Cell Phones Put to Novel Use

"A recent marketing study by Bandai found that more than half the readers are female, and many are reading cell-phone books in their homes"


TOKYO -- Your eyes probably hurt just thinking about it: Tens of thousands of Japanese cell-phone owners are poring over full-length novels on their tiny screens.


In this technology-enamored nation, the mobile phone has become so widespread as an entertainment and communication device that reading e-mail, news headlines and weather forecasts -- rather advanced mobile features by global standards -- is routine.MORE
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Samsung Ana Sui fashion phone

Samsung announced a special edition Samsung E315 designed by Ana Sui, a well known fashion designer. The Anna Sui Mobile by Samsung comes with lipstick and a designer phone charm. Instead of the E315's silver, Anna Sui's phone is black with purple graphics.-

Well nobody said it would be easy to move away from pink, yes there's already some more blue in violet :)


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Software companies are targeting girls,but is their marketing on the mark?

Click on the wedding cake icon and she appears before you, impossibly long legs, cotton-candy hair spun into a curly halo atop her head. She wears nothing but a snowy white bra and panties. She waits, as she always waits, for you to dress her. You choose a flouncy strapless with a full skirt. Click on another icon and the dress sprouts a demure collar and billowy sleeves. Next come the pert pointy shoes, modest nosegay, full-length gloves, and cascading veil. Barbie's wedding dress is white, of course. But if you're in a playful mood, you may choose from 11 other colors, including three shades of pink.


Barbie is ready to strut down her pink festooned runway in your creation. Once in the spotlight, she abandons her timid bride facade. She rolls her hips and swings her arms, undulating in a virtual bump and grind. She halts at the end of the catwalk, thrusting out her considerable bust. Cupid's-bow lips parted slightly, her vacant cornflower-blue eyes fix on you. Barbie, the unlikely revolutionary.
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Jane magazine, Mobot offer prizes for snapping photos of magazine ads

Jane, a women's magazine catering to 18 to 34 year olds, and Mobot, a new company offering photo recognition software, have partnered to create an advertising promotion based upon readers snapping camera phone photos of ads in Jane.


Thanks to an entry in picturephoning.com and an e-mail from Russell, I learned about the article in The New York Times discussing the camera phone promotion.

Here's what Jane says about the contest on its Web site, "You won't want to flip through the September issue of JANE without your camera phone. There's a ton of freebies, sweepstakes, MP3s and cool stuff in it for you. Grab your September issue and register below.
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Women play more mobile games

Swedish men prefer the news



Swedish women play more games on their mobile phones than men. Young people and commuters are more interested than others in downloading and listening to music on their mobile phones.

A new survey charting the attitudes of Swedish mobile users to 3G revealed a marked interest in mobile services,

When asked which mobile services the users prefer, 16 percent of women said that they frequently played games and a many as 56 percent have tried it. The corresponding figure for men is 11 percent and 57 percent respectively.
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Vodafone Live Girls Zone

Vodafone UK has updated its Vodafone live! service with the addition of a brand new 'For Girls' section.

With the recent revelation in the national press that women are now spending more on the latest gadgets than fancy footwear, Vodafone UK has updated its Vodafone live! service with the addition of a brand new 'For Girls' section.
This commitment to cater more for the female market was also encouraged by the recent Vodafone poll of 3,500 picture messaging customers to discover what women really want from their mobile phone. From a stylish accessory to a source of news and entertainment, the mobile phone is a leading gadget in the life of the modern girl.

The poll also revealed a series of quirky facts on the latest way that people are relying on photo and mobile technology:
* 20% of mobile users send snaps of themselves in new outfits to friends for the thumbs-up
* A fashion-conscious 18% take pictures of shoes or clothes on display to show pals before making a serious fashion faux-pas
* A cheeky 5% take pictures of snappy dressers that they see on the high street to copy their style
* 15% frequently pull out their cameraphones to photograph the sides and backs of their hair
* 10% use their cameraphones as a mirror to check their make-up
* 4% even resort to getting the phone out in the middle of a restaurant after dinner - to check they have clean teeth
* More than 20% use their phone to capture details of a new property
* 15% send pictures of new furnishings to partners to get an opinion before giving the house a make-over

With gizmos becoming such an important part of girls' lives, the new 'For Girls' section provides instant access to everything a girl could ever want, from the latest fashion news to health advice, from recipes to celebrity gossip and much, much more. 'For Girls' is like having the latest magazines and top news shows at your fingertips whenever and wherever you happen to be. To access 'For Girls' simply go to the easy to use Vodafone live! menu and select the 'For Girls' icon.