Sep 25th - Docomo smartphone app translates menus

NTT Docomo Inc. has released a free smartphone application that translates English, Chinese and Korean restaurant menus into Japanese in a split second.

The software will be available free of charge until Jan. 16. The company will collect user feedback to help improve the technology for future commercial use.

Users train the smartphone's camera on a restaurant menu, and the text is automatically translated in about 0.2 seconds. The translated text appears on the smartphone screen.

The software can be downloaded from the Android Market online store, and can be used on smartphones with Google Inc.'s Android operating system, version 2.1 or later. Docomo plans to develop the technology to also provide instant translations of signboards, product packaging and other written information.

Aug 12th - NTT DOCOMO to Invest in Vietnam's VMG Media JSC

NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has acquired an approximately 25% stake in Vietnam's largest mobile content provider, VMG Media Joint Stock Company (VMG), which owns a market share of roughly 25% in the country. The stock purchase, worth approximately 370 billion Vietnam Dong or about 1.4 billion Japanese yen*1, represents NTT DOCOMO's first investment in Vietnam.

VMG offers both content and content platforms. With its investment, DOCOMO will share its expertise and know-how with VMG, such as in content distribution, with the aim of boosting VMG's business and expanding DOCOMO's value-added services in Asia-Pacific.

DOCOMO will also work together with VMG's largest stakeholder, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the country's largest telecom operator, which holds about 29% stake in the company, to promote VMG's business.

*1 VND = 0.00373 yen as of July 31, 2011