Japan Electronics News

World's biggest online retailer Amazon.com Inc. will begin sales of its Kindle e-book readers in Japan, as early as April, for less than 20,000 yen ($260), The Nikkei said. The Kindle Touch, launched in the U.S. in November, will likely be Amazon's flagship model in Japan, the daily said. The company will team up with NTT DoCoMo Inc. for wireless downloads of e-books over the mobile phone service provider's network, the business daily reported. Kindle users will not have to pay communications charges for e-book purchases over the DoCoMo network, the paper said. (Reuters)

Panasonic will be launching its flagship VT-series plasma TVs in Japan come April 20. Priced from US$4,700 to US$6,500, all models will feature the company's proprietary "Infinite Black Ultra" panel, as well as other major upgrades. These include active shutter 3D glasses utilizing Bluetooth connectivity and free remote apps that allow users to play back content from their mobile devices. Supported file formats for the remote apps' streaming function are AAC, WAV, JPEG and MPO. MPO-compatibility is particularly useful allowing users to display 3D images taken via 3D-capable smartphones such as the HTC Evo 3D. (CNET)

Asahi Soft Drinks is setting up 1,000 new vending machines in five regions around Japan this month, with a goal of expanding the number to 10,000 within five years. The vending machines are fitted with technology enabling smartphone users who are standing within a 50m radius to enjoy free access to the internet. Users will not need passwords or payment to access the WiFi and will be able to enjoy uninterrupted internet access for 30 minutes sessions at a time. Japan is home to the world's highest concentration of vending machines, with as many as one for every 24 people across the country, according to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers' Association. (telegraph.co.uk)

Some 40% of Japan's biggest brands are still not active on Twitter, just one indication of the extent to which they lag behind their US counterparts in exploiting the microblog's potential. Adam Acar, associate professor of communication at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, analysed the engagement levels of the 100 largest Japanese brands on Twitter. Uptake among this group, which features the auto marques Toyota and Honda, electronics specialists Sony and Panasonic, beverage maker Suntory and telecoms giant NTT DoCoMo, hit only 60%. This compared with a 95% reach for the 100 largest intangible assets in the US. Similarly, whereas 86% of active American brands tweeted in the week before the study, this figure stood at 41% for their Japanese peers. (warc.com)

Kazuo Hirai, charged with halting Sony Corp. (6758)'s downward spiral, could be excused for asking: Do I really want this job? Last week, the consumer-electronics giant said it expects a $2.9 billion loss in the year ending March 31, putting it on course for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year in the red. It's a stunning reminder of the depths to which the onetime pride of Japan Inc. has plunged in the Apple Inc. age. Thirty-three years after unleashing the Walkman revolution, Sony is playing catch-up to the upheaval wrought by Steve Jobs's iPod, iPhone and iPad. When Hirai, 51, takes control in April, he must succeed where Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer, 69, failed. To restore Sony to anything approaching its past glory, Hirai needs a new offering of products that consumers view as game changers. (Bloomberg)

Looking for the full gory experience of Lollipop Chainsaw? You'll have to buy the premium edition. Reports have emerged that the regular SKU of the next title from Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture will be censored in Japan. This will tone down the blood and violence, and be rated CERO D, according to Siliconera. However, the premium version has the option to play both censored and uncensored modes, earning it the CERO Z rating - Japan's equivalent of the 'adults only' classification. The title comes from the studio behind Suda 51 titles such as No More Heroes. Consumers play a cheerleader who takes up a chainsaw to combat the zombie apocalypse. (mcvuk.com)

For an emerging generation of Japanese innovators, the dream isn't a job for life at a big company. They have new ambitions, and they're determined to go places. Especially Silicon Valley. Small but growing numbers of Japanese entrepreneurs are jumping into the startup scene in northern California, particularly since the earthquake and tsunami last March. They include Naoki Shibata, who took the plunge by giving up the sort of life many Japanese in past decades spent their lives trying to attain. Only 30, Shibata had an executive-level position at online retailing giant Rakuten Inc. and an assistant professorship at the prestigious University of Tokyo, where he earned a Ph.D. Last June he launched AppGrooves, an iPhone application discovery tool. "I wanted a global company from the first moment," he said. "If you want to reach a global market, then you have to start from Silicon Valley." (AP)

What kind of electronic books do smartphone users prefer? When and how much of each book are they reading? Some smartphone e-book applications have collected this sensitive information for developers without obtaining permission from users, according to sources. The e-book market has been rapidly expanding, and is expected to grow to 200 billion yen in three years. Therefore, experts are calling for clear guidelines on how e-book software should handle smartphone users' private information, as it can reveal their thoughts and beliefs. Viewn, an application provided by the SoftBank group, features 42 items, including magazines, newspapers and television programs. Since June 2010, the software collected identification data of smartphones that had installed the app, as well as kept records on items viewed by users--without first obtaining user permission. Furthermore, in September, the app began collecting users' names and e-mail addresses. (Yomiuri)

Brazil has leapfrogged Japan to become the second most-represented country on Twitter, according to a study from social media research company Semiocast. The U.S. is still the top country on Twitter in terms of number of users with 107.7 million accounts. But Brazil now comes in at number two with 33.3 million, followed by Japan with 29.9 million. To determine its results Semiocast analyzed 383 million Twitter accounts created prior to 2012, looking at criteria like the location listed on the profile, time zone, language used to tweet, and GPS location when available. Although Brazil has more Twitter users, Japan's Twitterati is still more active, Semiocast said. Nearly a third (30 percent) of Japanese accounts tweeted between September and November of last year, while a quarter of Brazilians posted a 140-charater message during the the same period. Additionally, Japanese is the second most-used language on the platform behind English. In fact, Japanese was the first non-English tongue added to Twitter in April 2008. (pcmag.com)

