Readers may recall back last year when we reviewed Gotcha Warriors, a fun tower defense game from Tokyo-based One of Them Inc. The game has since accumulated more than two million users, and is currently using Japan’s popular Crowdworks crowdsourcing platform to conduct a character illustration contest from now until April 17th. If you’re an aspiring illustrator (and assuming you can read and write Japanese), you can learn more details about the job/contest over on Crowdworks. If you’re lucky, a new Gotcha Warrior character could be based on your sketch. Crowdworks, via Gamebiz
Readers may recall back last year when we reviewed Gotcha Warriors, a fun tower defense game from Tokyo-based One of Them Inc. The game has since accumulated more than two million users, and is currently using Japan’s popular Crowdworks crowdsourcing platform to conduct a character illustration contest from now until April 17th.
If you’re an aspiring illustrator (and assuming you can read and write Japanese), you can learn more details about the job/contest over on Crowdworks. If you’re lucky, a new Gotcha Warrior character could be based on your sketch.
Largely driven by heavy television promotion with a fun new commercial that began on March 19th, Wear (wear.jp), a fashion coordination app from Tokyo-based Start Today, has surpassed 2 million downloads. Start Today, is of course, the company behind Japanese mega fashion commerce site Zozotown. The app has been online for just five months, and its trajectory looks promising. The recent commercial starts popular model Emi Suzuki, who is also one of Wear’s many prominent ‘Wearistas’ on the fashion platform (pictured above). In total there have been more than 400,000 fashion coordinations posted on Wear, with a current average of 10,000 posted per day. Start Today stated in its announcement that it is shooting for five million domestic downloads, and it would be good to see global expansion follow after that. The company aspires to evolve Wear into a sort of infrastructural service in the fashion sector, an ambitious goal even for this Japanese fashion powerhouse. Start Today (PDF)
Largely driven by heavy television promotion with a fun new commercial that began on March 19th, Wear (wear.jp), a fashion coordination app from Tokyo-based Start Today, has surpassed 2 million downloads. Start Today, is of course, the company behind Japanese mega fashion commerce site Zozotown. The app has been online for just five months, and its trajectory looks promising.
The recent commercial starts popular model Emi Suzuki, who is also one of Wear’s many prominent ‘Wearistas’ on the fashion platform (pictured above). In total there have been more than 400,000 fashion coordinations posted on Wear, with a current average of 10,000 posted per day.
Start Today stated in its announcement that it is shooting for five million domestic downloads, and it would be good to see global expansion follow after that. The company aspires to evolve Wear into a sort of infrastructural service in the fashion sector, an ambitious goal even for this Japanese fashion powerhouse.
Last week at the 2014 Wearable Tech Expo here in Tokyo, we had a chance to hear a brief talk from Cary Bran, the senior director of innovation and new ventures at Santa Cruz-based Plantronics. The headset manufacturer has been doing some interesting work with smart sensors, and so I though I’d share a few of the insights that Cary presented on the future of wearable tech. Cary opened by emphasizing the fact that innovation in wearable technologies needs to be much more than the initial technological breakthrough. Citing the automobile as an example, he explained that incremental improvements are needed in order for a product to properly evolve. In the case of wearable technologies, one of the key obstacles we need to overcome is the fact that information is siloed on various devices right now. Wearable tech is an essential part of the industry but it’s not the only thing. Wearable technology is just the cornerstone. Universal or ubiquitous internet connectivity, this ability is key for wearable tech. He explained that the next aspect is virtual computing, after data is offloaded to the web, when data analytics can come into play. Users can be at the center of all…
Cary Bran demonstrates the head-orientation detection of a concept headset
Last week at the 2014 Wearable Tech Expo here in Tokyo, we had a chance to hear a brief talk from Cary Bran, the senior director of innovation and new ventures at Santa Cruz-based Plantronics. The headset manufacturer has been doing some interesting work with smart sensors, and so I though I’d share a few of the insights that Cary presented on the future of wearable tech.
Cary opened by emphasizing the fact that innovation in wearable technologies needs to be much more than the initial technological breakthrough. Citing the automobile as an example, he explained that incremental improvements are needed in order for a product to properly evolve. In the case of wearable technologies, one of the key obstacles we need to overcome is the fact that information is siloed on various devices right now.
Wearable tech is an essential part of the industry but it’s not the only thing. Wearable technology is just the cornerstone. Universal or ubiquitous internet connectivity, this ability is key for wearable tech.
He explained that the next aspect is virtual computing, after data is offloaded to the web, when data analytics can come into play. Users can be at the center of all that information, which is very personalized, with various streams of data working for them. The combination of wearable tech, smart sensors, plus software and context – all these will result in an enhanced experience that we have never seen before.
