Walkman Phone, Xmini

au announced a late addition to their winter models earlier this week with a new Sony Ericson Walkman Phone called the Xmini. the mini-sized handset measures 44mm X 75mm X 18mm, weighs 75 grams and fits nicely into the palm of your hand.to make it this small, features that are standard on most Japanese handsets such as 1-seg TV, Felica and even a camera have been left out. instead, they have concentrated on the music with high quality sound, 4GB of internal memory, Bluetooth and the ability to play au's improved format chaku-uta-full which are 320kbps AAC files.personally I will never be interested in any format other than mp3, however it is good to see that Sony have gone for a different and somewhat refreshing angle this time, which was also the opinion of engadget when they covered it here. at the launch event were Koda Kumi whos song 'Stay with me' features in the new LISMO tv commercial and Oguri Shun who will appear in the advert for the Xmini.

W62P by Hatsushiba!?

one of the more interesting collaborations I've seen recently, au have teamed up with the fictional 'Hatsushiba Denki Sangyou' electric company from the Shima Kousaku manga series for a special edition of Panasonics W62P.Yuko Ogura was on hand at the KDDI Designing Studio to launch the 3000 limited edition handset, which comes only in gold and has manga comics, screen menus and other such contents pre-loaded. it also has Hatsushiba engraved on the upper part of the key pad where you would normally find the Panasonic logo.
the funny thing is that Kenshi Hirokane, the author of the manga series, actually worked for Panasonic back when it was Matsushita Sangyou Denki, before becoming a manga artist.

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.

Sportio X Kuroki Meisa = Like This?

a few posts back I wrote about the launch of the compact sports keitai 'Sportio'. well this weekend, so the start of the TV commercials and other promotional activities, using the Okinawan model/actress/soon-to-be singer Meisa Kuroki. a one-off 45 second version of the tv commercial aired last night, and it was billed as a 'double debut' as it also promotes Kuroki's debut single - 'Like This'.it is interesting to see that she turned up to the publicity event in a tiny one-piece and knee high boots! but in the same way that Kuroki didn't turn up to promote the 'Sportio' in anything resembling sports wear, I doubt that regular Japanese females will want to be carrying around a brightly coloured 'sports phone', when all dressed up to leave the house.having recently started meeting friends for jogging at the park, I can appreciate the unease caused by leaving your phone at home, but even I wouldn't consider the Sportio, especially considering the lack of support for mp3s. I also worry that the small keys may also be a turn-off for many Japanese that spend a lot of time emailing from their mobile phones. I suppose we will have to wait and see....

Sportio goes on sale today

au's Sportio manufactured by Toshiba went on sale today. as the name may give it away, the handset is designed to be worn on your body as you do sports, whether it be running, walking, cycling etc. Of course it is compatible with the 'au Smart Sports' service and is full of useful functions that will help you enjoy your workout.leaving out functions like 1seg and Felica, Toshiba were able to keep the compact straight body to a minimal 52X93X13.7 mm and it weighs in at 86 grams. the phone does have Bluetooth, a PC site viewer and is compatible with EV-DO Rev.A and LISMO video service.normally the 'Run&Walk' appli uses GPS to calculate the distance traveled, pace and calories used. however, as the Sportio is equipped with a motion sensor, it can calculate distance traveled and calories used etc. without even starting up the 'Run&Walk' application. as can be seen in the photos, au have collaborated with adidas for this phone and they will be holding several events together, where the Sportio will be available to try out.

au Summer 2008 models

au on Tuesday announced 12 new handsets for their summer line-up. other topics included a reinforcement of the LISMO video service (aimed at docomo?) and a new cheaper monthly plan (aimed at SoftBank?) au also extended the number of phones compatible with the 'au Smart Sports' service.

