All posts tagged ‘Japan’

by CalebJuly 8, 2010

Japanese Burger King Embraces Mobile Touchfrastructure

Burger King is letting Japanese customers "have it their way." Their latest restaurant lets iPhone users plug in an iPhone and listen to their personal music collection.

According to Engadget:

Those umbrella-aping translucent cones hanging over the tables are known as "musical showers," and their function is to deliver music in an isolated fashion to you and your significant -- but not too significant, it's still BK, after all -- other. All you'll need to do is plug your portable media player into the provided receptacle and the tunes you know and love will literally shower down upon you.

Awhile back we noted the idea of touchfrastructure, or the flexible and mobile infrastructure that touch screen devices are creating. We've seen people use their iPhones and iPads everywhere from their car to the kitchen. (If you've been to the Apple store recently, you've noticed the obsession with these "magic tables".)

The last we saw, Apple's iPhone makes up 72% of the Japanese smart phone market (though this is a bit of a stretch, considering that even Japanese "dumb" phones are pretty darn smart). Regardless, it's an interesting move -- the fast food chain is enabling personalization in public spaces, while essentially crowdsourcing its in-store hardware.

by CalebMay 21, 2010

Tweetworthy: QR Sand Castle, Curated Computing, Google's Froyo, and More

1. The king and queen of location-based services http://bit.ly/bGq1iW

2. QR Code Sand Castle http://bit.ly/cBrhEL

3. Location Detection Technologies http://bit.ly/azq9Ch

4. iPhone app helps avoid killing yourself while texting http://bit.ly/bSN7Nk

5. Photo gallery: Japan’s SoftBank shows 13 new, Twitter-powered cell phones http://bit.ly/ax02pN

6. 5 Up & Coming Mobile Technologies http://bit.ly/cwBBYE

7. Sensaris enables action driven citizens to improve share environmental data http://bit.ly/dCM7v9

8. Trend Watch: Curated Computing http://bit.ly/94TTl3

9. Total mobile LBS revenues to reach $12.7B by 2014 http://bit.ly/cGor6S

10. Google Serves Up Froyo, the Latest Android OS http://bit.ly/c740hR

Tweetworthy is a weekly roundup of the most shared tweets from @MobileBehavior. You can follow us on Twitter here.

by CalebNovember 3, 2009

Four Mobile Applications That Peer Into an Augmented Spiritual World

Fatal_Frame_II_Camera_Obscura_by_RennaRevelin

Japanese video game Fatal Frame spun a narrative around the capturing of spirits using a camera obscura, viewing a spiritual world through man-made lens. Sure it's a little eerie, but the hype-machine that is augmented reality builds off a similar concept, allowing us to peer into the digital realm. Developers have played with this idea, creating mobile applications that imitate Japanese folklore.

ghostwire-nintendo-dsi

Ghostwire for the Nintendo DSi uses the embedded microphone and camera to allow users to scan the room for ghosts and then bribe them away.

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GhostCam for the iPhone gives the ability to haunt any captured image, making for a fun scare. Ghost Radar detects nearby spirits and provides a flux readout alongside any words spoken. Finally, Mobilizy released an augmented reality app that gives users a disturbing view of the lost Twin Towers. All of these add to the mystery of the unknown. Happy (belated) Halloween.

by CalebOctober 27, 2009

With FeliCa Mobile Wallet Technology, Hot CoCo Presso Just a Tap Away

coco presso mobile

To sell its hot CoCo Presso beverage to subway commuters in Japan, Meiji has created an outstanding branded environment along the JR Yamanote line. Using i-mode's FeliCa mobile wallet technology, it loads a Flash mobile site and coupon for instant gratification through the neighboring vending machine. Everything is designed in a well thought out manner, to bring convenience and brand experience to a mobile audience.

