Mobile in Japan

In a few weeks it will be one year since I got my iPhone 3G, and that's the deadline for purchasing the 1 year extended warranty. Do you think it's worth it? I sort of have the feeling that since there are no mechanical parts that if it was going to break it would have broken already. On the other hand, the battery can stop holding charge (though I haven't notice that happening yet). On the 3rd hand, there are services, I understand, where you can get the battery replaced for less than the warranty costs. On the 4th hand, if it's under warranty and you do need a change they just give you a new phone, right? No waiting. I'll stop before I run out of hands. doug

Google's 'Nexus One' is finally out ! Today !.... We in Japan will hafta wait :-( Looks promising….esp. the Android 2.1 features. Tech Spec here : http://www.google.com/phone Video: http://cnettv.cnet.com/google-... What do u think ?!

I have a car navi (Clarion) that has an iPod cable that I use a lot. Very nice. Brings up the iPod screen, even plays video from iPod on the navi screen. Does anyone use such an iPod car navi cable with their iPhone or iPod Touch?

I am selling an iPhone case, Otterbox Defender (Normally selling for 6600yen) for 4900yen on Yahoo auction. It is a buy it now price. Get it while you can. First come, first served. http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp...

Hi all, I'm new here. My current Softbank handset is paid for in another two months. I'd like to get an iPhone right away, but I think I will wait for the next model to come out, which I figure will be around June or so. I am especially interested in the possibility of tethering, and also in Japanese language learning software for the iPhone. Looking forward to getting (and maybe later giving) advice and information here.

I have read that there are options for developers to submit their applications to NTT Docomo and KDDI's app stores. I have searched, but I haven't find them.It is hard for me to find them,since I live in Sweden and don't know any Japanese. Does anyone know where their appstore is and where I can submit my companies products to them? I want to submit Digital lotus screensaver. You can find more info about it here: http://www.mobile-visuals.com/animate...

"Sekkaku Bijin Nanoni" Was the phrase I shot at the Toshiba rep at CEATEC while looking at the latest Toshiba smartphone now about to launch on Softbanks network. Loosely translated that means "Pity, she's very pretty, but...". The sad, helpless look from the technician confirmed my sentiment. This isn't the first time we have seen this device. Released to great fanfare and dismal sales on the Docomo network last year as the T-01A, the Softbank X02T is virtually the same device. A gorgeous slim smartphone with a 4.1 display, slim body that makes it look and feel like the iPhones older and sexier cousin, 1 ghz Qualcomm snapdragon processor, GPS, and HSPA modem makes even me want to "experiment" away from my iPhone for run around the block. But like a Californian beauty queen, its all great until she opens her mouth. Both Docomo and Softbank are offering this device with Windows Mobile as the operating system. Yes... Really. After only a few minutes playing around with the device I have...

Just yesterday I had a sudden 'apparent' death with my iphone. While using it the screen went quite dark from usual brightness. Then after that, it just went black as if not in power on state. I tried to reboot but upon doing so, the the iphone 'hangs' at the apple logo and goes no further. I did jailbreak my phone. It worked fine for a few weeks since then. But, now all of a sudden the device won't reboot. Any ideas? I know some might want to start pointing fingers at jailbreak, but, if so, then why would it work (including reboots) until now. I am thinking there might be another work around, or the device has simply become defective. BTW, I am familiar with the reset / reboot process (below), and also I have tried removing the SIM and boot without it's presence. So, just in case someone has any other bright idea(s) that I might miss, I guess I am resigned to purchasing a second phone, or a prepaid type if such an animal exists. With Android phones and the possibility of a Google...

