Image recognition search engine fetches music results onto mobile screens

There is a one more way for Japanese mobile phone users to search for and buy ringtones and music. Bandai Networks just launched a new mobile phone service called “Search by Camera! ER Search” that allows cameraphone users to take a photo of a CD cover or poster and search for the information about that artist or band, using image recognition technology provided by US-based Evolution Robotics.

Evolution Robotics ViPR technology detects and recognizes visual patterns by applying specially developed algorithms to look-up an extensive database of candidate objects residing on a remote server. The object ID is then used to select the associated content to be sent back to the user’s cellular phone. Users can then click the link in the returned content to easily access a mobile site containing detailed product information or, if mobile commerce is available, purchase products directly from their phone without having to type in a product code.

Having partnered with music label company Label Mobile, Bandai Networks digitized more than 150 thousand of label’s CD covers, which cover the large part of the domestic market. The service is oriented at DoCoMo cameraphone users and available at no charge to them. To start using the service users need to download a Java application – iappli – that is compatible with DoCoMo’s handsets only at this moment.

Source: Bandai Networks

Google befriends with KDDI, plans global expansion from within Japan?

First Google powered KDDI au’s mobile search platform in July 2006, fetching mobile screen-optimized search results from KDDI’s own EZWeb service and conventional Internet. Now, it will offer the rebranded version of Gmail under the "au one mail" name. So, instead of @gmail.com the email address will look like @auone.jp. KDDI au users will get the service for free and be able to access it from both PCs and cell phones around from late September. Like Gmail, the service features familiar simple user interface and the mail box size is set to be 2GB.

Both KDDI au and Google are to benefit from this co-branding partnership as the former shows its users a new and friendlier Web 2.0 face and the latter penetrating into the walled gardens of mobile world and gaining mobile expertise. KDDI au’s strategy is in a striking contrast with DoCoMo’s protective build-it-yourself approach.

Mobile lessons learned by Google in Japan can help the company better compete on global arena. This was partially confirmed by Google’s Strategic partner development manager in Japan John Lagerling who said at Wireless Japan 2007 conference that Google wanted to develop mobile services in Japan and introduce them globally. With his previous business development experience at DoCoMo, working on i-mode international expansion strategy and mobile wallet projects, he seems to be determined to make it happen for Google. According to John Lagerling, Google’s global mobile strategy is built around three blocks: 1) Personalized search; 2) Cell phone-optimized mobile services; and 3) Partnerships with various industry players. Of course, each country’s specifics are taken into account when developing mobile strategy for one particular market.

John also provided interesting statistics about Internet usage in Japan, saying that among 85 million users, 16 million access Internet only from PCs and 19 million (1/4 of all Internet users) do it only from mobile phones, while 50 million don’t mind surfing the net from both PCs and cell phones.

Sources: Yahoo News and IT Media

Sharp is still undisputed handset leader in Japan: 1Q07 data

Sharp continues to hold its dominant position in Japan’s handset market through four consecutive quarters, increasing its market share to 22.6% in 1Q07 from 21.2% in 4Q06, reports IDC. Strong sales of Raku-Raku series phones are worth mentioning among other 1Q07 highlights as they helped Fujitsu get in the top five handset vendors.

Overall, handset shipments increased by 3% from last year, reaching the five-year record of 14.39 million handsets. National carriers’ flourishing spring handset collections targeting at various segments with ultra-thin and easy-to-use models and improvements in service and pricing contributed to this rather unusual burst in handset sales.

Source: IDC Japan

Survey: Nearly half of iPod users intend to switch to iPhone in Japan

According to the recent survey conducted by Mitsubishi Research Institute, iPhone as a product has a high level of awareness among Japanese consumers, with 11.3% of survey respondents (out of total 2,400) understanding iPhone’s features and functions and 35.6% having heard about iPhone name. Moreover, when asked about iPhone purchase intension as a replacement for the existing phone, 5.2% of respondents expressed a strong intension to do so, followed with 22.4% of respondent also considering this move. Male users in age segment from ten to forties and female users in age segment from ten to thirties are the ones with most positive attitude toward buying iPhone, with males in their twenties especially tending to become the first adopters of iPhone in Japan. Among iPod users the intension to buy iPhone was even higher – 13.3% strongly inclined to acquire iPhone and 31.4% more likely to do so.

