After launching Mickey Mouse MVNO, Disney is looking to launch the iPhone to go with it.
Only those who have been totally blocked-out from all media sources over the last year would wonder what an iPhone is as the so-called “Jesus Phone” has been in the mainstream headlines since even before it was officially unveiled in January. However, for a combination of reasons, there has only been mild speculation about when – or indeed how – it would become available in the Japanese market. Citing the initial lack of 3G capability, not too mention an ‘unusual’ operator revenue share arrangement, the story so far has centered around deployments in the US and Europe.
We noted here on Wireless Watch last week that, “SoftBank and Disney have come to terms on rolling out the long-awaited Mickey Mouse MVNO in Japan.”, and it would seem – as speculated then – the iPhone could very well play front and center role in their plans. Looking beyond whois on their board of directors, a handset deal tied to revenue share from the traditional operators would be a ‘difficult’ proposition in Japan. With a dozen OEM’s here who have long-established carrier connections, such a move would — shall we say — set a rather disruptive standard going forward. However, an MVNO like Disney should have a little more breathing space to maneuver and most certainly would love to splash with some glitzy hardware bling in order to attract even more attention.
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*pic from Wireless Watch Japan
Expo Comm Wireless Japan for 2008 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), East hall 1 – 2 – 3 – 21 – 1, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063, JAPAN. You can expect to see the latest wireless offerings as well as concept phones from various mobile giants from the industry there. Pre-registration is not required for foreign visitors, which leaves me with a question whether locals need to.
Anyway for more information about the event, check out their website: Expo Comm Wireless Japan 2008.
The 1Seg digital TV phone from Sharp has reached it’s 5 million points in Japan in just 18 months and that is a pretty interesting figure. After all, having a digital TV during those long train rides could come in handy in beating boredom away.
Sharp announced on Friday that it has passed the five-million mark for shipments of 1Seg digital tv phones in Japan. Since releasing its first handset in May 2006 – introduced by Vodafone – Sharp has deployed a total of eight models across all three operators. By reaching this milestone in less than 18 months, Sharp becomes the first OEM in the industry to ship five million 1Seg-enabled units.
Sharp’s first unit had a “Cycloid-Style” swival screen that could be rotated horizontally 90 degrees. This unique design helped make the 905SH a hit with consumers. Sharp has also equipped its mobile phones with technologies like the Mobile Advanced Super View LCD, based on technology cultivated through the development of AQUOS LCD TVs, and the SV (Super Vivid) Engine. Sharp followed up the cycloid-style handset with the release of various other designs mobile phones, including dual-hinged and slider models.
Via Wireless Watch jp.
In a world where the mobile industry is becoming increasingly saturated, especially in Japan, another one bites the dust. IPMobile from Tokyo is filing a voluntary bankruptcy after failing to pay off 900million yen of debts to creditors.
Read more from Wireless Watch Japan
Toshiba’s W56 is the new OLED phone for AU. It’s sleek and thin exterior with a splash of color (orange in this case) makes for a very chic phone aimed at the younger masses. Specs for this phone is as follows:
With a 2.8″ OLED screen (QVGA) which can rotate 360°, our phone supports both the 1Seg TV (Digital TV) and Digital Radio, supports LISMO (A service like iTUNES from AU), supports multitasking, has a 3.2Mpix AF camera, GPS module, PC Site web browser, Bluetooth, EZ Felica (electronic wallet), and a storage capacity of 800Mb; this in only 145g and 50×106x17.8mm.
There are also three colors to choose from.
Akihabara.
A new Sony Ericsson’s Smart Phone is coming out in the middle of 2008. Golly, time sure passes by fast isn’t it? We’re already on the 4th quarter of 2007. But I am sure for some Sony Ericsson fans, time could not pass soon enough. Not much of the specs for the new smart phone is out yet but what we know is this smartphone is a Windows Mobile device.
Akihabara News.
WIMAX is a wireless broadband technology that is going to be introduced in Japan really soon. And WIMAX handset is said to be gracing the Japanese shores really soon although no definitive date has been set yet. The design of the phone is really slick and simple, check them out.
Picture from Akiharabara.
I always thought Kyocera made good cell phones but their designs are always so…chunky and unrefined. But the latest models from Kyocera changed my mind about the unrefined part. No doubt it is still chunky as compared to say the Samsung phone Or or…LG’s chocolate phones, it’s definitely sleeker and it appeals better to the crowd, imho.
Here are a few coming soon cellphones from Kyocera that you should lookout for:
Kyocera E5000
Kyocera E1000
Kyocera E2000 (Music & Stereo Bluetooth)
Kyocera M1000 (QWERTY Keypad & Camera)
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