THE BRIDGE

Archive

5 great ideas acknowledged at Yahoo Japan’s ‘Internet Creative Awards’

SHARE:

Here in Japan, internet giant Yahoo Japan holds its ‘Internet Creative Awards‘. The awards began back in 2006 to discover and support digital creators. Winning products are carefully selected by participating judges, and the final results were just announced from a list of 340 nominees. The awards are divided into general (individual creators or projects) and corporate creators. Let’s take a look at some of the winners from the ‘general’ portion. The grand winner was Dots Dog, a cute app designed for children ages one to three years old. All a child needs to do is to touch the iPhone screen at three points to draw three dots. The dots, wherever they’re placed, will be turned into a face of a dog. The app recognizes the size of the dots, making the dog’s expression unique each time. Kannon is a soon to be released iPhone app that turns everyday sounds into a real-time animation. The app picks up on surrounding noises like the squeak of a chair, breathing sounds, or people chatting. The resulting animation could look like a face, or a mysteriously random letter. The app will be available for download soon for the price of 170 yen. Kigurumi…

Yahoo-internet-creative-award

Here in Japan, internet giant Yahoo Japan holds its ‘Internet Creative Awards‘. The awards began back in 2006 to discover and support digital creators. Winning products are carefully selected by participating judges, and the final results were just announced from a list of 340 nominees.

The awards are divided into general (individual creators or projects) and corporate creators. Let’s take a look at some of the winners from the ‘general’ portion.

The grand winner was Dots Dog, a cute app designed for children ages one to three years old. All a child needs to do is to touch the iPhone screen at three points to draw three dots. The dots, wherever they’re placed, will be turned into a face of a dog. The app recognizes the size of the dots, making the dog’s expression unique each time.

Dots-Dog

Kannon is a soon to be released iPhone app that turns everyday sounds into a real-time animation. The app picks up on surrounding noises like the squeak of a chair, breathing sounds, or people chatting. The resulting animation could look like a face, or a mysteriously random letter. The app will be available for download soon for the price of 170 yen.

Kigurumi Camera is an app (for iPhone and Android) that turns any facial photo into a kigurumi. Kigurumi is a costume people put on when they’re tyring to represent cartoon characters or animals. The app doesn’t do much but it makes a sort of a weird twisted photo of your face putting on your kigurumi. It was awarded for it’s mysteriousness and since people often shared the resulting photos online.

A few friends of a soon-to-be-married couple invented a new kind of ring. It’s called ‘Sao-ring’ (Sao comes from the name of the bride), and it’s sort of a prank because when the ring is placed on the groom’s finger, it sends out his location to his wife. When he takes it off, the signal is turned off. But why would he ever if he loves her truly? This project is fun, but the use of geolocation technology here is intriguing.

Saoring

Arart (AR-art) is an iPhone app that breathes life into things on the screen. When a user holds up an iPhone to an art work, the art expresses itself on your iPhone screen. Check out the video below.

TeamLab’s vision of Christmas future: A 2-ton, 4D animated tree in Japan

SHARE:

Few companies in the world are as creative, collectively, as Tokyo-based teamLab. Their recent digital creations cover an incredible range, including an interactive TV game played by over a million people simultaneously. Their exhibitions (you can browse them here) combine cutting-edge technology and awe-inspiring aesthetics, and the results are invariably jaw-dropping. TeamLab’s most recent project is a Christmas tree installation at Canal City in Fukuoka, Japan, called The Crystal Tree of Wishes. But in typical teamLab fashion, this would not be just any Christmas tree. I spoke to teamLab’s Takashi Kudo, who explained how his company erected a two-ton, nine-meter tall LED tree, capable of being controlled by spectators using mobile devices. The Bridge: Where did the Christmas tree idea first come from? Takashi: It all started about a year ago when Canal City Hakata came to us wanting to create an installation that would attract people. So we thought, why not create an installation that would get people talking around the world? We came up with the idea of the world’s first 3D visual display with a user-directed, interactive animation. We looked for ideas that could only be done using digital technology, but in contrast to the existing concept…

Few companies in the world are as creative, collectively, as Tokyo-based teamLab. Their recent digital creations cover an incredible range, including an interactive TV game played by over a million people simultaneously. Their exhibitions (you can browse them here) combine cutting-edge technology and awe-inspiring aesthetics, and the results are invariably jaw-dropping.

