iWorld
Docomo to launch one-day international data service
MUMBAI: Docomo has announced that it will offer a one-day (24-hour) flat-rate data communications billing plan for customers traveling overseas beginning 2 December.
The service, called “Global 1 day Pake,” will vary in cost (980 yen, 1,280 yen or 1,580 yen) depending on the country or region of use. For example, the cost will be 980 yen for South Korea, 1,280 yen for UK and 1,580 yen for the US mainland and Hawaii.
The flat rate will apply to the 24-hour period that begins once the customer activates the service. Activation simply requires tapping a button on a dedicated app, or dialing a dedicated number. At the end of the 24-hour period, the packet communication feature in the user’s mobile device will automatically turn off to avoid unintended data usage, providing peace of mind to users concerned about using roaming services overseas.
Customers can apply for the service at Docomo’s sales channels, including Docomo shops and Docomo information centers.
Customers of Docomo’s existing international flat-rate data service, Global Pake-hodai, can flexibly use this service or the new service depending on their handset or other conditions.
Docomo also plans to introduce a roaming service for LTE-based packet communication services outside of Japan by the end of March 2014.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
