GREE begins testing new application in small markets
GREE, a Japanese developer of mobile gaming applications, is setting up to launch its GREE Messenger in 2013, which will be available for the iOS and Android platforms. Though the developer has plans to launch the new application next year, the GREE Messenger is actually already available in some markets. This is because GREE has decided to push a test launch to determine the impact the application may have in the already crowded Asian market.
India, New Zealand, and Australia get GREE Messenger
The Asian market is filled with messenger applications that are designed to connect consumers to one another. These applications are typically very simple, allowing consumers to chat with their friends and make use of animated graphics to spice up their messages. GREE is keen to enter into this sector and has decided to test its messenger application in three markets: India, Australia, and New Zealand. The test version of the application has limited features and has seen relatively little coverage due to the fact that GREE has not actually announced that it is available in these markets.
Application may feature gaming aspects in the future
Mobile gaming has become much more than a craze among consumers; it has become a very important and accepted part of the mobile technology space. Though the GREE Messenger is not a mobile gaming application, GREE does have tentative plans to introduce some gaming elements into future versions of the app. For now, users will be able to text chat with their friends, invite their friends to group chats, share photos and videos, and check into locations they visit.
Foreign markets may be good testing grounds
Introducing the GREE Messenger to smaller markets in Australia and New Zealand where messaging applications are not as popular as they are in Asia may be a good move. Asia’s most popular messaging application, WeChat, boasts of more than 200 million users, with others also taking up a similar portion of the consumer base. This makes its difficult for similar applications to find any headway in the market and GREE is primarily focused on exposure and ensuring that its application can actually live up to consumer expectations.
Docomo and KT Corporation team for the sake of mobile commerce
Japan’s Docomo, a leading mobile network operator, has teamed with South Korea’s KT Corporation, an information and communications business, to develop a new mobile commerce system based on NFC technology. The mobile commerce system will be designed for use in both Japan and South Korea and will facilitate payments for goods and services through the use of a mobile device. The initiative is expected to help boost consumer exposure to mobile commerce and NFC technology exponentially.
Japanese consumers to use Cashbee service
The mobile commerce system will allow Japanese consumers with NFC-enabled smart phones to make payments in South Korea without having to worry about money changing. This will be accomplished through South Korea’s extensive Cashbee service, which already allows citizens of the country to participate in mobile commerce. The service comes from the KT Corporation and its accessibility to Japanese consumers is considered the first practical step of the partnership between the two companies.
Lack of NFC-enabled devices could slow plans for mobile commerce development
Docomo expects the Cashbee service to be available to Japanese consumers in the first half of 2013. After the service becomes widely available, both Docomo and the KT Corporation will begin introducing new, cross-border services concerning mobile commerce, marketing, and mass-transit ticketing, all based on NFC technology. The two companies believe NFC technology could help bring a wide variety of convenient services to consumers in both countries, but the lack of available NFC-enabled mobile devices may delay the duo’s plans.
Demand for NFC-enabled devices reaching new heights
Despite the growing popularity of mobile commerce and NFC technology, mobile devices capable of conducting mobile transactions are still rare. Many new devices, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S III, are equipped with NFC technology, but there are currently not enough to meet the demand of consumers interested in mobile commerce. Without the adequate supply of NFC-enabled mobile devices, any plans concerning the widespread use of mobile commerce services is expected to find some difficulty gaining traction with consumers.
