Japan’s largest online mall company Rakuten started promoting its unknown service Rakuten Profile [J] since around October 10 to its 62 million members. The service comes with Twitter-like “tweet”, following/followers, Facebook-like “share”, your profile badge on Rakuten blog, Rakuten Profile seemed to launch without any release around August 9, 2011 [J]. There were no no… Continue reading Japan’s No.1 e-Mall Rakuten Trying To Be Like Twitter/Facebook By Rakuten Profile
Category: New Service
Video: Mobile Train Information Service “Yamanote Train Net”
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a prototype app for iPhone and Android phones that could make life for the millions of commuters living in Tokyo a bit easier. The so-called “Yamanote Train Net” [JP] app is currently being tested in one train on the famous Yamanote line that circles the center of Tokyo. Users can expect… Continue reading Video: Mobile Train Information Service “Yamanote Train Net”
“Metabirds,” An Alter-Ego SNS Service For Internet Residents Begins
Metabirds Co. [J] has begun an alias based SNS on “metabirds,” [J] a portal for internet denizens. “Metabirds” is a social network for using an “alter ego,” not just a real name or anonymity. The concept is to express your alias identity “nicknames,” and “screen names,” as your own personal “sub character,” and this social… Continue reading “Metabirds,” An Alter-Ego SNS Service For Internet Residents Begins
iichi: Marketplace For Handmade Goods From Japan (In English)
If you live outside Japan and were ever interested in getting handmade goods from this country, here’s your chance: a service called iichi, which launched in Japanese in July this year, just opened a site in English. The idea is similar to Etsy‘s : all products offered on the marketplace must be handmade. iichi is… Continue reading iichi: Marketplace For Handmade Goods From Japan (In English)
Yahoo Box: Yahoo Japan Starts Online Storage Service
Yahoo Japan, the country’s biggest website, has launched a new service dubbed Yahoo Box today. Yahoo Box is an online storage service with three plans: 5GB are given for free to any user with a Yahoo Japan ID 50GB is the maximum space premium members get for free (a Yahoo Japan premium membership costs US$4.50… Continue reading Yahoo Box: Yahoo Japan Starts Online Storage Service
Google Japan Launches Minna no Business Online, Free Website Hosting For Small-Mid Business
Minna no Business Online (=business for everyone online) is a newly released web hosting service by Google in Japan, today on September 13 2011. The site is, very different from typical Google web services, not under google domains but have its own jp domain (minbiz.jp), designed with vivid red, like the color which is used… Continue reading Google Japan Launches Minna no Business Online, Free Website Hosting For Small-Mid Business
Hulu Japan Starts – First International Extension
Hulu established its Tokyo subsidiary on August 10. On the announcement, the service launch in Japan was told “later this year”, but it seems they are speeding up. It took only 3 weeks for Japanese version launch. Hulu’s English official blog tells the launch both in English and Japanese today, August 31st in US time,… Continue reading Hulu Japan Starts – First International Extension
Android App Karelog Lets You Spy On Your Boyfriend Remotely [Update: Pulled]
Are you a woman? Are you easily getting jealous? Does your boyfriend own an Android cell phone? If you answered all of these questions with “yes”, then a new Android app called “Karelog” [JP] (Boyfriend Log) might be the right thing for you. In a nutshell, it’s a piece of “spyware” that you secretly install… Continue reading Android App Karelog Lets You Spy On Your Boyfriend Remotely [Update: Pulled]
JournalPlus – Google+ Hot News Aggregator In English/Chinese/Russian/etc.
Journal Plus is a new Google+ hot topics aggregation service by User Local Inc., Tokyo-based web start-up known by their website and social media traffic analysis services. It collects public posts on Google+, calculate their popularity by how many times they are shared and how many times they got +1 pressed. Besides the global popular… Continue reading JournalPlus – Google+ Hot News Aggregator In English/Chinese/Russian/etc.
TeleBing – Microsoft Releases TV Guide App For iPhone/iPad
TeleBing, named after television and Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, is an iOS application for Japanese TV watchers to show TV program schedules. Microsoft Japan released it “to promote Bing brand.” The program guide works with Twitter and Facebook. From program detail page, you may share your comments to Twitter and/or Facebook. Japanese TV programs data… Continue reading TeleBing – Microsoft Releases TV Guide App For iPhone/iPad