• Wooo keitai W62H from Hitachi - 2.8 inch wide QVGA OEL display, 1.97 megapixel camera, 1seg, bluetooth, 2 way open style
• W62SH by Sharp - 3 inch full wide VGA, 3.2 megapixel camera, 1seg, bluetooth, FM transmitter
• W63SA from Sanyo - 2.8 inch wide VGA, 1.99 megapixel camera, 1seg, digital radio, bluetooth, CDMA global roaming, IC recorder
• Sportio by Toshiba - 2.2 inch QVGA, 1.96 megapixel camera, speed sensor, calorie counter, bluetooth, sporty design, straight type, 93 grams
• G'zOne W62CA from Casio - 2.7 inch wide QVGA, 1.97 megapixel camera, 1.1 inch electric paper sub-display, bluetooth, waterproof
• W64SA by Sanyo - 2.8 inch wide VGA, 1.99 megapixel camera, 1seg, bluetooth, motion sensor activated illuminations
• FullChen keitai re from Sony - 2.7 inch wide QVGA, 3.19 megapixel camera, 1.1 inch sub-display, 1seg, 'first in the industry' to be completely customizable by changing the outside panels and the inside faceplate.
• W62T by Toshiba - 2.8 inch wide QVGA, 3.24 megapixel camera, 0.6 inch sub-display, 1seg
• W64K from Kyocera - 2.7 inch wide QVGA, 1.97 megapixel camera, 1seg, double hinged style
• W62K by Kyocera - 2.6 inch QVGA, 1.31 megapixel camera, large easy to see fonts
• W63K from Kyocera - 2.7 inch wide QVGA, 1.31 megapixel camera, easy to press keys, 10.8mm thin, straight type
• kantan keitai W62PT by Pantech & Curitel - 2.6 inch QVGA, 1.31 megapixel camera, easy to use, '8 larges': including large fonts, large keys and believe it or not even a large keitai strap hole!

as an au user I thought I had found my next phone with the W62SH, however I am not so sure that I light the 'roulette design' around the edges, but of course I will have to see it in my own hands first. most of the handsets should be in store starting this month.

Top Selling Mobile Phones of 2007

this past (fiscal) year saw the first new carrier enter the market for 13 years. there were also lots of models, with lots of colour variations, new price plans and new methods to buy your phone. movement within the industry that was started in 2006 by the introduction of MNP certainly continued this year.

Rank	Model	Network
1	W52SH	au
2	FOMA raku raku phone III	DoCoMo
3	SH904i	DoCoMo
4	F904i	DoCoMo
5	P905i	DoCoMo
6	SH903iTV	DoCoMo
7	EXILIM keitai W53CA	au
8	812SH	SoftBank
9	P904i	DoCoMo
10	SH903i	DoCoMo

it shouldn't be that surprising that DoCoMo models dominate the top 10 considering that they still control 52% of the mobile phone customers out there. rather the big news is the popularity of Sharp handsets. the pictures are not particularly related to this article, but from the recent launch of SoftBank's 'The Premium Texture 823SH', which is obviously not in the list.

exploding batteries hit mobile phones

KDDI and Kyocera held a joint public apology for the latest battery trouble to hit a Japanese electronics firm. the battery packs of W42K have found to be liable to catch fire and possibly explode.

so far there have been 13 incidents with the battery in question, with at least 3 of those involving burns to the user. KDDI say that there are 214,000 of the particular serial numbers of batteries suspected to have problems. they will be writing to all users and sending out replacements, along with an envelope to send back the old battery.

the official press release is only in Japanese:

http://www.au.kddi.com/news/information/au_info_20080328.html

February Subscriber Figures

SoftBank and KDDI both added more than 200,000 subscribers during the month of February. SoftBank ended up top of the pile again, but au seem to have, well at least for February anyway, been able to close the large gap that SoftBank has been enjoying recently. DoCoMo managed to avoid a repeat of the embarassing 4th place by a few hundred subcriptions.

Carrier	Feb 2008 Net Gains	Total as of Feb 2008 (% market share)
NTT DoCoMo	43,700	53,214,000 (52.5%)
KDDI (au)	201,200	29,838,700 (29.5%)
SoftBank Mobile	228,100	18,042,300 (17.8%)
E-mobile	42,800	281,300 (0.3%)
Total	515,800	100,001,376,300 (100%?)

interestingly, MNP figures are also published and it doesn't look good for DoCoMo. 60,000 customers left the former national company with au and SoftBank each picking up half that figure.

see the full breakdown at TCA.

e-mobile beats DoCoMo to 3rd place

i don't necessarily intend to write about the new subscriber numbers every month, but January's figures are interesting enough for a quick post. for the first time, TCA will have the monthly figures for e-mobile. and they have done very well in January, beating out DoCoMo for third place in new subscribers.

Carrier	Jan 2008 Net Gains	Total as of end Jan 2008 (% market share)
NTT DoCoMo	19,800	53,170,300 (52.7%)
KDDI (au)	82,700	29,637,500 (29.4%)
SoftBank Mobile	200,700	17,814,200 (17.7%)
E-mobile	32,600	238,500 (0.2%)
Total	335,800	100,860,500 (100%)

the 905 series had seemed popular for DoCoMo, but that has obviously been the result of upgrades of existing customers rather than the addition of new customers to the network. e-mobile on the other hand, last week upgraded their projected turnover and lowered their projected losses for the fiscal year based on their performance so far.

also, slowly but surely SoftBank are doing a job at chipping away at DoCoMo's market share. 53% to 52.7% may seem small, but that is surely going to start hurting very soon. that 50% mark may not be as far away we thought. i think it can only be good for the consumers to see the 3rd and 4th largest carriers doing so well.

au 2008 Spring models

just as I had left the country au and SoftBank announced their spring models, both on the 28th of January. starting with au, they announced 10 new handsets, which along with the already on-sale W61SH AQUOS keitai, makes up a spring line-up of 11. highlights include the worlds first 3 inch OLED display, three KCP+ handsets and a Cyber-shot keitai.