Source: Mitsubishi Research Institute

Mobile-friendly robot miuro sings songs and looks after your household

Have you ever dreamt about your personal robot at home? I know, I have. And I don’t mean that kind of dumb vacuum cleaners that roll around your house picking up trash after you. I mean miuro. Miuro is a network-connected alarm clock/Internet radio/MP3 player/security camera/message board/iPod compatible dancing machine. If it is not enough, miuro roams freely around house to the pre-programmed locations and is remotely controlled from a cell phone. The usage scenarios among many include the following:

• Pre-program miuro to take images of certain areas in your house at set time and send them to your mobile phone (check your pet’s condition constantly, for instance).
• Make miuro play back your favorite MP3 song or Internet radio channel in order to let your spouse know you’re on your way home instead of making a phone call.
• To make sure the spouse got the message right you can send a text message that can be displayed on miuro’s screen or even read aloud.
• Miuro has a motion-detector camera sensor, which takes images and sends them out to your email

Specs
Model:	miuro
Maker:	ZMP
Price (full package):	JPY35,600 ($295)
Size:	35 x 22cm
Weight:	5kg
Audio input:	iPodDock connector (charging feature), stereo 3.5mm mini plug
Music format:	WAV, MP3, WMA, AAC, AIFF, LPCM (cannot play DRM-protrected files wirelessly)
Mobility:	Two-wheleed drive mode
Sensors:	camera sensor, gyro, accelerator, distance meter, touch sensor
WLAN:	802.11b
Power:	AC adapter (100V, 50/60Hz)
Battery:	Lithium Ion
Color variations:	White, Black, Yellow

Vendor's site

KDDI au quarterly results: voice ARPU declines faster for data ARPU to fill the gap

KDDI au posted its 1Q financials results for the fiscal year ending March 2008. Here are some highlights:

• The number portability rule continues to play out well for au as the total mobile number portability net additions (since Oct. 24, 2006) hit the one million mark in June 2007.
• In 1Q, net additions reached 520,000 customers.
• In an accord with healthy additions, the churn rate also improved, going down to 0.97% from 1.04% a year ago.
• While data ARPU went up 5.6% or JPY110 (1 dollar = 120.08 yen as of today) from last year it was not sufficient to cover the losses in voice ARPU, which declined by 10.1% or JPY490 for the same period. This resulted in the total ARPU declining by 5.6% or JPY380 year over year. For comparison, a year ago the total ARPU stood at JPY6,810, while now it is already JPY6,430. For the same period, data ARPU grew from JPY1,970 to JPY2,080.
• KDDI is pessimistic about its ability to reverse the situation with the declining ARPU, estimating its overall ARPU would fall further, including data ARPU. The main factor behind that is the amplified mobile data price war among national carriers in Japan.

Source: KDDI

Lunascape browser targets Windows Mobile phones

Tokyo-based Lunascape came up with Lunascape Mobile – a browser running on Windows Mobile 5.0/6.0 machines. In Japan, it can be downloaded free of charge on Sharp’s W-ZERO3 series handsets. What makes it so special? Lunascape says the main features include:

• Tabs-based browsing (tabs can be customized by changing their number, size and number of characters displayed on a single tab)
• Easy access to browsing history and editing of it via the Address Bar
• Easy control of Favorites

