The guy gives a short intro on the phone as well.

Multiple leading companies from South Korea, a leading nation in broadband technology that is charging ahead of others for expansion in the Japanese WiMAX market, held an exhibit in Shinagawa Tokyo to showcase their products and technological collaborations.

WiBro is an abbreviation for Wireless Broadband and is the unique service name for the WiMAX standard used by South Korea.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that two companies in Japan will acquire WiMAX licensing sometime in 2007.

What will the impact be from the expansion in the Japanese market by leading companies from South Korea that deal with WiBro related products? Japan is a highly mobile society, so WiMAX will likely be of keen interest to those living in Japan because it enables high speed internet access “any time, any place”.

Cool, now you can buy Wii Points from your cellphone by the middle of this month or NOW. Check out the press release by KDDI here…

In the middle of December, you will be able in Japan to purchase Wii Points directly from your mobile phone, without needing any credit card. Simply put, from your mobile phone you will have the possibility to add Wii points to your account (1000, 2000 or 3000 Yen), without the need of using a credit card; the amount you choose will be later on added to your mobile phone monthly bill. Simple and painless !

Via Akihabaranews.

Here’s another method of using the Bluetooth. Japanese engineers are not stopping at cellphones only, they’re making wireless controlled robots too…

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.

Read more…

*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.

THis is quite an impressive phone:

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

The KDDI showroom showcase some of the latest futurist phone concepts that you can put your paws on. Some of the latest concepts looked kinda boxy and chunky but I think a lot of its design is still in the process of refinement. Check out some of its designs: