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.

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.

SoftBank Summer 2008 Models

so finally getting round to SoftBank, lets take a look at the Japanese handsets they will be putting out alongside the 3G iPhone. note that for the first time I am taking 1seg as given and will not particularly list this function below.

• 923SH from Sharp - 3.3 inch full wide VGA, 5.2 megapixel camera, Wikipedia function, 6th generation AQUOS keitai
• THE PREMIUM WATERPROOF 824SH by Sharp - 2.8 inch wide QVGA, 3.2 megapixel camera, waterproof, 15.3 mm thin (worlds thinnest waterproof 1 seg handset)
• TROPICAL 823P from Panasonic - 3 inch wide QVGA, 2.04 megapixel camera, waterproof (largest display on a waterproof 1seg handset)
• PANTONE Slide 825SH by Sharp - 2.8 inch wide QVGA, 2 megapixel camera, motion control sensor, 48mm wide to fit in the female palm
• 821N by NEC - 3 inch wide QVGA, 2 megapixel camera, 'cute' illumination patterns, 13.6 mm thin
• MIRROR II 824P from Panasonic - 3 inch full wide QVGA, 2.04 megapixel camera, cut mirror finish design
• 824T from Toshiba - 2.8inch wide QVGA, 1.96 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, jewel-like design for women
• 821N GLA by NEC - 3 inch wide QVGA, 2 megapixel camera, generally same as 821N but the 3 GLA versions are a collaboration with GLAMOROUS magazine
• 820N from NEC - 3 inch wide QVGA, 2 megapixel camera, 11.7 mm thin
• 823T by Toshiba - 2.8 inch wide QVGA, 1.96 megapixel camera, Bluetooth
• 921P from Panasonic - 3.1 inch full wide VGA, 5.07 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, sideways open style

so quite a mix from SoftBank, with a few high spec handsets, a few waterproofs, a few aimed at the female market, but I have no doubt that many of these models will be well in the shadow of the excitement of the July 11th launch of the iPhone.

SoftBank to sell iPhone in Japan this year

SoftBank announced yesterday that they will be selling the iPhone in Japan before the end of the year. I think the phrase 'short and sweet' is highly appropriate, but you can check out SoftBank's official press release here.

I think it is safe to say that we should hear something from Apple on the 3G iPhone front at the WWDC coming up next week. interestingly docomo issued a statement that they were still considering the possibility of selling the iPhone too.

I imagine that a 3G version will go on sale in the US before it hits Japan's shores. but, it will be interesting to see if we get exactly the same hardware, that is without Felica, 1seg and other functions that come as standard on most Japanese phones.

SoftBank to start free calls to its IP Phones

this week SoftBank announced that they will start offering free calls between SoftBank mobiles and SoftBank's IP phone service 'BB Phone'. the service called 'white call 24' must be applied for in advance, however it is free to sign up and there is no monthly fee.

currently calls between the two services can cost up to 42 yen per minute (the example of mobile to IP), so it offers considerable savings should your family already have BB Phone. SoftBank said that they plan to extend the service to 'Yahoo BB Hikari' customers in the future.
the picture directly above is for SoftBank's fanfun 815T collaboration with Koda Kumi which goes on sale on May 10th. it was due to go on sale way back in February, however I guess it got delayed due to this gaffe from the J-Pop star.

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.

'SoftBank beep' to be changed

SoftBank have announced that they will alter the beeps that you hear before the normal ringing sound when making a call to a SoftBank phone. the service, which was introduced in January, was aimed at increasing convience for White and Gold Plan customers, who benefit from free SoftBank to SoftBank calls between 1am and 9pm. that is if they here the beep, they are reminded they can talk all they wish!

those of you in Japan should know what I am talking about, because you hear it no matter which network you are calling from. you could say it is also a bit of a marketing ploy, letting someone like me know just how many of my friends are on SoftBank and making me think how I could be calling them all for free.

anyway, the 4 reps of successive beeps which total to 2 seconds is to be shortened to to 2 reps over the same timespan. SoftBank is saying that it is a response to customers' comments. for those that really want to check out the old beeps while you still can, there is a wma file here.

