The Japanese pioneered many aspects of the modern mobile computing. Long before the smartphone era began, Japanese feature phones allowed users to surf the web, purchase and pay for train tickets, and of course play innumerable games. However, with the advent of Apple iPhone and Android-based systems, the US has unarguably assumed the leadership position in mobile. But Japan has not... [read more]

The Japanese pioneered many aspects of the modern mobile computing. Long before the smartphone era began, Japanese feature phones allowed users to surf the web, purchase and pay for train tickets, and of course play innumerable games. However, with the advent of Apple iPhone and Android-based systems, the US has unarguably assumed the leadership position in mobile. But Japan has not stood still. In fact, with many talented mobile developers and designers now free to build software for open platforms, the Japanese mobile industry is roaring back with novel innovations across the mobile landscape, both for its domestic market and for the international markets. Join us for MobileMonday's "Spotlight: Japan" where you will hear from some of the Japanese mobile industry's movers and shakers about the next generation of mobile innovation in Japan. Sponsored by: Palo Alto Research Center and niconico.com | www.nicovideo.com Moderator: Scott Ellman - USAsia Venture Partners   Presenters: Hal Seki - Chief of Cirius Labs. - Cirius Technologies, Inc Cirius Technologies, Inc. provides a mobile advertising network called AdLocal for the advertisers and advertisement agencies to deliver local targeted advertisement campaigns to the mobile users. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Tokyo, Japan. As of August 15, 2010, Cirius Technologies, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Yahoo Japan Corporation. Miku Hirano, Product Manager | Hajime Hotta, CTO - Naked Technology, Inc Founded in 2006, with more than 4 years of experience in mobile application industry in Japan. Our technology, "Colors", is a cloud-based mobile application platform enabling developers to build apps running on both Smart and Feature phones with a single code base, utilizing highly useful server-side utilities (e.g. server-side version control / data analysis). Taku Kawane: Vice President, Business Operations - Gree GREE is Japan's leading social mobile game developer. We are at the forefront of mobile technology, revolutionizing game playing. With over 23 million users*, we were ranked as Japan's fastest-growing tech company by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in 2010. Starting in North America, we are expanding globally, with a target of 100 million users worldwide. We create games for iOS & android OS platforms. Gary S. Brown, Director North America - Morpho Established in 2004, Morpho, Inc. has built substantial brand recognition in the field of software image processing for mobile devices. Morpho licenses such technologies as image and video stabilization, and panorama capture, among others. Customers utilizing Morpho's software technologies include carriers, processing platform providers and mobile device manufacturers, making the company a global player in mobile imaging. Ken Kito - NicoVideo Nico Nico Douga ( Niko Niko Duga, lit. "Smile Videos") is a popular video sharing website in Japan managed by Niwango, a subsidiary of Dwango. Its nickname is "Niconico" or "Nico-d?", where "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. Nico Nico Douga is the thirteenth most visited website in Japan. The site won the Japanese Good Design Award in 2007, and an Honorary Mention of the Digital Communities category at Prix Ars Electronica 2008. Date: May 16, 2011 VIP Mixer - Meet the Panelists: 5:30pm - 6:30pm Event Registration: 6:30pm | 7:00pm Panel Begins Cost: Free, but Registration is required to attend.   Location: Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) Follow Us: Sponsored by: Palo Alto Research Center and niconico.com | www.nicovideo.com