TOKYO, JAPAN, February 29, 2012 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s leading mobile operator and provider of integrated services centered on mobility, announced today a partnership with California-based Eye-Fi, Inc., maker of the world’s first Wi-Fi® compatible SD™ and SDHC™ cards. Working together, the companies plan to integrate DOCOMO’s mobile “personal cloud” system for individual-oriented cloud-based services and other related services and Eye-Fi’s “View” cloud service and multiplatform, instant photo/video uploading system. As part of the partnership, and to build a strong relationship between the two companies, DOCOMO has led the $20 million Series D investment round of funding for Eye-Fi, with a $14 million U.S. dollar investment.
Once the partnership kicks off in March, DOCOMO will combine its Otayori Photo Service™, which sends uploaded photos to 3G-capable digital photo frames, and Eye-Fi’s SD/SDHC card, which instantly uploads photos from digital cameras. As a result, DOCOMO customers will be able to easily send photos from their digital cameras to Otayori Photo Service without having to connect the camera via a USB or communication cable.
Eye-Fi’s latest cards, which will be made available from April, do not require initial setup via a computer, and will be easily formatted with a user’s smartphone via an Eye-Fi’s application software. DOCOMO plans to sell Eye-Fi’s latest cards at docomo shops starting in April, earlier than in most other countries.
DOCOMO and Eye-Fi also are already discussing additional possibilities for combining their respective technologies for other convenient, innovative personal-cloud services from DOCOMO.
Going forward, DOCOMO will place increasing emphasis on its growing range of personal-cloud services, in addition to continuing to diversify its lineup of smartphones and other mobile devices and developing advanced technologies centered on mobility.
Total image of DOCOMO’s New Photo-sharing Service in Collaboration with Eye-Fi
About NTT DOCOMO NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading integrated-services company centered on mobility. The company serves over 59 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more.Otayori Photo Service is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.
Otayori Photo Service only available to subscribers in Japan.
microSD and microSDHC are trademarks of SD Association.
Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.