Docomo Community [J], a social networking service run by NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest cellphone carrier, started March 2009, is now available to other carriers, No.2 KDDI au and No.3 Softbank Mobile.
Docomo Community was designed to let you share photos, notes and diary with your family and friends for free, driven by cellphone but also accessible from PC.
Although it is a free service by the market dominating NTT Docomo, the latest number of registered member we heard is 100 thousands on last July. 100 thousands is pretty small when you compare it with over 10 million Mixi, Gree and Mobage-Town.
This month, Docomo announced that they open the social networking service to cellphone users on another cellphone network, KDDI au and Softbank Mobile. Now most of Japanese cellphone users can join the networking and socialize online on there.
Japan’s third-ranked mobile carrier Softbank Mobile, also known as the exclusive carrier for iPhone in Japan, will start user application for the complimentary distribution program of femtocell base stations for individual customers and small-sized stores next month. The company is considered as being relatively poorer than the other carriers in terms of the quality of cellphone service coverage, and this program aims at filling the signal-blind spots at low cost and wiping away such a bad impression among their current customers and possible customers.
Individual applicants for the program should be subscribing to Softbank Mobile’s 3G service, and a femtocell base station with an ADSL service connecting the station and the carrier’s network will be provided for free. Store applicants have no restriction to apply, and a femtocell base station or a WiFi router with an ADSL service will be provided for free, too. The application is scheduled to be available from May 10th.
Meanwhile, some customers who have experienced signal weakness problem with their Softbank Mobile handsets at their places forced to purchase a femtocell equipment for USD120 before the program was announced. The customers complained about such an unfair deal caused by the difference of when the equipment is ordered (before the announcement/after the announcement). One of them called Softbank Mobile’s customer support for dispelling that unfair customer treatment, but a service representative answered “that’s no way” and recommended him to request the improvement on Twitter to Masayoshi Son, Softbank Mobile’s CEO (@masason[J]). Mr. Son apologized for his company’s rudeness in reply for that tweet, and he announced femtocell equipments would be provided absolutely free to all customers regardless of when the application is submitted.
Softbank Mobile, the third largest, and iPhone exclusive provider cellphone carrier in Japan, announced their 22 (75 colors) new cellphone “Winter” models [J]. 8 of 22 will have WiFi feature and users are encouraged to join the new WiFi plan “Ke-tai WiFi”(cellphone WiFi) [J], which may cover up their 3G connectivity weakness due to dull investment against other top 2, if many users switch WiFi when they can.
CEO Masayoshi Son also announced Android phone release in next Spring. It was not disclosed which vendor it is but he said “the most advanced Android phone (currently) available”.
Their new TV commercial features Quentin Tarantino, who plays “Tara Ojisan”(Uncle Tara) and enthusiastically talks about Samurai. The part of making was aired at the press conference.
He was on another Japanese cellphone commercial couple of years ago and played a foreigner who can never stop talking.
Softbank Mobile released new five line-ups of luxury-textured and japan-lacquered covercase for iPhone 3GS/3G, which imitate an “inro” or a feudal pillbox used in Japan’s turbulent age. The list price is JPY 99,800 for each, which is approximately USD 1,050.
The line-ups were designed on the concept of what kind of iPhone case the five shoguns would want if they had their own iPhone in their age, and a Kyoto-based 300-year-old japan lacquer craftshop completed the state-of-the-art items for Japanese antique lovers. A historian’s guide to the Shoguns are also attached to all products. Available only at SoftBank Mobile’s online shop[J].
JAPAN TEXTURE Special Editions for iPhone 3GS/3G
(Texts given to each item in the picture above are the names of the five Shoguns.)
Softbank Mobile online shop is to ship their merchandises to Japanese addressee only. If you’d like to purchase any of the item and receive it outside Japan, you’d better consider using a third-party overseas forwarding service such as Tenso.com.
Won by McDonalds Japan[J] and the JV, a McDonalds’ joint venture with NTT DoCoMo, with their customer relationship marketing project by using cellphone wallet and mobile apps. Every Friday they distribute virtual discount coupons for McDonald’s meals to participating members’ handsets, which is valid only when paid by NTT DoCoMo’s cellphone wallet service.
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Best Award (Mobile Solution Category)
Won by Eole[J], a Tokyo-based web app developing venture, with a new service allowing users to set up an e-mail tree for connecting your friends and colleagues only by posting an e-mail. It’s a more convenient way to schedule meet-ups and to manage RSVP from potential participants, and also you need not to worry about possible leak of the participant’s private information since those are kept on server-side.
The service is named Raku-Raku Renrakumo[J] or an easy-to-use e-mail tree service. By clicking a banner seen below, you’ll be able to watch a brief introduction on the service in Rakugo show style.