TeamLab’s most recent project is a Christmas tree installation at Canal City in Fukuoka, Japan, called The Crystal Tree of Wishes. But in typical teamLab fashion, this would not be just any Christmas tree. I spoke to teamLab’s Takashi Kudo, who explained how his company erected a two-ton, nine-meter tall LED tree, capable of being controlled by spectators using mobile devices.

The Bridge: Where did the Christmas tree idea first come from?

CrystalTree-ipad
Interact with the tree using an iPad or smartphone

Takashi: It all started about a year ago when Canal City Hakata came to us wanting to create an installation that would attract people. So we thought, why not create an installation that would get people talking around the world? We came up with the idea of the world’s first 3D visual display with a user-directed, interactive animation.

We looked for ideas that could only be done using digital technology, but in contrast to the existing concept of a tree as “physical material,” we thought of making one with light. By making it digital, we could also make it interactive, or have it display dynamic 3D visuals. This mindset, of making things digital, is shared by all of us team members at the Lab, and our process of finding a way, or method, to make it work, took us through an extensive process of experimentation, which saw us through this project.

The Bridge: So how does it work exactly?

teamLabVisualSculpting are physical sculptures that you can animate, just like in a projection, using teamLab’s own Interactive 4D Vision display technology. It incorporates a 3D projection system that you can control even from a smartphone. Interactive 4D Vision makes use of commonly used control systems to project a simple recreation of real objects that move in three dimensions. It is also compatible with smartphones, Kinect, music and other inputs, allowing for interactive creations.

Comprised of numerous lines, Interactive 4D Vision projects do not have to be cylindrical displays, but can also be rectangular prisms or long, complex curved surfaces. For now, we have decided to depict a Christmas tree with Interactive 4D Vision, so until December that is what you will see. But after the Christmas season, we have plans to use it as a 3D image display.

CrystalTree-wide
teamLab’s 4D animated LED Christmas Tree in Fukuoka, Japan

The Bridge: What was the most difficult part about this Christmas tree project?

Takashi: It’s probably the fact that nobody had actually seen or even imagined anything like this before. The client seemed uncertain so it was hard for them to give us the OK. And a lot of it was new territory for us anyway, so we had to figure everything out as we went along.

In the planning stage, in order for the 3D holographic image to display properly, we created a layout for 4D Vision LED lights, and conducted over 20 simulations of the display. There were two things to address at this stage:

  1. We wanted to make the 4D Vision effect look as dynamic as possible. For the visuals to be as sharp as possible, and to make it work structurally, we had to carefully calibrate to show the inside as a structural object, which was an extremely difficult task. Once we finished with those simulations, we then did the layout for the flat, 2D layer of lights wrapped around the central 3D cylinder and on the outside of the structure.
  2. Second, we had to make the tree function as a structural object. It had to be large and heavy in order to appear imposing to viewers, but as it was going to be hung from above, there were size and weight limitations we had to take into consideration. So we had to keep safety in mind and keep the tree’s weight down to two tons. We worked under the assumption that people would be walking under the tree, and that it would have to withstand the wind. We made the appropriate blueprints and structural calculations, including where the wires would attach it to the ceiling.

When it came to the development stage, even constructing the initial nine-meter long core was a huge task in itself. But in addition to that, to make the visuals project proper three-dimensional images we had to pay attention to the overall function of the whole structure – including waterproofing, dampening electromagnetic noise, and ensuring it didn’t flicker when being photographed.

CrystalTree-tall-blue
The strings of LEDs that make up the structure are 9 meters long

We also developed our own software for the projection of three-dimensional images in 4D Vision. In order to translate the 3D object data into a physically three-dimensional visual, we had to split up the data across the array of LED lights and control its coordinated display. We managed to achieve with 4D Vision. And as long as we had our 3D animation in FBX format, we had the means to display it as-is [1].

The 4D Vision structure itself is made up of 413 nine-meter long strips of LED lights. Its construction involved carefully removing each nine-meter strand from the 413 boxes they came in, and hanging it in place without getting it tangled or caught in anything else. After hanging them all up, we then had to measure their alignment, to ensure they displayed correctly. Amazingly our workmen got together and completed this monumental task in just four days! When the whole thing was put together and some of the LED strips were malfunctioning, the workers climbed up 14 meters and replaced one of the strips. This was, of course, another extremely difficult job, not possible without great teamwork.

But most challenging part was the fact that almost all the final adjustments had to be made on-site at Canal City Hakata. We had to work within a tight schedule to install the tree there for the very first time, and then calibrate it so that the visuals displayed correctly.