Source: Lunascape

20,000+ joggers take notes with JogNote

Health and lifestyle-related mobile services are rapidly gaining attention of various companies willing to capitalize on the emerging trend. The opportunities are there and it is good for everybody. Japan is not exclusion. Eighteen months ago the internet company Wing Style came up with an idea of niche social network for joggers called JogNote. Now they are reporting more than 20,000 members under their “wing” (pun intended). To be a successful Web-based service in Japan, one needs to address PC and mobile users’ requirements at the same time, which Wing Style did. Cell phone users can input their running records, post blogs and leave comments to fellow joggers’ blog articles. The core features of JogNote are as follows:

• Socialize with fellow joggers
• Keep personal diary/blog
• Set your milestones and track your progress towards them
• Share your favorite running tracks with other members
• Find fellow joggers to run together
• Create maps with running routes

The service also links with Google Earth and imports data from Nike + iPod sports kit. For a niche social networking service they are doing OK, but I see a room for improvements such as allowing cellphones automatically transmit the running data to Wing Style servers or getting GPS data uploaded as well, if GPS is built in a phone. In the U.S., Bones in Motion or Garmin work on the similar services.

Source: Biglobe News (Japanese)

Ultra-small standalone mobile TV tuner (one-seg) revealed

You don’t need to own a TV phone in Japan in order to watch mobile broadcasting TV called one-seg in Japan. Princeton Technology came up with a standalone TV tuner that can connect to your laptop through USB or portable DVD player through RCA cables. The tuner weights only 30g along with a retractable antenna, which makes it a good travel companion. It also downloads EPG data, schedules recordings and supports time shifting, which allows pausing, rewinding and watching video in a slow motion. The suggested price is JPY24,800 ($205).

Specs
Model:	PTV-DT1W
Maker:	Princeton Technology
Bands:	470MHz ~ 770MHz
Channels:	UHF 13~63ch
Form factor:	box
Antenna:	Intrnal rod-type antenna, External signal buster
Weight:	30g
Dimensions:	(W)69 x (D)50 x (H)14mm
Ports:	USB2.o/1.1, RCA plug
Power (RCA):	DC12V
Power (USB):	USB bus (DC5V)

Source: Princeton Technology (Japanese)

First time in Japan: mobile maps in Flash Lite

The mobile version of Japanese popular Internet portal goo has rolled out a three month trial to test new UI using Flash Lite. Empowered by Euretechnos’ image automatic conversion technology goo will enable users to access existing maps undergone a conversion into Flash Lite format that gives user an ability to zoom in/out and scroll/move on-screen map in different directions without a need to reload a page, which was a case in previous pre-Flash Lite maps. goo claims to be the first domestic mobile portal to implement such technology. The service works on 3G handsets with Flash Lite 1.1 support from all three national operators.

Source: IT Media (Japanese)

Nokia sells down-to-earth handset in Japan

It seems that Nokia believes it is time the Japanese tourists going abroad were brought down to earth with the 5070 model (on picture above), which stays away from any fancy stuff the cell phones in Japan are typically equipped with. At least, Japanese users will feel blended in when flashing their Nokias on the streets Vienna or Boston. The 5070 is a tri-band GSM900/1800/1900 phone selling for JPY18,690 ($152) in two colors: red and blue. It spots VGA camera and FM radio inside.

Source: Nokia press release (Japanese)

Iris recognition for secure authentication comes to mobile phones

Oki Denki managed to put a processor-hungry iris recognition application onto a cameraphone. Nobody was able to do it before, according to the company. At Wireless Japan 2007 tradeshow, they demonstrated a working solution for Windows Mobile 2003 and Symbian smartphones. The application can also potentially run on Linux or BREW phones. The camera’s resolution should be at least 1 megapixel, however 2 megapixels are highly recommended. 200KB of phone’s internal memory are required to store the client software and another 200KB of memory are needed to run it.

