Posts Tagged ‘japan’

The iPhone has not been as popular in Japan as it has in the U.S., but now with the inclusion of more than 400 Emoji characters hidden on the not yet released 2.2 firmware, it’s likely that businesses and the public alike will take notice.

Emoji are picture characters that are extremely popular in the Japanese mobile market, used to express emotion in emails and text messages.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one analyst contributed part of the slow iPhone sales in Japan to the lack of Emoji:

“The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn’t have,” says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. Yokato cited one small but must-have feature that is entrenched in his country’s mobile culture but lacking on the iPhone: Emoji.

With the inclusion of Emoji characters combined with the iPhone’s push to establish itself as an enterprise solution for Japanese businesses, the handset’s presence in the land of the rising sun is sure to… well, rise.

BearingPoint, a management and technology consulting firm, has already committed to putting 1,000 iPhones into the hands of their consultants in an effort to gain productivity. Current employees of the firm carry both a data modem card for a PC and a cellular phone, but now the iPhone will eliminate the need for more than one device.

The deal represents a milestone for Apple, marking the iPhone’s first corporate client in Japan.

“After being plugged in for somewhere between 5-10 minutes I heard a sizzling sound. I looked down on the iPod just in time to see it explode open and start shooting sparks and spewing smoke,” recalls an iPod Nano user on the Consumerist.

Although the problem, albeit a rare occurrence according to Apple (see below), seems to be affecting iPod Nanos worldwide, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) has launched an investigation into the matter. Their website states, “There have been multiple cases of overheating and fire damage, in particular during recharging, so please use caution.” The METI goes on to stay that Apple has already recorded 14 such instances in Japan alone.

Apple responded to the METI with a statement earlier today, confirming that “in very rare cases,” the batteries in 1st generation iPod Nanos (sold between September 2005 and December 2006), can overheat and cause fire damage. Though no serious injuries have resulted to date and “less than 0.001 percent of first generation iPod nano units” are affected, Apple urges worried consumers to contact Apple Care reps for a replacement.

Well, it sounds like the camera on Japanese iPhones still makes the distinct clicking shutter noise when a picture is taken — even in silent mode.

Japanese blogger, Nobuyuki Hayashi, made a post about the feature on his website, which appears to only affect Japanese iPhones.

This is, supposedly, to refrain people from snapping stealthy upskirt and downblouse pics of unwitting passerbys. The occurrence, apparently a prevalent phenomenon in Japan, warrants a fine of ¥500,000 (nearly $4700 USD) or six months jail-time for first-time offenders.
Continue Reading