The Bridge: How was the visitors reaction on the first day?

Takashi: As you can see from our video (above), it was very inspiring. The installation had attracted a lot of attention beforehand, with over 20 media outlets sending reporters out to our preview event. On the day of the lighting ceremony, we had an estimated turnout of about 7500 people, with 500 people (according to our app logs) actually downloading the LinkedCandle application to take part in the candle relay.

Our special guest on that evening was Chara, a famous singer, who gave a live performance to intensify the mood. The Christmas Decor event that followed saw, over just a few hours, approximately 500 people decorating the Crystal Tree of Wishes with about 800 ornaments. Everyone who took part, young and old, seems to be having great fun.

We think we managed to change the concept of a Christmas tree from something you just look at, into something you can interact with. The 2D objects (decorations) on people’s phones became, with a simple swipe, a physical, three-dimensional thing before their own eyes. That experience proved to be a lot more interesting than we thought.

The Bridge: TeamLab does many innovative projects. Do you have some method to spark creativity within a company, as a team? Or are your projects more individual creations?

takashi kudo
TeamLab’s ever-thoughtful Takashi Kudo

Takashi: We craft things as a team. New ideas tend to arise from the cross-pollination of technical insights from all kinds of different areas. One person can’t possibly do all the thinking, and is unlikely to come up with anything.

You also can’t have non-technical people coming up with the ideas — because without an understanding of existing technology, you won’t know what’s currently possible with it.

That’s why at teamLab, we encourage constant communication between members, and it’s through our process of contributing ideas, taking action, and making prototypes together, as well as brainstorming together, that we provide our products and services. We also have common mindsets and values.

Of course, each of our members has their own field of expertise, spanning a truly wide range from mathematics to architecture. And by taking these professionals from different fields and mashing their specialties together, we hope to keep putting out things that can only arise from their collaboration and co-creation, one piece at a time.

The Bridge: Thanks!

CrystalTree-green-red-bow

CrystalTree-blue

CrystalTree-blue


  1. Editor’s note: This is a file format for storing motion data. More information on Wikipedia.  ↩

Tokyo 24-hour bus service to offer complimentary wi-fi

SHARE:

The Tokyo Bureau of Transportation announced several months ago that it would start its first 24-hour bus service in Tokyo, connecting Roppongi and Shibuya, two busy commercial districts that never sleep. Coinciding with the launch on December 20th, the bureau announced today it will offer in-bus wi-fi service to passengers for free. Looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, this might be part of the government’s efforts to make the city more usable for foreign visitors, given that international data roaming charges are so high. Many public transit operators in Japan are deploying in-train or in-bus wi-fi equipment to serve passengers better. But most of them require a subscription to a wi-fi service provider, and that’s likely troublesome for most visitors coming to Japan. The bureau’s in-bus wi-fi service is available for any passengers, and allowing them to enjoy internet browsing for up to 180 minutes in a single session. Deployment of the equipment will be completed on all 1,452 buses by next March.

busterminal-in-shibuya
Photo by yoppy on Flickr, creative commons.

The Tokyo Bureau of Transportation announced several months ago that it would start its first 24-hour bus service in Tokyo, connecting Roppongi and Shibuya, two busy commercial districts that never sleep. Coinciding with the launch on December 20th, the bureau announced today it will offer in-bus wi-fi service to passengers for free.

toei-bus-free-wifi

Looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, this might be part of the government’s efforts to make the city more usable for foreign visitors, given that international data roaming charges are so high. Many public transit operators in Japan are deploying in-train or in-bus wi-fi equipment to serve passengers better. But most of them require a subscription to a wi-fi service provider, and that’s likely troublesome for most visitors coming to Japan.

The bureau’s in-bus wi-fi service is available for any passengers, and allowing them to enjoy internet browsing for up to 180 minutes in a single session.

Deployment of the equipment will be completed on all 1,452 buses by next March.

