Japan Computer Industry Scan articles from April 2006

Japan Computer Industry Scan archives from April 2006

Usen, Livedoor link portal sites.
April 3, 2006... TOKYO, March 28 Kyodo Cable broadcaster Usen Corp. and Internet services firm Livedoor Co. on Tuesday linked their portal sites in the first step of their business alliance, the companies said. The linkup is designed to guide some 15...

NEC to spin off BIGLOBE Internet access service in July.
April 3, 2006... TOKYO, March 28 Kyodo NEC Corp. said Tuesday it will spin off its BIGLOBE Internet access business on July 1 and will reinforce the service through capital contributions from other companies. The planned company will be called NEC...

Matsushita to debut Blu-ray disc player in U.S. in Sept.
April 3, 2006... NEW YORK, March 28 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday it will market its Blu-ray Disc player this September in the United States for less than $1,500. The company also aims to debut new large-screen plasma TVs at...

LEAD: Toshiba launches world's 1st HD DVD player in Japan.
April 3, 2006... TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING INFO) Toshiba Corp. began sales Friday of the world's first commercially available next-generation DVD player in Japan, ahead of the Sony Corp.-led group that is competing with the Toshiba-led camp...

Pioneer to sell precision parts unit to Omron.(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo Pioneer Corp. said Friday it has concluded a preliminary agreement to sell its entire 99.5 percent stake in Pioneer Precision Machinery Corp., a unit making electronics parts, to Omron Corp. The deal is designed...

Hollywood studios start selling films online to U.S. consumers.(planning of digital movies for Brokeback Mountain and Memoirs of a Geisha)
April 10, 2006... LOS ANGELES, April 3 Kyodo Digital versions of major Hollywood studio films like ''Brokeback Mountain'' and ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' were made available for the first time on Monday for online purchase -- exclusively for U.S. broadband...

Nintendo's 'brain age' testing game software to enter U.S., Europe.
April 10, 2006... OSAKA, April 5 Kyodo Nintendo Co. will release the American and European versions of its popular game software that the Japanese maker says assesses players' ''brain age,'' company sources said Wednesday. The software for the Nintendo...

KDDI to absorb TEPCO fiber-optic telecom services.
April 10, 2006... TOKYO, April 5 Kyodo Telecommunications carrier KDDI Corp. has agreed to absorb the fiber-optic telecom services of Tokyo Electric Power Co. by Jan. 1 next year, the two companies said Wednesday. The agreement follows KDDI's merger...

Matsushita buys U.S. venture to promote mobile terminal business.
April 10, 2006... OSAKA, April 5 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Wednesday it has acquired Tropian Inc., a U.S. venture business credited for the development of polar modulation techniques for use in wireless transmitter applications. ...

NEC, EMC agree to broaden alliance.
April 10, 2006... TOKYO, April 5 Kyodo NEC Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed with EMC Corp. of the United States to broaden their business alliance so as to include the joint development and production of future storage technologies for information...

Apple Computer unveils Boot Camp software.
April 10, 2006... NEW YORK, April 5 Kyodo Apple Computer Inc. on Wednesday introduced Boot Camp -- public beta software that enables Intel Corp.-based Macs to run Windows XP. The public beta version of Boot Camp is available immediately as a download...

FEATURE: Japanese musicians starting to debut on Net, bypass CDs.
April 10, 2006... TOKYO, April 7 Kyodo Singers, songwriters and musicians in Japan are increasingly opting to take their debut efforts straight to the Internet, instead of initially putting out a CD, with the Net and explosion of portable music players...

Toshiba to launch HD DVD-equipped laptop PC in mid-May.
April 10, 2006... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. said Monday it will launch in Japan in mid-May the world's first notebook computer equipped with a next-generation DVD drive. The Qosmio G30/697HS, which has an HD DVD drive and a 17-inch...

Dentsu to set up planning firm for interactive TV, Net programs.
April 10, 2006... TOKYO, April 10 Kyodo Major advertising agency Dentsu Inc. and its subsidiary Cyber Communications Inc. said Monday they will set up a company on April 27 to devise planning for interactive programs to be aired via digital broadcasts and...

'Tamagotchi' Web pet game sold 20 mil. copies in 2 years.(market share of Bandai Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 17, 2006... TOKYO, April 13 Kyodo Bandai Co.'s ''Tamagotchi'' virtual pet-raising video game has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide in two years as of the end of March, the company announced Wednesday. The toymaker has released three...

ATTN KWS SUBSCRIBERS: photo advisory.
April 17, 2006... TOKYO, April 13 Kyodo A story on Wimbledon Museum, headlined, ''New Wimbledon museum seeks to lure Japanese tourists,'' and sent earlier, is accompanied by two photos, which are available via e-mail. Call+81-3-6252-8318 (feature editor)...

Dell to supply 56,000 PCs to Defense Agency.
April 17, 2006... TOKYO, April 13 Kyodo The Japanese unit of U.S. computer maker Dell Inc. said Thursday it will supply some 56,000 personal computers to the Defense Agency. The deal is the largest supply of business-use PCs by the subsidiary. ...

Michael Jackson may sell Beatles' songs in refinancing deal.(Sound recording review)
April 17, 2006... LOS ANGELES, April 13 Kyodo Pop star Michael Jackson is completing a deal to avoid bankruptcy, which includes potentially selling his valuable catalogue of Beatles' songs to Sony Corp. of America, the New York Times reported Thursday....

SMBC to e-sign e-mails to prevent phishing fraud.
April 17, 2006... TOKYO, April 14 Kyodo Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. said Thursday it will introduce on May 22 an electronic signature system for all of its monthly 3 million e-mails sent to customers in a bid to prevent them from falling victim to cyber...

Music software output in FY 2005 posts 1st gain in 7 years.
April 24, 2006... TOKYO, April 18 Kyodo Production of music software, such as songs on CDs and DVDs, totaled 431.3 billion yen in Japan in fiscal 2005, up 4 percent over the previous year for the first increase in seven years, the Recording Industry...

Sony adopts Greek letter alpha as brand for digital SLR cameras.
April 24, 2006... TOKYO, April 20 Kyodo Sony Corp. said Thursday it has adopted the Greek letter alpha as the brand for digital single-lens reflex cameras it will put on the market this summer. The letter reflects Sony's enthusiasm for entering the...

Sharp to release 4 Internet-capable LCD TVs.
April 24, 2006... OSAKA, April 20 Kyodo Sharp Corp. said Thursday it will release four ''Aquos Internet'' liquid crystal display television models in late May that allow users to easily browse the Internet. Viewers need only press a button on a remote...

LEAD: Yahoo Japan sets new highs in FY 2005 revenue, net profit.
April 24, 2006... TOKYO, April 20 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING PRESIDENT'S REMARKS AND OTHER DETAILS) Yahoo Japan Corp. said Thursday it set new highs in both group operating revenues and net profit in fiscal 2005 thanks to increased advertising and other income...

Matsushita to release Blu-ray Disc drive June 10.
April 24, 2006... OSAKA, April 21 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Friday it will release on June 10 a personal computer memory disk drive compatible with the specifications of the ''Blu-ray Disc,'' a next-generation ultra-large storage...