We ♥ web applications!
At mobalean we love to build innovative web services for Japan and the world. Our experience will help transform your ideas into successful online services.
At mobalean we love to build innovative web services for Japan and the world. Our experience will help transform your ideas into successful online services.
Mobalean is lead by Henri Servomaa, the original founder and mobile developer. At Mobalean we strive to develop services which are loved by our clients and users. By working in an agile manner, quickly adapting to changing requirements, we can deliver quickly and often.
Hailing from Finland, Henri has a long history with computers and the internet. With a background in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he has worked in Japan as Software Developer and System Admin since 2001. In 2005, he joined a company to develop mobile sites for the Japanese market and has been involved in mobile ever since.
Cleve Lendon is a Canadian engineer who has been contracting for Mobalean. He came to Tokyo in 1994, and has lived here ever since. He has broad experience as a software developer, which includes development of mainframe software, Internet applications and mobile apps (Android and iOS). He is especially skilled at writing Java applications (vd. Simredo 4, Grafikilo 15). When not programming, Cleve enjoys improv acting and studying languages, such as Latin and Esperanto.
Our strength is crafting web services for both Japanese and international markets. We bring our technical and cultural experience to help you adapt your ideas into successful products.
We develop with Ruby on Rails and use the best agile practices and tools, such as test driven development and continuous integration to achieve quality.
We are the leading provider of technical expertise about the Japanese mobile web. Mobalean started when the smartphones were just appearing on the market. Our Keitai Web Technology Guide is a quick starting point for learning about the initial challenges of Japanese mobile development. Although the technology stacks have changed since the proliferation of iOS and Android, some of the idiosyncrasies remain. Most notably, the Japanese market is still very much dominated by the big three carriers: DoCoMo, au and Softbank. Developers can find more technical details in our Keitai-Dev Wiki.
Email address: info@mobalean.com
If you prefer to call us, feel free to do so under +81 (0)70-6251-7245
For users of Skype, please call mobalean
For international corporations, the Japanese mobile market can be attractive. High 3G penetration, affordable flat rate data plans, and long history of mobile have lead to a market where most people use mobile Internet. However, the market is also challenging to enter. The following are some of the biggest challenges foreign companies will face when entering the market.
The Japanese mobile market has traditionally been controlled by the three major carriers, who have dictated device specifications to handset manufactures. This tight control meant that handsets stayed fairly standardized within the carriers.
However, Japanese subscribers are increasingly adopting smartphones. According to a report by seed planning, as of the end of financial year 2009, 3.4% of subscribers had smartphones and by 2015, 40% of all subscribers are projected to have smartphones. The smartphone market is currently dominated by the iPhone, but traditional keitai manufactures are fighting back with Android-backed smartphones with features usually found only in keitai. For instance, KDDI is releasing the IS03, with a 1seg television receiver, a FeliCa electronic money chip, and applications for their music and navigation services.
Unlike the North American market, where only smartphone users tend to use mobile Internet, in Japan, keitai and smartphone subscribers alike frequently access the Internet. As such, although the future of traditional keitai is uncertain, it is essential to support them, while planning for the upcoming smartphones.
Galápagos syndrome is a term used by Japanese to describe the domestic mobile market. Keitai have evolved differently from the mobiles in the rest of the world. For instance, SMS is not used in Japan, and instead push email is universally supported. Additionally when compared with smartphones, keitai have a number of technical limitations that mean not only will keitai optimized templates be required, but also the back-end technology will need to handle these limitations. Our Keitai Web Technology Guide covers this in more detail.
With 10 years of history, the Japanese mobile market has had more time to mature than the rest of the world. This means if you are only now entering the market you are likely competing with existing sites for users or SEO. For instance, if you are a brand looking to launch a site in Japan, likely there are already many mobile commerce sites selling your product which you will need to compete with. To be successful in Japan, international companies will need to overcome the already entrenched local competitors.
Keitai sites generally follow similar patterns with look and feel. Furthermore, keitai allow only limited options with regards to styling of pages. As such, for design and site flows, it is important to work with local people who are experienced in building keitai sites to create an appealing experience for the Japanese audience.
If you are looking to bring your mobile web service to Japan, please contact us and we can help review your current site flows to identify challenges for the Japanese market.