Cary also briefly demonstrated one of their concept headsets from their PLTlabs team, which has nine-axis sensor capabily using an acceleromer, gyroscope, and a compass. It can capture a wide range of data, including whether its being worn or not, tap detection events, steps taken via a pedometer, and even free-fall detection. The company has been taking these devices to hackathons as well, in an effort to see what developers can build around it. You can learn more about this in the video below.
The new normal, says Cary, will be a very interesting experience. Wearable technologies can be used in wide range of industries (games, entertainment, fitness, health, business, military, etc) to enhance our overall awareness of ourselves and the world around us.
In the wake of the massive earthquake in Chile this week, Japan’s Line Corporation is allowing users of Line Call to make free phone calls to the country between now and April 10, with a call duration limit of between 15 and 20 minutes [1]. From the company’s announcement: In order to enable LINE users to check on the safety of their relative and loved ones in Chile and aid in disaster relief efforts, we will be making all calls made to landlines and cellular phones in Chile through our service LINE Call free of charge for one week. Users in countries where the service is offered will not have to worry about telephone fees or charges. For more details, check out Line’s official blog. From countries where Line Call is available. ↩
In the wake of the massive earthquake in Chile this week, Japan’s Line Corporation is allowing users of Line Call to make free phone calls to the country between now and April 10, with a call duration limit of between 15 and 20 minutes [1]. From the company’s announcement:
In order to enable LINE users to check on the safety of their relative and loved ones in Chile and aid in disaster relief efforts, we will be making all calls made to landlines and cellular phones in Chile through our service LINE Call free of charge for one week. Users in countries where the service is offered will not have to worry about telephone fees or charges.
Japanese restaurant reservation website Cena (think Japan’s answer to OpenTable) has surpassed 500,000 total online reservations as of April 2nd. The service initially began on a trail basis in early 2012, moving to full-scale operations in January of 2013. It is operated by Kakaku.com on a subdomain of its popular food review portal Tabelog (at yoyaku.tabelog.com). There are about 2,600 restaurants listed on Cena, and the hope is that this can be increased via the connection with Tabelog. That’s still a modest base of restaurants, so they’ll need to improve that significantly in order to grow this reservation business. Kakaku.com (pdf)
Japanese restaurant reservation website Cena (think Japan’s answer to OpenTable) has surpassed 500,000 total online reservations as of April 2nd.
The service initially began on a trail basis in early 2012, moving to full-scale operations in January of 2013. It is operated by Kakaku.com on a subdomain of its popular food review portal Tabelog (at yoyaku.tabelog.com).
There are about 2,600 restaurants listed on Cena, and the hope is that this can be increased via the connection with Tabelog. That’s still a modest base of restaurants, so they’ll need to improve that significantly in order to grow this reservation business.
Japanese app developer Voltage has announced this week that its catalogue of dating simulation apps [1] for women (there are about 60 in total) has surpassed 22 million users. The milestone was reached back in February, according to the company (PDF). Included in the company’s repertoire are Sudden Kiss for a Promise, Office Secrets (also available in English if you’d like to try), as well as Gossip Girl, a title based on the popular American TV show. We interviewed Voltage representative Emiri Okawa last year at the Tokyo Game Show, as you may recall (see below). An explanation on translation: Voltage calls this genre of apps love/romance drama apps. We’ll opt for ‘dating simulation’, in the interests of clarity. ↩
Japanese app developer Voltage has announced this week that its catalogue of dating simulation apps [1] for women (there are about 60 in total) has surpassed 22 million users. The milestone was reached back in February, according to the company (PDF).
Included in the company’s repertoire are Sudden Kiss for a Promise, Office Secrets (also available in English if you’d like to try), as well as Gossip Girl, a title based on the popular American TV show.
We interviewed Voltage representative Emiri Okawa last year at the Tokyo Game Show, as you may recall (see below).
An explanation on translation: Voltage calls this genre of apps love/romance drama apps. We’ll opt for ‘dating simulation’, in the interests of clarity. ↩
Japan’s Line Corporation announced today that its total registered users for its Line messaging app have surpassed the 400 million mark. The company has also released an informative graphic showing the geographical breakdown of where its users are (see below). Still no official word from the company on active user numbers. It will be interesting if the company can make a significant splash in the US market. They haven’t really made such a push there to date, but it’s likely to happen this year. I’m still not such a heavy Line user, even though I live here in Japan. And I can’t help but wonder if new apps like FireChat, that use iOS’s Multipeer Connectivity Framework, could represent opportunity for even further innovation in this space. Messaging apps are cool. But offline messaging is even cooler than cool.