• W61SA by Sanyo - world first 3 inch OLED, 16.2 mm thin, full slide style, KCP+, 1seg, touch sensor, Bluetooth
  
• W61T from Toshiba - 2.8 inch OLED, 1 seg, KCP+, Bluetooth, 3.2megapixel camera
  
• Cyber-shot keitai W61S by Sony Ericsson - 'smile-shutter' 5 megapixel/ 3X optical zoom camera, KCP+, Bluetooth, photography controlled by Bluetooth remote control
  
• W61CA from Casio - waterproof, 5 megapixel camera, 1seg, penguin contents (ever popular since the W41CA)
  
• W62SA by Sanyo - waterproof, 1seg, FM transmitter, 1.97 megapixel camera
• W61H from Hitachi - electronic paper display (on the back of the screen part), 16.9mm thin, 1seg
  
• W61K by Kyocera - compact size to fit in womens hand, beautiful illuminations.
  
• W61P from Panasonic - ultra-thin: 12.9mm, 107 grams, 1 seg (with internal antenna), one-push open button
  
• W62S by Sony Ericsson - GSM roaming, 16.9mm thin, english predictive text input, duralumin used in body
  
• W61PT from Pantech - 14mm thin slide body, compact elegant design, imaged on jewelery

also announced was a new service; 'au Smart Sports Run & Walk'. basically your mobile phone becomes you personal running coach. you just boot it up and it will show you your location on a map, distance, time, speed, calories used, etc. although I dont think I would personally like to carry my mobile when going for a run, I do like the idea of this service. I have found myself stuffing print-outs of maps in my pocket for longer runs before (Yokohama-Enoshima), which I guess this function would be perfect for.

Japanese Mobiles top 100 million

the Telecommunications Carriers Association today announced the newest mobile contract figures for the month of December 2007. the number of mobile phones on contract in Japan rose above 100 million (82.4% of the Japanese population) for the first time, the exact figure being 100,524,700.

other notable facts were that DoCoMo saw its first rise in the 6 figure range since March of 2007, and that SoftBank held on to the top spot to make it 8 consecutive months since May 2007. also despite the constant lose from TU-KA, au managed to hold on to number 2.

Carrier	Dec 2007 Net Gains	Total as of Dec 2007 (% market share)
NTT DoCoMo	121,500	53,150,500 (53.0%)
KDDI (au)	138,600	29,554,800 (29.4%)
SoftBank Mobile	210,800	17,613,500 (17.4%)
E-mobile	83,600	205,900 (0.1%)
Total	554,500	100,524,700 (100%?)

the official numbers can be seen in english here. it is worth keeping in mind that you have almost another 5 million PHS phones out there too!

ps. the picture is of the 'White Family', subject of the excellent award winning SoftBank Mobile advertising campaign. if you don't mind Japanese, the CM gallery can be found here.

iPhone coming to DoCoMo?

yes, the question mark in the title is key. The Wall Street Journal apparently (haven't read the original article cause it subscription only) have reported that Steve Jobs has been talking with both DoCoMo and SoftBank. they say that the favourite to close a deal for the iPhone in Japan is the market leader DoCoMo, who lead in market share with over 50%, based on the reasoning that Apple like to go with the market leaders in each region.

I always thought that SoftBank would have had a good chance, what with the tie-ups that they have done before with iPods etc. and I wouldn't rule them out just yet, but the articles were suggesting that they will be the second choice only if Apple can't sort out the revenue sharing details with DoCoMo. interestingly, in december au management also chipped in with a comment, and it seems that they are not going out of their way to chase Apple, saying that they would be interested if the iPhone would increase users and turnover, but they haven't heard such from the American experience.

however it works out, one interesting point that I will be following closely is that when the iPhone does come to Japan, it will have to be a 3G iPhone, as mentioned in this engadget article. there is also a rather interesting article here on Wireless Watch Japan who speculate that Disney could be the one to bring the iPhone to Japan (?_?)

ps. the picture above is of a fanmade iPhone using au's W52S by Sony as found in this gizmodo article.

