SoftBank unveils 1-Seg tuner for iPhone

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Mobile carrier SoftBank Mobile will release a 1-Seg WiFi tuner for iPhones as well as provide free WiFi Internet connection service through Yahoo!BB’s hotspot network for iPhone users, CEO Masayoshi Son said Thursday during the presentation of 16 new handsets for the winter season in Tokyo.

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SoftBank will release the 1-Seg tuner, which also works as a mobile battery charger for the iPhone, in the middle of December. The expected price is about 10,000 yen. The tuner transfers movies on 1-Seg digital TV broadcasting to iPhones through WiFi connection.

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The company will also provide WiFi public Internet connection service for Yahoo!BB, which is a subsidiary of the SoftBank group, to iPhone users for free from Nov 4.

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“Email without emoticons can’t be email in Japan,” said Son. “We persuaded Apple Computer (to localize iPhones for the Japanese market).” The company will add an emoticon function to iPhones within the year through an update program.

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Son said Softbank hopes to increase the number of iPhone users by providing unique mobile service and functions in Japan’s mobile market.

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