Just yesterday I had a sudden 'apparent' death with my iphone. While using it the screen went quite dark from usual brightness. Then after that, it just went black as if not in power on state. I tried to reboot but upon doing so, the the iphone 'hangs' at the apple logo and goes no further. I did jailbreak my phone. It worked fine for a few weeks since then. But, now all of a sudden the device won't reboot. Any ideas? I know some might want to start pointing fingers at jailbreak, but, if so, then why would it work (including reboots) until now. I am thinking there might be another work around, or the device has simply become defective. BTW, I am familiar with the reset / reboot process (below), and also I have tried removing the SIM and boot without it's presence. So, just in case someone might have some other bright idea(s) that I might have missed, I would appreciate hearing about them. I guess I am resigned to purchasing a second phone, or a prepaid type if such an animal exists....

First post to the discussions, looks like a great forum. I've been trying to find a good belt pouch for the iphone and wonder if anyone can share any advice. I have my iphone in a tight silicon case, but wish to put it into a pouch that fits onto a belt. There are many pouches available but they are all designed for iphones that are not in a case such as a silicon one, there just isn't enough room. So the pouch needs to have a bit more room than a normal one. Anyone found such a pouch in Japan in a store or online?

It seems like the notorious Ikee iPhone worm (created for jailbroken iPhone) got a job at mogeneration. I find it quite interesting, though I do hear cases of hackers getting jobs as a securiity consultant. via Yomiuri

I've been using Softbank since back when it was still Vodafone, and recently upgraded to the 3GS. I still have my old k.vodafone.ne.jp address, and since I have a lot of contacts frankly I'd rather keep it in use. However I just did a test and apparently if I send a mail to the i.softbank.jp address, I will get a notification that says "you got a mail" and then no option other than "dismiss." It looks like there must be some way to use both these addresses at the same time, but I have no idea how. Any advice? If it's important I'm on the most recent OS update, but jailbroken. I remember the guy at the store telling me I could use both, but I mistakenly thought it would be easier to figure out.

GMAP has issued a new iPhone/iPod Touch application to replace Find! Tokyo called Go Tokyo. It's a completely new application and has some interesting new features covering Tokyo's subways and railways. In contrast to the older application that was area oriented, Go Tokyo is organized around the various rail and subway lines. One aspect of this line orientation is that graphics are provided for each station to show which cars are convenient to exits and detailed exit information is provided. Also, in addition to GMAP's easy to view area maps, one press of a finger will open the Google map for the area around a station which is convenient for stations where GMAP has created an area map. Personally I find the new application to be more useful than the previous application as I often go to different stations for meetings, etc. and being able to identify which car is the most convenient to the exit at the destination is very convenient. More details at the link below. Well worth the 350...

Hey Everyone, We just made some updates to our classic arcade-style Android game called Seawasp. We have two versions, a free and a paid version, and both are better than ever. The objective of the game is the shoot down enemy ships and avoid their missiles in your submarine. We are looking for feedback on the games at the moment. Please download Seawasp for free from the Android Market and let us know what you think on our comments page at http://honeymilklabs.com/index... Thanks!

Does anyone have any statistics about the distribution of handsets currently on the Japanese market? I'm interested what percentage of handsets support xhtml.

In a world first moment, Docomo plans to release a cellphone with a built in removable QWERTY keyboard. Scheduled to be released in Spring of 2010, the Fujutsu F04B has a unique design, originally displayed at CEATEC 2008 as a concept model, allowing you to split the keypad from the display portion of the phone. The two sections have independent power and can continue to communicate via bluetooth. ordinarily just a standard numeric keypad, splitting the two sections reveal a full QWERTY keyboard hidden beneath the display. While connected, the two sides create a solid connection, but once separated the y should switch seamlessly into mode. It's pretty hard to visualize, but thankfully the guys at Impress have posted a great preview review with lots of pictures. I'm also posting a couple of pics at the bottom of this article demonstrating the mechanism. The rest of the specs for the phone are pretty impressive including HSDPA 7.2mbps data speeds, VGA screen, 1-Seg mobile TV tunre, and...

