Mobile Google localization primer: emoji and mobile Gmail

Google mobile Gmail’s support of emoji - picture characters or emoticons - in Japan is a very illustrative example of global product being tailored to a specific market.

On their blog this week, Google team announced that Google would support a wide range of emoji characters from the three main Japanese operators, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI au, and Softbank. Emails sent from mobile Gmail to other mobile accounts from within carrier domains or to mobile and PC version of Gmail will be able to display emoticons, which are very popular among Japanese users. However, at this time, emoticons inside emails sent from mobile accounts to Gmail won’t be supported, according to Google. But they are working on resolving that problem.

The mantra that services should be available globally but product execution must be local is part of Google’s mobile strategy.

Source: Google Japan (Japanese)

Related articles on Google's mobile strategy in Japan:

• DoCoMo-Google partnership: i-mode on Google steroids
• Google befriends with KDDI, plans global expansion from within Japan?
• Google Japan intros new single portal for domestic mobile operators