cbs.marketwatch.com
Japan firms license Phone.com's Net browser
TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Ten of Japan's cellular phone makers have signed a contract with Phone.com Inc. (PHCM: news, msgs) to incorporate the U.S. firm's Internet browsing software into their cell phones. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Phone.com aims to make the software, which uses the wireless application protocol and allows users to receive text and images easily, the global standard. Among the 10 companies are Hitachi Ltd. (HIT: news, msgs), Kyocera Corp. (KYO: news, msgs), NEC Corp. (NIPNY: news, msgs), Sanyo Electric Co. (SANNY: news, msgs) and Sony Corp. (SNE: news, msgs). The companies plan to supply new cell phones incorporating the browser to Japan's DDI Corp.group and Nippon Idou Tsushin Corp. by the end of this year. The pair are trying to catch up to the market leader NTT DoCoMo, whose "i-mode" service allows Net access through cell phones. Nihon Keizai Shimbun. |
