March 2001 Issue

On the cover: Kansai's place in the world, at least geographically. Whew, we really went out of our way to get this shot.
Design: Andrew Pothecary
Photo: PhotoDisc

March 2001
No. 17


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March 2001 Issue

In Touch

  From the Editor
Why the keitai and the Game Boy are set for a showdown.
 
 

Features

  Silicon Alley Hoppers
A group of outspoken New Yorkers who happen to be Japanese, entrepreneurial, and looking for funding on both sides of the Pacific. And who have some strong opinions about the Net scene back home.
 
 
  Click Kansai for E-Commerce
We have reason to believe that many of Japan's hottest high-tech startups will come from this region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It's got the incubators, the universities and computer science students, and the networking communities. And a peculiar knack for online retailing.
 
 
  The Macrovision of Masahiro Kawahata
The MicroVision founder looks at the big picture, including licensing technology from Japan's universities, the investment climate, and the government's IT initiative. And, oh, if you think cellphone screens are too small now ...
 
 

Filter

  Through Thick and Thin
A new cellphone screen uses organic compounds to create amazing colors on a superthin screen.
 
 
  Mmmm ... High-Tech Sushi
For an Osaka-based restaurant chain, serving sushi is just like clockwork.
 
 
  PC Bang? More Like Poof
You'd think that the hyper-wired Net cafe so big in South Korea -- PC bangs -- would be huge in Japan, too.
 
 
  Chieko's Diary
A young, unwired one tracks her i-mode usage for us.
 
 
  Language Barrier? None We Can See
As i-mode goes international, offering non-Japanese content is a key challenge. Or is it?
 
 

People

Dhananjaya "Jay" Dvivedi
He's building an ultramodern IT infrastructure on a multimillion-dollar budget for one of Japan's newest financial institutions: Shinsei Bank.
 
 
  Toshiaki Kanda
This wannabe journalist calls himself the world's smallest TV station -- he could be on to something.
 
 

Research

  Statistics
(PDF-formatted file, Acrobat 4.0 or later required)
On the broadband boom, coupons via keitai, and Japan's Net ranking.
 
 
  Japan Studies
Perceptions of the nation's agricultural self-sufficiency.
 
 

Investor

  Intelligent Input
Typing messages on tiny cellphone handsets is ... painful. We look at ventures racing to provide the best AI solutions for the Japanese language.
 
 
Just Say What You Want
Millions of Japanese can tell their cellphones what to do, thanks to Digital Media's voice recognition software. Next step: voice portals.
 
 
TV Goes Digital, Japan Yawns
CS and BS satellite, digital terrestrial and cable broadcasting -- is it all just a load of BS?
 
 
On Our Radar Screen
e-Publishing Group, Animobile, ipTrend, and FORBiS.
 
 
JDEX Update
Last December we introduced our index for the New Economy in Japan. How's it performing so far?
 
 

In Parting

  Art Department
Satoko Moroi's new art piece uses voice recognition and a pool of water to send your words a floatin'.
 
 
  Blowfish
A clever way to make sure elderly relatives are OK: a hot-water pot that pings you online whenever it's used. How sweet -- and how Japanese.
 
 

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