Tunecore Japan partners with Spotify, helping indie musicians reach global audiences

SHARE:

See the original article in Japanese Tunecore Japan, the Japanese version of the US-based music distribution service, started providing its music to users of Spotify, one of the world’s biggest music streaming services. Musicians on Tunecore Japan are now able to make their songs available to Spotify’s 24 millions users in 28 countries. On Tunecore, users can reach listeners in 111 countries. The Japanese version started the service in October 2012, enabling users to list their songs on other online retailers such as iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, music.jp, Oricon Music Store, and Tapnow Music Store. Now that Spotify is added to this list, Tunecore’s reach extends even further. The fee for musicians to serve their songs on Tunecore Japan starts from 1480 yen (about $15) for a single song and 4980 yen for an album. It pays the musician all sales revenue and deducts only the service fees of music retailer. Spotify provides more than 20 millions tracks for free streaming, with approximately 20,000 tracks added every day. It has 24 millions non-paying users. It has launched its service in Singapore and Malaysia, but has not begun service in Japan yet. However this new alliance between Spotify and Tunecore Japan…

TUNECORE Japan spotify

See the original article in Japanese

Tunecore Japan, the Japanese version of the US-based music distribution service, started providing its music to users of Spotify, one of the world’s biggest music streaming services. Musicians on Tunecore Japan are now able to make their songs available to Spotify’s 24 millions users in 28 countries.

On Tunecore, users can reach listeners in 111 countries. The Japanese version started the service in October 2012, enabling users to list their songs on other online retailers such as iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, music.jp, Oricon Music Store, and Tapnow Music Store. Now that Spotify is added to this list, Tunecore’s reach extends even further.

The fee for musicians to serve their songs on Tunecore Japan starts from 1480 yen (about $15) for a single song and 4980 yen for an album. It pays the musician all sales revenue and deducts only the service fees of music retailer.

Spotify provides more than 20 millions tracks for free streaming, with approximately 20,000 tracks added every day. It has 24 millions non-paying users. It has launched its service in Singapore and Malaysia, but has not begun service in Japan yet. However this new alliance between Spotify and Tunecore Japan makes it easier for musicians in Japan to distribute their songs overseas.

Iichro Noda, the CEO of Tunecore Japan, explained:

Developers of smartphone apps started targeting the global market because apps can be easily distributed around the world. For the same reason, I thought it possible to bring more a global perspective to musicians as well. There are many services musicians have to go though to distribute their music to listeners. I want to reduce them and build a sort of infrastructure for supplying music.

When Noda initially got the idea to start a music-related service, Tunecore was the closest thing to what he envisioned as an ideal service. After spending time in the US for direct negotiations, Tunecore Japan was launched, largely thanks to his own bold actions in acquiring the license to operate the service in Japan.

It will be good to see it expanding possibilities for musicians in Japan.

tunecore japan

Japan’s Kakaku.com launches online site for custom bras

SHARE:

Japan’s Kakaku just announced the launch of a new website called All For Me, an online service for semi-custom bras. This sort of better-fitting commerce has been getting some hype in the overseas market with companies like True&Co and Brayola. Now this sort of service is available for Japanese women as well. In many ways, it’s like Shoes of Prey, the online custom-made shoes service. Kakaku’s new website seems to be more design-focused rather than providing the perfect fit. There are over 1.6 million combinations available and users can mix and match different patterns and colors to make their dream bra. There are 17 different bra sizes available too, which is a good start for the service. To deliver great quality in both bra design and quality, every bra is manufactured in Japan. For women who are uncertain about sizes, All For Me provides a free rental service so that users can try them out at home. As far as we can tell, the aforementioned Shoes of Prey is doing pretty well among Japan’s female demographic. One of the main reasons for this is because they provide a solution to size problems that many women have. This sort of solution…

AllForMe-website

Japan’s Kakaku just announced the launch of a new website called All For Me, an online service for semi-custom bras. This sort of better-fitting commerce has been getting some hype in the overseas market with companies like True&Co and Brayola. Now this sort of service is available for Japanese women as well. In many ways, it’s like Shoes of Prey, the online custom-made shoes service.

Kakaku’s new website seems to be more design-focused rather than providing the perfect fit. There are over 1.6 million combinations available and users can mix and match different patterns and colors to make their dream bra. There are 17 different bra sizes available too, which is a good start for the service.

To deliver great quality in both bra design and quality, every bra is manufactured in Japan. For women who are uncertain about sizes, All For Me provides a free rental service so that users can try them out at home.

As far as we can tell, the aforementioned Shoes of Prey is doing pretty well among Japan’s female demographic. One of the main reasons for this is because they provide a solution to size problems that many women have. This sort of solution might be more needed than cute designs for a bra service, so it will be interesting to see how the company’s strategy plays out as the service expands.

All For Me’s semi-customized bras are available for 9,980 yen (or about $98). Payment can be made by various credit cards or at convenience stores.

