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Google’s getting cozy with KDDI - the company, which is Japan’s second-largest mobile operator, will soon offer a unique version of Gmail to its customers.

KDDI To Rebrand Gmail In Japan

Tech.co.uk’s J. Mark Lytle has many of the details.  “From September, subscribers to KDDI’s au network will be able to use a rebranded version of Gmail on both handsets and PCs,” he writes.  “While Gmail can already be used on multiple platforms, the new service will be known as ‘au one mail’ and will come free of charge.”

Lytle goes on to point out that au one mail is extremely similar to Gmail, but that’s not such a bad thing - fewer changes mean less work.  Furthermore, au one mail users will be just a small step (or, more accurately, an orange logo) away from becoming Google fans.

Publicity is good, and this deal also represents an important achievement in Google’s rivalry with Yahoo.  Jay Alabaster reports, “Google is strong in search but lags behind Yahoo Japan Corp. in other areas such as email.  Yahoo Japan is a unit of Softbank Corp., which runs the country’s No. 3 mobile operator.”  To reiterate: Google’s pal, KDDI, is number two.

Google and KDDI have worked together in the past, and that could increase this new product’s chances for success.  It’ll be especially interesting to see how au one mail does given Google’s interest in the mobile market.