WW-115 -- New Phones and Services Launched for the Holidays!

=======================================
J@pan Inc presents the Wireless Watch Newsletter:

W I R E L E S S W A T C H

Commentary on Japan's Wireless World
=======================================

Wireless Watch Newsletter
Issue No. 115
Thursday, December 11, 2003
TOKYO

Subscribe for FREE:
http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/index.html?list=ww

CONTENTS

@@ Viewpoint: New Phones and Services Launched for the Holidays!

-=-=-=-=-= Your Hotel for the Holidays =-=-=-=-=-

This season, stay at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
Located in the trendy area of Shibuya, right in the
middle of TOKYO -- and pay 50% of the regular price!!

This limited offer is only available on Japan.com
http://www.japan.com/special

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

================== READY FOR 2004? ===============
At J@pan Inc, we bring you far more than just THIS newsletter.

CHECK OUT:
>> Award-winning journalists each month in our flagship print
publication: J@pan Inc magazine
>> Daily updates on our comprehensive, Japan-specific News, Business,
Entertainment, Travel and Culture Web Portal: www.Japan.com
>> Up-to-the-minute announcements, analyses and market insights --
plus prodigious article archives! -- on our massive user-friendly
homepage: www.JapanInc.com
>> 6 ADDITIONAL newsletters, with the very latest on Business,
Wireless Entertainment, Currencies and Markets, Politics -- and next
week's Hottest Gadgets.

WE are ready for 2004. Are you?

* Custom-made packages available for mid-sized businesses. HURRY and
GET yours before the December 19 deadline! *

For more information, please call Fabien Brogard Cipriani - Sales
Manager at J@pan Inc:
TEL: 03-3499-2175 ext. 1709
================================================

@@ Viewpoint: New Phones and Services Launched for the Holidays!

In the past couple of weeks, a number of cool devices and services
have been launched on the Japanese market by KDDI and Vodafone. Of
course, we tried them all.

Vodafone has launched the Sanyo V801SA dual-mode 3G W-CDMA/GPRS phone.
The design of this phone reminds us of the Nokia 7650. Data roaming
between Europe and Japan is possible for the price of a mere 2 yen/kB.
This new Vodafone device can also handle the popular "chaku-uta"
(ringing songs) content.

Another interesting Vodafone device is the NEC-made 2.5G V601 phone
with a built-in analog TV-tuner. The image quality is problematic
inside certain buildings, but at night on the street, without disturbing
sunlight, reception is much better. While this cool gadget phone might
attract many early buyers wanting to show off their new toy, we doubt
if many people will really enjoy TV programs on their phone. TV
programs are not made for a small device; it's difficult to see
what actually happens on the small screen. Fortunately, we did not
experience any battery-life problems.

The interesting part of this TV service is that Vodafone can test
how their customers interact between TVs and mobile Web services.
Digital TV guides can be viewed on the mobile Web, and the next
logical step will be TV shopping -- watching a TV show, selecting
a displayed product and purchasing it, all via the mobile Web
on your cellphone.

Vodafone is offering a photo-album and agenda/calendar that are both
accessible from the mobile Web. The agenda functionalities are
basic, but this keeps them easy to use. It looks like a stand-alone
product that cannot be synchronized with other desk-top schedulers
such as Outlook.

We think the Vodafone service will have problems competing with
existing products on the market, as its response times, even with a
limited user-base, are rather slow. Not many users want to wait
a full 5 seconds before their agenda data displays in a pop-up window
on a PC.

KDDI started its 3G WIN service over the CDMA 1X EV-DO network with
Hitachi's W11H handset. Video clips are transmitted at night to the
user's handsets. All video programs are tailored to the small screen
and mobile Web services are well-integrated. The movie trailer channel
enables the user to link to a mobile Web site to access more
information and download wallpapers and ringtones.

One day after the launch of the service, KDDI discovered a minor
software glitch in the Hitachi handset. Users were promptly asked
to come to the KDDI shops for a software upgrade. This time of the
year, many are all-too-happy to return to the shops.

-- Arjen van Blokland

================ IT PROGRAM =================
Temple University Japan presents "The Temple IT Program."
Certification in two key IT areas: Computer Programming and Software
Systems Development.

Study to get a great job in IT, retrain to improve your career in IT,
assess and raise IT staff technical skills. Courses based on
leading-edge course content from iCarnegie
(Carnegie Mellon University).
More info: http://www.tuj.ac.jp/itp/newsad.html
===============================================

*************************
Incubator space available
(Just 60,000 yen per month)

LINC Media, a company with a successful track record of incubating and
helping start-ups get into business, has desks and cubicles available
for long and short-term rent at its office in Minami-Aoyama. A spacious
cubicle and desk, and Internet connection are available for just 60,000
yen per month, with discounts offered for 3 or more people. Copier, fax,
shredder, phone, and laser printer also available at a small additional
charge.
All enquiries in either English or Japanese to:
erika.kobayashi@biosjp.com.

*************************

=======================
The International Secondary School with the Small School Philosophy
(ISS)

ISS provides middle and high school education with an emphasis on
personal attention in a supportive and caring classroom environment.
Classes are small and focused on explicit instruction, organized
programs and well-planned lessons that enable teachers to interact
one-on-one with students and address their individual needs. ISS
offers ESL intensive and ESL academic programs for speakers of
languages other than English.
=====================================
====================================
SUBSCRIBERS: 6,770 as of December 11, 2003

STAFF
Written by Arjen van Blokland; Edited by Roland Kelts
(editors@japaninc.com)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER JAPAN-SPECIFIC NEWSLETTERS:
http://www.japaninc.com/subscribe_news.html

UNSUBSCRIBE
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here:
http://www.japaninc.com/unsubscribe_news.html

ADVERTISING INFORMATION
To advertise in this newsletter, contact:
ads@japaninc.com

GET THE MAGAZINE
Subscribe at:
http://www.japaninc.net/mag/subs.html

FEEDBACK AND PROBLEMS
We welcome your viewpoint:
editors@japaninc.com
(NB Please do not reply to this newsletter -- it's outgoing only,
so we won't get it!)

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS:
webmaster@japaninc.com

(C) Copyright 2003 Japan Inc Communications KK. All Rights Reserved.