AQUOS KEITAI W61SH by Sharp

au already announced their winter models way back in October, but this Monday past, they announced a new AQUOS KEITAI W61SH by Sharp that is due to go on sale in early January. the phone, which is a thinner and more compact follow up to W51SH adopts the 'cycloid style' which is now a feature closely associated the the AQUOS range.like others, 1seg TV will automatically start up when you rotate the screen, which is a 2.8 inch wide QVGA ASV display with a contrast of 2000:1. the part of the body that doesn't rotate is done in a stainless finish.other features include PC site viewer, Felica and the fact that you can use it as a remote control for your actual AQUOS TV. however it lacks things like higher-speed downloads, Bluetooth and some of the other services found on many of the winter models.

Model	W61SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	au WIN
Display	2.8 inch wide QVGA ASV (240x400)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	104 x 48 x 19.9 mm
Weight	131g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, PC site viewer
Colours	vivid pink, pure white, cool black

au Winter 2007 models

au's 8 new models includes 6 WIN models which I will summarize briefly below and 2 CDMA 1X models (the 'friendly' fat keyed A5529T from Toshiba and the 'kantan keitai' = easy keitai A1407PT from Korea's Pantech) which I will pretty much ignore.

• W56T from Toshiba - 2.8 inch OLED display, 17.8mm thin, Rev. A, 1seg, digital radio, Bluetooth, 800MB internal memory, GPS, full browser, Felica
• W54S by Sony Ericson - 2.8 inch OLED display, 18.8mm thin, Rev. A, 1seg, multiplay window, Bluetooth, 800MB internal memory, GPS, full browser, Felica (of course - its a Sony!)
• W54SA from Sanyo - 3 inch wide VGA, 18.9mm thin, Rev. A, 1seg, digital radio, Bluetooth, GPS, full browser, Felica
• Wooo Keitai W53H by Hitachi - Wooo brand 'cutting edge design display, 14.2mm thin, 2.8 inch OLED display, 1seg, GPS, full browser
• W55T from Toshiba - 'card size', 9.9mm at thinnes part, 2.4inch display, 7x7 LED sub-display, pre-installed 'mina no Golf', full browser, PC document viewer
• W53K by Kyocera - double-hinged, 15.4mm slim, 1seg, full browser

subtract the 2 'old peoples phones' and you are left with only 6 new models this time round from au. I am kind of glad that I wasn't ready for an upgrade just yet. the obvious favourite would be the high-end W56T. i would prefer HSDPA, which DoCoMo were able to make standard across the 905i range, but I guess Rev. A is a good start to improve the speed when using my full browser. the card size W55T is also pretty nice, but I would not be willing to downgrade from a 3 inch screen to 2.4 inch. overall its nice to see that the handsets are generally getting thinner, even with 1seg et al packed in.

2007 Winter Models News Roundup

so you may have noticed, but when it comes around to a news round-up, it usually means that there has been news that I would like to share, but I have been unable to write as often as I would have liked. well over a month has passed since all three carriers announced their winter models and they are already hitting the stores. I will delay no longer, and this time rather than the regular one article per model, I will try and do a lightning (read short) summary article for each carrier. first though, a brief summary:

• au were first out of the block with 8 models on October 16. Amongst the 8 was 3 world first organic EL displays, 3 Rev. A compatible handsets and 5 1seg models. Also included was the first Wooo (Hitachi's high vision TV brand) keitai and a 'card size' handset that is 9.9 mm thin.
• SoftBank followed on October 22 with 8 of their own models. it was 9 if you count the limited edition 'G Type-Char' model (the above photo is actually the phones charger!), and even more if you count other updates and colour additions. Highlights included the fourth generation AQUOS keitai and a 3X zoom, 5megapixel camera model from Samsung.
• DoCoMo left it to 'last but certainly not least' when they announced both the new 905i series and 705i series on November 1, totalling 23 models (10 905i and 13 705i). Concentrating on the 905i lineup, one thing you may have noticed from previous launches, is that DoCoMo always make certain specs standard across the range. This time they have raised the bar to HSDPA, 1seg, international roaming and 3 megapixel camera as minimum.

au - choice of cheap calls or cheap handsets

anyone who has bought a mobile in Japan will have realised, but handsets here are very cheap. this is because the main carriers offer huge discounts (or subsidies) to the retailers, with the aim that cheaper handsets will bring in more customers to the network. that all sounds rather appealing, but then comes the other side to this phenomenon - the networks make all their money back with expensive contracts and call rates.

