Online Journalism News

Japan heralds mobile news system

Changes to mobile phone wireless technology could have major implications for online journalism.

The Java-based programming language, Appli, is providing the catalyst. It enables breaking news headlines to be sent direct from the web to mobile handsets. Appli enables phones to download and decode information in the same way computers do.

The technology has already taken off in Japan, and now has around 10 million users. Newspapers like the Mainichi Daily News the Japan Sports Newspaper, broadcasters including TV Asahi, Fuji Sankei and the Tokyo News Agency have already launched a wide range of Java-based information services offering hourly news updates.

Reuters' office in Japan is now creating a Java-based local news delivery system that will feed content to both wireless carriers and traditional media organisations.

The new technology could also deliver TV news clips to phones. Traditional Japanese broadcast outlets, including Nihon TV, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Fuji TV's financial news, TV Asahi and TV Tokyo are among 23 news channels now available on NTT DoCoMo's M-Stage Visual mobile service, which provides 90-second video clips.

Daniel Scuka, writing for Online Journalism Review, predicts that eventually mobile users will be able to see interactive news on their phones, and that the resulting change will provide a boost for small news operators and bloggers.

Dan Gillmor, a technology and business columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, said: "Watch the next time a major news event, such as a bad earthquake, takes place. Before the big Japanese media organisations even have time to scramble their photographers to the scene, the world will be able to view the aftermath of the quake - and, no doubt, videos of the quake as it happened - on a variety of web sites."

Sources:
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/technology/1044577803.php
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017958782.php

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reuters | online journalism | japan | tokyo | online journalism review | media organisations | tv asahi | san jose mercury news | fuji | fuji sankei | ntt docomo | phone wireless technology | wireless carriers | tokyo news agency | daniel scuka | the san jose mercury news | the mainichi daily news | java | mobile phone wireless technology |

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