rakuraku v's kantan in the shops and the courts

NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu today announced that they have filed for the suspension of manufacturing and sale of SoftBank's 'kantan keitai' 821T by Toshiba. the reason is not based on any patents or specific design rights, but rather the remarkable resemblance between the two phones.

the 'rakuraku phone' series has been around since 2001, and a lot of effort and market research has gone into the design, trying to make it as easy as possible to use. it has performed well, selling over 12 million handsets to date. the 'kantan keitai' by Toshiba has a very similar layout on the keypad, with the 1,2,3 keys up on the display part, and also the cross shaped control at the top.
DoCoMo did say that they approached SoftBank and Toshiba before filing the order, but since no satisfactory response was forthcoming, and the 'kantan keitai' went on sale just over a week ago, they had no choice but to go ahead with the official order. check out the two handsets to make up your own mind! above is the 'kantan keitai' 821T by Toshiba on SoftBank, below is the 'rakuraku phone' manufactured by Fujitsu and available on DoCoMo.

fanfun 815T Bae Yong Joon model

SoftBank have collaborated with Korean star Bae Yong Joon (Pe Yon Jun or just 'Yon-sama' in Japanese) for a new version of the fanfun 815T. the model which has seen many different collaborations up until now, has an original front panel and insert sheet, designed by the drama and movie star himself.

Bae Yong Joon became a big star in Japan a few years back starring in the immensely popular 'Fuyu no Sonata'. it is by no means the first time that I have introduced the fanfun 815T, which features a 2.4inch QVGA TFT display and a 1.96 megapixel camera.

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.

Disney Mobile Launches in Japan

the US MVNO 'Disney Mobile' ceased operations on Dec 31st 2007, but on Saturday Walt Disney Company in Japan launched their own attempt to break into the already competitive mobile phone market here, becoming Japan's first ever MVNO.

using SoftBank's network, they have one handset at present, the DM001SH. made by Sharp it is based on SoftBanks 820SH/821SH, and even from a quick look at the website, you quickly get the feeling that they are sharing rather a lot with SoftBank. in fact, all the charge plans, are just the SoftBank plans with a (D) as the end. one original thing you do get asides from the Mickey Mouse designed handsets is an @disney.ne.jp email address. of course another selling point is the rich Disney contents on the inside too.

the 'network' is aiming for young females in their 20's to 30's, and have Hilary Duff singing about Mickey in the TV commercials. you can also see a longer 4 minute promotional video explaining (in Japanese) the new MVNO. with SoftBank they have certainly teamed up with the right network of the moment, but personally I am a sceptic of whether there is enough female Disney lovers out there to sustain them any longer than the year and a half that the American MVNO lasted.

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.

SoftBank 2008 Spring models

SoftBank are not resting on their laurels, announcing 15 models (13 'new' models) on the same day as au. it is a very mixed lineup and higlights include VIERA and REGZA branded displays, SoftBank's first waterproof mobile and a horizontal QWERTY 'internet machine'!

• FULLFACE 2 921SH by Sharp - 3.2inch wide VGA, touch panel, motion control, PC email, 1seg
  
• internet machine 922SH from Sharp - full QWERTY keyboard, PC email, 1seg
  
• 920P by Panasonic - 3inch 'VIERA' wide VGA, 5.1 megapixel camera, 1seg
  
• 921T from Toshiba - 2.8inch OLED 'REGZA' display, front speaker, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera, 1seg
  
• THE PREMIUM TEXTURE 823SH by Sharp - 1seg, based on 820SH/821SH with changeable covers of wood, leather, carbon, etc.
  
