Several weeks ago, one of our readers made the comment that while we have been commenting on firms doing IPO's, it would be nice to hear about a firm that is still on the way. We thought it would be a good idea to interview some Japanese CEOs of promising companies, and try to understand some of the thinking and opportunities that lie before them in their rush to an IPO.

Princess Kiko gives birth to a boy, but at least one Japanese is no fan of the Imperial Family.

For those of us still struggling to use our cell phones and PCs, there is a whole new world of Internet activity and interaction going on that we will have to stay up with if we want to sell online to anyone under the age of 30. One of these hot new business sectors is that of Social Network Services (SNS), which lets millions of people find new friends and relationships online by matching profiles and forming groups.

Features include a double tuner, allowing you to watch terrestrial digital and analog broadcasts at the same, and an Electronic Programming Guide, which will, for example, automatically adjust the recording if a baseball game runs over.