Japanese

Sony’s Kazuo Hirai on Reviving the Iconic CE Brand and More: The Full AsiaD Interview (Video)

Kara Swisher in AsiaD on November 15, 2011 at 11:45 am PT

The second-in-command at the Japanese consumer electronics giant talks tablets, smartphones and turbocharging Sony.

As Yahoo Ponders Its Fate Endlessly — Selling Off Yahoo Japan Stake Is Suddenly Its Easiest Option

Kara Swisher in Media on November 3, 2011 at 12:49 pm PT

Would the sale of its Japanese asset give the Silicon Valley Internet giant at least one silver lining amidst the many dark clouds?

Yahoo for Sale: Possible Bidders Circling — Including Marc Andreessen — as Board Pressure Mounts

Kara Swisher in News on September 14, 2011 at 12:28 pm PT

As Yahoo’s board meets today to talk about what to do next, the unsettled situation at the Silicon Valley Internet giant might overtake them sooner than later.

Viral Video: The Wacky Japanese Dance

Kara Swisher in Media on August 18, 2011 at 12:45 am PT

I have no idea what to make of this group of kooky dancing Japanese men, except to say you must watch it.

More AsiaD Speakers: Sony, Google+, Microsoft, Hollywood, Huawei and Hot SV Start-Ups!

Kara Swisher in AsiaD on August 9, 2011 at 5:00 pm PT

Here’s the latest list of speakers for the upcoming AsiaD conference, which will take place October 19 to 21 in Hong Kong.

Yahoo-Alibaba-SoftBank Settlement Call: At Least It’s Not 100 Percent of Zero!

Kara Swisher in News on July 29, 2011 at 6:01 am PT

As these companies are wont to do in the middle of the night, Yahoo, SoftBank and the Alibaba Group have reached an agreement in their nasty dispute around the Alipay payments unit, and they are ready to talk about it.

SCVNGR Goes Global (Sort Of!)

Kara Swisher in News on November 2, 2010 at 1:00 am PT

BoomTown likes the sassiness of SCVNGR, the location-based service that’s not Foursquare, to do whatever it takes to stand out in the competitive space. Today, it is by “leveraging the most comprehensive places database in the world–the Google Places API,” which will essentially take the start-up global. It’s part of a lot of moves by the Cambridge, Mass.-based SCVNGR, which tries to go beyond simple check-ins by emphasizing the game aspect and posing real-world challenges for users to complete.

Another Wiif for Nintendo

John Paczkowski in Mobile on October 28, 2010 at 9:51 am PT

Nintendo warned last month that its first-half results would be lousy, and this morning the company delivered on that promise, posting its first half-year loss in seven years.

Like BoomTown Said: Cisco Announces "Umi" Consumer Telepresence

Kara Swisher in News on October 6, 2010 at 9:37 am PT

In a post last week, BoomTown wrote that Cisco would introduce a consumer telepresence product. It did today at San Francisco at a press event. It is called, inexplicably, ?mi telepresence. I’ll be honest, it sounds like sushi I refuse to eat. In any case, Cisco’s entry into the crowded consumer video-chat arena will be $599 with $24.99 monthly fee and can be used with a high-definition television.