WW-70

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J@pan Inc presents the Wireless Watch Japan Newsmagazine:

W I R E L E S S W A T C H J A P A N LITE

Commentary on the Business of Wireless in Japan
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Issue No. 70 (Lite Version)
Monday, September 2, 2002
Tokyo

+++ Noteworthy News
--> DoCoMo Fights Phone Scams
--> Number of Phones Equipped with JBlend Mobile Java Environment
--> Yozan to Test Fixed-Rate Service for Data Communications Using
--> Toyota Unveils 2G Car Internet network

+++ Subscriber Statistics, Corrections, Credits, Administrivia

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+++ Noteworthy News
(Long URLs may break across two lines so copy to your browser.)

--> DoCoMo Fights Phone Scams
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=20460
Source: Unstrung.com, August 29

EXTRACT: NTT DoCoMo and its eight regional subsidiaries announced
today new countermeasures to combat the problem of companies calling
mobile phones and then hanging up after one ring in a scam to solicit
business. Under the scam, known in Japanese as "wangiri," a computer
dials a phone number and then hang ups automatically after one ring,
thus leaving the number stored in the receiving party's mobile phone.
If the phone's user sees the call listed in their incoming call log
and unwittingly returns the call, they are connected to a sales tape
soliciting [mostly adult] business. Some companies use the scam to
call thousands of numbers selected at random, creating a growing
nuisance for DoCoMo customers.

COMMENTARY: The obvious solution -- and one that DoCoMo has already
urged subscribers to follow -- is to simply ignore the calls.
Nonetheless, we can attest to the fact that having short,
almost-complete rings hit your keitai several times a day is a pain
and tough to ignore, so they've got to come up with something better
than, "do nothing and hope the call spammers go away."

On the tech front, Big D will offer a new ringtone that remains silent
during the first ring of any incoming call, hopefully eliminating any
wangiri calls. Not bad for a first try. Unfortunately, the new
ringtone (due out later this month) won't work on older 501i series or
the NM502i handset, and users have to pay (Surprise! Surprise!) to
download the ringtone just like any other. The carrier will also equip
new models to inform the customer how long each incoming call rings,
thereby helping determine if an incoming call (was it only one or two
seconds?) from an unknown phone number was a wangiri ring; if so, you
can presumably capture the number and report the miscreants.
Unfortunately, the new models won't be out until later this fall...

Also, taking a more sociological approach, DoCoMo advises customers to
use the step-tone feature built into most handsets, whereby you can
set the ringing to start off quietly, then grow in volume; if you
don't hear the first ring but do hear the second or third, then --
again -- the evil wangiri callers should be stopped in their
electronic tracks, or so the reasoning goes. Tell all your
keitai-calling pals to be patient until you do finally pick up on the
Nth ring, though...

Finally, i-moders will be able to block wangiri calls by registering
up to 19 offending telephone numbers on a dedicated network to be
assembled by DoCoMo; if calls are made from one of the registered
numbers, the network will intercept the call and play a message
informing the caller that the receiving party will not accept the
call. The service will start in late October and will be available for
all DoCoMo phones except PHS. No doubt, it will also cost a tidy sum
to implement this; it's tough when you're the biggest kid on the
block. None of these solutions is complete, but it looks like a good
start.

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=====================================================================

--> Number of Phones Equipped with JBlend Mobile Java Environment
Reaches 10 Mln.
http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/203935
Source: Nikkei AsiaBizTech, August 30

EXTRACT: Aplix Corp. announced Aug. 27 that the cumulative number of
devices incorporating JBlend, a Java environment for mobile phones
developed by Aplix, had surpassed 10 million as of the end of July.
JBlend is used in all Java handsets for J-Phone and KDDI, and is also
used in some phones -- such as the SO504i Java handset model -- for
NTT DoCoMo.

