docomo 2008 Winter - Prime

7 models for the high spec 'PRIME' series. you seem to need a 3 inch or better and preferably VGA and touch panel to go with that. also nothing lower than 5 megapixels for the cameras.

F-01A by Fujitsu - 3.2 inch full wide VGA (480x864) touch panel display, 5.2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, waterproof.F-03A by Fujitsu - 3.2 inch full wide VGA (480x960) touch panel display, 5.2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, slide style body, out between Jan and March 2009.L-01A by LG - 2.8 inch QVGA (240x480) touch panel display, 5.1 megapixel camera, 1-seg, tri-lingual display, slide style body.N-01A by NEC - 3.2 inch full wide VGA (480x854) touch panel display, 5.2 megapixel camera, 1 seg, bluetooth, slide type body with rotation.P-01A by Panasonic - 3.1 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 5.1 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, document viewer, number keys also change what they display if you hold it horizontally.SH-01A by Sharp - 3.3 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 8 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, document viewer, cycloid style body.SH-03A by Sharp - 3.0 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 8 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, document viewer, 2 hinged style body.

docomo 2008 Winter - Style

6 handsets for the STYLE series, which according to docomo are 'designed like accessories' for 'those who want to project the latest look'.

• F-02A by Fujitsu - 3 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, waterproof, motion sensor, crystal cut design, girl colours including shiny gold, cosmetic pink and 4 degress C white which is a collaboration with the jewelery brand.

• N-02A by NEC - 3.2 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 5.2 megapixel camera with stabilization and face recognition, 1-seg, document viewer, bluetooth, keypad illuminations. 12.9 mm thin and one of the higher end specification in the style series.

• N-03A by NEC - 3 inch full wide QVGA (240x427) display, 2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, document viewer, collaboration with sweet brand Pierre Herme.

• P-02A by Panasonic - 3.1 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 5.1 megapixel camera, 1-seg, slide style body, but to overcome the distance to get to the top keys, the display part opens up and out. not due in the shops till January to March.

• P-03A by Panasonic - 3 inch full wide QVGA (240x427), 3.2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, 14.7 mm thin, double open style.

• SH-02A by Sharp - 3 inch full wide VGA (480x854) display, 5.2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, 8 colour variations.

docomo 2008 Winter Collection

I am finally ready to embark on covering docomo's winter releases that were announced back on November 5th. due to the shear number of handsets (22!) I will create several posts. however, docomo has made it easy to split up the posts, thanks to the new branding method. gone is the 90xi and 70xi series. instead docomo have positioned their models into the following 4 series:

• STYLEemphasis on design, colour variations, illuminations etc. targeted at females in their twenties and thirties. will include brand collaborations.

• PRIMEhigh-end, high-spec handsets aimed at teens and twenty-somethings who want the latest functions.

• SMARTslightly confusing because smart does not mean smartfone. handsets like the previous u (mu) series that are compact, thin and light with useful functions for the business scene.

• PROsmartfones.

you can check out the official docomo english press release here.

the plastic revolution continues

interesting article yesterday on Japan Today about the use of Felica based payment services. the title of the article, "the plastic revolution continues" points to the fact that many of the services are available on their own IC enabled card, but of course they usually also have a downloadable software application which means you can use you mobile phone instead of filling your wallet up with more plastic.

Japan Today: The plastic revolution continues

3 iPhone 3G announcements

as well as the details on the winter 2008 collection, last week SoftBank also announced 3 items of good (?) news for iPhone users.
item 1 - 1-seg
yes it is hideously large, and I have no idea why anyone would want to buy this, but SoftBank have developed an external hardware add-on to bring 1-seg to the iPhone. the 1-seg tuner sends the image via Wi-Fi or as shown in the picture above doubles as an external battery. the dimensions are 50mm x 85mm x 16mm and you will have to download a special 1-seg application from the app store. due out in December.
item 2 - free Wi-Fi
SoftBank Mobile will be offering free access to iPhone users via all 'BB Mobile Points' around the country. BB Mobile Points are a public Wi-Fi hotspots offered by fellow SoftBank group company SoftBank Telecom. there is currently rougly 3,500 BB Mobile Points around the country including at McDonalds, Doutour coffee shops JR train stations, and airport lounges. the free of charge will make little difference to the majority of users like me who will max out their data plan, but the increased speeds will be welcome by anyone who can be bothered to complete the necessary set up.item 3 - emoji
yes believe it or not, emoji (pictograms?) is a common complaint for those reluctant to opt for the iPhone. SoftBank have said they are in development and will be ready by the end of the year.

