Media, Entertainment and Gaming
South Korea's Neowiz Games Corp has become the largest shareholder in Japanese online game operator GameOn Co with a 34.2% stake in terms of voting rights. According to GameOn, Neowiz acquired the shares through a tender offer launched by a South Korean investment firm. That same investment firm is now GameOn's second-largest shareholder with a 25.8% stake.
Software
Convergence, a Honolulu-based health-care technology company, has entered into a five-year distribution agreement in Japan for its patient data management software. Under the agreement, Convergence and Tokyo-based Itochu Corp will jointly distribute and license the CCT Clinical Data Warehouse solutions software, which manages patients' health data for medical groups, hospitals and clinics. Itochu, which has invested US$2 million in Convergence to become an equity partner, will also offer consulting services to Japanese clients.
Tokyo-based Access Co, a maker of mobile phone software, plans to develop Linux-based applications for NTT DoCoMo handsets together with NEC Corp and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Access said the software will be available by March 2010. Access is developing an open-source operating system called Access Linux Platform for hand-held devices to win market share from Symbian Ltd and Microsoft Corp in the smart phone market, which comprises 104 million unit handsets globally.
Hardware
Toshiba says it plans to enter the market for solid-state drives (SSDs) for notebooks next year and aims to offer three lower-priced products by May. Following this move, Toshiba and its rival STEC will be the only two firms delivering flash memory notebook drives based on multi-level cell (MLC) technology. Industry observers note that MLC drives hold more data than single-cell drives that are more commonly used in notebooks, and are less expensive, which makes them attractive to more consumers and businesses. MLC technology enables the storage of 2 bits of data per memory cell, versus 1 bit with single-level cell technology, and enables manufacturers to deliver twice the memory at about the same price. However, MLC drives are not as fast as SLC devices and do not retain data as long.
Minicom Advanced Systems, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel, is expanding its partnership with NEC Display Solutions. The joint venture, which began in February of 2006 with the announcement of the integration of Minicom's DS Vision 3000 receiver with NEC's line of display screens, will be widened to incorporate Minicom receivers in a total of seven different NEC screen models.
Information Technology
DATATRAK International, a technology and services company focused on global eClinical solutions for the clinical trials industry, has signed an enterprise agreement and marketing alliance with NTT DATA Corp. The group will enable NTT DATA to become a value-added-reseller of the DATATRAK eClinical product suite to the Japanese clinical trials market. This relationship consists of a five-year enterprise subscription license agreement, with the enterprise license and implementation services initially worth a minimum of $2.4 million to DATATRAK.
Sun Microsystems announced that Japan has selected Sun to create an open web 2.0 architecture, which is expected to provide better IT leverage in the delivery of government services to citizens. With this move, Japan joins Singapore and Norway on the growing list of governments that have already turned to Sun for efficient, scalable architectures that manage global information flow and help maximise productivity. According to media sources, the Japanese government has been looking for ways to provide electronic government services for many years, which led to the formulation of the "New IT Reform Strategy" in January 2006. The strategy aims to have 50% of all applications and filings for government agencies submitted online by 2010. Sun was chosen to create an integrated and inherently secure network, called Trusted Network, which will help enable a one-stop service infrastructure. The complete Sun solution is comprised of OpenSolaris OS, Sun Java System Identity Manager software, Sun Java Composite Application Platform Suite and Sun Ray thin clients.
Ventures/Investments
According to media sources, Hitachi is thinking of opening a research and development center in Israel, focusing on nano-technology and software for chip production. The chairman of Hitachi High Technologies Corp has earlier said that Hitachi might also set up an R&D center in Singapore, as part of a plan to have Israeli, Singaporean and Japanese engineers work together on different technology-based projects. Hitachi High Technologies manufactures electronic equipment and materials for semiconductor production as well as laboratory equipment.
¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.
