The Nikkei: KDDI To Start Offering The iPad Mini From November

The existence of a smaller version of the iPad hasn’t even been confirmed by Apple yet, but here is something fresh from the rumor mill in Japan: according to a report published in The Nikkei today, KDDI is currently “finalizing a deal” under which the company will start offering the “iPad Mini” from November. So… Continue reading The Nikkei: KDDI To Start Offering The iPad Mini From November

SoftBank Starts Using The 900MHz “Platinum Band”

There can be no doubt that SoftBank is the mobile carrier with the weakest network among Japan’s big three telcos, following that of NTT Docomo and KDDI. But now there is hope that things will finally change for the better. Back in March this year, the Japanese government decided to allocate the 900-megahertz band (also… Continue reading SoftBank Starts Using The 900MHz “Platinum Band”

The World’s First Radiation Counter Cellphone Announced In Japan

Softbank announced today(May 29) that they would ship Pantone 5(107SH) the world’s first smartphone with radiation measure feature in July. By this Sharp’s made Android 4.0 smartphone, you may measure gamma rays in the 0.05μSv/h to 9.99μSv/h range just by pressing the dedicated button for long. You may let it measure periodically and plot the… Continue reading The World’s First Radiation Counter Cellphone Announced In Japan

“PayPal Here”: SoftBank And PayPal Join Forces In Japan For Smartphone Payment Solution

PayPal President David Marcus, eBay CEO John Donahoe (PayPal is an eBay brand), and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced “PayPal Here” in Tokyo today, a payment solution for smartphones. This is huge news for PayPal’s Japan unit, which has been operating in this country for years but hasn’t achieved the success it has seen in… Continue reading “PayPal Here”: SoftBank And PayPal Join Forces In Japan For Smartphone Payment Solution

Three Of Japan’s Top Telcos Standardize Display Of Email Emoticons

Three of Japan’s four biggest mobile carriers, namely NTT Docomo, KDDI au, and eAccess, are about to make it easier for their combined subscriber base of roughly 90 million people to exchange emails with other. The plan is to standardize the display of emoticons, or emoji in Japanese, across handsets offered by the three networks. As… Continue reading Three Of Japan’s Top Telcos Standardize Display Of Email Emoticons

KDDI (And SoftBank) To Accept iPhone 4S Pre-Orders From October 7

The iPhone 4S is coming to Japan: both SoftBank Mobile and new provider KDDI au, the No. 3 and 2 mobile carriers in this country, will start accepting pre-orders from Friday October 7, as shown on Apple Japan’s website. The iPhone 4S will then become available exactly one week later, on October 14 (as in… Continue reading KDDI (And SoftBank) To Accept iPhone 4S Pre-Orders From October 7

Hard Times May Come For Softbank After KDDI Gets iPhone5

Some days ago we reported KDDI may distribute the next iteration of the iPhone. Now the reactions are coming: Goldman Sachs predicts hard times may come for Softbank [J], Softbank falls a 5% at Tokyo Stocks Exchange. Softbank, with a 21% share of the market, is the third leading mobile service provider in Japan, trailing NTT DoCoMo (48%) and KDDI… Continue reading Hard Times May Come For Softbank After KDDI Gets iPhone5

Breaking: Japan’s 2nd Telco KDDI Reportedly To Sell iPhone5

Nikkei Business Online is reporting [J], according to people familiar with the matter, the nation’s second carrier KDDI has an arrangement with Apple on selling iPhone in Japan. In Japan, iPhone has been exclusively provided by the 3rd carrier Softbank Mobile. It is not officially disclosed but Nikkei speculates that Softbank has been selling 7.5… Continue reading Breaking: Japan’s 2nd Telco KDDI Reportedly To Sell iPhone5

Mobile Subscribers In Japan: The Latest Numbers

The Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) of Japan has released a set of statistics on Japan’s mobile market today, showing that the country had 122.44 million cell phone subscribers last month (out of a total population of 128 million). According to the organization, Japan’s carriers added 569,200 new customers between July and August. Breaking down the… Continue reading Mobile Subscribers In Japan: The Latest Numbers

Mobage Company DeNA Rumored To Buy A Pro Baseball Team, PR Denied

According to Sankei Sports [J], DeNA, known by running a big social gaming network Mobage, is one the list of companies who are talking with TBS, a Japanese TV network company who owns Yokohama Bay Stars [J] of Nippon Professional Baseball(Puro Yakyu) [J] Se-League, to purchase the team. TBS Holdings tried to sell the Bay… Continue reading Mobage Company DeNA Rumored To Buy A Pro Baseball Team, PR Denied