The Kyoto prefectural government will launch a project in December to lend 500 mobile phones with language-translation and road-navigation functions to foreign visitors.
The prefectural government plans to offer the mobile phones at Kansai airport, hotels and other places and will provide information about local events and locations via the phones.
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Free keitai on loan for tourists in Kyoto
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Free keitai on loan for tourists in Kyoto
by Mulboyne » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:28 pm
Free phones aid tourists lost in translation
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Mulboyne - Posts: 18608
- Joined: Thu May 06, 2004 1:39 pm
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by Mulboyne » Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:16 am
MDN: High-tech solution stops foreigners getting lost in translation
"Charisma Navigation" is a revolutionary handheld personal navigation system that utilizes a pioneering global positioning system-equipped (GPS) cell phone in conjunction with some nifty online mapping technologies to tell people -- whether it be in Japanese, English or Korean -- exactly where to go...In the latter half of 2004, the Kyoto Prefectural Government was approached by a group of companies who appeared to have a novel solution for the perennial problem faced by the city's tourism promotion department - how to make life easier for travelers who don't speak Japanese...The system includes a rich database of tourist information that can be downloaded simply into the cell phone and browsed on its relatively large (2.4 inch) QVGA screen. At present, there are over 1,000 destinations registered in the beta-phase database, including natural and historical sightseeing spots, restaurants and bars, and other things to see and do in and around Kyoto.
...For a three-month test period, the Charisma Navigation cell phones are available free of charge (you only have to pay for any international calls you make!) for foreign travellers willing to try the system and complete a simple survey upon its return. There are pick-up points at Kansai International Airport, Kyoto train station, and a number of hotels and inns around Kyoto and neighboring Nara. Go to the Charisma Navigation Web site (http://www.charisma-navi.com) for more information on how to participate in the trial.
See also: FG Thread - Japan's high-tech tourist trap
"Charisma Navigation" is a revolutionary handheld personal navigation system that utilizes a pioneering global positioning system-equipped (GPS) cell phone in conjunction with some nifty online mapping technologies to tell people -- whether it be in Japanese, English or Korean -- exactly where to go...In the latter half of 2004, the Kyoto Prefectural Government was approached by a group of companies who appeared to have a novel solution for the perennial problem faced by the city's tourism promotion department - how to make life easier for travelers who don't speak Japanese...The system includes a rich database of tourist information that can be downloaded simply into the cell phone and browsed on its relatively large (2.4 inch) QVGA screen. At present, there are over 1,000 destinations registered in the beta-phase database, including natural and historical sightseeing spots, restaurants and bars, and other things to see and do in and around Kyoto.
...For a three-month test period, the Charisma Navigation cell phones are available free of charge (you only have to pay for any international calls you make!) for foreign travellers willing to try the system and complete a simple survey upon its return. There are pick-up points at Kansai International Airport, Kyoto train station, and a number of hotels and inns around Kyoto and neighboring Nara. Go to the Charisma Navigation Web site (http://www.charisma-navi.com) for more information on how to participate in the trial.
See also: FG Thread - Japan's high-tech tourist trap
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Mulboyne - Posts: 18608
- Joined: Thu May 06, 2004 1:39 pm
- Location: London
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