NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 10th 2009 12:51PM
posted Nov 10th 2009 12:51PM
- Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a "jewelry quality" phone with a snap-on perfume holder for "an air of elegance."
- LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don't speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone).
- Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot -- for some reason we don't fully comprehend.
- Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera.
- Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret -- the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever.
- Samsung SC-01B: Samsung's Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup.
And from Softbank:
- Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first.
- Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride.
- Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it's Softbank's turn -- and this time, it's called the X02A. Not much more to it than that.
- Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T's Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard.
- Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics.
- Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung's now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing.
- Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don't think you'd want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors -- hence the name, we think.
- Android: The simply-named Android runs -- you guessed it -- Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won't be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn't being revealed right now.
1024x480? Bitchin.. almost make a netbook screen less than useful.
Yeah, I think we can all agree we need to "Version Up!"
If people complain that netbook screens are too small and too hard to read how will they complain at 341 PPI?
At that screen size, high resolution is pointless
o. m. g.
gadget... overload. error. error. error.
all I see in this picture is a group of japanese with spears yelling "f**k u at&t, f**k u verizon, and f**k u whaluuuee!"
Why does Softbank have to wait until I have less than 2 years left in Japan to release an Android phone? Maybe I'll have to extend my time there and get a new phone. Not to mention, Android on a 1ghz Snapdragon? That should be interesting.
the other 23 phones... absolute shite.
Man! This brings back a lot of fond memories of living in Japan for 10 years (1995 - 2005)
DoCoMo was a really great carrier with an insane selection of phones even back then!
Mmmm, The Android sounds nice.
手指应该不够用吧
Gee I'm sure glad manufacturers don't give devices seemingly arbitrary, encryption-like names that average consumers can't relate to the product anymore.
every spring and winter when japanese carriers present their new gadgets/collections/toys I feel like an old men still stuck with a Nokia 3100 brick phone.. it ain't not cool that we cant use these colorful gadgets. Even though some guys/girls say they look like crap - I still want them !!!! sheeeeesh
FFFFFUUUUUU.
I still cry at night that my old au (kddi) walkman phone won't work now that I live in the us .-. And I actually aquired a fondness for those square flip phones.
This article URL will be on the next Apple Japan sales report under the heading "Why the iPhone isn't selling like hotcakes."
@kamokazi
http://i.tuaw.com/?date=2009/07/05&slug=iphone-3gs-ranked-1-in-cellphone-sales-in-japan-for-now&a=show-post&commentspage=
riiiiight...
Check the date of the article dude.
Old news is old.
Not to mention that being #1 in a sea of hundreds still isn't a big deal.
As of July 2009 it equates to the iPhone having 2% of the market share in Japan.
That's 2 as in 98% of Japanese mobile phone users AREN'T iPhone users.
http://www.gpstechreview.com/index.php/2009/08/international-market-share-of-iphone-on-the-rise/
Kerensky, are you comparing sales for 1 model of the iphone against sales for 500 Nokia models?
Get this, 98% probably don't use an N97 or an HTC either. Fascinating, isn't it?
What's this got to do with the iphone? Tons of phones have already got better specs than the iphone yet they sell like shit.
They don't sell that much iPhones, because for Japanese standards the iPhone is a few years outdated!
It's mostly Americans that love the iPhone.
And what does Mr Natsuno, creator of i-Mode think about the iphone:
“This is the kind of phone I wanted to make,” Mr. Natsuno said, playing with his own iPhone 3G."
Keep your advanced hardware, along with the primitive software that runs on it. Japanese phones are as overrated as their sex districts
@redcard
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain
We can easily turn those numbers to make the iPhone look like a roaring success (individual device marketshare) or a forgettable sliver of a pie chart (OS Marketshare).
My overall point is that the iPhone is not nearly as successful in the Japanese market as it is elsewhere, mostly because of the abundance of more powerful, advanced phones, and the willingness of the Japanese to learn more complicated software (not primitive, just less noob-friendly).
It wasn't me that called the interfaces primitive, it was the top guys involved in the cell phone business in Japan that described it as primitive.
30 million unit sales this year. The Japanese mobile market is in a terrible state, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple cleans up within 18 months, NEC pulled out already, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and Fujitsu are all threatening to.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/20cell.html?_r=1
@ redcard: Booyakasha! Finally, someone else who sees the Japanese market for what it is!
I have to agree: Japanese cell phones are not all that fantastic. Maybe the average Japanese feature-phone is better than the average American feature-phone, but the smart phones available in the US absolutely crush almost everything available in Japan. The only feature that I can think of that Japanese phones have which US phones don't is 1seg tv. Japanese love it, but I don't want it.
The iPhone has almost zero market penetration in Japan. As a single model, it was briefly ranked number one, that's back when it was heavily promoted and there was a spike of interest. In terms of Apple's market share, of phones currently in use, 1-2% is probably overstating it.
