupon for free novelty at three showrooms

Chou (butterfly in Japanese) is used here in double meaning, with another same sound “Chou” which means “collection book”.

Dentsu is planning to add more “Chou” such like “Nationwide local mascot characters collection book”, “All Yamanote Line stations collection”, “Today’s Fortunetelling”, “iPhone App recommendation”, etc.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan, New Service by Akky Akimoto
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Square Enix, who holds two best selling Japanese role playing game series, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, announced on Facebook their Final Fantasy I and II are being ported to iPhone/iPod Touch.

In Japanese cellphone market, Square Enix has been offering downloadable early Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy Mobile [J] on three major carriers offered the first Final Fantasy in 2004 (2006 for Softbank Mobile. original in 1987), Final Fantasy II in 2005 (original in 1988), Final Fantasy IV in 2009 (2010, last week, for Softbank Mobile).

Final Fantasy II for Docomo i-mode was even bundled for Panasonic cellphone P901i in 2005.

So Final Fantasy I, II and now IV are all playable on most of Japanese cellphone. Now Square Enix is targeting growing smart phone iPhone to cover 99% of cellphones in Japan. But this also means they are to sell the game not only isolated Japanese cellphone market but also to the world.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Japan’s second largest ad agency Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Sony CSL’s spin-out specializing in developing location detection technology with WiFi signals Koozyt and the country’s second-ranked newspaper in its circulation the Asahi Shimbun jointly started a new ad service using the iPhone today.

The new service is named A-Clip, by installing the iPhone app and shooting an image of an paper-printed ad that you’re interested in, you can view videos and other extensive information associated with the ad.

The first ever ad enabling this service is placed on the Asahi’s morning edition of January 8th, and you don’t need to scan any 2-D barcode but just shoot an image of the ad itself. Koozyt’s image recognition technology built in the iPhone app will detect which ad you watch, it shows you a video associated with the ad on the iPhone screen.

See Also:

• Hakuhodo’s Press Release: Hakuhodo and Koozyt jointly develop a movie ad distribution service associated with newspaper advertising[J, PDF]
• Koozyt’s Press Release: Koozyt and Hakuhodo jointly develop a movie ad distribution service associated with newspaper adverising[J]

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan, New Service by Masaru IKEDA
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Hong Kong-, Tokyo-, Silicon Valley- and London-based tech start-up MotherApp has kindly developed the iPhone/iPod Touch app which allows Asiajin readers to get the latest news more easily on their palms.  The company specializes in developing apps for multiple mobile platforms only by simple and single development process, and won the first prize of the audience votes at the first edition of TechCrunch Japan’s Start-up Meeting[J] that was held last month.

The Asiajin iPhone/iPod Touch reader app is absolutely free, and you can download it at any country’s edition of the AppStore by simply clicking on the banner which is appeared on the right sidebar of our website.

We appreciate this MotherApp’s contribution, and we’re sure it helps us to reach more people who are eager to keep themselves update with tech news and IT trends in Japan and Asia.

Tags: Announcement, Cellular Phone by Masaru IKEDA
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