Sources: IT Media, Oki Denki (Japanese)

Casio mimics Sony branding strategy, shows Exilim cameraphone

Consumer electronics brands are being adopted by mobile handset arms of Japanese CE manufacturers. The trend started with Sony allowing its joint venture with Ericsson to sell featured mobile phones under Sony’s well-known Walkman, Cybershot and Bravia brands. Now Casio follows suit by assigning its Exilim digital camera brand to the cameraphone destined to be offered by KDDI au in Japan in near future. The rumors of Casio Exilim cameraphone surfaced first back in May and now it looks like its debut is imminent, according to ITMedia report from Wireless Japan 2007 trade show happening in Japan this week. The phone spots 5.1MP camera supported with specially developed Exilim Engine for Mobile. Interesting part is that the phone has a clamshell form factor with swiveling screen protecting it from scratches when not used and allowing using it as a huge viewfinder (VGA 2.8inch) in a shooting mode. More specs and pricing details are coming after KDDI au’s official announcement.

Source: IT Media (Japanese)

i-mode loses its appeal?

DoCoMo's i-mode global coverage map is shrinking with more overseas carriers killing the service. Just recently Australia’s Telstra and the U.K. operator O2 said they would drop the offering. Russia’s vast territory surely makes i-mode global coverage map look great. In reality, only 7.2 million consumers use i-mode outside of Japan. While DoCoMo’s i-mode stronghold in Japan – more than 47 million i-mode subscribers on its own network – still gives the carrier leverage, it seems that i-mode business model is becoming irrelevant and outdated in the times of Web 2.0 trends expanding into the mobile world. With users becoming internet-savvy and mobile phones being shipped with full web browsers, DoCoMo’s i-mode collection of portals will lose their appeal to users. DoCoMo is sure feels the pressure and plans counter measures like DoCoMo 2.0 marketing campaign, an attempt to blend in with Web 2.0 crowd. Like an elephant in a china store? Well, it seems that they are catching up, not leading this time.

Fujitsu F704i is not afraid to plunge into water

Fujitsu's water-resistant F704i phone is scheduled to hit DoCoMo shops' shelves on July 20. This is a slight modification of the F703i model released in Spring. The main change is the inclusion of a global WCDMA/GSM support to bring piece of mind to Japanese users when they accidently drop their handsets into water abroad.

Phone Specs
Model:	F704i
Carrier:	NTT DoCoMo
Maker:	Fujitsu
Bands:	FOMA/WCDMA/GSM
Form factor:	clamshell
Color variations:	Magenta, White, Golden, Black
Weight:	109g
Dimensions:	100 x 48 x 17.9mm
Main display:	2.2inch, 262K color TFT LCD 240x320
Standby:	420 hours
Talk time:	145min
Platform / OS:	Symbian
Memory:	21.5MB (for music)
Memory card:	microSD
GPS / Location:	No
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	Yes
USB:	Yes
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	1.3MP (main)/ 1.1MP (sub)
Video calling:	Yes
TV tuner:	No
Music player:	Napster (WMA/AAC)
Browser:	Full Web
Water resistance:	IPX5/IPX7
Mobile Wallet:	Toruka, DCMX, FeliCa
Barcode reader:	JAN/QR/NW7/CODE39
Pust2Talk:	No

FC Barcelona handset hits the market in Japan

Barcelona fans rejoice! Japan's PHS carrier Willcom is introducing a Barcelona-branded handset that carries Barcelona-distinctive colors and is packed with Barcelona-themed wallpapers and ringtones. The handset is the redicorated "9 (nine)" model manufactured by KES. This is a limited edition available for purchase only during August. The price with a new contract starts at JPY7,800 ($64).

