Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from TotemoTech on February 8th, 2024. In today’s news, let’s start with a report on mobile phone shipments. According to a survey by MM Research Institute, the number of mobile phone shipments in 2023 fell below 30 million for the first time since the introduction of smartphones. The survey revealed that a total of 28.01 million mobile phones were shipped last year. This decline in shipments can be attributed to the increasing popularity of smartphones and the shift in consumer preferences.

Moving on to our next story, SoftBank’s subsidiary, SB Intuitions, is aiming to develop a domestic large-scale language model (LLM) with over 1 trillion parameters. SoftBank’s CEO, Junichi Miyagawa, stated that the AI model is being ‘distilled’ to create a highly refined LLM. This ambitious goal reflects SoftBank’s commitment to advancing AI technology and its potential applications.

Now, let’s talk about VTubers. ANYCOLOR, the operator of VTuber group ‘Nijisanji,’ announced that the termination of the contract with VTuber Selen Tatsuki will have a minimal impact on the company’s performance. Despite the contract termination, the stock price of ANYCOLOR has experienced a decline. The VTuber industry continues to evolve, and such developments can have an impact on the business dynamics of VTuber management companies.

In other news, Bluesky, a decentralized social networking service, witnessed the creation of 240,000 new accounts on its first day after ending the invitation-only phase. Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, also acknowledged that there were temporary service disruptions during this period. The growing interest in decentralized platforms like Bluesky highlights the demand for alternative social networking experiences.

Next, let’s discuss an announcement from viviON, the producer of VTuber group ‘Aogiri High School.’ They have decided to suspend the acceptance of gifts for their affiliated VTubers. This decision was made after it was discovered that some gifts contained hidden GPS trackers. The incident raises concerns about privacy and security within the VTuber community.

Shifting our focus to Google, the company has removed the cache feature from its search results. Previously, users could access the cached version of web pages without visiting the actual website. This change aims to streamline the search experience and align with Google’s evolving search policies.

Lastly, Sony Marketing and Hitachi Global Life Solutions have announced their plans to mutually utilize their logistics platforms starting in April. This collaboration aims to address the logistical challenges posed by the ‘2024 problem,’ which refers to the anticipated surge in e-commerce and delivery demands due to the growth of online shopping.

That concludes today’s news. Stay tuned for more updates on the latest tech developments. Thank you for listening to TotemoTech. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.

Keywords - japan, tech, news