coco presso mobile

[via wireless watch japan]

by MBOctober 16, 2009

News to Us: TV's Uprooting, CBS Mobile, Twitter Lists, Android Explosion, and More

news

by MBSeptember 21, 2009

CScout Exclusive: Sound Trip Tokyo Mobile Travel Guide

This is the first in a series of posts contributed by our friends at CScout, who are giving our readers an exclusive peak at content from their subscription-only Mobile Trendpool.

sound_trip_tokyo_02

Designed by Japanese firm Robot Communications, the free iPhone/iPod app "Sound Trip Tokyo" introduces unique and interesting locations in Tokyo and acts as an audio and map guide. It's quite bold in that it's so large (68MB) and is multilingual in English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.
Users, both in and out of Japan, can navigate through the city with audio, visuals, and written essays about the city. Interior shots of unique shops and restaurants, as well as commentary, make it possible to experience Tokyo in a micro way.

The app is integrated with GPS and a map which, as you move throughout the city, give you location information by audio and pictures.

sound_trip_tokyo_01

The areas covered at this point are limited to Tokyo's most popular, but according to our source they plan to expand geographically as well as content-wise, getting the best info, tips, and music from well-known Tokyoites.

It's not without it's problems, as the GUI is often quite confusing, and the audio/video are an intrusion as times when not wanted. However, the base concept is going to be a mainstay of travel in the future.

Sound Trip Tokyo is a bold experiment in GPS travel guides, and has its flaws, but is surely the beginning of what will be a strong industry of portable digital guides that can be used to experience a location whether you're there or not.

CScout's Mobile Trendpool is a one-stop portal that combines the latest mobile innovations with big picture consumer trends on a global scale. Email subscribe@trendpool.com for more information on pricing and bundles.

by MBJuly 30, 2009

News to Us: Social Media on the Brain, Yahoo's Mobile Search, Spotify on the iPhone and More

news-to-us-july30

Social Media’s Effect on Learning [AllThingsD]
Research of University of Washington is showing that online social networking actually helps learning processes. The interaction activates certain parts of the brain way more than watching TV, for example.

The Rise of Iran's Citizen Journalists [BBC News]
Armed with cell phones, the Iranians redefined the modern protest movement. These new media habits have integrated into Iran's society, and news sources are relying now on these millions of eyes to keep them informed.

Teens Don’t Tweet; Twitter’s Growth Not Fueled By Youth [Nielsen Wire]
According to new Nielsen research, only 16% of Twitter users are under 24, and a mere 6.6% of teens have even tried it (compared to 12.1% for over 25).

If Microsoft Wants Yahoo’s Mobile Search, They’ll Have To Earn It [mocoNews]
Although Microsoft and Yahoo entered an exclusive search engine relationship, Yahoo retains the right to use other providers for their mobile presence to avoid limitations, as the platform grows and evolves.

QR Code Sand Castle [CScout Japan]
A Toyko-based company build a giant QR code out of sand on a Shonan beach, which was actually readable by most phones. Check it out: Sinap Summer 2009 Project.

Wish Upon a Mobile Phone [textually.org]
For the launch of the Android HTC on Vodafone, Marvellous developed "The Wish Factory": Users describe what they wish their mobile could do, get ranked by others, and one wish will actually be granted.

Death Of Advertising, Birth Of Collaboration? [PSFK]
As the model of one-way advertising is slowly dying, a more collaborative form of marketing is taking shape--from crowd-sourced initiatives to mutual beneficial partnerships.

How Gen-Y Startups Use Social Media to Shatter the Status Quo [Mashable]
By integrating the social media sphere at the basis of their business plans,  Gen Y s entrepreneurs are leveraging what they know best, to get them where they want to be.

Spotify Is Already Out For iPhone (Unofficially) [moconews]
Spotify, a streaming music service, has been getting rave reviews in Europe as it tries to make a successful freemium model.They've built an Android app, but there's been doubt as to whether Apple would allow their client onto the iPhone as their unlimited on-demand music could cannibalise the iTunes Store. It seems some have gotten tired of waiting, though, and have jailbroken their phones to load the app.

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