Phone Specs
Model:	9 (nine)
Carrier:	Willcom
Bands:	PHS, W-SIM compatible
Packet data:	W-OAM 204bps
Form factor:	candy bar
Color variations:	Barcelona colors
Weight:	67g
Dimensions:	40 x 11.5 x 124mm
Main display:	QVGA 240 x 320, 2.0 inch
Talk time:	5.5 hours
Battery type:	Litium Ion
Platform / OS:	Proprietary
Memory:	1.5MB + 2MB (email)
Memory card slot:	No
GPS / Location:	Network-based LBS
Bluetooth:	N/A
Infrared:	N/A
USB:	Yes, synch & charging
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	No
Video calling:	No
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	N/A
Web browser:	NetFront
Processor:	ARM9
Mobile Wallet:	No
QR-code:	No
Authentication:	N/A

Japanese users think iPhone is fat

When asked what additional features they would like to see in iPhone if it was offered in Japan, majority of Japanese users (44.6%) pointed out to the lack of built-in TV tuner, according to online survey results published by research company iShare (1,341 respondents). The wish list for iPhone continues with the upgrade to 3G speeds (37.1%) followed with the inclusion of GPS (36.2%). Surprisingly, a lot of respondents (34.6%) think iPhone is not slim enough, while a rightful number of them want higher resolution camera (33.1%) and removable memory (33.1%).

DoCoMo is perceived as the least likeable carrier to offer iPhone in Japan (17.1%) among the three national cell phone operators, while SoftBank’s chances are the highest (53%) followed with KDDI au (19.6%).

Source: iShare (Japanese)

Toshiba 814T: First titanium handset debuts in Japan

Toshiba is bringing the handset differentiation game to the new level by adding titanium elements to its new ultra-slim 814T model. Softbank is happy to pitch the titanium handset's benefits, if any, to the Japanese end-users. The main message is that this is the first handset in Japan to have titanium inside. Japanese handset makers have a long way to go in this direction if they take Mendeleev's periodic table as a guide.

Phone Specs
Model:	814T
Carrier:	Softbank
Maker:	Toshiba
Bands:	W-CDMA
Form factor:	Clamshell
Color variations:	light silver, titanium silver, rose pink, navy, brown
Weight:	97g
Dimensions:	50X101X14mm
Main display:	2.4 inches, QVGA, 240X320
Talk time:	160 minutes
Battery type:	N/A
Platform / OS:	N/A
Memory:	14MB
Memory card slot:	microSD
GPS / Location:	N/A
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	Yes
USB:	N/A
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	2MP
Video calling:	Yes
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	Yes
Web browser:	browser
FM radio:	Yes
Mobile Wallet:	N/A
QR-code:	N/A
Biometrics:	Face recognition

Japan's response to iPhone - nani!?

Scheduled to be announced on July 18th at Wireless Japan tradeshow the nani device from Sophia Mobile follows the recent trend established by iPhone featuring touchscreen and forfeiting hardware keys wherever it is possible. Spec-wise it is very impressive, as you can see from the table below, and yes, it can make phone calls. While it doesn’t look as stylish as iPhone does, the nani spots bigger screen at 4.3 inches and is compatible with Japanese standard for mobile broadcast TV - one seg. The information about nani is scarce at the moment, but taking into account its compatibility with PHS (W-SIM) wireless standard it is likely to be offered by Willcom in Japan. More details are to be revealed after July 18th.

Phone Specs
Model:	nani
Carrier:	Willcom
Bands:	PHS (W-SIM)
Packet data:	N/A
Form factor:	candy bar
Color variations:	White
Weight:	180g
Dimensions:	140 x 80.5 x 17mm
Main display:	Touchscreen WVGA, 4.3inch
Battery life:	N/A
Battery type:	Lithium
Platform / OS:	Windows CE
Memory:	N/A
Memory card slot:	miniSD
GPS / Location:	Yes
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	N/A
USB:	miniUSB (OTG compatible)
Wi-Fi:	WiFi (802.11b/g)
Camera:	VGA
Video playback:	MPEG-1／2／4、DivX、Xvid
One-seg TV:	Yes
Music player:	WAV、WMA、MP3、Ogg Vorbis
Web browser:	browser
CPU:	RMI Alchemy Au1250 Media Processor 600MHz
Mobile Wallet:	N/A
QR-code:	N/A
Maker:	Sophia Mobile

Source: IT Media (Japanese)