It's that time again. Winter lineup for the three major cellphone providers in Japan. That's 37 new cellphones announced that will be released slowly over the next few months. I remember the days when i would get very excited by this season, but I must admit to becoming just a bit cynical over the years. With over 100 new models announced for this market every year, I struggle to think of even a dozen that stick out in my mind. I am concerned that fatigue will seep into consumer thinking and that having to force out so many new designs will breed lazyness into the domestic manufacturers. We've already seen this with makers like NEC and Fujitsu. Rather than review all 37 models, I'll point you to the breakdowns written by Serkan Toto at TechCrunch. Over the next few days however I'll feature a few of the cellphones that warrant special notice. MobileCrunch: Japan gets 11 new cell phones: KDDI’s winter line-up MobileCrunch: SoftBank’s complete 17 cell phone winter line-up MobileCrunch:...

Quite awesome field audio recorder for the iphone and FREE as well! BlueMic Website Click on 'Blue' link at bottom to go to itunes store. ;-)

David Pogue posed the question a few days ago and it's already starting to cause a bit of a stir. We've had this discussion before. What is a smartphone? If you agree that a smartphone is a phone that does real email, then basically every Japanese mobile is a smartphone, but to most people that doesn't sound right. Over the last few years, "Smartphone" has taken on an impression of a high end, premium geek phone. A Blackberry, iPhone, or Android phone that can do more than just communicate, but allows the user interact with the internet and world at large. Simply giving a regular cell phone a better screen, an email compatible SMS and a walled garden to surf around just doesn't fill my expectation of "Smart". That said, I think that David was right that the name is just too limited now. “Smartphone” is too limited. A smartphone is a cellphone with e-mail — an old BlackBerry, a Blackjack, maybe a Treo. This new category — somewhere between cellphones and laptops, or even beyond them —...

Was pretty interested when I saw this the other day. The Huawei D25HW Pocket WiFi device will be released by E Mobile in Japan on November 18th. Similar to the Novatel MiFi device, the Pocket WiFi is both a cellular modem and portable wireless router. allowing you to set up a wireless hotspot anywhere that E Mobile provides cellular access. The device offers up to 7.2 Mbps downloads and up to 5.8 uploads. The device itself appears to be compatible with both 1.7mghz and and 2.1ghz 3G HSPA networks meaning that we could start seeing it appear in new markets soon. The device appears to be smaller than the MiFi and the total package is much smaller than the CradlePoint PHS300 + USB modem solution that I have been using. Add to that a battery life of up to 4 hours and charging from USB and the device becomes pretty interesting. Also, similar to the GSM version of the MiFi, the D25HW has a memory card slot, adding what I would assume is a microNAS solution. I'm pretty impressed with the...

I am thinking to buy a Bluetooth headset for my iphone. The Apple model is quite pricy. Has anyone tried other brand? I have seen several brands between 2000 and 4000 yens at Akihabara. What should I be aware of when choosing one? Any recommendations?

Just noticed that the Tokyo iPhone game maker Score Studios have a new game out. It looks really fun. It's a sheep herding game. I'm assuming that you tap on the screen to get the sheep to go to their pen. Has anyone tried it? Both of the reviews on the Japan store are in English. Here's the page I found it: http://jeansnow.net/2009... http://score-studios.jp/... http://itunes.apple.com/WebObje...

Guest post contributed buy Top 10 Mobile Phones, a UK mobile phone comparison website The UK and Japan both have huge mobile phone markets which belie the relatively small physical size of both isolated island nations. The UK currently has around 70 million mobile phones in use, which means that there are more than enough for each and every member of the 61 million citizens. Japan has closer to 110 million mobiles in their market, but with a population of nearly 130 million the UK has it beat in terms of market saturation. Japan`s Key Companies and Money Matters Japan`s telecommunications industry is worth over £1.5 billion every year and mobile phones makes up a large chunk of that. Japan is also home to some of the most innovative mobile phones and the latest mobile phone networking technology. They were the first country to give consumers access to the internet on their mobiles a decade ago and they continue to innovate on the technology side of things. A majority of mobile phones...

