Japan Archive

  • Japanese emoticon stamp is too cute for \(^o^)/

    Japanese emoticon stamp is too cute for \(^o^)/

    Posted on April 28, 2010 | No Comments
    This is one of those products that I look at and cringe. I do realize though, that some people just can’t live without this type of thing. If that describes you, you can get an emoticon stamp to “share your emotion to your lover in real world with a secret”. Apparently this is a “Kaoiro” [...]

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  • Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC jointly develop new mobile OS

    Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu, NEC jointly develop new mobile OS

    Posted on April 26, 2010 | No Comments
    Just last week, we asked the question if the world needs yet another mobile operating system (Samsung's Bada). Now it turns out Japan's biggest cell phone carrier, NTT DoCoMo, apparently thinks the answer is yes. The telecom behemoth (55 million customers in Japan) today announced [press release in English] the development of a brand new "application platform for mobile phones", which is planned to go global, too.

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  • Japan’s DoCoMo announces new mobile projector for cell phones

    Japan’s DoCoMo announces new mobile projector for cell phones

    Posted on April 22, 2010 | No Comments
    It's not that there's a shortage of mobile projectors, but when DoCoMo (Japan's biggest cell phone carrier) announces [JP] a model for its 55 million customers, it deserves a mention. DoCoMo specifically suggests using the F01 with Fujitsu's uber-cool "Separate Keitai", a cell phone that breaks into two parts (and that's currently available on the Japanese market only).

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  • Fujitsu shows off new prototype e-book reader

    Fujitsu shows off new prototype e-book reader

    Posted on April 15, 2010 | No Comments
    So fair warning, there’s not a whole lot of detail on this one. Fujitsu just showed off their latest e-book reader prototype at a trade show in Japan. It probably won’t hit the US, but expect to see it in Japan later this year. We’ll keep you informed when we get more information. [via Akihabara News]

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  • Japanese P2P virus catches you downloading porn, demands money to clear your name

    Japanese P2P virus catches you downloading porn, demands money to clear your name

    Posted on April 15, 2010 | No Comments
    There's a pretty hilarious computer virus causing a bit of havoc in Japan right now. It affects users of the P2P program Winny (sorta like a Japanese version of Freenet, so says mighty Wikipedia), users who were looking for a strain of pornography known as hentai. I wouldn't recommend googling that word while at work, or while in the presence of other human beings unless you're prepared for a laugh followed by, "Um, what?"

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  • K01: Toshiba to roll out super-slim Windows Mobile slider phone

    K01: Toshiba to roll out super-slim Windows Mobile slider phone

    Posted on March 30, 2010 | No Comments
    Whereas Sharp decided to cautiously embrace Android, Toshiba still seems to be firmly in the Windows camp. After releasing the "iPhone killer TG01" on WinMo 6.5 last year, the company announced another Windows Mobile-based cell phone in Japan today (Toshiba is one of Microsoft's official "Mobile Partners", after all).

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  • IS01: Sharp to roll out Android smartbook

    IS01: Sharp to roll out Android smartbook

    Posted on March 30, 2010 | No Comments
    There's just one Android phone currently available in Japan, one of the biggest mobile markets in the world. But the HTC Magic, which Japan's biggest telco, NTT Docomo, started distributing last summer, will soon be joined by the Sharp IS01 [JP] - which is not really a "smartphone", but rather being marketed as an MID or "smartbook" instead.

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  • New technology heats up cell phones when callers get agitated

    New technology heats up cell phones when callers get agitated

    Posted on March 11, 2010 | No Comments
    I can't think of too many use cases for this, but they did it: A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo (Japan's MIT if you will) has developed a technology that makes it possible to "physically" convey emotions from cell phone to cell phone. The key elements of the technology are a sensor and a Peltier device that's attached to the back of the phones. Read the rest on CrunchGear.

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  • Iwatani Corp has an electric motor-bike that will never be released

    Iwatani Corp has an electric motor-bike that will never be released

    Posted on March 10, 2010 | No Comments
    Man alive, Twitter is blowing up right now at the expense of Real Madrid. That has nothing to do with the following story, but it had to be mentioned. The real story is: an electric motorbike! Is that any more exciting than Real Madrid being the laughingstock of Europe? I'd say no, but maybe six of you have any idea what I'm talking about. Back to the bike, then.

