Expo web link shows off all things Kiwi

Stephen Weir holds the keys to a website set up for the expo. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

A website created by Auckland mobile and internet applications developer Saturn Media will showcase New Zealand to Japanese mobile phone users at Expo 2005 at Aichi this month.

Saturn founder and managing director Stephen Weir said visitors to the New Zealand pavilion could use cameras on their phones to scan special barcodes and get information about life in New Zealand.

Zapping barcodes will take users to a mobile website with 80 pages of cultural information, ringtone downloads of classic Kiwi songs, voice-based ringtones, video clips and an interactive sheep-shearing game.

"You can download a flock of New Zealand birds and have it playing as your ring tone ... we've even got a pack of sheep," Weir said.

A live feed from a camera in Auckland's central business district will give Japanese visitors a feel for Kiwi city life.

Weir said developing the mobile website was more complex than building a computer site because of the number of mobile carriers and the lack of standardisation among handset manufacturers.

The company created about 30 different sites to ensure it could cover 99 per cent of Japanese phones.

Japanese phone users will also be able to download digital photo frames such as the silver fern or pohutukawa, impose their face into a haka and, if they feel so inclined, over the face of a sheep.

But Weir said the technology used to showcase New Zealand was unlikely to be available here for years. "Japan is so far ahead and it's moving so fast."

Weir said the number of camera-equipped phones in New Zealand was still relatively low compared with Japan where, apart from the very cheapest models, a camera is standard.

Using mobile phone cameras to scan barcodes is increasingly common in Japan for tourist information and advertising.

"We did a site upgrade half-way through because we really wanted to show the Japanese that New Zealand is up there with this sort of technology."

Weir said the company wanted to use the expo to drive growth in Japan, but intends to remain based in Auckland.

"Everything was developed, designed and tested in New Zealand where it's cheaper, creativity is a lot better and being four hours ahead of Japan made a huge difference in meeting deadlines."

The 90 million mobile phone users accessing the internet in Japan offer a significant marketing opportunity.

The Aichi 2005 World Exposition runs from March 25 to September 25 and is expected to attract 1.5 million people.