so I don't intend to neglect the regular focus of Japanese handsets, but with the personal news that I myself gave in and purchased an iPhone, may lead to a few more iPhone articles. however, like this article, they will remain centered on iPhone news in the Japanese market and SoftBank world.

SoftBank Winter Collection 2008

during the week SoftBank announced 12 new models and a new data card to add to the 2 other models already announced and Disney Mobile's DM003SH to complete what will make up a winter collection of 16 models.930SC OMNIA by Samsung - 3.3 inch WVGA (480x800) touch panel display, 5 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, 7.2Mbps download compatible, 8GB internal memory, widget software, 58.1mm x 115.2mm x 13mm, 127 grams

AQUOS 931SH by Sharp - 3.8 inch Half XGA (480x1024) touch panel display, slide style body, 5 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, mobile widgets, PC email, 52mm x 115mm x 16mm, 130 grams

930SH by Sharp - 3 inch Full WVGA (480x854) display, clam style body, 8 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, HSDPA, 48mm x 105mm x 15.2mm, 110 grams

830P by Panasonic - 3 inch full WQVGA (240x427) display, clam style body, 2 megapixel camera, 'one push open button', 49mm x 109mm x 15.4mm, 114 grams

830CA by Casio - 3 inch full WQVGA (240x427) display, clam style body, 5 megapixel camera, 1-seg, first arrival of Casio's trademark penguin characters to SoftBank, 50mm x 106mm x 16.7mm, 105 grams

fanfun.2 830T by Toshiba - 2.8 inch WQVGA (240x400) display, clam style body, 1.96 megapixel camera, 1-seg, bluetooth, customisable illumination panel, 50mm x 103mm x 15mm, 111 grams

fanfun.petit 831T by Toshiba - sister model of the 830T aimed at younger girls. drops the 1-seg, bluetooth, Felica, inwards camera, PC site browser. In exchange adds a child saftey functions and a buzzer alarm

Touch Diamond X04HT by HTC - 2.8 inch VGA (480x640) touch panel display, 3 megapixel camera, Office Mobile, IE/Opera full browser, YouTube application, 51mm x 102mm x 11.35mm, 110 grams

Touch Pro X05HT by HTC - 2.8 inch VGA (480x640) touch panel display, horizontal slide QWERTY keyboard stlye body, 3 megapixel camera, Office Mobile, IE/Opera full browser, YouTube application, 51mm x 102mm x 18.05mm, 165 grams

Nokia E71 by Nokia - 2.36 inch QVGA (240x320) display, 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, PC email, QuickOffice, Adobe Reader, FM radio, YouTube application, 57mm x 114mm x 10mm, 127 grams

Nokia N82 by Nokia - 2.4 inch QVGA (240x320) display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, PC email, FM radio, YouTube application, 50mm x 112mm x 17mm, 114 grams

730SC by Samsung (not pictured above) - 2 inch QVGA (240x320) display, 1.3 megapixel camera, prepaid exclusive, menu display in Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, Portugese, text input in Japanese, English and Korean (Korean limited to SMS, address book and memo pad), 44.6mm x 107.9mm x 14.7mm, 95.9 grams

C01SW by Sierra Wireless (not pictured above) - USB stick type data card compatible with 7.2Mbps HSDPA downloads. global roaming in 126 countries, integrated microSD card slot.

au 2008 autumn and winter collection

yesterday au announced 7 new models and 1 data card to make up their 2008 autumn and winter collection. probably the most attention grabbing was Casio's EXILIM keitai W63CA which sports a 8.1 megapixel camera.
as usual, from left to right, top to bottom:

Wooo keitai W63H by Hitachi - 3.1 inch WVGA OEL display, double hinged body, 5 megapixel camera, 1-seg, PC document viewer, bluetooth. 50mm x 110mm x 17.4mm (thickest part is a rather chunkier 20.1mm). 123 grams.

