Sharp to Introduce International Models Of E-book Reader Galapagos

Sharp announced recently they would introduce the e-book reader Galapagos[J], which was introduced in Japan last October, in U.S and several emerging countries such as Mainland China, India and Brazil.  The current models enable the company’s original e-book format of XMDF, and upcoming models to be sold outside Japan are expected to support e-Pub format… Continue reading Sharp to Introduce International Models Of E-book Reader Galapagos

Groupon Fails To Bring Happiness To Japanese New Year Holidays

In Japanese new year’s holidays, we enjoy having osechi-ryori or specially-prepared dishes to be eaten during the first three days of January.   Most dishes are cooked to be preserved for several days to a few weeks so housewives need not cook during the period.   The dishes have been traditionally cooked at home, but nowadays… Continue reading Groupon Fails To Bring Happiness To Japanese New Year Holidays

Report: Docomo To Launch New Tablet In March

Japan’s No.1 mobile carrier, NTT Docomo, which saw No. 3 SoftBank winning the rights to distribute the iPad in Japan last year, is planning to launch a tablet on its own. Japan’s biggest business daily, The Nikkei, reported yesterday that Docomo commissioned LG Electronics to manufacture a device designed specifically for the Japanese market. The… Continue reading Report: Docomo To Launch New Tablet In March

Undercover Cops Dispatched To 1,500 Cellphone Shops To Check If They Explain Kids Filtering Service

Jiji reported [J] that Japan’s National Police Agency is planning to send secret agents to 1,500 cellphone shops nationwide, to check if shop clerks ask a customer who will use the cellphone, and if s/he says it is for their children, then if they introduce kids filtering service and explain what bad things could happen… Continue reading Undercover Cops Dispatched To 1,500 Cellphone Shops To Check If They Explain Kids Filtering Service

Rakuten Enters Indonesia With “Rakuten BELANJA ONLINE”

Rakuten just doesn’t stop internationalizing. In May, we reported about the joint venture the Japanese e-commerce giant (market cap at the Tokyo Stock Exchange: $10 billion) entered with Indonesia’s biggest media company, Global Mediacom. And today, Rakuten announced the result of the deal, an online mall, which will be opened next year and give Indonesian… Continue reading Rakuten Enters Indonesia With “Rakuten BELANJA ONLINE”

Breaking: Japan FTC Conducts Investigation On DeNA(Mobage-Town)

Kyodo reports [J] (11:08) that DeNA, who runs one of Japan’s largest mobile social networking Mobage-Town, is subjected to an on-site investigation by Japan Fair Trade Commission(JFTC). DeNA was rumored to ask their third-party game application providers not to provide games for Gree. [Update] Nikkei follows [J] (11:13) with more detail. It says that the… Continue reading Breaking: Japan FTC Conducts Investigation On DeNA(Mobage-Town)

Mashup Awards 6: Doting Father Develops Social Web For Recording His Daughter’s Growth

The award-presenting ceremony of the Mashup Awards 6[J], an annual web service development contest organized by a bunch of Japanese web companies, took place in Tokyo yesterday, where the venue was packed with hundreds of presenters and an audience.   This contest literally aims at letting participants compete their skills in developing a web service… Continue reading Mashup Awards 6: Doting Father Develops Social Web For Recording His Daughter’s Growth

CyberAgent Rumored To Buy Off Tokyo-Based Baseball Team Yakult Swallows

Japanese sports newspaper Nikkan Sports reported [J] on December 4th, Saturday morning that Tokyo Yakult Swallows, one of 12 professional baseball team in Japan’s top league Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB), is planning to sell itself to web service company CyberAgent (Asiajin), which runs Ameba blog, Pigu(Japan)/Pico(US), etc. Yakult, a beverage company who owns and has been… Continue reading CyberAgent Rumored To Buy Off Tokyo-Based Baseball Team Yakult Swallows

Docomo To Unveil Feature Phone-Only App Store On Monday

Japan’s biggest business daily The Nikkei is reporting that the country’s leading mobile carrier, NTT Docomo, is to unveil a a new app store of sorts on Monday, December 6. The portal will offer 1,200 apps from the get-go, in addition to 1 million music titles and a total of 30,000 e-books – exclusively for… Continue reading Docomo To Unveil Feature Phone-Only App Store On Monday

First Social Game Magazine Appli-Style On Sale

On December 2nd, Japan’s first (maybe the world first? do you know?) cellphone social game application magazine “Appli Style” has been released in Japan. The magazine, costs 680 yen (US$8), published by a publisher Eastpress, are sold at bookstores and convenience stores around the nation. (->