Japan Computer Industry Scan articles from October 2005

Japan Computer Industry Scan archives from October 2005

Olympus to sell world's thinnest video scope for ear, nose, throat.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo Olympus Medical Systems Corp. said Monday it will introduce an otolaryngologic video scope with the world's thinnest tip in Japan and the United States on Oct. 3. The new medical product will cost 2.1 million yen...

Toshiba develops notebook PC with high-definition DVD drive.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it has developed the world's first notebook computer integrating a high-definition DVD drive and will put the product on sale next year. Toshiba said the computer, which is just 12.7...

ADVISORY - CORRECTION.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo In the story headlined ''Toshiba develops notebook PC with high-definition DVD drive,'' please note following CORRECTION. In 2nd graf, please remove the erroneous reference that the computer is just 12.7...

CORRECTED: Toshiba develops notebook PC with high-definition DVD drive.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it has developed the world's first notebook computer integrating a high-definition DVD drive and will put the product on sale next year. Toshiba said the computer will be sold initially...

Toshiba welcomes Microsoft, Intel decisions to support HD-DVD.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo Toshiba Corp. and other supporters of the high-definition DVD format for next-generation DVD products welcomed Tuesday reported decisions by Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. to back the format. The two U.S....

Tomy to launch English-speaking robot bear.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo Tomy Co. said Tuesday it will start taking orders from Wednesday for its English-speaking robot in the shape of a bear. The 22 centimeter-tall robot, named Chatty Tom, is equipped with a high-quality central...

Yahoo begins updating online map based on user tips.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 28 Kyodo Yahoo Japan Corp., the nation's largest Internet portal site operator, and Nagoya-based Alps Mapping K.K., on Wednesday launched a pilot service that asks users to submit information on their neighborhoods to update...

Rakuten Baseball to post profit in 1st year.
October 3, 2005... SENDAI, Sept. 28 Kyodo Rakuten Baseball Inc. expects to post a profit rather than the earlier-projected loss in calendar 2005, the first year after its Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles professional baseball team was founded, company officials...

LEAD: Softbank BB, NTT Communications to link IP phone networks.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 28 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATING WITH COMPANIES' OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT) Japan's two major providers of Internet protocol phone services, Softbank BB Corp. and NTT Communications Corp., announced Wednesday they will let their...

Namco Bandai Holdings formed, eyes 24 bil. yen net profit in FY 2005.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 29 Kyodo Japanese toy maker Bandai Co. and video game maker Namco Ltd. formed Namco Bandai Holdings Inc. on Thursday, projecting to post a group net profit of 24.4 billion yen in the current business year. The holding...

CORRECTED: Namco Bandai Holdings formed, eyes 24 bil. yen net profit in FY 2005.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Sept. 29 Kyodo Japanese toy maker Bandai Co. and video game maker Namco Ltd. formed Namco Bandai Holdings Inc. on Thursday, projecting to post a group net profit of 24.4 billion yen in the current business year. The holding...

Sony releases 'Aibo' robot dog with diary-keeping function.
October 3, 2005... OSAKA, Sept. 29 Kyodo Sony Style (Japan) Inc. on Thursday released the latest version of the robot dog Aibo, which can ''exchange diaries'' with its owner. The new robot, which sells for 194,250 yen, is designed to record everyday...

Sony's PlayStation wins Emmy on 10th year in N. America.
October 3, 2005... LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 Kyodo Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Thursday its first-generation PlayStation game console has won an Emmy award for pioneering three-dimensional gaming technology. The popular entertainment system,...

Wrestling: Japan's Hamaguchi settles for silver at worlds.
October 3, 2005... BUDAPEST, Sept. 30 Kyodo Kyoko Hamaguchi, the women's 72-kilogram bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics, was beaten in the final by American Iris Smith at the wrestling world championships Friday.

Int'l trade fair on home electronics goods to get under way Tues.
October 3, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 3 Kyodo An international trade fair for next-generation DVD technology and other home electronics products will get under way Tuesday for a five-day run at the Makuhari Messe hall in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, fair organizers...

Int'l trade fair on home electronics goods to get under way Tues.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 3 Kyodo An international trade fair for next-generation DVD technology and other home electronics products will get under way Tuesday for a five-day run at the Makuhari Messe hall in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, fair organizers...

Matsushita to release Blu-ray DVD drive for PCs by March.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 4 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday it will begin shipping Blu-ray format DVD drives to personal computer manufacturers by next March. The announcement came after Toshiba Corp. released a plan to sell...

LEAD: Asia's largest high-tech appliances' exhibition kicks off in Chiba.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 4 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING INFO AT 7TH-9TH GRAFS) Asia's largest annual exhibition for high technology and consumer electronics kicked off Tuesday for a five-day run at the Makuhari Messe hall in Chiba, east of Tokyo. ...

FEATURE: Home users vulnerable to computer bugs, more protection needed.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 5 Kyodo It is no longer rare to see Japanese children or elderly people use online shopping or e-mail at home. But about 30 percent of home users are believed to take no protective measures against computer viruses,...

