Every morning, Akio Tanaka wakes up and reaches for his mobile phone to check on his health.

"Your blood pressure is good and your body fat has been decreasing steadily," reads an e-mail message. "The air is dry in the area of the town you are going to visit today and strong winds are blowing around the tall buildings. Be careful not to catch a cold. And be sure to take moisture cream with you."

Tanaka (not his real name) isn't reading a note from a doting mother or doctor, but a distant computer that's tracking his state of health and collating it with weather predictions. The mobile service even offers dinner suggestions and tells him how many blankets to use at night.