COMMENTARY: JBlend first appeared in 1997 as a Java environment for
the TRON embedded real time OS ("TRON" means "The Real time Operating
System," or something like that...). JBlend isn't the only example of
TRON + Java; others, like NEC, offer JTRON solutions for use in
hardware-constrained environments. Don't be confused by the term
"hardware-constrained" however, some of these mini operating systems
for the likes of phones, walkman-type devices, and Net-connected
blenders (no connection to "JBlend" ;-)) can handle software and
hardware standards -- like VGA/SVGA/XGA, PS2 mouse, Ethernet, IrDA,
AU/WAV format audio, USB, and Bluetooth -- that were found only on
mainstream business PCs a few short years ago.

JBlend got a terrific boost in 2001 when NTT DoCoMo launched Java on
i-mode; J-Phone and KDDI scrambled to find a Java environment to
compete and JBlend was ready to go. Aplix now has offices in the US
and Europe to push JBlend elsewhere.

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======================================================================

--> Yozan to Test Fixed-Rate Service for Data Communications Using
PHS, Wireless LAN
http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/cover/203938
Source: Nikkei AsiaBizTech, August 30

EXTRACT: Yozan, which took over the PHS business of Tokyo
Telecommunications Network (TTnet), announced on Aug. 26 an outline of
its communications business plan. This autumn, the company will begin
offering a fixed-rate PHS service, IP telephone, and wireless LAN
access services. "We will offer a combo card having both PHS and
wireless LAN capabilities, and a PHS handset with connectivity to the
IP network. All these features will be used for a fixed-rate pricing
scheme," President and CEO Sunao Takatori said.

COMMENTARY: This is cool -- and Youzan may have a winning strategy
with its dual mode PHS/802.11b data card. In a move to determine what
the market will bear, the company has said that fees for its
fixed-rate PHS service plan will be determined after watching the
reactions of users in a trial campaign. Yozan's WLAN service will use
access points installed at the same outdoor locations as current PHS
base stations in Tokyo districts of Waseda, Takadanobaba, Shinjuku,
and Shibuya. Overall, the service could be a success if the results
seen by PHS carrier DDI Pocket and its reseller Japan Communications
(for flat-rate PHS data cards) are repeatable.

--> Toyota Unveils 2G Car Internet network
http://www.forbes.com/newswire/2002/08/28/rtr706652.html
Source: Reuters on Forbes, August 28

EXTRACT: Toyota Motor unveiled on Wednesday a second-generation car
Internet network which offers a wide range of interactive services
from downloading music and playing games to email and ecommerce.
Japan's largest automaker said its new network, called "G-Book," had
advanced in leaps and bounds from its current service "Monet," which
had primarily offered basic information and car navigation services.
Unlike its predecessor and other conventional car-Net services offered
by Japanese automakers, "G-Book" does not require a cell phone to
connect, using instead a data communication module. That allows Toyota
to offer a flat-fee service, meaning subscribers do not have to worry
about logon time costs.

COMMENTARY: In February 2002, Autobacs (a leading after-market auto
parts retailer) launched a joint venture with 11 partners, including
Omron, Matsushita Communication Industrial, Pioneer, and Mitsubishi
Electric, to develop and market a state-of-the-art dashboard-mounted
telematics terminal, which should hit the market in 2004 -- looks like
Toyota may be well in the lead. In addition to navigation and traffic
information, the terminal will also offer video and music.

Japan Consumer Telematics at a Glance:
--------------------------------------
Company Telematics System Focus
Toyota Monet Navigation & traffic, email,
Web & information, Net portal
Toyota G-Book Improved Monet system
Toyota & NTT Helpnet SOS service, safety, security
Nissan CompassLink Navigation & traffic,
concierge
Honda Inter-Navi Internet portal
Mazda Telematics Center Navigation & traffic, safety,
security
Sony MobileLink Navigation & traffic
Daimler-Benz ITGS Navigation & traffic, news,
weather, flight info Japan
Government VICS Traffic & routing info via
radio, radio beacons &
infrared beacons
Note: data current as of December 2001.
See http://www.telematicsupdate.com

=============================EVENT====================================
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+++ Subscriber Statistics, Corrections, Credits, Administrivia

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