AllForMe-customize

Tokyo Office Tour: Gengo’s Matthew Romaine talks translation

SHARE:

Back in July we mentioned that Tokyo-based translation startup Gengo would be relocating its head office to Shibuya. Today we were lucky enough to have the company’s CTO Matthew Romaine give us a brief tour of the place, as well as provide some brief updates on how business is going recently. So far Gengo has nearly 9000 translators translating content into 35 languages for both retail and enterprise customers. And while about 30 people out of their current 45 total staffers are located in the Tokyo office, Gengo has 12 people in their US office and makes use of a video ‘wormhole’ to keep in touch with them [1]. Since I visited the office just this morning, I even had a chance to chat with some Gengo folks in San Mateo. For a startup specializing in harnessing the power of remote workers, it’s not really surprising that they also appear to have no serious difficulties with working virtually within the company too. The Bridge: So how are things going here at Gengo these days? Matthew: Since we launched we have done over 120 million words of translation in the past four or five years that we have been around. And…

Back in July we mentioned that Tokyo-based translation startup Gengo would be relocating its head office to Shibuya. Today we were lucky enough to have the company’s CTO Matthew Romaine give us a brief tour of the place, as well as provide some brief updates on how business is going recently.

So far Gengo has nearly 9000 translators translating content into 35 languages for both retail and enterprise customers. And while about 30 people out of their current 45 total staffers are located in the Tokyo office, Gengo has 12 people in their US office and makes use of a video ‘wormhole’ to keep in touch with them [1]. Since I visited the office just this morning, I even had a chance to chat with some Gengo folks in San Mateo. For a startup specializing in harnessing the power of remote workers, it’s not really surprising that they also appear to have no serious difficulties with working virtually within the company too.

The Bridge: So how are things going here at Gengo these days?

Gengo meeting room
Gengo meeting room

Matthew: Since we launched we have done over 120 million words of translation in the past four or five years that we have been around. And every year it is more and more. And we’re doing a few million words a week now, so it’s quite exciting. Our translator pool is growing, and we’re finding interesting new ways of working with them. They love the community aspect of Gengo, and they love the tools and learning opportunities that we provide them.

We’ve been making PDFs and educational materials, because 70% to 80% of our translators are not professionals, but they are bilingual and able to pass our tests. So we have put together some materials on how to use time more efficiently, how to deal with new words in a language – because languages are always changing – and so we have a team that’s focused on creating those kinds of materials, and building that sense of community with our translators.

The Bridge: Who is a typical Gengo translator?

Matthew: It’s pretty spread out. It’s everyone from very smart college students learning a new language to retired professional translators who have a little spare time. In fact, we’re currently doing a series on our translators, the ones willing to be a little more public, on our blog. You’ll meet one translator in Africa, one in the Middle East, really all over the world. […] We plan to introduce more and more of them over time. We definitely are focused a lot on our translators because they are so core to our platform.

The Bridge: And what’s your main focus these days?

Matthew: We raised out series B funding earlier this year, so we’re currently focused on improving the product, growing the team, and building sales. […] We’re very excited about the opportunities in this space. I think it’s great that some other startups or businesses in similar industries have been raising funds very successfully, which is great for us too, because it helps build awareness and validation.

Actually yesterday, I was at an event for a crowdsourcing industry group. Crowdsourcing itself as a concept and a business is starting to build awareness, we’re obviously a very specific vertical, but there are others like Odesk, Freelancer.com, and here in Japan we have Crowdworks, Lancers, Realworld. […] And so the industry’s body’s plan is to band together to present proposals to ministries and government bodies to build valid use cases because past precedent is so important in Japan. So getting good examples of success stories to show big companies, then it’s possible to show where crowdsourcing can add value to your company.

The Bridge: Thanks Matthew!

Another meeting room
Another meeting room
Another meeting room
Another meeting room
Basketball Jones!
Basketball Jones!
Gengo sofa!
Gengo sofa!
Morning stand-up meeting
Morning stand-up meeting
Swag corner, to help promote other startups around town
Swag corner, to help promote other startups around town
Wormhole camera
Wormhole camera
Matt talking to US team through the wormhole
Matt talking to US team through the wormhole

  1. Gengo has some members in Europe and China as well.  ↩

Indonesia’s Touchten delivers games with a Japanese flavor

SHARE:

Touchten Games is a startup gaming studio based in Jakarta. Since its launch back in 2009, it has introduced 17 gaming titles for Android and iOS platforms. During my recent visit to Jakarta for Startup Asia, Touchten’s co-founder and CEO Anton Soeharyo told me that his company has raised an undisclosed sum of series B investment from CyberAgent Ventures and other investors. Prior to launching the company, Anton attended Tokyo’s Waseda University where he learned much about Japanese culture and business. After graduating, he returned to Jakarta and launched the company. He explains: Our titles have a Japanese flavor because I love Japan so much, like Ramen Chain and the Sushi Chain. We hope our efforts will help people around the world know more about the Japanese culture. Remarkably Touchten’s Ramen Chain app was copied by a pirate developer and published as ‘Daren Ramen Shop’ back in October. It seems like it has already been removed from the appstore, but it was not a good situation for Touchten. On the bright side though, it did indicate that there was big potential for such a title in the South East Asian regions, since pirates deemed it worthy of imitation. Anton recently…

Touchten Games is a startup gaming studio based in Jakarta. Since its launch back in 2009, it has introduced 17 gaming titles for Android and iOS platforms. During my recent visit to Jakarta for Startup Asia, Touchten’s co-founder and CEO Anton Soeharyo told me that his company has raised an undisclosed sum of series B investment from CyberAgent Ventures and other investors.

Prior to launching the company, Anton attended Tokyo’s Waseda University where he learned much about Japanese culture and business. After graduating, he returned to Jakarta and launched the company. He explains:

Our titles have a Japanese flavor because I love Japan so much, like Ramen Chain and the Sushi Chain. We hope our efforts will help people around the world know more about the Japanese culture.

Remarkably Touchten’s Ramen Chain app was copied by a pirate developer and published as ‘Daren Ramen Shop’ back in October. It seems like it has already been removed from the appstore, but it was not a good situation for Touchten. On the bright side though, it did indicate that there was big potential for such a title in the South East Asian regions, since pirates deemed it worthy of imitation.

Anton recently married a Japanese national whom he has been with for quite some timenow. So he’s now enjoying good fortune in both his private life and his work life. Hopefully he can grow his business further and bridge the two startup ecosystems in Japan an Indonesia.

For those who are interested in getting in touch with him, startup incubator Samurai Incubate will be holding an evening meet-up event on December 12th in partnership with the Tech in Asia blog. Anton will give you a speech at that event, and will be available afterwords if you’d like to chat.

Handy mouse/scanner combo from Japan reads and saves your text for you

SHARE:

Japan, for all its futuristic technology, is still very much a nation that loves paperwork, especially at the office. People work with paper documents all the time, and for such people, scanning serves an important role for record-keeping purposes. One product that aims to make scanning a little easier is the ‘Mouse-Gata Scanner’ (which roughly translates into ‘Mouse-form scanner’). The product was released back in November of 2012, and has received positive reviews ever since. It even once nabbed the top spot in Kakaku.com’s scanner category. As the name suggests, this mouse scanner can be used as a computer mouse as well as a scanner, switching between the two functions simply by pressing a button. All it takes to scan a document is to turn on the accompanying software on your computer, and roll the mouse on top of the area you wish to scan. The mouse can moved freely, allowing you to scan things like a newspaper article or a single product within a catalog. The scanned data can be adjusted by trimming and fixing contrast, or you can erase unnecessary parts. And if all that wasn’t enough, the mouse scanner also has an OCR feature, so the scan…

Mouse-Scanner-KingJim

Japan, for all its futuristic technology, is still very much a nation that loves paperwork, especially at the office. People work with paper documents all the time, and for such people, scanning serves an important role for record-keeping purposes.

One product that aims to make scanning a little easier is the ‘Mouse-Gata Scanner’ (which roughly translates into ‘Mouse-form scanner’). The product was released back in November of 2012, and has received positive reviews ever since. It even once nabbed the top spot in Kakaku.com’s scanner category.

As the name suggests, this mouse scanner can be used as a computer mouse as well as a scanner, switching between the two functions simply by pressing a button. All it takes to scan a document is to turn on the accompanying software on your computer, and roll the mouse on top of the area you wish to scan. The mouse can moved freely, allowing you to scan things like a newspaper article or a single product within a catalog. The scanned data can be adjusted by trimming and fixing contrast, or you can erase unnecessary parts.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the mouse scanner also has an OCR feature, so the scan can be saved not only as image data (in seven formats including PDF and JPEG) but also as text.

Mouse-Gata-Scanner is only available for Windows for now, and can be purchased over on Amazon for about 5,800 yen (or $57). The product has an average of 4.5 stars with over 60 reveiews submitted.

