Tag Archives: Masayoshi Son
Pepper, the Incredibly Communicative Japanese Humanoid Robot
On his first day at work, Pepper couldn’t keep his robotic mouth shop and entertained a great number of people that happened to be shopping in that location.
The result of a collaboration between Japan’s mobile carrier SoftBank and French humanoid robot maker Alderbaran, Pepper is said to be the world’s first emo robot.
At a press conference held in Tokyo, Softbank’s CEO Masayoshi Son pointed out that Pepper is “the first robot to read human emotions.” The most notable thing about this is that once Pepper identifies someone’s emotions, he won’t stop bragging about them.
Son continued by saying that “Robots like Pepper are adding a new dimension in our daily lives. They would change it with the same magnitude as the PC, Internet and mobile phones did. Our vision is to create an affectionate robot that can understand people’s feelings. Then autonomously, it will take action. Ours is not aiming for productivity, but rather at the home or store, where we provide fun and entertainment.”
With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone the way Pepper approached one shopper in Tokyo: “So you came to meet me today? I am so happy to see you. What are you doing this weekend?”
Most people who saw him were pleasantly impressed. Shintaro Hamada, 23, pointed out that Pepper is indeed capable of interaction: “I thought he would just talk regardless of what I say, but he really interacted with me. That was great.”
Terry Gou, CEO of Taiwan’s Foxconn, the manufacturer of Pepper, considered that this particular robot is an example of clear evolution in the field of robotics: “We use a lot of robots in factories…, but this is for consumers and also for communication. This can really become a revolution.”
The most interesting fact about Pepper is that it features cloud-based AI, which means that whatever the predecessors learned, he will know. Son explained this: “Several thousand Peppers are going to learn at the store. Everything they learned and gained, is going to be accumulated into the cloud-based service. So that can be accelerating the evolution of the collective wisdom.”
The two companies that worked together to make Pepper a reality are planning to launch in February 2015 in Japan a commercial version that will retail for $2,000. There is no doubt that this will be sold in other countries, as well, since Pepper speaks no less than 17 languages.
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SoftBank’s CEO Wants U.S. Mobile Industry to Follow Japan’s Lead. Um, No Thanks.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is visiting the U.S. this week to tell Washington how the U.S. can learn from Japan’s example to improve its mobile broadband infrastructure. Still smarting from early...
The Five Top "Fibs" Told By Sprint Management in 2012-13
We are in a new world now where its hard to believe what just about anybody says. ARoid says he never doped but then he admitted he did. Bill Clinton never smoked but then he did but then he never...
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Japanese mobile boss claims he’s already patented the tech inside Google Glass
Patent filings, we don't take so seriously. One of Japan's richest men, with the potential to call on an army of lawyers to defend what he claims is his invention, we probably ought to. Masayoshi Son, the billionaire (and philanthropic) CEO of SoftBank, has given a two-hour speech to his shareholders about his technological predictions for the next 30 years, and about halfway through he describes a familiar idea: augmented reality glasses that can understand what a person is saying and provide subtitles as a visual overlay. At one point, he specifically mentions protecting the concept:
"By the way, we've already taken out a patent on this -- translation glasses with captions." (1:22:49 in the video at the source link.)
We think we may have found the patent application in question, submitted in 2010 by SoftBank Mobile Corp. It does show a translation function similar -- but not totally identical -- to what's been shown off in a recent Project Glass promo video, in which a guy translated his own words using Google's specs. In any case, the whole patent system is so esoteric that it's impossible to predict what ideas will clash and what won't, but it's worth bearing in mind how Masayoshi Son first became rich: he sold a translation device patent to Sharp for $1 million. What are the odds on that?