this is nothing new to Japan and has been continuing for ever. however, last year the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications finally told the networks that they would have to fix this system. the problem lies in the fact that with the system up until now, people that don't change their handsets so often lose out. that is, they benifit less often from the handset subsidy and still continue to pay the more expensive fees. on the other hand, others (like myself) change models often and enjoy new cheap new handsets each year.

the networks were told that they had until fiscal 2008 to correct this wrong. SoftBank already responded way back by totally revolutionising the way their customers pay for handsets by asking nothing up-front but adding installment payments to the bill each month. au then recently announced a new system called 'au kaikata select' in which consumers have the choice of two plans when buying or changing their handsets.

the first is 'full support course', which basically sticks with the current system. it keeps the handset subsidy (reportly 21,000 yen) , keeps the current discount plans, improves the au point system (which you use for discount off your next phone) and finally offers a full after sales and repair service. the other new 'simple course' loses the handset subsidy and loses the point system, but introduces new monthly plans with some of the cheapest call rates currently available.

DoCoMo are yet to release details, but it is suspected that they will reduce call rates by 30% while hiking handset prices. it will be interesting to see if they also offer the choice between the conventional system and the new prices. DoCoMo handsets have always been more expensive anyway.

CEATEC JAPAN 2007

CEATEC JAPAN 2007 was held at the start of the month. as the names origin (Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies - Providing Image, Information and Communications) suggests, the exhibition is not only for the mobile industry, but is always a major platform for the carriers and also manufacturers to show off their latest gadgets. however as new lineups are expected soon from the 3 main carriers, it was more the case of various technologies rather than specific models.DoCoMo introduced a 'wellness keitai' (top photo) that among other things, measures your body fat level, tells you how many calories you used and even checks that you don't have bad breath. they were also demonstrating 'super 3G', had a recycle corner (above photo) where you could swap your old mobile for some docomo dake goods and even introduced docomo dake DS, a nintendo DS game based on the popular mushroom characters. (below photo)
au had most of their models on display as well as the upcoming INFOBAR2 (below photo) which is to be round 7 in the 'au design project'. they also promoted their newly consolidated portal site 'au one' and announced a new home DVD burning service, through which you download the DVD from au's servers and burn it yourself to watch when you like. you can check the site out at www.dvd-burn.jp. the most recognisable name on board is Warner Brothers, but there is a lot of Japanese contents also.

INFOBAR makes a comeback

INFOBAR was a concept model designed by Fukasawa Naoto. it first appeared in May of 2001 and in October of 2003 was released as the first ever model in the 'au design project' series of concept mobiles. 4 years have passed since then, and as the follow up to MEDIA SKIN, the 6th installment of the series, INFOBAR2 will go on sale at the end of November.INFOBAR2 first appeared as a concept model exactly one year ago, however at the press conference, au emphasized that this is the first phone to go into production with no changes from the concept model. back in the times of the first INFOBAR, the phone was altered before going into production, for example, with the addition of an external aerial. it also lacked many basic functions like an external memory card slot.
however this time round, Sanyo have managed to fit in 1-seg tv, 2.6 EL display, mobile wallet (Felica), and a 1.97 megapixel camera. it is also the first au 1-seg phone with no external aerial. as you can see above, it comes in 4 colours of silver, midori (green), nishikigoi and warm gray.

au launch 'au one' portal site

starting 3 days ago on the 27th of September, au's parent company combined its internet and mobile portal sites to one portal, cleverly named 'au one'. now regardless of whether you log on from your PC or from your mobile, the top portal page will be branded the same. although obviously a lighter version exists for mobile access.

it brings together sites such as EZ top menu, the DUOGATE portal and also DION by KDDI homepage. the new brand also has a new character in 'au wan' a play on the words one and wan (= dog). also for the next few months there will be campaigns with draws for prizes for those who sign up for a new au one ID and use the au one mail (Gmail in disguise) service.

Ito Misaki promotes au W52H

it seems that every time I make a concerted effort to write more frequent posts, the news on all the Japanese mobile sites dries up. anyway, todays offering is yet more promotional news. Ito Misaki is appearing in a series of new cms for au's W52H by Hitachi.

the adds show different uses for the phone throughout the day, emphasizing the long battery life. all the different versions along with some behind-the-scenes footage is available on the website 'keitai lovers'.

au announces first quarter figures

KDDI, the parent company of au, announced their first quarter results for the fiscal year and the company's good performance seems to be continuing. turnover was up 5.7% on the same period last year to 844.1 billion yen. operating profit was up 15.6% to 140.9 billion yen.

at the press conference the CEO rubbed off SoftBank's recent upturn that has seen the former Vodafone network take the top spot in the new subscribers, saying that it was not having a major effect on them.

i am sure it is having an effect on them, but no doubt SoftBank and au can both continue to do well as long as DoCoMo performs as poorly as it has been. it is also worth pointing out that au actually still tops SoftBank in new contracts but the parent company KDDI falls to second place when you subtract the contracts being cancelled on the soon to be switched off tu-ka network.

au Summer 2007 - the other three

although CDMA 1X which was introduced by au in April 2002 is still 3G, the services and handsets available are not so hot when compared to the improved CDMA 1X WIN that was introduced to the au service line-up in November 2003. I therefore have the tendancy to often overlook or ignore news and new models released for it, but for completeness sake, I will quickly introduce the remaining of au's 15 summer models.