PC software shipments up 4.3% in FY 2004.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 5 Kyodo Shipments of packaged personal computer software in Japan in fiscal 2004 ended March 31 reached 786.2 billion yen, up 4.3 percent from the previous year, according to a Japan Personal Computer Software Association...

FEATURE: ATTN KWS SUBCRIBERS: photo advisory.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 6 Kyodo A feature story headlined, ''Soba-crazed Japanese men want to become 'sobaliers,' sent earlier, is accompanied by one photo, available via e-mail. Call+81-3-6252-8318 (features editor) or e-mail:...

Sega Sammy converts TMS Entertainment into subsidiary.
October 11, 2005... NAGOYA, Oct. 7 Kyodo Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. said Friday it has made TMS Entertainment Ltd. a consolidated subsidiary by acquiring a 50.2 percent stake in the affiliated animated movie maker in terms of voting rights. The...

Computer program designed to attack PlayStation Portable found.
October 11, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 8 Kyodo Symantec Japan Inc. said Friday it has found a program aimed at causing glitches in Sony PlayStation Portable game consoles. The computer security provider said if users download the unauthorized program, PSP is...

LEAD: NTT DoCoMo, Rakuten to form new firm for Net auction business.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 11 Kyodo (EDS: RECASTING WITH OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT) NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's largest mobile phone operator, and leading Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Inc. said Tuesday they will jointly offer Internet auction...

Mitsukoshi, Shochiku align to develop Kabuki-related goods.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 11 Kyodo Mitsukoshi Ltd. and Shochiku Co. said Tuesday they will form a business alliance to develop Kabuki-related products. The department store operator and Japan's major movie distributing firm will jointly set up a...

Hitachi to globally expand finger vein authentication system sales.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 11 Kyodo Hitachi Ltd. said Tuesday it will seek to expand global sales of finger vein authentication systems to 100 billion yen for three years from next April and capture more than 50 percent of the world market for such...

Actor Ken Matsudaira marries actress Yuri Matsumoto.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 12 Kyodo Actor Ken Matsudaira, known for starring in the long-running TV series ''Abarembo Shogun'' and singing the hit single ''Matsuken Samba II,'' tied the knot with actress Yuri Matsumoto on Tuesday, his office said. ...

Microsoft offers software to remove info-leaking virus.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 12 Kyodo Microsoft Co. on Wednesday started offering an antivirus software for personal computers which will remove a virus that leaks information stored in PCs through a peer-to-peer file-sharing software called Winny. ...

Japan to start wireless IP phone services in 2007.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 13 Kyodo The Japanese government plans to allow three or four companies to start offering high-speed wireless Internet Protocol phone services in 2007, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Thursday. The report said the...

KDDI to absorb TEPCO's telecom unit PoweredCom.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 13 Kyodo KDDI Corp., Tokyo Electric Power Co. and PoweredCom Inc., TEPCO's telecommunication subsidiary, have reached a final agreement on KDDI's absorption of PoweredCom, the companies announced Thursday. KDDI will...

Goldman Sachs serves as adviser to Rakuten for TBS share buying.
October 17, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 14 Kyodo U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has served as adviser to Internet mall Rakuten Inc. for the buying of Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. shares, Goldman Sachs officials said Friday. Rakuten said it has...

Matsushita to offer new audio systems using SD memory cards.
October 24, 2005... OSAKA, Oct. 18 Kyodo Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will launch four new portable audio players and two new micro stereo systems using secure digital memory cards in Japan on Nov. 19, the company said Tuesday. The D-dock micro...

Nintendo to offer free online games at McDonald's stores in U.S.
October 24, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct. 18 Kyodo Nintendo Co. said Tuesday that Nintendo DS mobile game console users can access its wireless gaming services free of charge at nearly 6,000 McDonald's restaurants across the United States, starting Nov. 14. ...

HP calls on Blu-ray to make DVD format compatible with HD DVD.
October 24, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct. 20 Kyodo Hewlett-Packard Co. emerged as an arbitrator Wednesday in the battle for the next-generation DVD format by urging the Blu-ray Disk Association to adopt two technologies already endorsed by its rival HD DVD camp,...

Global mobile phone shipments hit quarterly record in July-Sept.
October 24, 2005... NEW YORK, Oct. 20 Kyodo Worldwide mobile phone shipments reached a quarterly record high of 208.3 million units in the three months through September, International Data Corp. said Thursday. That represented a rise of 19.1 percent,...

LEAD: Warner Brothers backs Sony's Blu-ray, and HD DVD format.
October 24, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 21 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING INFO) Sony Corp. said Friday that U.S. film studio Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. now supports the Blu-ray next-generation DVD format of a group of companies led by Sony, in addition to backing...

FEATURE: ATTN KWS SUBSCRIBERS: photo advisory.
October 24, 2005... TOKYO, Oct. 24 Kyodo A feature story on diplomats' photo exhibition, headlined, ''Diplomats express love, wit, irony in Japan through lens,'' and sent earlier, is accompanied by one photo, which is available via e-mail....