• 820SC from Samsung - 2.6inch OLED, double hinged body, touch sensor, 1seg
• 821SC by Samsung - 2.4inch OLED, compact design for female users, 1seg
  
• 822P from Panasonic - 8.9mm thin, 'full flat' design
  
• kodomobile 820T by Toshiba - second outing of the 'kid mobile', parental controls and safety buzzer
  
• kantan keitai 821T from Toshiba - aimed at elderly, one touch dial, GPS
• 822T by Toshiba - SoftBank's first waterproof handset
  
• X02NK from Nokia (N95) - dual slide style, 5 megapixel camera, GPS linked to travel service 'NAVITIME', one click blog/SNS functions
  
• X03HT by HTC - Windows Mobile, 150grams compact body, music files can be set as ring tones
  
• 920SH YK from Sharp - 'stock keitai' based on 920SH lets you trade shares at the push of a button
  
• TBC - Tiffany special edition apparently to be based on 823SH costing 10,000,000 yen (47,961GBP)

as with au, this spring lineup will be hitting the stores from February onwards.

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.

SoftBank to introduce web filtering service

SoftBank announced today that they will soon be adopting a website filtering service for mobile phone users under the age of 18. this move is in response to requests from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in December of last year that they would like each carrier to introduce some kind of internet filtering service. they also hinted at the time that it is likely to become a legal obligation in the future.

starting in June, application forms will include a new category of internet options. of course in the case of an under 18, these forms must be completed by a parental guardian. the options will include restricting access to only Yahoo Kids internet site, or to opt out of the filter service. if neither option is selected, the filter is automatically implemented.

also for those under 18s already owning a SoftBank mobile, SoftBank will send out a series of text messages from February onwards. unless a parental guardian contacts SoftBank to opt out, the web filter will be switched on in June.

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.

SoftBank Winter 2007 models

SoftBank have been doing well in the new subscriber numbers recently. in November they held top for the 7th month in a row. whats more, they finally knocked the unbeaten 'MNP champion' au of the top spot, to register their first month as biggest nett gainer of users taking advantage of changing carriers with the same phone number. I am not doubting the popularity of SoftBank these days, but novembers good figures will be mainly thanks to the fact that the models below generally hit the stores a good bit before those from au and DoCoMo.

• AQUOS keitai 920SH by Sharp - cycloid style, 18mm thin, 16:9 ratio 3.2 inch wide VGA display, HSDPA, 1seg, felica, bluetooth, international roaming, WMA
• PHOTOS 920SC from Samsung - 5 megapixel camera, OLED display, 18.9mm thin slide model, HSDPA, bluetooth
• 920T by Toshiba - 3 inch wide VGA display, HSDPA, 1seg, felica, bluetooth, GPS
• 913SH G TYPE-CHAR from Sharp - a special addition of 913SH. I have know idea about Gundam, but you can read all about Char Aznable here.
• THE PREMIUM 820SH from Sharp - 13.4mm thin, 1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth, WMA
• THE PREMIUM 821SH by Sharp - sibling of 820SH, 12.9 mm thin, 1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth, WMA
  
• AQUOS keitai 822SH by Sharp - 920SH minus felica, bluetooth, international roaming, and also downgrade the display from 3.2" wide VGA to 3" wide QVGA
• 820P from Panasonic - 15.2 mm thin, one push open, 2.8 wide QVGA, international roaming, bluetooth
  
• MIRROR 821P by Panasonic - sibling of 820P, 15.9 mm thin, similar specs with a metallic half-mirror panel.

Not in the photos, SoftBank are also releasing the GENT 812SH sII by Sharp - big fonts, easy to understand menus, large reception and battery indicators. the fanfun 815T also saw the addition of Hello Kitty and Snoopy collaboration models.

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.

nanaco keitai campaign

SoftBank and Seven & i Holdings have today started a campaign to coincide with the launch of the nanaco e-money service on SoftBank handsets. (see nanano mobile starts SoftBank service)

for people that register for the nanaco service (mobile or card version) and spend over 3000 yen between now and the end of October, they will be entered into a draw for 100 limited edition 'nanaco keitai' version of SoftBanks fanfun 815T by Toshiba. also during the same time period, 10,000 lucky people registering for the nanaco mobile service on their SoftBank phones will win 500 nanaco points.

kind of unrelated, but I really think Seven & i Holdings' 'semi-rebranding' of seven-eleven, Denny's, Ito-Yokado etc. was a stupid move.