King Jim is a manufacturer located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company has released a series of neat products including a rolling cleaner for tablets iColocolo and a digital notebook called Mamemo. The company’s website is available in English.

Japanese startup Smart Education begins global expansion with a new app

SHARE:

See the original article in Japanese Education for kids is one of the hottest trends in Silicon Valley. Yet, there is no clear leading player in the global market. The situation is similar in Japan. But one standout app publisher is Smart Education, an educational smartphone app developer that creates applications for kids. The company reached the impressive milestone of five million downloads on 17th November. After hitting 4.5 million downloads back on October 8th, they added half a million more in the next month as part of a rapid growth spurt. It took the company two years total to hit five million downloads since the its first app Rhythm Book was released in 2011. The next step for Smart Education is expansion to overseas markets. To that end they have launched a new app series called Gocco, with the goal of marketing their services abroad. On November 21st, they launched the first app in the series, Gocco Zoo. The app will be globally available on the App Store, but especially directed at the North American market. To find our more we spoke with Daigo Ikeya, the president of Smart Education, and Kei Otagaki, producer in charge of Gocco. Otagaki…

ZOO01_iPad_E2

See the original article in Japanese

Education for kids is one of the hottest trends in Silicon Valley. Yet, there is no clear leading player in the global market. The situation is similar in Japan. But one standout app publisher is Smart Education, an educational smartphone app developer that creates applications for kids. The company reached the impressive milestone of five million downloads on 17th November.

After hitting 4.5 million downloads back on October 8th, they added half a million more in the next month as part of a rapid growth spurt. It took the company two years total to hit five million downloads since the its first app Rhythm Book was released in 2011.

130605_smarteducation_184x138

The next step for Smart Education is expansion to overseas markets. To that end they have launched a new app series called Gocco, with the goal of marketing their services abroad. On November 21st, they launched the first app in the series, Gocco Zoo. The app will be globally available on the App Store, but especially directed at the North American market.

To find our more we spoke with Daigo Ikeya, the president of Smart Education, and Kei Otagaki, producer in charge of Gocco. Otagaki previously worked at DeNA, and since 2011, he has been working as a producer and game design advisor at several overseas offices. In May of 2013, he joined Smart Education.

When Otagaki worked in San Francisco, he often visited the home of his coworkers, many of whom have kids. That experience made him start thinking about developing something for kids. Otagaki explained:

I was playing with the idea of developing apps for kids and considered different choices. But I decided to focus on developing something fast. I knew Ikeya and spoke with him about my idea. I realized that I could make what I want as part of Smart Education, so I decided to join the team.

Ikeya talked about that difference between the overseas and Japanese markets:

We hold the lion’s share of educational apps for kids in Japan, but the share by Japanese companies in the global market is only around 5%. We are just number one among this 5%. There are bigger players in the global market. […] We’ve been watching Swedish company, Toca Boca, who recently hit 50 million downloads. Their monthly sales is about 150 million to 200 million yen, about 10 times more than us. The difference of the market size reflects this gap. But this area has not been monopolized yet, and there’s still room to improve contents. We still have so much room to grow. In the Japanese market, we plan to provide a service with high-quality apps and a monthly subscription, building partnerships with powerful content-providers like NHK.

In order to expand globally, they need a competitive product, which they hope Gocco can be. Ootagaki says:

I’ve opened studios at different locations all over the world when I worked at DeNA. At the time, I realized that Japanese craftsmanship and attention to details is really high, and I thought it could be a competitive advantage globally. We’d like to present that through Gocco.

So why did they name the app Gocco? Ootagaki explained:

We had many name ideas, but in the end we decided to name it “Gocco“ after “Gocco-asobi”, meaning ”role-playing" in Japanese. We wanted something that sounds good and stays in people’s mind. When I got positive feedback from my friends in San Francisco, we decided on the name. We have already applied for the trademark in the US.

Their first app “Gocco Zoo” is a zoo- themed drawing app. Kids first select an animal which they can feed in the Care Room, after which the animal will change color. Kids can color the animal whatever color they want, and move to the next room and to color more animals.

ZOO02_iPad_E

Kids can also take picture of the drawing they made. While there is no function to share on social media, pictures can be saved on the device so that kids or parents can show friends.

He wanted to make the app totally text free, adding:

I put a high importance on UI from the beginning. I carefully considered how kids can navigate the app without confusing them. During this process, I let kids play with the app and observed where they had issues. This really helped me improve the app.

He notes that once a kid-friendly interface is finalized, it doesn’t require much adaptation for overseas markets.