A5526K by KyoceraKyocera seem to have an ability to put out thin mobiles and this on at 14.7mm is well equipped for a CDMA 1X handset. it has a 2.4inch ASV screen, 1.31 megapixel camera, FM tuner and microSD memory card slot.

A5527SA by Sanyothis handset from Sanyo is compatible with au's roaming service 'Global Passport' with which you can use this keitai overseas. it also has an OCR english dictionary, a foreign exchange rate calculator and the FM tuner can even work overseas.

Kantan Keitai A5528K by Kyoceratranslating as 'easy mobile' this series has been popular with the elderly, with large and easy to press buttons and 'massive' display fonts.

au Summer 2007 - W44K II by Kyocera

Kyocera have taken the W44K which was a popular thin mobile that came out November 2006 and made some minor improvements to arrive at the W44K II. it is 15.3 mm thin, and keeps features such as the half-mirror panel, illumination paterns and reinforced glass on the displays.

ease of use seems to be one of this phones selling points. it has a frameless number key pad meaning that they have been able to make the size of each key bigger than your normal mobile. it also has a 'one touch dial' function where you can pre-register numbers so that when you press and hold any number it will dial the phone number registered to this number.

Model	W44K II
Maker	Kyocera
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.4 inch QVGA ASV (240x320)
Camera	2.01 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	103 x 51 x 15.3 mm (17.6 at thickest)
Weight	118g
Felica	YES
Other	reinforced glass, one touch dial
Colours	foamy white, bracing blue, placid brown

au Summer 2007 - W53S by Sony

for this phone Sony have re-introduced the jog-dial after an absence of 2 years. however this time it has advanced from before, incorporating a tetradirectional control pad around it. my first ever mobile when I came to Japan was a Sony Ericsson and now that I look back on it the jog-dial was pretty useful and fast for navigating menus.

other than the d-pad there is not much else to write about this phone, other than the over 100 Style-Up customisable panels that will no doubt appeal to certain consumers but not me. even if this phone was a possbile candidate for my next phone, there is always the memory stick to keep me away.

Model	W53S
Maker	Sony
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.7 inch WQVGA ASV (240x432)
Camera	2.01 megapixels
External Memory	memory stick duo, memory stick Pro duo
Dimensions - h w d	107 x 49 x 19.9 mm
Weight	120g
Felica	YES
Other	jog-dial, Style-Up panels
Colours	turquoise blue, matt black, frost pink

au Summer 2007 - W52SA by Sanyo

yet another slim 1seg keitai and again this one is also double hinged. the design is more for the male user and the phone has some features that would useful in the business scene, like the english-japanese dictionary (now pretty much standard on all phones), but also the stereo mic IC recorder that is good for recording up to 24 hours. the end of each side of the phone is finished in a half-mirror design, with the infra-red bar part changing colours depending on the angle from which you look at it.

Model	W52SA
Maker	Sanyo
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.8 inch WQVGA (240x400)
Camera	1.99 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	107 x 50 x 18.7 mm (20mm at thickest)
Weight	133g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, IC recorder
Colours	light blue, feel black, cluster silver

au Summer 2007 - W53T by Toshiba

this second phone from Toshiba brings 1seg to a slim double hinged body. perhaps aimed more towards the female user, it is compatible with almost all of the enhanced email functions. like the W54T the display is high-end and with the max 2GB micro SD card, 10hrs of 1seg tv can be recorded, if of course you have the charger plugged in. the sub-display has a half-mirror finish and the 'wedge-shape' design (see photo below) is interesting to say the least.

