On Facebook, there is no shortage of apps that tell you what celebrity you look like based on your photo (FaceDouble is the most popular), but in Japan we like our vanity apps on our mobile phones. After all, the camera is built in. Take the case of Kao Chekki (Face Check) by J-Magic, a web company that was totally unknown until the end of April 2007, when it caused a Japan-wide frenzy with its free Kao Chekki service. By June 2007, the mobile site had registered an incredible 20 million requests, and continues to be popular to this day.
The service is quite simple and cleverly plays with human vanity: People submit their photograph from their cell phones to check which (Japanese and international) celebrities they resemble the most. Kao Chekki scans the pictures and emails back the top three celebrity matches, including percentage match, a few moments later.
Kao Chekki works very well with Japanese faces (trustme on that one), but seems to have slight problems with foreigners. Michael and Erick really don’t resemble Gori-san and Kiyokiba-san, respectively, do they? Although, Gori-san is known as a cut-up.
The site’s overwhelming success spawned a number of copycats, including a rather bizarre service called Koe Chekki (Voice Check): Here, users call a phone number, leave a short message and are then emailed back to their cell phones with a list of celebrities with similar voices. Okay, maybe that one won’t translate overseas.
first
nice service..i think that can apply anywhere
Mr Toto, I must say I have been following your last posts on Japan and I really love to learn about Japan. I mostly really liked your post about Mobile Broadband Japan on August 9. Please keep us inform, it’s a delight!
didnt know there was a facebook app. how about comparing behaviors, i wud be more interested in that. like “wakes up early”,”eats on couch” and ofcourse some relevant ones too
It’s interesting how much the japanese market is reliant on their phones. This is ceratinly a fun app to have on one’s cell. Great to know about what other countries are into technologically speaking. It’s good to have a look at what’s going on elsewhere.
http://www.KillerStartups.com
The results for Erick do not look so bad. At least they all look similar.
Japan is endlessly fascinating.
With those results I don’t suppose there are many (any) western celebs in the mix.
Endlessly mindless perhaps.
GTFO!
is this available in the USA? if so, how?
I always wanted to develop a Kao Chekki type application using simple refraction and mirror technology in the mobile screen, so that instead of looking at themselves in building or train glass windows, people could flick a switch and immediately use their mobile phone to assist with applying make-up, combing hair and general personal hygiene. Oh, they have that functionality already….
How about some comments about useful things like business model, revenues, technology provider?