SoftBank at Tokyo Girls Collection '07A/W

SoftBank were one of the main sponsors for the massive girls fashion event - Tokyo Girls Collection '07 Autumn/Winter being held today in Saitama. they had a large booth right in the center of the stadium, the usual posing with mobile phones during a fashion show, (is that Japan only?) and also special guest appearances from some of their image characters like Ueto Aya and Yosou Guy (above center).

the mobile at the center of all the promotion is the 815T fanfun from Toshiba. one of the main features of the phone is the sheer number of customisable face plates, many of which are designed in collaboration with young girls fashion brands.

SoftBank Summer 2007 - X01T by Toshiba

based on the G900 smart phone released overseas, the X01T is Toshiba's first smart phone to be released in Japan. continuing with the 'first' claims, SoftBank says that it is the first phone in Japan to have the Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition. other highlights on this phone include HSDPA, a 3 inch VGA display, IEEE802.11b/g, flash player 7 and fingerprint sensor for extra security.

Model	X01T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA and HSDPA
Display	3 inch Wide VGA ASV (480x800)
Camera	1.97 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	119 x 61 x 21.5 mm
Weight	198g
Felica	NO
Other	HSDPA, bluetooth, miniUSB
Colours	white, black

SoftBank Summer 2007 - X02HT by HTC

a smart phone from HTC, SoftBank claim this one to be the first straight-type phone to come with Windows Mobile 6, which comes with new mobile versions of Word, Escel and PowerPoint. other highlights include a full QWERTY keyboard, a laptop style touchpad called 'JOGGR', HSDPA, wireless LAN - IEEE802.11b/g and bluetooth.

Model	X02HT
Maker	HTC
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA and HSDPA
Display	2.4 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	114 x 63 x 13.9 mm
Weight	120g
Felica	NO
Other	bluetooth, miniUSB, wireless LAN
Colours	black, white, orange

SoftBank Summer 2007 - fanfun 815T by Toshiba

aimed largely at the female user, this new model from Toshiba comes in 12 colours, there are 300 customizable face panels avaiable for it and it can light up in 30 different illumination patterns. add all this to the customized menus that you can download from the QR code that you get with your face panel and you have got yourself a phone with 240 million possible design combinations.

function-wise it is similar to the 814T (though nowhere near as thin) with a 2.4 inch QVGA, PC site viewer and non-despensible Felica for e-wallet functionality. also as you can see from the picture below, no SoftBank new model line-up would be complete without a collaboration with Hello Kitty.

Model	fanfun 815T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	1.96 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	102 x 50 x 16 mm
Weight	107g
Felica	YES
Other	240 million design combinations
Colours	vivid pink, off white, grey, champagne gold, silver, pearl pink, brown, black, blue, baby pink, white, rose

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 814T by Toshiba

i love some of the claims that Japanese makers come out with for their new phones. Toshiba claim this one to be the first clamshell model in Japan with titanium in the upper body. however there is no doubting that this 12.9mm thin model does look pretty good.

it doesn't have the bluetooth and HSDPA seen in so many of SoftBank's new summer models, but it does manage to fit in the ever so important Felica chip for mobile wallet functionality. other mentionables are face recognition technology and built in electronic dictionary (though perhaps this last one is almost ubiquitous nowadays.)

Model	814T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	1.96 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	101 x 50 x 12.9 mm
Weight	97g
Felica	YES
Other	face recognition, titanium upper body
Colours	light blue, titanium silver, rose, pink, navy, brown

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 816SH by Sharp

one of the models announced with this summer line-up (805SC) is one model that had already been announced last time too. this phone, not due out to September, could also find itself spanning two season announcements if they are not careful. (i am not saying that SoftBank would purposefully be doing this kind of thing to inflate the hype surrounding their new model announcements). actually this slim and compact slide-type phone from Sharp is thought to be the concept model displayed at the 3GSM World Congress 2007.

impressive for the small size, it manages to squeeze in HSDPA and bluetooth, but unfortunately no Felica. it is also set up so that menu navigation and new emails can be easily checked even when in the closed position. there was only a plastic mock-up of the phone on display at the press event and details in the table below such as weight are still subject to change.