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile
Source: SoftBank, Ekouhou patent filing (Japenese)
Softbank confirms 70 percent Sprint acquisition for $20.1 billion
In a joint press conference, Softbank has officially announced that it is buying a 70 percent stake in US mobile carrier Sprint for $20.1 billion. The Japanese company is paying $12.1 billion for existing shares, with a further $8 billion for new shares that the network is issuing. CNBC has reported previously that it would net Sprint around $3 billion in much-needed cash, which it could use to regain control of Clearwire and bolster its LTE rollout. When Dan Hesse took to the stage, he said that the company's heavy investment (both in Network Vision and in its iPhone gamble) would bring a "margin expansion" in 2014.
Continue reading Softbank confirms 70 percent Sprint acquisition for $20.1 billion
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile, Sprint
Softbank confirms 70 percent Sprint acquisition for $20.1 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Softbank (PDF) | Email this | Comments CNBC: Softbank to pay $20 billion for a 70 percent stake in Sprint
Rumors of Sprint's $12 billion acquisition by Softbank weren't exaggerated, they were understated: according to CNBC, the Now Network will announce a $20 billion transaction with the Japanese network on Monday, granting Softbank a 70 percent stake in the company. According to people familiar with the matter, Softbank will purchase $8 billion in shares directly from Sprint, snagging an additional $12 billion in stock at $5.25 a share from other shareholders. The Japanese firm's payout would net Sprint $3 billion, money CNBC supposes it might use to regain control of Clearwire. Softbank's cash may also be used to bolster Sprint's ongoing LTE rollout, which is poised to light up in over 20 markets in the coming months. The details are said to be officially announced tomorrow morning, but we've reached out to Sprint for a comment in case it wants to spill the beans early.
Update: Just heard that the announcement is due at 4am Monday, so we'll likely learn more then.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
CNBC: Softbank to pay $20 billion for a 70 percent stake in Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |CNBC | Email this | Comments Japan’s Softbank in ‘advanced talks’ to acquire Sprint for more than $12 billion (update: confirmed)
While recent rumors suggested Sprint could be interested in snatching up Metro PCS, it may actually be the target of an acquisition.The Nikkei, Reuters and Wall Street Journal report it is in final buyout talks with Japanese carrier Softbank at a price in excess of 1 trillion yen ($12 billion US). Just over a week ago Softbank snapped up rival eAccess in a billion dollar deal that added 50 percent more base stations to its LTE network and will move it from third to second largest in the country when it is completed. It got to third place with a leveraged buyout of Vodafone's Japanese arm back in 2006, and CEO Masayoshi Son mentioned last week that he has his eye on the number one spot. We're not exactly sure how a potential purchase of the third place American carrier fits into its plans (or what this means for Sprint's future, its LTE rollout and its often woeful 3G speeds), but we're betting Softbank's CFO is just trying to keep Son away from any juicy looking eBay "Buy It Now" auctions.
Update: Looks like those reports were on the money: Sprint just released a statement confirming it is in talks with Softbank about a possible transaction. Find that terse press release embedded below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint
Japan's Softbank in 'advanced talks' to acquire Sprint for more than $12 billion (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Wall Street Journal, Nikkei, Reuters | Email this | Comments Softbank to acquire competitor eAccess, expand LTE network by 50 percent
Softbank isn't content with being Japan's third largest wireless provider, so its scooping up competitor eAccess for $2.3 Billion (or $1.8 Billion, if you ask Reuters) to claim the number two slot. Bringing the other carrier into the fold will give Softbank a total of 39 million subscribers and infuse its network with 50 percent more LTE base stations. Picking up the new customers and additional LTE capacity comes at a premium, however, as the firm will purchase eAccess' shares for roughly three times their value. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son expects to launch a new tethering service with the aid of the new-found resources come this December. Ink on the deal won't fully dry until February, but Son is already dreaming of the number one spot. "I never liked third place," Son said in a statement. "We fought for No. 2, and someday, we will be No. 1." You've been warned, NTT DoCoMo.
[Image credit: Miki Yoshihito, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile
Softbank to acquire competitor eAccess, expand LTE network by 50 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GigaOm | The New York Times (DealBook), Reuters | Email this | Comments