It’s a freemium app, and users can pay for additional animals or drawing tools. In order to keep kids from accidentally buy them, they made the payment process a little complicated, requiring the user has to push the purchase button for more than 3 seconds to process the order. Otagaki says:

ZOO03_iPad_E

With iOS7, a kids category was added to the app store, and we applied in that category. Apple is currently improving this category, with specific points in their screening process, such as enforcing a clear statement on charging and privacy policies. We have cleared those conditions.

Smart Education has developed another app called Gocco Doodle, another drawing app. Pictures can be published on the internet for other kids to see, sort of like a kindergarten pin board.

Smart Education is planning to release Gocco for other subjects and themes like doctor or fireman. Ootagaki said:

We’d like to provide kids with virtual experiences in real society though playing with the app and expressing themselves creatively.

rakugaKIDS_1

They will focus on marketing Gocco in English-speaking countries, first seeing how customers in the US respond. They think that Gocco Zoo could have as many as a half million downloads monthly. Ikeya thinks this figure can even go higher, adding:

When we first released Rhythm Book in Japan, the number of downloads was higher than expected. If we continue to add new apps and make a synergistic effect, that number can go much higher. In Japan, we could increase the number of download this way without other promotions. Toca Boca uses a similar strategy to increase downloads, I think we can establish a similar eco-system.

If we are able to release new apps at constant pace, like twice a quarter or once a month, we can consider implementing a subscription system. Since Apple doesn’t allow game apps to charge users by subscription at present, we cannot implement such a system. But when Gocco builds a reputation, there may be more possibility of starting a subscription system.

Otagaki says that his plan of implementing a subscription system, which has been successful in Japanese market, is following the model of an online platform like Kodomo Mode, increase awareness and cross promotion among apps.

It will be interesting to see how Smart Education can challenge in this emerging educational app space.

rakugaKIDS_2

Japanese family photo service Kiddy now providing New Year’s cards

SHARE:

See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Compath.me, the startup behind the mobile family photo service Kiddy, recently announced it has started accepting orders to print and deliver New Year’s cards from their users. Kiddy is designed to help families share photos securely (see our previous review of the app) and since its launch back in December, the startup has acquired 35,000 households from Japan and the rest of the world. Together those users have uploaded over 1.4 million family photos, and that’s without any aggressive promotional efforts from Compath.me. According to the company’s CEO, Hiromichi Ando, there are few secure ways to share photos with other family members, such as grandparents who might live far away. Facebook or Twitter might show them to an unintended audience, and services like DropBox and Flickr may be too complicated for some grandparents. Of course, sharing pictures over e-mail is troublesome. With that in mind, Kiddy works as a photo-sharing cloud for families rather than a social network platform. It allows users to order printed pictures which can then be delivered in a physical form like postcards or photobooks. In other words, you can easily deliver pictures of your kids to grandparents who…

kiddy_newyearcard_screenshot

See the original story in Japanese.

Tokyo-based Compath.me, the startup behind the mobile family photo service Kiddy, recently announced it has started accepting orders to print and deliver New Year’s cards from their users.

Kiddy is designed to help families share photos securely (see our previous review of the app) and since its launch back in December, the startup has acquired 35,000 households from Japan and the rest of the world. Together those users have uploaded over 1.4 million family photos, and that’s without any aggressive promotional efforts from Compath.me.

According to the company’s CEO, Hiromichi Ando, there are few secure ways to share photos with other family members, such as grandparents who might live far away. Facebook or Twitter might show them to an unintended audience, and services like DropBox and Flickr may be too complicated for some grandparents. Of course, sharing pictures over e-mail is troublesome.

With that in mind, Kiddy works as a photo-sharing cloud for families rather than a social network platform. It allows users to order printed pictures which can then be delivered in a physical form like postcards or photobooks. In other words, you can easily deliver pictures of your kids to grandparents who might be unfamiliar with most digital tools.

Taking their service one step further, Kiddy now allows you to create and order a New Year’s card. In addition to the many designs available to choose from, they also provide Pensta style templates, a set of stickers especially popular among young women.

Nohana, a subsidiary of Japanese social giant Mixi, which offers its own photo printing service, also recently launched a New Year’s card print and delivery service.

While many social interactions are adapting to digital, seasons greetings using your own mobile photos is the niche where analog media can still offer some value.

Update: Kiddy was chosen today as a finalist for the startup competition at LeWeb 2013, a tech event happening in Paris this December.