Model	816SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.2 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	101 x 48 x 15.? mm
Weight	less than 95g
Felica	NO
Other	HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	gold, blue, black, green, vivid pink, pink

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 815SH by Sharp

the official SoftBank english press release describes the girlish 814 with the words 'elegant glitter texture design' thats fine, but I just assumed they would drop the word glitter for the description of the 'male sibling' of the two phones - the 815SH. well, I was wrong. they describe it with the words 'strong glittering presence'. i don't know, maybe its just me that finds that kind of non-masculine....

the rest of the hardware is common with the 814 and includes 3.6Mbps downloads with HSDPA, a 2.4 inch VGA display and bluetooth.

Model	815SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch VGA ASV (480x640)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	99 x 49 x 18 mm
Weight	110g
Felica	YES
Other	HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	metal blue, metal silver, metal black, metal bordeaux, metal copper

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 814SH by Sharp

another mid-range phone from Sharp, this model is the sister of the phone that will be the subject of the next post - the 815SH. an 'elegant glitter texture design' its relatively small size, arc ridged keys and not to mention the 5 girly colours will appeal to the target female audience.

the rest of the hardware is common with the 815 and includes 3.6Mbps downloads with HSDPA, a 2.4 inch VGA display and bluetooth.

Model	814SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch VGA ASV (480x640)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	99 x 49 x 18 mm
Weight	110g
Felica	YES
Other	HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	cool pink, ice silver, pearl gold, mermaid blue, coral pink

SoftBank Summer 2007 - GENT 812SH s by Sharp

taking the twenty PANTONE colour variation model 812SH as base, this phone is almost identical spec wise, only Sharp have made the fonts bigger, simplified the menus and made the buttons bigger and easier to press. however despite being aimed towards senior citizens, the s tagged on to the end of the name is supposed to stand for stylish (as well as simple, senior and anything else they want to throw in there).

it keeps the specifications such as 2 megapixel camera, 2.4 inch display, bluetooth and PC site viewer, and face recognition technology to protect your Felica applications.

Model	GENT 812SH s
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch QVGA ASV (240x320)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	97 x 49 x 17.6 mm
Weight	105g
Felica	YES
Other	bluetooth
Colours	deep green, natural brown, matt silver, warm pink

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 805SC by Samsung

originally announced on January 25th as part of the Spring line-up, this time round SoftBank announced the rest of the details of this super thin model from Samsung. back in January all we found out was the following major specs: HSDPA, 1seg, 13.5mm thin, 2 megapixel camera and bluetooth.

actually i don't have too much to add to what we already knew. like many of Samsung's models, this phone is trilingual but unfortunately does not have Felica.

Model	805SC
Maker	Samsung
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.12 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	100.6 x 51 x 13.5 mm
Weight	101g
Felica	NO
Other	1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	white, turquoise blue, lavender, rose

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 810P by Panasonic

the first slide style phone by Panasonic in Japan, they have gone with an original design that they are calling 'flat slide'. the difference (or step) between the screen part and the number pad that slides out from underneath is only 2.6mm. the overall thickness of the phone is only 12.9mm.

as you may tell from the 8 at the start of the model number, the specs aren't so high with highlights such as bluetooth, PC site viewer, a 2 megapixel camera and GSM compatibility.

Model	810P
Maker	Panasonic
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.4 inch QVGA TFT (240x320)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	109 x 51 x 12.9 mm
Weight	112g
Felica	NO
Other	bluetooth, GSM
Colours	turquoise, black, bronze, white, pink, blue, red

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 912T by Toshiba

the only SoftBank model this time round that has GPS functionality, the 912T from Toshiba is a double hinged design with a stainless finish at the front and rubber on the back. it keeps many of the specs you would expect in the high-end model from Toshiba, continuing the 1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth and 3.2 megapixel camera found in its predecessor the 911T (slide style model), but has dropped the internal 1GB.

the screen also drops from a VGA to a QVGA but it becomes one of the selling points, as it is supposed to cope well with sunlight, so you can enjoy digital TV outdoors. all these features in the 16.9mm body is not bad i guess.