Wolfram Alpha, the computational knowledge engine, released its own iPhone app. The thing is the cost is $49.99, and I am wondering if it is really worth the price. Well, you know, Wolfram Alpha itself is free, and you can access from Safari. ITMedia says that "it features better user interface, and a keyboard to type numbers in a original keypad". Well, there's always Google, but I guess some people want something that talks back to them in a real way...

Has anybody used MyWi tether 3.1 with Softbank in Japan? do we get slapped with additional charges?

Sorry if there is already a thread on this, I couldn't find anything. My @i.softbank.jp email always loads so slow on my iphone, sometimes it takes 2 or 3 minutes to load! Is there a trick to making it load faster? Thanks

Hello, I have trouble installing 2 modems in my house. I am using NTT flex connection. I need to install the wireless connection modem I bought with my Iphone 3 weeks ago to get a wifi connection to that phone. I have been trying to do it, with no success. I don’t want to spend hours on the phone with some technician to try to solve the problem. Any idea how I could get a technician to come to my home (10m from Akihabara station) to solve that problem. Thanx for any hints. Haha.

Rumors: seems that new EasyTrails GPS 2.0, a nice GPS tracker for your iPhone, will soon be available in other mobile phones too, Android, Blackberry and maybe Nokia-N... EasyTrails GPS 2.0 is the perfect application for outdoor athletes and everybody willing to track their activities. Whenever you are trekking, running, skiing, sailing, traveling or just wandering around, EasyTrails GPS will help you making it a unique and easier experience. Went out for a run? Well, EasyTrails GPS 2.0 can tell you how far, how fast and how long you ran... and much more! It also displays the elevation profile and your track on the map in a street/satellite/hybrid fashion. The results can be stored, so it is very easy to retrieve them at any time to verify your progress. Also, tracks can be exported to a computer to be used with GPS software or shared with others. The app exports your tracks in standard formats (GPX, KML/KMZ and CSV) and can be used with a variety of GPS software including Google...

Rumors: seems that new EasyTrails GPS 2.0, a nice GPS tracker for your iPhone, will soon be available in other mobile phones too, Android, Blackberry and maybe Nokia-N... EasyTrails GPS 2.0 is the perfect application for outdoor athletes and everybody willing to track their activities. Whenever you are trekking, running, skiing, sailing, traveling or just wandering around, EasyTrails... more...

Hello Everyone, We launched our first iPhone app few months back which was followed by a Japanese version but we do not see many users in Japan using it. We have free and paid versions, I would appreciate if someone can review and give us feedback both good or bad keeping Japan in mind. Only difference between paid and free versions is that a paid user can catch 'shug' anywhere in the world whereas a free user can only catch 'shugs' around them. I am willing to give promotion codes to 7 people who give us their feedback. http://awshugs.techjini.com/ App Introduction ================ - View the comic we created to introduce the app at http://awshugs.techjini.com - There is also a video on the same page showing the basic features in action - Screenshots of the app are also available on the same page App Summary =========== - Shugs are little creatures that carry your messages. - You write a message, choose a shug to carry it, name the shug and throw it anywhere in the world. - You can...

I have some codes for a free download of my iPhone app that I'd like to give away. The app is called Tokyo Art, and it's great for finding art shows, galleries, exhibitions and museums in Tokyo. It uses the Tokyo Art Beat (http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/) API, so the information is always up to date. They generally have around 500 ongoing shows, many of them are free. You can use my app to find galleries by category, area, and with the GPS to find event near your location. You can use it in English or Japanese (the interface and information are both bilingual). If you've never used promo codes, they give you one free download of an app. The only caveat is that you need to have a US account to redeem them. I've set one up myself fairly easily, using the "No Credit Card" option. Just leave a message below and I'll choose 5 people (or more if there's enough interest) at random on Friday. That should get you set up to use it on the weekend! Here's the app page: http://nevan.net/tokyoart/ And...