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.

iPhone launch news roundup

it would have been pretty hard for anyone in town not to notice that last Friday saw the long awaited launch of Apple's 3G version of the iPhone in Japan. my favourite keitai news sites were totally devoted to the launch, with barely an article about anything else.

one recurring theme, even in the mainstream media (Nihon Keisai Shinbum) was the comparison of the iPhone to Commodore Perry's Black Ships that opened Japan to the outside world. I have high hopes that the iPhone and more importantly the model surrounding the App Store are going to shake up the local keitai market.it shouldn't be a surprise that the iPhone effectively sold out on the first day. the flagship SoftBank store in Omotesando opened at 7am, with other stores and electrical retailers starting the sale of iPhones from midday. I popped along to BIC Camera's HQ in Yurakucho around 1pm and there was plenty of exitement, with queues around the building and TV cameras reporting on the action. but unfortunately Ueto Aya was already nowhere to be seen!

one internet article had went along asking the people in line what phone they had currently been using and they were spread evenly amongst SoftBank, docomo and au, so I think the iPhone is definitely a good thing for SoftBank right now, and the longer they remain the sole network with iPhone the better.on the comical side of things, one article touched on the sole reason why I will not be buying an iPhone anytime soon, and that is of course the lack of mobile wallet (osaifu-keitai) functions. they looked into whether you could get similar functionality by strapping a IC enabled credit card to the back of your iPhone. personally though, for now I think I will settle for carrying around two devices. a nice Japanese keitai and iPod Touch.

iPhone data plans and pricing announced

SoftBank today announced the pricing options for the iPhone due out in a few weeks time. there will be a completely new plan called 'white plan i' which will cost 980 yen per month, allowing free SoftBank to SoftBank calls from 1am to 9pm, and a new 'i e-mail' address.

asides from this they also announced a new data plan called 'packet flat-rate full' which offers unlimited data for 5,985 yen a month. this data plan is required when buying an iPhone as is the original 'S! basic pack' which adds another 315 yen a month.

considering that I put up with paying 5,700 yen a month for unlimited data on a regular 'non-smart' phone, I think this new data plan from SoftBank is very competitive. there are off course other optional plans, that include an extended answering machine function, the ability to take other calls when already on the line, and group calls.

iPhone minimum monthly running cost:
white plan (i) basic fee	980 yen
packet flat-rate full fee	5,985 yen
S! basic pack fee	315 yen
Total: 7,280 yen

as for the cost of the iPhone itself, you should be able to purchase it from any stores stocking SoftBank phones, with the pricing at official SoftBank stores when purchased on the 'super bonus (24 installments method) will be 23,040 yen (24 X 960 yen) for the 8GB model and 34,560 yen (24 X 1,440 yen) for the 16GB model.

the small print at the end of the press release states that the iPhone can not use S! e-mail, the iPhone is excluded from SoftBank's generous student discounts, the SIM card is exclusive to the iPhone and can will not work in other handsets. you can check out the official (Japanese) press release here.

docomo hasn't given up on iPhone

NTT docomo held their general shareholders meeting last Friday and during the Question and Answer session said that they would like to continue considering the possibility of selling the iPhone. this comes after they washed their hands of it in the wake of the SoftBank announcement a just a few weeks back.clues as to why the negotiations failed were limited due to the secrecy agreements with Apple, but commenting on the popularity of the touch screen panel, management said that they had already filled this niche by introducing LG's PRADA phone and also the recent SH906i. they also hinted that they may have another card up their sleeves with the possible introduction of Blackberry handsets for the general public. (up until now they have only been available to corporate customers.)
the meeting also marked the official end to the Masao Nakamura's (above) role as president. he has now been replaced by Ryuji Yamada (below).