Japan Computer Industry Scan articles from July 2004

Japan Computer Industry Scan archives from July 2004

Fujitsu, Microsoft tie up on server system development for companies.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... TOKYO, June 28 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. of the United States said Monday they have agreed to cooperate in development of ''mission critical'' computer systems for corporate clients. The accord calls for merging Fujitsu's...

LEAD: NEC subsidiary, Digital China form business tie-up.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... BEIJING, June 29 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING INFORMATION) NEC Information Systems Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan's NEC Corp., and Digital China Ltd. said Tuesday they have agreed on a business tie-up that will allow the sales of NEC's notebook...

Matsushita unveils DVD recorder adopting Blu-ray Disc format.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... OSAKA, June 30 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. on Wednesday unveiled what it calls the world's first DVD recorder that supports single-side, dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes. The DMR-E700BD, the...

Sony to release digital Walkman with built-in hard disk.
July 6, 2004... TOKYO, July 1 Kyodo Making the announcement on the 25th anniversary of the introduction of its original Walkman portable music player, Sony Corp. said Thursday it will launch a serious challenge to Apple Computer Inc.'s market-leading...

Computer virus infection cases hit record for Jan.-June period.
July 6, 2004... TOKYO, July 2 Kyodo The number of reported computer virus infections in the January-June half of 2004 hit a record high for any half-year period in Japan at 36,039 cases, major antivirus software maker Trend Micro Inc. said Friday. ...

Sharp to commercialize paper-thin liquid crystal gadget by 2007.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... OSAKA, July 2 Kyodo Sharp Corp. aims to commercialize electronic screen gadgets with a thickness of less than 1 centimeter on the strength of a ''paper-thin liquid crystal display'' by the end of 2007, Sharp officials said Friday. ...

Poweredcom to set up portal-business JV with South Korea's Daum.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... TOKYO, July 5 Kyodo Telecom carrier Poweredcom Inc. said Monday it and Daum Communications Corp., a major South Korean Internet concern, have agreed to set up a portal-business joint venture in August. The new company, Taon Corp., to...

Computer virus infection reports at record in 1st half of 2004.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... TOKYO, July 5 Kyodo A government-backed organization handling computer virus issues said Monday it received a record number of virus infection reports in the January-June half of 2004, with the number exceeding reports for the whole of...

Toray devises world's 1st flexible PLA film.(polylactic acid)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 6 Kyodo Toray Industries Inc. said Tuesday it has developed the world's first flexible film made from polylactic acid, a plant-based eco-friendly material. The film, without losing the transparency and heat resistance...

Fujitsu to start production of new server system in Ishikawa Pref.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 7 Kyodo Fujitsu Ltd. will start production of a new high-performance server system later this month at its subsidiary in Ishikawa Prefecture, company officials said Wednesday. The subsidiary Fujitsu IT Products Ltd. will...

Softbank BB to begin faster ADSL service.(asymmetric digital subscriber line access )(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 7 Kyodo Softbank BB Corp., operator of the Yahoo BB! Internet connection service, announced Wednesday it will begin an asymmetric digital subscriber line access service with a downstream rate of up to 50 megabits per second,...

Software piracy accounts for 36% of installations in 2003.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 7 Kyodo Software houses worldwide lost $29 billion to piracy in 2003 as pirated copies accounted for 36 percent of programs installed in computers, an international association of computer software and hardware makers said...

Apple Computer's iPod mini player to go international July 24.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... NEW YORK, July 7 Kyodo Apple Computer Inc. said Wednesday its iPod mini digital music player will hit store shelves worldwide on July 24. In March, Apple Computer took the wraps off the iPod mini in the United States, where it sells...

Digital Act creates gadget turning Nintendo Game Boy into videophone.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... KYOTO, July 8 Kyodo Digital Act Inc. said Thursday it will sell a device that can be connected to Nintendo Co.'s Game Boy Advance game console to be used as a videophone. ''Campho Advance,'' a cartridge with a built-in miniature...

NTT East starts distributing programs for TV via broadband.(NTT East Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 8 Kyodo NTT East Corp. said Thursday its group has launched a service of distributing multichannel broadcast programs and movies to television sets via broadband technology. Plala Networks Inc., an NTT East subsidiary, is...

Downloads of KDDI 'chaku uta' ring tones top 100 mil.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... TOKYO, July 9 Kyodo KDDI Corp. announced Friday that downloads of its ''chaku uta'' ring tone service for ''au'' brand mobile phone handsets topped 100 million Monday. Users can enjoy about a 30-second clip of song in the ''chaku...

Nagoya robot developer to release 'Hello Kitty' robot.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 12 Kyodo Robot developer Business Design Laboratory Co. on Monday unveiled a ''Hello Kitty'' robot to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the popular feline character developed by Sanrio Co. Business Design, based in...

Sony Computer to launch next-generation PlayStation in FY 2004.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 12 Kyodo Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Monday it will launch the next-generation PlayStation video game console by the end of fiscal 2004. Sony Computer President Takeshi Kutaragi unveiled the plan at a news...

KDDI adds 3G mobile phones capable of playing latest video games.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 12 Kyodo KDDI Corp., the provider of the au mobile phone service, on Monday took the wraps off three third-generation handsets capable of letting users play advanced video games such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. ...

Eastman Kodak reenters Japan market for digital cameras.
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 12 Kyodo Eastman Kodak Co. of the United States has reentered the Japanese market for digital cameras as its Japanese subsidiary released a new product Monday. The new small digital camera released by Kodak Japan Ltd. has...

Toshiba to launch AV-enhanced notebook PCs: report.(laptop computers)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 13 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. will release a line of notebook personal computers with full audiovisual capabilities later this month in a fresh bid to bolster its money-losing personal computer business, a Japanese business daily...

Suntory boosts sales projection for 'Iemon' green tea drink.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... OSAKA, July 14 Kyodo Suntory Ltd. said Wednesday it has boosted the sales projection for its popular ''Iemon'' green tea drink 1.7-fold from an initial target of 15 million cases to 26 million cases for the current fiscal year ending...

6 telecom carriers to promote union of mobile, fixed-line services.
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 14 Kyodo NTT Communications Corp., BT of Britain and four other major telecom carriers have set up a global alliance to expedite development of new telecom gadgets and services for enabling integration of wired and wireless...

Sony Ericsson reports record sales and profit in 2nd qtr.(Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... LONDON, July 15 Kyodo Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB on Thursday released a second-quarter summary showing both record sales and net profit thanks to strong sales of cellphones with camera functions. Sony Ericsson, the...

Mochida, Siemens to integrate ultrasound medical equipment business.(Mochida Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. and Siemens AG of Germany said Friday they have agreed to integrate their ultrasound medical diagnostic equipment operations in Japan. Siemens, a leading global manufacturer of ultrasound...

Technology developed to bring music out of flowers.(Let's Corp. and satellite radio station Music Bird )(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo Telecommunications equipment maker Let's Corp. and satellite radio station Music Bird said Friday they have developed technology for making natural flowers vibrate to create musical sounds. The system, comprising...

Japanese firm makes world's smallest diamond ring.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... TOKYO, July 17 Kyodo Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. has produced a micro diamond ring, which can only be seen under microscope and is believed to be the world's smallest, by utilizing technology normally used to produce semiconductors,...