It appears Disney's mobile efforts in Japan are going pretty well, and with the help of carrier NTT DoCoMo they're expanding under the joint "Disney Mobile on DoCoMo" brand name. The partnership is kicking off with two new Android-powered handsets launching over the next couple of months that pack in access to exclusive content from Disney like full-length animations, games, wallpapers and more. First up is the F-08D (left), a "luxury smartphone" that features silhouettes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a 4.3-inch HD (720x1280) LCD display, dual cameras and 1.2Ghz dual-core OMAP4430 CPU available in pink or white next month with preorders opening up February 17th. (engadget.com)

The website of the government-appointed panel probing the Fukushima disaster was hit by a cyber-attack Saturday night that lasted until Sunday morning. The content of the website was replaced with a black background and an English sentence reading, "DR. MTMRD from K.S.A. f--- your site," said Shinji Ogawa, the panel's secretary general. An analysis of the website's access logs showed that the cyber-attack began at 11:13 p.m. Saturday, Ogawa said. (Japan Times)

Nintendo's chief is determined to get right the launch of its next game machine, Wii U, set for this year's holiday shopping season, and acknowledged Friday some mistakes with selling its 3DS handheld. But Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata warned earnings for the fiscal year set to begin April will be the toughest ever for the Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games. Iwata's remarks come a day after it lowered its annual earnings forecast to a 65 billion yen ($844 million) loss, much larger than the 20 billion yen ($260 million) loss projected earlier. It posted a 77.62 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year. (AP)

Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it will enter the e-book reader market with the release in Japan of its BookPlace DB50, which boasts a 7-inch color screen, on Feb. 10. The Internet-enabled device via Wi-Fi services can store up to about 6,000 novels, or about 150 comic books, the electronics company said. The product will be priced at about ¥22,000. Users can purchase e-books at the BookPlace store run by BookLive Co., a unit of Toppan Printing Co. (Japan Times)

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Thursday that the disruption of texting and mobile phone services the previous day happened because its packet-switching equipment doesn't have enough capacity to handle the data traffic generated by smartphones. The telecoms giant admitted to miscalculating the surge in data traffic that could be expected from smartphone users. "Our estimate (of the communication volume) was insufficient . . . We apologize to our subscribers for causing the trouble," DoCoMo Executive Vice President Fumio Iwasaki told a news conference. (Japan Times)

Japanese etiquette frowns upon the use of mobile phones in buses or trains, and it is rare to see someone speaking on a phone while using public transport, despite the excellent coverage in urban areas. There remain some dead spots, though, where mobile phones cannot be used and the Internet remains inaccessible - chiefly while riding the subway lines between stations. Change is coming soon to this area in major cities where such subway networks are in use, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Starting this year, passengers will be able to use the Internet through their mobile phones, even while traveling tens of meters underground, and may send and receive messages. (majirox news)

Hitachi Ltd. said Monday it will end in-house production of flat-screen TVs by the end of September and outsource them to foreign manufacturers as it downsizes its TV business. The major electronics company, which began TV production in 1956, plans to transfer TV output to Taiwan and China to cut costs and up its profit structure. Nevertheless, the firm will keep the Hitachi brand name and continue engaging in TV operations, including development and sales, it said. (Japan Times)

At least 10 control systems managing production lines at vehicle and chemical plants had been infected with computer viruses by last March, forcing some of them to temporarily suspend operations, according to an investigation by the economy ministry. This is the first time such serious damage has been reported in control systems, which are generally considered less vulnerable to cyber-attacks because they are isolated from external networks. Cyber-attacks targeting control systems are increasing overseas. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry plans to establish two new organizations to beef up and scrutinize the security of such systems by spring 2013. In 2009 and 2011, the ministry surveyed about 330 companies, including manufacturers, about cyber-attacks. (Yomiuri)

Sega has created a number of urination-based games for people to play while they spend a penny. The computer games company has revealed bars in Japan have been installing its Toylet devices in their bathrooms. The games - which cost $1,958 each - are controlled by the strength and direction of a person's urine stream, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reports. A screen displaying animations to go with the game is positioned above the urinal and players are even able to download their scores onto memory sticks. (breakingnews.ie)

Connected TVs will account for over 80% of televisions shipped globally by 2015, compared to 27% in 2011, according to a new report from UK firm Futuresource Consulting. On a regional level, Japan is predicted to lead the way in adoption of connected TVs, with 59% of shipments in 2011 integrating IP connectivity as standard. Penetration in the US and China hit 29%, but Europe is believed to be behind the curve with 24% of TV sales being connected. As demand grows, major TV manufacturers are responding by making IP connectivity a standard feature in 60% to 80% of their product portfolio, according to Futuresource. In addition, embedded Wi-Fi is expected to drive usage, with many premium models now offering this feature. (iptv-news.com)

Convergence is a brutal mistress, lovingly embraced by Samsung and hurriedly implemented by others in less-than successful gadgets. In Japan though, where "weird" is seemingly the norm, a company called Net LED Technology has now combined LED lights with Wi-Fi devices. It's what you always dreamed of. A smartphone that can control your light source. NetLED is beautifully simple in its execution, but brutally expensive. For roughly US$780, a user can install the netLED router which acts as the digital middleman between the smartphone and the lights. (gearburn.com)