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 Benesse Corporation, in cooperation with CYBIRD Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazutomo Robert Hori; "CYBIRD"), has announced it will launch a new public-access mobile phone website called i-Shimajiro. Scheduled to go live on Monday, June 21, 2004, the site will feature Shimajiro, a tiger character popular with young children and their parents. The site will be offered on the NTT DoCoMo i-mode network and cost \315 per month including tax to access. Call charges are separate.

Shimajiro is the face of Benesse's Kodomo Challenge, membership-based correspondence courses aimed at preschool children and their families. Membership of these courses totaled 1.45 million. Shimajiro is so well known in Japan that almost all the country's children and parents can recognize him.

The new service is based on a new and innovative concept for mobile phone websites: whereas conventional sites are designed for only the user of the mobile phone in mind, i-Shimajiro will offer content that both parents and children can enjoy together on a single mobile phone.

(Examples of new services)
Using its extensive knowledge of parent-child communication gained through Kodomo Challenge, Benesse has designed a range of games and services ideally suited to the mobile phone environment that are not possible with book or video formats. With instant game-play, customizable functions, and a fun mix of sound and video, the site will offer totally new ways for children and parents to interact.

-Create picture books featuring your children and Shimajiro
Using images taken with camera-enabled phones, users can create their own picture books starring themselves, their family and Shimajiro. These picture books can also be sent via the Internet to friends.

-Create baby diaries featuring photos of your child
Using i-shot, an in-built digital camera capability, users can easily make baby diaries that include photos recording their child's development. These diaries can be viewed by relatives and friends on their own mobile phones.

-Use other functions that promote parent-child communication
A quiz game that parents and children can enjoy: by repeatedly opening the mobile phone (clamshell models) the child reveals a picture on the screen that develops with every opening. Looking at the silhouette they try to guess what it is by asking their parents for clues.
Personalized phone screens: users can create unique pictures featuring their child and Shimajiro. Other details like names and ages can also be added, and on special occasions such as birthdays or New Year, other specially designed screens can also be programmed to appear.



*Benesse will provide the Shimajiro character and is responsible for content planning, while CYBIRD will design, create, develop and operate the i-Shimajiro mobile phone website.