Nintendo Account is the more interesting bit of news.

Tomo means twin in Japanese?

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/events/151029/05.html
Quick and dirty google translate

"In addition, a new point program begins. New point program, not only Nintendo's dedicated game machines, smart devices will also be subject. At September 30, 2015 subscription service we ended "Club Nintendo", but now has points when you purchase the game software, the new point program also rewards that they play the game. Even playing in the software of the dedicated machine even playing in the smart device app, point is given, the point is also a dedicated game machine, you can use it in a smart device. Of course also marked with a point when you have purchased the game software. By using the point, playing is the game is more fun additional digital content and original goods, also want software you can get a discount coupon can buy discount."

I'm just shocked that a mobile phone game would turn out to look like a giant piece of cash-grabbing crap. I mean, that's SO UNLIKE 99.999999% of the mobile phone market!

Tomo basically means "friend". So the title basically means Mii Friend, which fits the description of it.

I hate IoS games with the exception of a few, so I really hate this idea of going mobile.

Nintendo gunning for the messaging app market!


As for the new account stuff, neat to be able to use other services as your log-in. The cloud storage is nice, but I wonder how well it will be maintained.

So this is just a chat app?

If Nintendo is going to make mobile junk like everyone else I'm fine with the Miis being the franchise that gets sucked into it.  To me the Miis are like some weird in-law that doesn't fit in with the rest of the family and their mere presence taints every family event.  So, yeah, banish the Miis to the purgatory of mobile games while the "real" Nintendo franchises star in the real games.

Still I am a little surprised at how dull this game sounds.  There was a sliver of hope that Nintendo would try to shake the mobile market up with something different and interesting but this doesn't look to be any of that.

So they take the worst thing they have done in a decade and throw that as their big entry into mobile, yeah sounds to me like this is their middle finger to the pro-mobile investors and not much else.

--The title focuses on communications between Miis, and is designed to "reveal a side of your friends you never knew," while encouraging players to share information about themselves.
--[I thought we already had Facebook for sharing all our personal information to the world...

Facebook is a different beast in Japan, most users use pseudonyms when online and are reticent about revealing information about themselves, it was a Famicast topic once although I can't remember which one...

You apparently only communicate with folks on your friends list in Miitomo and you can use your existing NNID for the new account/loyalty program.
Connecting the dots, I hope this means you can import your existing friends lists to use with Miitomo. If not, I think it is doomed for failure. Very few will bother to re-do the whole "friend code" thing for this goofy app. But if the app starts with folks connecting to their existing lists, it could get tons of instant traction.
Bottom line, it has to be crazy easy to develop a list of friends to communicate with in Miitomo or it'll never get off the ground. It'll be a curiosity, quickly forgotten.
I wonder if they will have the option of Facebook and/or Twitter integration or something like that? I don't want it but I could see that being another way for folks to have an instant list of folks with whom their Mii's could communicate, I guess.

I'm just glad this is something I can safely ignore.

The main goal of the communication app is to be a conversation-starter for those who are not that chatty. Using Miis as an abstraction layer in this process is cute and potentially clever.

Miitomo is a neat idea that may or may not hit big. I'm glad that Nintendo went in a odd direction rather than some expected free-to-start game.

I think Miigrindr is a catchier name than Miitomo for the West.

Ashley Miidison?

Mii Hot or Not?

Badoo...for Miis.