EXILIM keitai W63CA from Casio - 3.1 inch WVGA OEL display, double hinged body, 8 megapixel camera (face recognition, ISO1600, 28mm lens, 'direct to YouTube' application), 1-seg, bluetooth. 50mm x 110mm x 17.4mm (same dimensions as the Wooo keitai). 124 grams.

AQUOS keitai W64SH by Sharp - 3.5 inch full WVGA, full slide body, 5.2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, FM transmitter, bluetooth, motion sensor, stereo speaker. 53mm x 116mm x 16.5mm. 144 grams.

W65T from Toshiba - 2.8 inch WQVGA OEL display, slide body, 3 megapixel camera, 1-seg, motion sensor, bluetooth, electronic dictionary, 'speedy controller' center key. 50mm x 115mm x 17.3mm. 126 grams.

W65K by Kyocera - 2.7 inch WQVGA, regular flip (clam) body, 2 megapixel camera, 1-seg, waterproof. 50mm x 106mm x 15.8mm. 116 grams.

W64S from Sony Ericsson - 2.7 inch WQVGA, double hinged body, 3 megapixel camera, 1-seg, GSM roaming. 50mm x 106mm x 14.9mm. 120 grams.

W62P by Panasonic - 2.9 inch WQVGA, flip style body, 2 megapixel camera, 1-seg. 50mm x 108mm x 12.9mm. 107 grams.
the W06K data card from Kyocera is the first ExpressCard 34 type with au and is compatible with EV-DO Rev.A and download speeds of 3.1 Mbps. interestingly it also seems to be the first au data card to also be Mac OS compatible.as I mentioned in a previous post, au have enlisted the help of Miss Universe Japan from the last three years, and will be offering special contents in collaboration with the organization.
engadget focused on the W63CA in this article.

SoftBank and docomo announcements upcoming

following the notification of au's autumn/winter model launch, docomo and SoftBank have also released details of their announcements. all three dates are as follows:

au - October 27
SoftBank - October 30
docomo - November 5

SoftBank published a online countdown to the press conference, which as you can above is just over 90 hours away. on the same countdown page, they have embedded the recent tv adds for the iPhone. last weeks sales figures showed that the iPhone was overtaken by 'kabu keitai 920SH YK', the handset based on Sharps 920SH which has a dedicated button to a share trading menu. apparently the handset saw great reductions in price to move on some of the stock of the handset.

SoftBank' countdown site can be accessed here:

http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/special/08winter/live/countdown.html

au announcement on 27th October

au have put up a web page featuring not just one but the three most recent Miss Universe Japan notifying that there will be an announcement coming up on the 27th of October.

the site, which links to the three girl's blogs is no doubt referring to the announcement of au's autumn/winter models which feel as if they have been ages in coming.

you can check out the site here.

Calls from mobiles exceed those from fixed lines

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced earlier this month that the number of hours of calls made from mobile phones exceeded those from fixed line phones for the first time in fiscal year 2007. In this case 'fixed line phones' means the traditional phoneline and does not include the fast growing area of IP telephones.

Reasons suggested by the ministry include the introduction of free SoftBank to SoftBank calls and also the reductions in call rates seen from the other carriers. Phonecalls from mobile phones saw an increase of 6.2%, however overall talk time (mobile, fixed and IP) was down 2.1% from the previous year, perhaps due to the increase of e-mail use and other newer communication methods.

I posted way back in January when mobile contracts topped 100 million earlier this year. In contrast fixed line contracts were down 7.1% this year to just over 51 million.