Model	W53T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.8 inch WQVGA (240x400)
Camera	1.96 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	104 x 49 x 18.0 mm (20mm at thickest)
Weight	135g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, wedge design
Colours	pink saphire, blue topaz, black diamond

au Summer 2007 - W52SH by Sharp

as the third handset Sharp have produced for au, this phone keeps the AQUOS technology but takes a break from the 'cycloid style' to go back to a more orthodox double-hinged style, although this is a first double-hinged model for Sharp. being described by au as 'elegant and slim' and at 17.6 mm the phone is a little more like DoCoMo's SHs that I have always liked.

recording of 1seg digital TV is made easy with direct programing from an EPG, and one more useful function is the task bar that works just like a Windows taskbar for easy changing between functions. I can certainly appreciate this because switching between functions on my current phone is a real pain. for example, when I get on the train I start up the radio and then must switch it to BGM before launching my internet browser. if the radio should be crap and I feel like changing, I have to completely close the browser, pull up the radio, change the station, put it back to BGM, restart my browser and then go about finding, and effectively re-downloading the site I was just reading, (through history menu etc.)

Model	W52SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.8 inch WQVGA (240x400)
Camera	2.03 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	108 x 49 x 17.6 mm (21mm at thickest)
Weight	127g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, task bar
Colours	gracious black, rosy red, intelligent white

au Summer 2007 - W52H by Hitachi

I never really thought that I had to have TV on my mobile, so it is not too surprising that when this new double-hinged phone from Hitachi focuses on improving aspects around the 1seg function that I am not that excited. the 2.9 inch display uses Wooo (I just googled Wooo and perhaps Hitachi use a different brand name at home, but Wooo is the brand they use for TVs and DVD recorders etc. in Japan) technology with features like an equaliser which will make necessary adjustments to see the screen clearly indoors or out.

you can also record the TV in the background when you are using the phone or emailing. Hitachi have also incorporated an improved battery which allows for 7hrs of TV. other features include a digital radio, PC site viewer and the now almost standard PC document viewer.

Model	W52H
Maker	Hitachi
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.9 inch WQVGA (240x400)
Camera	2.07 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	106 x 50 x 22 mm (25 at thickest)
Weight	141g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, digital radio
Colours	fresco orange, relief black, glaze silver

au Summer 2007 - W54T by Toshiba

when Toshiba and au announced the W52T in the spring, I thought I had found my next mobile. I was looking forward to trying my first slide style phone and was even going to forgive the fact that it was 22mm, exceeding my ideal limit of 20mm for the thickness of a phone. however when Toshiba and SoftBank simultaneously announced the 911T with pretty much all the same high-spec features in just 17.9mm, all of a sudden the upgrade didn't seem so tempting. so this time around I was eagerly awaiting what would follow, and I think the W54T was probably worth waiting for.

you have the same 1GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, 1seg digital TV, digital radio, 3 inch WVGA screen, PC site viewer, PC document viewer, AV output, but it has all been squeezed into a 18.5mm body, which is stainless steel - a first for an au phone.

Model	W54T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	3 inch Wide VGA (480x800)
Camera	3.24 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	111 x 50 x 18.5 mm (19.7 at thickest)
Weight	151g
Felica	YES
Other	1GB memory, Bluetooth, 1seg, digital radio
Colours	brushed metal, black rose, malachite green

au Summer 2007 - W52P by Panasonic

when I was waiting for au to announce their summer models, I already kind of new what maker I would be leaning towards, but I also had a distant hope that Panasonic may come back with something that even comes close to DoCoMo's P. unfortunately, for their second au model of recent times, they have once again gone the 'design' / female route. you can see on the photo above, but the numberpad seems to be quite interesting in that it is just bumps in the material for each number. the phone also has the famous 'one-push open' button, changable front '+panel' and is a reasonable 18.4mm thin.

Model	W52P
Maker	Panasonic
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.7 inch Wide QVGA (240x400)
Camera	2.07 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	102 x 50 x 18.4 mm
Weight	120g
Felica	YES
Other	+panel customisable front panel
Colours	jewel gold, platinum white, indigo silver

au Summer 2007 - Walkman Ketai W52S by Sony Ericsson

continuing the branding theme, this latest handset from Sony is only the second in Japan to bear the Walkman name. it features 'clear audio technology', a generous 2GB of internal memory and improved 'stamina' playback which allows for 110 hours of music before charging. this model also keeps the 'music key' for easy control of music even when using other applications on the phone.

one more nice touch is the incorporated FM transmitter, meaning you could listen to your music through you home stereo, or even better, listen to the GPS navigation instructions through your car stereo. finally, just in case the Walkman brand is not enough for you, Sony also claim to have adopted BRAVIA technology into the mobiles display.

