If you still doubt that Japan is in the middle of a smartphone revolution, here is another news item that serves as a good piece of evidence for it: Japanese pop sensation AKB48 released apps for the iPhone and Android today – in both English and Japanese (iTunes, Android market link). Fans of the country’s… Continue reading Japanese Girl Band AKB48 Gets Android And iPhone Applications
Category: Cellular Phone
enchant.js: New HTML5/JavaScript Game Engine For Smartphones
Tokyo-based Ubiquitous Entertainment (UEI) announced [JP] “enchant.js” yesterday, an HTML5/JavaScript game engine for smartphones (and PCs). The engine is available in beta, it’s open source (dual license MIT or GPL on github), and entirely free to use. UEI says their aim with the release of the engine is to motivate young people in particular to… Continue reading enchant.js: New HTML5/JavaScript Game Engine For Smartphones
Leaked: Not “Windows Phone 7” But “Windows 7 Phone” May Come In Summer In Japan
A blog juggly.cn reported that they got a leaked image of Fujitsu’s new 2011 summer model cellphone for Docomo, which name is LOOX F-07c, which is a dual boot cellphone with Symbian/Windows 7. It’s not “Windows Phone 7”, “Windows 7”. The reported specifications are: Windows 7/Symbian dual OS, switchable in a single action 125mm(H) x… Continue reading Leaked: Not “Windows Phone 7” But “Windows 7 Phone” May Come In Summer In Japan
Docomo Merges i-Mode And Smartphone Businesses
There is no reason for i-mode provider NTT Docomo to give up on its highly profitable mobile Internet service for feature phones as long as it makes money, but Japan’s biggest mobile carrier is starting to change things. According to Japanese business daily The Nikkei, Docomo is moving to combine its i-mode and smartphone businesses… Continue reading Docomo Merges i-Mode And Smartphone Businesses
Buy Your Twitter Friend a Beer With Micro-gifting Service giftee
Have you ever wanted to buy your Twitter friend a drink as a way of saying “Thanks” or “Cheer up”? You could have opted for an Amazon or iTunes e-giftcard if you knew their email address – but that kind of digital money is just not the same as a fuzzy or warm drink that… Continue reading Buy Your Twitter Friend a Beer With Micro-gifting Service giftee
Japan To Get Disney Android
Disney Mobile announced [J] to release new Android 2.2 smartphone in February. Disney Mobile is one of few successful MVNOs in Japan. Since 2008, they sell Disney feature phones [J] using Japan #3 Softbank Mobile network. This time they have not opened on which carriers the Disney smartphone works yet. But the silhouette seems to… Continue reading Japan To Get Disney Android
Softbank Mobile To Transform iPhone4 IC-Card Enabled… With Stickers
Softbank Mobile, exclusive iPhone seller in Japan, today announced their new IC-Card(FeliCa) products for iPhone 4: IC-Card stickers. iPhone not having FeliCa, RFID smart card, is one of lamentations for users who can not give up their e-wallets function on their Japanese cellphone. One of the reasons that half of Japanese iPhone users still keeps… Continue reading Softbank Mobile To Transform iPhone4 IC-Card Enabled… With Stickers
Mixi Releases Android App
Mixi, Japan’s leading social network, already offers a decent mobile web site for smartphone users (Mixi Touch, which was launched in September). And today, the company finally announced an app for Android users (you can pretty much forget their much older iPhone app). The new app makes it possible to use Mixi’s main features, including… Continue reading Mixi Releases Android App
Report: Smartphones Account For 50% Of Current Handset Sales in Japan
Goodbye, Galakei feature phones: according to Tokyo-based market research firm BCN (published in The Nikkei today), smartphones accounted for 49.8% of the total number of handsets sold between December 13 and 19 in Japan. Sure, this is just a snapshot, but there is a clear tendency to be observed here, and the smartphone segment in… Continue reading Report: Smartphones Account For 50% Of Current Handset Sales in Japan
Virtual Social Dating Game For Ladies To Cheat Your Virtual Fiance
Kakeochi(Elopement in Japanese) (URL, only available on Japanese feature phone) is a new social game by Index Corp. on Japan’s No.1 social networking service Gree. In the game, you play a female university student, who has a fiance elected by parents. One day you attend a high-school alumni association party, and meet 5 attractive guys,… Continue reading Virtual Social Dating Game For Ladies To Cheat Your Virtual Fiance