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  • SPIDERSS For Android: Browser, RSS Reader And Social Network Update Aggregator In One

    SPIDERSS For Android: Browser, RSS Reader And Social Network Update Aggregator In One

    Posted on March 8, 2010 | No Comments
    Tokyo-based jig.jp has been developing mobile browsers since 2003, claiming its "jig browser (which was downloaded over 4 million times so far) is the world’s first Java-based browser that made it possible to view PC sites on cell phones. And now the company has released an ambitious Android app called SPIDERSS, which combines a browser with an RSS reader and an aggregator for social network updates. Available in English and Japanese, the free app's main selling point is that all elements are accessible from a single screen: You can either choose to directly type in a URL or search term in the top bar (to then open a full browser window), check your Facebook newsfeed and Twitter timeline in the "Application Deck" under that or scroll through your RSS feeds in the bottom part. All feeds and web pages can be easily shared by SMS, Email, Twitter or Facebook with the push of a button. Read the rest on TechCrunch.

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  • TwitCasting lets you stream live video and tweet simultaneously from your iPhone

    TwitCasting lets you stream live video and tweet simultaneously from your iPhone

    Posted on March 5, 2010 | No Comments
    Late last year, Ustream and qik launched iPhone applications that let you stream videos from the iPhone to the web and allow others to watch them as they're being recorded. And now there is an iPhone app called TwitCasting Live (iTunes link), which offers the same basic functionality, but is - as the name suggests - much deeper integrated into Twitter. The free app is essentially a live streaming app and Twitter client rolled into one. TwitCasting Live splits the iPhone screen in half, allowing you to view your Twitter timeline, update your status, access the web etc. on the bottom half, while recording (broadcasting) video on the top.

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  • Researchers trying to find out why baby cries

    Researchers trying to find out why baby cries

    Posted on February 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Ever wonder exactly why the baby is crying? Is he hungry? Is she tired? Does she have gas? Does he need changed? All these questions whirled about in my head whenever junior would wake in the middle of the night and start making noises. Researchers in Japan however, are working to find an answer to the first question, however they haven't made any progress with the followup question, "why aren't that baby's parents making him be quiet?"

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  • $2.2 billion liabilities: Japan’s wireless carrier Willcom files for bankruptcy

    $2.2 billion liabilities: Japan’s wireless carrier Willcom files for bankruptcy

    Posted on February 19, 2010 | No Comments
    Wikipedia has a pretty useful list of countries by number of mobile phones in use, which shows that Japan (with around 100 million users) is the No. 7 in the world. The market is largely controlled by mobile carriers NTT Docomo, KDDI au and SoftBank Mobile but seemed big enough to offer enough room for a number of smaller competitors, too. Yesterday, however, a company called Willcom (one of said smaller players) announced it had to file for bankruptcy. The reason: With just $54 million in capital, Willcom managed to amass a whopping $2.2 billion in liabilities. It's the biggest bankruptcy ever in Japan's hyper-competitive mobile industry.

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  • NEC chip helps make cell phone displays viewable outdoors, saves power

    NEC chip helps make cell phone displays viewable outdoors, saves power

    Posted on February 17, 2010 | No Comments
    If you've ever got upset about not being able to view what your cell phone screen displays while you are outside your house, NEC's new color-compensation chip is probably good news for you. The chip, which is specifically made for LCDs for mobile phones, helps to make them easier to view in bright outdoor settings.

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  • New NEC chip helps make cell phone displays viewable outdoors, saves power

    New NEC chip helps make cell phone displays viewable outdoors, saves power

    Posted on February 17, 2010 | No Comments
    If you've ever got upset about not being able to view what your cell phone screen displays while you are outside your house, NEC's new color-compensation chip is probably good news for you. The chip, which is specifically made for LCDs for mobile phones, helps to make them easier to view in bright outdoor settings.

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