Smart phones aren't that popular here. I've always supposed it was because "dumb phones" were sufficiently "smart", i.e. you can play games, watch TV, browse the web, check the weather and train times, navigate, take and send photos, and of course read and write email. Most you can also keep a music library on, or watch videos.
Shouldn't the headlines read like: "NTT DoCoMo tries to out do Engadget with 37 Crapgadgets"?
no, the headlines should read "Half of India's population still live without access to clean water. Caste system protects the wealthy and subjugate the poor"
go back to work, there are some support calls I need to make and you better be there and pretend that you were in the UK.
@Johnny
Ouch...
But I still voted you up.
@Johnny K: You're a d!ck and a brainless one that too. India's GDP is growing and is currently larger than Britan's (but not the EUs). And considering that most of us in the US and UK still can't find enough qualified college graduates, the trend of outsourcing white collared jobs (tech, biotech, business) to India continues. And if you think it's cheap labor, you should look at the cost structures of some projects. Labor is cheap but there are plenty of labor markets cheaper than India at this point (yes, they won't work for cheap anymore). Over the last 30 years they've managed to generate a very large number of highly educated individuals. No business is going to pump $$$ into a foreign place if the returns on that $$$ are going to be weaker than local investments (since collaboration costs are non-zero)
FYI: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html?countryName=India&countryCode=in®ionCode=sas&rank=5#in
Not to mention with a population of 1.2billion, evolutionary reproductive processes dictate sooner or later some of those 1.2billion (or their descendants) will be f***ing you (or your descendants).
I guess I see your frustration ...
@siddharth s
but but but... im working in Singapore where Indians still come in drove to our country to find a better life than it was in that barren you call a country :(
GDP count is useless as it only projects the illusion of a border that you call a country... face it, Indians dont give a shit whatever would happen to their next door neighbors. You may have a bigger GDP than the UK but your GDP per capita is only $2500 its even lower than Vietnam! This proves only one thing that while there are minority rich people, the majority of Indians are poor. This is true even in my country and our neighbor country Malaysia where Indians have a monopoly in jobs such as janitors and security guards
And yeah we all know with all that heat and sweat, sex and making children is more enjoyable. By the way, I'm Chinese and we will be the ones crushing you :)
@ Johnny K.: Your douchey comment has nothing to do with IndiaTech's original comment - which was spot-on.
@ Johny K.
BTW, I'm Russian and we will be the ones crushing you. :)
@India Tech
I hope you were joking.
Any one of these Keitai would do a better job than the piece of crap you probably have for a phone.
The only difference is you get it dirt cheap. ;)
"Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first."
Softbanks Sharp AQUOS Mobile 931SH which came out like a year ago has the same resolution on a 3.8inch display.
Christ I need that Sharp phone!
Japanese Family on Trip to the US: "Ohhhhh, I see ruu rike antikeru phone in United States!" Moshi-moshi, the future has arrived and it is in Japan.
Dude. The future... ?
Japan was the future in like 1980.
South Korea's the bomb.
"We'll admit -- we didn't think we'd live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan's."
Japan already has a WiMAX network with extensive coverage in the Tokyo & Kanagawa, and Osaka areas, expanding every month. Next month they're providing coverage along the major Shinkansen rail network.
Speedsd of 40 down / 10 up, rates at $45/mo.
Japan rules at marketing:
"Yea we just came out with 37 fuckin phones, kthankxbai."
Yeah...let me know when you see one of those phones selling in another country. Check out this whole "global market" thingy. kthanxbail.
There are two pretty cool phones there
The omnia which is now configured for the japanese market!
- Portable Safe
- Oneseg
- Yahoo servues
Otherwise pretty boring line up refresh...
I guess the biggest point is that Softbank phones now all have wifi support.
I was very excited about yesterday waiting for the release of new model names... but was completely put down by Docomo.
I thought they are going to introduce X10. But no news about it at all. I am in Softbank but was going to change for Docomo just to get my hand on the X10 or any other Android. The only available Android, the HTC Magic is not to my liking...
It is unbeleievable that a country with such technical advancement are so backward when it comes to embracing an international standard like Android. Why do they want to wait? There are so many Androids released around the world.
The main reason I guess is that Japanese people (majority) dont know and dont care about what Android is. They want stupid things like One Seg TV although it is beyond watchable... and things like iMode web access... stupid and cowardly..
Get a backbone Docomo, Softbank and KDDI.. try to keep up with the world... this is not the 90's.. you cannot survive with your own little flip phones... shame on you...
Another blatant American judgement
@mad
The Japanese market is very different one. Presumably you have never ever watched 1seg on one of these superphones before, which is likely to have a higher screen resolution than your home TV. Speaking of which, your carrier network probably isn't fast enough to stream Youtube at watchable resolution.
why must they always do this to us?