The beginning of the end: Nintendo shuts down a part of the Wii network service

To be frank, Nintendo Wii U is the hard situation. In the first place the situation of Nintendo is hard, too. Meanwhile, Nintendo made a severe decision this week. Some of Wii network services are shut down on June 28.

• Weather channel(お天気チャンネル)
• Digital camera print channel(デジカメプリントチャンネル)
• News channel(ニュースチャンネル)
• Vote channel of all(みんなで投票チャンネル)
• Nintendo channel of all(みんなのニンテンドーチャンネル)
• Mii contest channel(Miiコンテストチャンネル)
• Data exchange with the Wii friends in WiiConnect24(WiiConnect24でのWiiフレンドとのデータ交換)

Unfortunately these disappear from Wii menu after June 28. Originally the lineup of the Wii channel were 17. However, by this announcement, they decreased to 8. Less than half! Is this the beginning of the end?

Source:
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/support/information/2013/0412.html

Let's decorate Facebook message cutely!

Japanese company Pickles released the iOS apps "Stamp messenger" that could add a stamps(stickers) to Facebook message.

Why is LINE popular? One of the reasons is cute stamps(stickers). Stamp messenger applies it to Facebook message.

This is apps using Facebook API. When we log in to this using Facebook account, our Facebook friends are reflected. And we can talk with friends with these stamps.

All the stamps are free of charge and many kinds increase from now on.

Furthermore, we can exchange wall paper using photos. We can arrange Facebook message cutely if we combine stamps with this.

This is a very good idea. Facebook is unpopular with youths now. However, some situation may change if they use this.

Japanese old man draws a splendid picture by Excel

Are these pixel art? No. These are "Excel" art.

Mr.Tatsuo Horiuchi, 73-year-old living in Gunma, Japan draws a picture by Excel from 2000.

"I did not use Excel by work, but I watched that other people drew a graph neatly and thought that I could draw pictures by Excel". And he purchased a PC just before retirement at the age limit and challenged Excel art. Then, 10 years later, he became a painter as he participated in art exhibitions.

He is studded with auto-shapes in a worksheet innumerably and gives coloring. It is incredibly delicate that it was described in Excel.

Why will he draw a picture by Excel? He said, "Graphics software were expensive, but Excel was preinstalled in a PC. And it is higher-performance than paint and is easy to use it". He makes friends with oil painters and Japanese painters, and exchanges information now. Furthermore, he runs a Website and shows a method to describe Excel art. Unfortunately it supports only Japanese. However, we can watch his works here.

Source:
http://pc.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/interview/20130319/1083744/

LINE became No.1 in free apps ranking of Chinese App Store

According to China Daily, Japanese messaging apps LINE became No.1 in free apps ranking of Chinese App Store.

LINE started Chinese support from December 12, 2012 and they cooperated with QIHU360. They entered the Chinese market and got No.1 in 4 months.

Of course China has WeChat. They have users more than 200 million and probably are the world's largest messaging apps. It is very important to LINE that they beat them. By the way, LINE has about 130 million users now.

Big news! LINE launched e-book business

Today, LINE started e-book service LINE Manga suddenly. But it is only Japanese support at present.

LINE Manga is e-book apps for smartphones that market place, viewer and bookshelf were combined. About 30,000 popular Manga such as "Uchu Kyodai(宇宙兄弟;Space Brothers)" ,"ONE PIECE", "Shingeki no kyojin(進撃の巨人;Attack on Titan" and "Kaiji(カイジ)" have been already sold here. Furthermore, they are going to add Manga more than 1,000 every month.

The biggest characteristic of LINE Manga is to offer a limited stamp(sticker) to users who purchased Manga. They apply the tie-up technique with companies, brands, artists and game apps to LINE Manga.

Users can share favorite Manga sold in LINE Manga in a timeline of LINE.

Because there is a trial reading function in LINE Manga, users can confirm contents before purchasing them.

This is a big menace for other Japanese e-book services. About 30,000 sale numbers are the hugest in e-book services of Japan. In addition, the publishing companies join in LINE Manga are more than 50. Furthermore, LINE has already had users more than 45 million in Japan. It is huge in all.

By the way, I think that LINE starts the social music service someday. e-book and the music are already virtual goods like a stamp(sticker). It is natural for LINE to treat all of them. Possibly the trial of the other day may be its sign. In Japan, LINE is already contents platform as well as messaging apps.