Japan’s Line Corporation announced today that its total registered users for its Line messaging app have surpassed the 400 million mark. The company has also released an informative graphic showing the geographical breakdown of where its users are (see below). Still no official word from the company on active user numbers.
It will be interesting if the company can make a significant splash in the US market. They haven’t really made such a push there to date, but it’s likely to happen this year.
I’m still not such a heavy Line user, even though I live here in Japan. And I can’t help but wonder if new apps like FireChat, that use iOS’s Multipeer Connectivity Framework, could represent opportunity for even further innovation in this space.
Messaging apps are cool. But offline messaging is even cooler than cool.
Tokyo Metro has launched a new English language app called ‘Tokyo Subway Navigation for Tourists’. I just wanted to take a moment to show why I would not recommend it to any tourist. Here’s a sample search and result for how to get from Shibuya to Ebisu: Most train apps will tell you that the best way is to take the Yamanote Line, operated by JR East, for one stop and you’ll be there in about three minutes. But Tokyo Metro has not included JR trains, either because it can’t or doesn’t want to. Whatever the case, its a disservice to consumers. No app should ever suggest this route to anyone. Otherwise the app looks sharp, bringing interactivity to the popular Tokyo Metro map, as well as language support for English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and Japanese. Considering the shortcomings of the above application, it would be nice to see third party developers be better enabled to contribute in this space. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications does have an open data strategy, which is said to include public transportation such as trains and buses, but I’m not sure of its current progress. I don’t see any information…
Tokyo Metro has launched a new English language app called ‘Tokyo Subway Navigation for Tourists’. I just wanted to take a moment to show why I would not recommend it to any tourist.
Here’s a sample search and result for how to get from Shibuya to Ebisu:
Most train apps will tell you that the best way is to take the Yamanote Line, operated by JR East, for one stop and you’ll be there in about three minutes. But Tokyo Metro has not included JR trains, either because it can’t or doesn’t want to. Whatever the case, its a disservice to consumers.
No app should ever suggest this route to anyone.
Otherwise the app looks sharp, bringing interactivity to the popular Tokyo Metro map, as well as language support for English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and Japanese.
Considering the shortcomings of the above application, it would be nice to see third party developers be better enabled to contribute in this space. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications does have an open data strategy, which is said to include public transportation such as trains and buses, but I’m not sure of its current progress. I don’t see any information for developers about APIs on Tokyo Metro’s or Japan Railways’s websites in English, and that should really change.
Today Amazon Japan launched a storefront focused on females, dubbed ‘Amazon Woman’ (amazon.co.jp/woman), catering to women and mothers specifically. According to CNet Japan (Japanese), it’s the first time that Amazon Japan had a project team driven by a core of female employees. The site will focus on fashions, cosmetics, food, lifestyle goods, etc, with over 6000 items currently listed. While women may not be treated so fairly in Japan, many internet companies in the country are starting to realize the opportunities in providing custom services to women. Even here at The Bridge we have a special category dedicated to women on our Japanese site. CNet Japan
Today Amazon Japan launched a storefront focused on females, dubbed ‘Amazon Woman’ (amazon.co.jp/woman), catering to women and mothers specifically. According to CNet Japan (Japanese), it’s the first time that Amazon Japan had a project team driven by a core of female employees. The site will focus on fashions, cosmetics, food, lifestyle goods, etc, with over 6000 items currently listed.
While women may not be treated so fairly in Japan, many internet companies in the country are starting to realize the opportunities in providing custom services to women. Even here at The Bridge we have a special category dedicated to women on our Japanese site.
Avex Entertainment Inc. [1], a music and video production company based in Tokyo, has announced a partnership with Line Corporation based around mobile content related to Avex’s artists, which include music superstar Ayumi Hamasaki. Avex has already provided Line stamps for Hamasaki (see below) and other artists, and they also create rooms in Line Play where fans can interact. The new partnership will see Avex continue to use Line and its many services as a platform, ostensibly in a more formalized manner moving forward. It will be interesting to see how many more entertainment companies follow suit. Avex Group via Venture Now A subsidiary of Avex Group. ↩
Avex Entertainment Inc. [1], a music and video production company based in Tokyo, has announced a partnership with Line Corporation based around mobile content related to Avex’s artists, which include music superstar Ayumi Hamasaki. Avex has already provided Line stamps for Hamasaki (see below) and other artists, and they also create rooms in Line Play where fans can interact.
The new partnership will see Avex continue to use Line and its many services as a platform, ostensibly in a more formalized manner moving forward. It will be interesting to see how many more entertainment companies follow suit.