Model	912T
Maker	Toshiba
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.8 inch Wide QVGA TFT (240x400)
Camera	3.24 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	103 x 49 x 16.9 mm
Weight	135g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth, GPS
Colours	silver, black, white, blue, plum, champagne, green

SoftBank Summer 2007 - FULLFACE 913SH by Sharp

SoftBank are claiming that this model is the world's first full-face slide 1seg keitai. i am not completely sure that this is such a point to be bragging about. for instance if you compare it with a certain phone that is coming out in America next week, if it was touchscreen you wouldn't need to have the slide function in the first place. and looking at the pictures I wouldn't really call that full-screen anyway, what with all the black area to the top and bottom.

in the black section at the bottom of the screen the have incorporated sensor keys that allow easy control of the phone even when closed. as well as the 1seg, the phone also comes equipped with bluetooth and can pick up HSDPA. (SoftBank call it '3G High Speed')

Model	913SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	2.8 inch Wide QVGA ASV (240x400)
Camera	2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	108 x 50 x 16.8 mm
Weight	125g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	vivid pink, black, silver, pink, green, light blue, orange, gold

SoftBank Summer 2007 - 912SH by Sharp

this the 3rd AQUOS keitai, sees a lot of improvements over the previous 911SH. the camera moves from 2 to 3.2 megapixels with auto-focus and image stabilisation. similarly the screen improves from a Wide QVGA (240x400) to a Wide VGA (480x800). one further major improvement is that it is compatible with HSDPA allowing download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps.

while watching 1seg you can write emails or browse the web. of course the distinctive 'cycloid style' is continued in this model. the phone has the specs to make it worthy enough of being SoftBank's flagship model. 6 colours also provides a fairly generous choice. though I just don't know why the didn't call the silver one 'metal silver' and be done with it.

Model	912SH
Maker	Sharp
Network	SoftBank 3G - W-CDMA
Display	3 inch Wide VGA ASV (400x840)
Camera	3.2 megapixels
External Memory	microSD card
Dimensions - h w d	108 x 50 x 23 mm
Weight	144g
Felica	YES
Other	1seg, HSDPA, bluetooth
Colours	metal blue, metal black, white silver, metal blue, metal red, metal pink

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!

707SC Hello Kitty Version by Swarovski

SoftBank have announced a new 'Hello Kitty Version' of Samsung's 707SC. After Swarovski Crystal Versions of the 705SH and a previous version of the 707SC, this is SoftBank's third collaboration with the Austrian crystal company.

it comes in 5 designs as seen in the photo and numbers are limited to 100 phones for each of the designs. they go on sale from the 14th of April in selected SoftBank stores and will also be available from the online store (only Japanese so far).

i am sure the crystals add to it slightly, but the original 707SC continued Samsung's late tradition of thin phones. it packed Bluetooth, a PC document viewer, a 2 megapixel camera and an English-Chinese-Korean translation function all into a 11.9mm thin body.

on the New Super Bonus plan, the phone will be 24 monthly payments of 2,380 yen equating to 57,120 yen (242 pounds). i have no doubt that there will easily be 500 people ready to part with their hard earned yen. Japanese love the words 'Limited Edition'.

Softbank open new flagship shop in Harajuku

Yamada Yu made a guest appearance at the opening of SoftBank's new flagship shop in Harajuku this past Saturday (10th Feb). the shop, just a few minutes walk from JR Harajuku station, is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. new contract, upgrades and other such contract services are available from 10am to 9pm, with product explanations, sale of accessories and battery charging services are available around the clock.
the Harajuku shop, which I guess takes over the flagship rights from Roppongi, has a massive 100 serivce counters and also an event space area. Yamada Yu, seen above with SoftBank President Son Masayoshi, has previously been a face for Vodafone in Japan. the 'Pantone Keitai' (seen below) also went on sale on the same day.

Japanese mobile contracts top 100 million