Model	W52S
Maker	Sony
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.7 inch Wide QVGA (240x432)
Camera	2.01 megapixels
External Memory	memory stick micro / microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	108 x 54 x 19.9 mm
Weight	130g
Felica	YES
Other	FM transmitter, 2GB internal memory
Colours	arpeggio blue, pizzicato pink, harmonics white

au Summer 2007 - EXILIM Ketai W53CA by Casio

they say it has the DNA of a digital camera and at 5.15 megapixels I don't doubt it for a minute. the design has followed the concepts of simple and minimal, and you can be sure that thinness of 18.9mm (23 at thickest part) was important before the mobile was awarded the use of Casio's EXILIM digital camera brand name which is known for its compact models.

on top of the image stabilising functionand Best Shot mode of the camera, the phone also comes equipped with a PC Site Viewer, PC Document Viewer and the 'real deal' Genius English-Japanese dictionary, the publisher that you find in most electronic dictionaries.

Model	EXILIM Ketai W53CA
Maker	Casio
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.8 inch Wide VGA (480x800)
Camera	5.15 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	103 x 50 x 18.9 mm (23mm at thickest)
Weight	125g
Felica	YES
Other	PC Document viewer, WVGA IPS display
Colours	flare red, iris white, veil black

au Summer 2007 - W52CA by Casio

this spring, Casio took the double hinge style W41CA and added 1seg digital terrestrial tv to get the W51CA. this time round they have gone one step further by making it waterproof. Casio was one of the firms known for designing waterproof mobiles, but instead of the tough image of the G'zOne series, this phone is perhaps aimed more at females.

the G'zOne W42CA was a massively fat 29mm, whereas this phone is described as 21mm. (although the small print explains how it is a not too slim 25mm at its thickest part.) the phone, which sees a new image character of 'Bonite' fish, not too dissimilar to the popular penguins, will be out in July at an estimated price somewhere around 15,000yen.

Model	W52CA
Maker	Casio
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.6 inch Wide QVGA ASV (240x400)
Camera	2.07 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	104 x 49 x 21 mm
Weight	139g
Felica	YES
Other	waterproof, 1seg
Colours	koraiyu green, plage white, palmier brown

au Summer 2007 - W53SA by Sanyo

the first of 2 phones that are best summed up as a waterproof 1seg phone. au have came up with the line 'enjoy 1seg, music and email wherever, like the kitchen or bathroom'. the phone does all right by squeezing the 1seg function into a 20mm thick waterproof body.

it meets the IPX waterproof specifications of IPX5 and IPX7:

IPX5 - Protected against water jets - Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

IPX7 - Protected against water immersion - Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.

Model	W53SA
Maker	Sanyo
Network	au - CDMA 1X WIN
Display	2.6 inch Wide QVGA ASV (240x400)
Camera	1.97 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	104 x 50 x 20 mm
Weight	146g
Felica	YES
Other	waterproof, 1seg
Colours	jasmine white, lylic pink, camellia red

au and SoftBank announce summer models

between them, au and SoftBank yesterday announced 28 new handsets that will start to go on sale from beginning next month.

• au

highlights include an Exilim branded phone from Casio that has a 5.1 megapixel camera, an improved Walkman keitai with 2GB of internal memory and also not one but two waterproof phones that also come equiped with 1seg digital terrestrial TV tuners.

• SoftBank

depending on whether or not you include the 805SC which was already partly announced along with the spring models, SoftBank were not far behind au, announcing 12, or 13, new models. of these, 6 of them are from Sharp, including a new AQUOS keitai. there is also the first domestic slide design handset from Panasonic and a Toshiba smartphone featuring Windows Mobile 6.my schedule is pretty packed for the next while but I am going to try and get through at least 2 phones a day so that I am still not introducing them this time next month!

au top for 2006

Japan's Telecommunications Carriers Association recently announced the new subscriber figures for the fiscal year of April 2006 to March 2007. they actually release the figures each month so it is of no real surprise to see that au is top for the fourth consecutive year.

there is over a further 5 million mobiles on the streets of Japan and each of the 3 main carriers had a nett increase as follows:

au : 4,617,500
DoCoMo : 1,477500
SoftBank : 698,600

taking into account the nett decrease of 1,867,700 from the soon to be discontinued tu-ka, KDDI's overall figure of plus 2,749,800 is still very impressive. there is no doubt that the good figures for au have been boosted by users switching over since the start of Mobile Number Portability. a bit like a 6 point match in football, as well as showing up as a plus for au, these users add a negative for DoCoMo or Softbank (both of whom have MNP nett outflows).

in other news -

• KDDI is launching a MVNO in America: kddi mobile

• ip mobile have cited difficulties in raising capital for their decision to abandon entry into the mobile communications market. back in 2005 they were one of three companies, along with SoftBank and emobile, to be awarded licences from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. what with SoftBank buying Vodafone, this now means that emobile, who started operations last week, was the only real new entrant to take up their alloted spectrum.