Japan Computer Industry Scan articles from February 2008

Japan Computer Industry Scan archives from February 2008

eAccess buys 9.5% stake in fiber-optic telecom firm Ucom.
February 4, 2008... TOKYO, Jan. 30 Kyodo Broadband service firm eAccess on Wednesday acquired a 9.5 percent interest in Ucom Corp., a fiber-optic telecommunications company whose leading shareholder is cable broadcaster Usen Corp., eAccess said. ...

ADVISORY - CORRECTION.(Correction notice)
February 4, 2008... TOKYO, Jan. 30 Kyodo In the story headlined ''Olympics: Kameda-Kondo pair win Beijing Olympic sailing berth,'' please note following CORRECTION. The headline should be read ''Kondo-Kamata pair wins Beijing sailing berth'' (not...

Microsoft offers to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion.
February 4, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 Kyodo Microsoft Corp. said Friday it has proposed acquiring Internet search engine operator Yahoo Inc. in a cash and stock deal for $44.6 billion. Microsoft intends to buy all outstanding common shares in Yahoo for...

Japanese editorial excerpts.(Editorial)
February 4, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 3 Kyodo Selected editorial excerpts from the Japanese press: MICROSOFT'S OFFER TO BUY YAHOO RATTLES IT INDUSTRY (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun) Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software...

U.S. editorial excerpts -8-.(Editorial)
February 10, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 6 Kyodo Selected editorial excerpts from the U.S. press: A NET GAIN (Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles) It has come to this: The world's most powerful software maker wants to buy the country's most popular gateway to...

Softbank Mobile logs top subscription growth for 9th straight month.
February 10, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 7 Kyodo Softbank Mobile Corp. posted the largest growth in the number of mobile phone subscription contracts among service providers in January for the ninth month in a row due to the popularity of its low-priced basic...

3RD LD: Yahoo formally rejects Microsoft's takeover offer.
February 18, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 11 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING YAHOO CEO'S MESSAGE TO EMPLOYEES) Yahoo Inc. on Monday rejected a $44.6 billion unsolicited takeover offer from Microsoft Corp., saying the proposal substantially undervalues the company. The...

Best Buy to prioritize Blu-ray products.
February 18, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 11 Kyodo Best Buy Co. said Monday it will prioritize Blu-ray DVD players and software over those based on the HD DVD format from March. The largest U.S. consumer electronics retailer's endorsement is expected to give...

FEATURE: E-mail addresses changing design of Japanese business cards.
February 18, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 14 Kyodo The increasing use of e-mail made possible by the proliferation of personal computers is having an effect on the design of Japanese business cards. Business cards displaying names and relevant information written...

Weak demand for Vista-based PCs pulls down shipments in Japan in 2007.
February 18, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 14 Kyodo Domestic shipments of personal computers fell 2.1 percent in Japan in 2007, reflecting slow replacement demand among corporate users uncertain about the workability of the new Windows Vista operating system,...

Tokyo Game Show to open in Oct., seen attracting record visitors.
February 18, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 15 Kyodo The Tokyo Game Show 2008, the world's largest computer entertainment show, will open Oct. 9-12 with visitors and exhibitors expected to reach new highs, the Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association, the show's...

Wal-Mart moving exclusively toward Blu-ray DVD products.
February 18, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 15 Kyodo Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Friday its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores will move forward this year with one DVD hi-definition movie and hardware format: Blu-ray, a move expected to deal another blow to its rival...

PlayStation 3 advances to No. 2 slot for 1st time in Jan. U.S. sales.
February 18, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 15 Kyodo Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3, which had remained in third place in the U.S. home videogame console sales, clinched the No. 2 slot in January for the first time, according to a tally compiled by a...

Rakuten to strengthen telecom business: Mikitani.
February 25, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 18 Kyodo Rakuten Inc., Japan's top online shopping mall operator, will strengthen its telecommunications business through an Internet protocol phone operator it acquired last year, Rakuten President Hiroshi Mikitani said...

Onkyo, Microsoft's Japan unit eyeing halting sales of HD DVD players.
February 25, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 20 Kyodo Major audio equipment maker Onkyo Corp. and the Japanese unit of Microsoft Corp. began considering Tuesday the termination of sales and production of HD DVD players and related equipment, following Toshiba Corp.'s...

LEAD: Microsoft to authorize proxy fight at Yahoo: report.
February 25, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 19 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE INFO) In an escalation of its fight for Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. will authorize a proxy fight at the Internet company this week, the New York Times reported in its online edition...

ANALYSIS: Blu-ray may face competition from online service providers.
February 25, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 20 Kyodo Toshiba Corp.'s decision to quit the next-generation DVD format race will cede market leadership to the Blu-ray format backed by Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in the high-definition DVD business....

Toshiba-Sony chip joint venture to begin operations in April.
February 25, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 20 Kyodo Toshiba Corp., Sony Corp. and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday their planned joint venture for producing advanced semiconductors will begin operations on April 1 in Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture. The...

2007 expenses for Internet-based ads top those for magazine ads.
February 25, 2008... TOKYO, Feb. 20 Kyodo Spending by businesses in Japan on Internet advertising totaled 600.3 billion yen in 2007, topping the 458.5 billion yen spent on magazine ads, major ad agency Dentsu Inc. said Wednesday. The figures mean that...