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Sony Xperia VL brings dash of toughened-up LTE to Japan
We were intrigued by Sony's Xperia V back at IFA, but deals with specific carriers haven't been very forthcoming. Japan's KDDI is covering that gap by pledging to carry Sony's mid-size Android 4.0 phone as the Xperia VL. Everything we know and (mostly) love about the dust- and water-resistant phone is intact, including that thin sensor-on-lens 720p display, the 13-megapixel camera, the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, NFC and LTE-based 4G. The one question remaining is a definitive release date: Sony will only promise an Xperia VL launch before the end of the year, although there's talk at Impress Watch of a release on November 2nd for ¥30,000 ($381) after carrier discounts. Let's hope for the company's sake that other carriers sign up for the V and VL sooner rather than later.
KDDI reveals its Summer 2012 collection: Android smartphones are still hot
It's that time of the season again, as Japan's mobile carriers unveil more alternate-universe models that we'll probably never see elsewhere. Leading the pack is the final version of Fujitsu's long-time-coming quad-core Android phone, arriving as the Arrows Z ISW13F. With NVIDIA's Tegra 3, WiMAX connectivity, 16GB of built-in storage and a 4.6-inch 1280 x 720 display, Fujitsu's somehow jammed it all into less than 11mm of smartphone. The 13-megapixel camera includes an Exmor R sensor, while a microSD slot can add up to 32GB of space. The AQUOS Serie is another belle of KDDI's spring ball, with a 4.6-inch 1280 x 720 display, 1-seg TV tuner and a 12-megapixel camera on the back. It's also the first phone to pack both NFC and Felica mobile payment hardware into the same device, mobile wallet fans. The collection is also joined by the HTC J and the final retail version of Kyocera and KDDI's "Smart Sonic Receiver" in the Urbano Progresso -- a phone that transmits sound through vibration. Any ex-pats in the mood for a new keitai can take a closer look at the rest of the new family at the source below. Update: Kyocera has confirmed to us that the Smart Sonic Receiver used in the Urbano Progresso is indeed the same tissue conduction technology Kyocera demonstrated last week at CTIA Wireless.
iPhone was Japan's best-selling smartphone in 2011, Android more than comfy as well
It's deemed likely that Apple had the top-selling cellphone in Japan this past fall, but how did it do in all of 2011? Quite well, if you go by MMRI's estimates. The iPhone had 30 percent (almost 7.3 million) of the Land of the Rising Sun's 24.2 million sales among individual smartphone labels, or nearly double Sharp's 17.5 percent. Don't think that Android-powered smartphones like the Aquos SH-12C didn't make an impact, though: virtually every other smartphone in Japan, 69 percent, was running some flavor of Google's mobile OS. Apple managed to shake up a sometimes insular overall keitai market as well, having come just short of Fujitsu for the top spot in all cellphones. Researchers are expecting the smartphone space in Japan to grow by a healthy 15 percent in 2012, although it's still a wildcard as to whether or not KDDI's iPhone support will keep Apple riding high for another year.
KDDI putting ads in the notification bar on Android phones
Imagine you're walking down the block when, suddenly, your phone goes off. You take it out of your pocket, unlock that sucker and pull down the notification bar to reveal... an ad! The idea of such a travesty is enough to make our blood (which is primarily just liquid caffeine and taurine at this point) boil. Disturbingly enough though, this isn't some terrifying dystopian Android future -- this is the reality for at least some KDDI au customers. The Japanese carrier bundles the au one Market on many of its handsets as an alternative to the standard Google offering, and a recent update to the third party app outlet has it sending ads as push notifications to users. It's similar to Airpush, a service that offers both push notifications and ads as homescreen icons, which suffered a serious backlash shortly after launching. Of course, the carrier market can't be removed (at least not without a little bit of hackery) which makes this a practically unforgivable offense. Oh, and a quick message to any American carriers considering a similar move: don't even think about it.
KDDI gets WiMax Galaxy S II, isn't your grandfather's Epic 4G Touch
Can't keep track of all the different variants of Samsung's Galaxy S II? Tough, because here comes Sammy with another one. Japan's KDDI will soon have a GSII to call its own, boasting the all too memorable model number of ISW11SC -- or rather a Galaxy S II rocking WiMax. That's different than Sprint's Epic 4G Touch, the SPH-D710, which also sports that radio, but not its higher resolution 1280 x 720 4.7-inch display. Rounding out the package are an unspecified 1.4GHz dual core processor, an 8 megapixel rear shooter capable of 1080p video recording, a 2 megapixel front facing cam, microSD and support for NFC -- making it pretty darn close to its Korean and AT&T permutations. You'll find a video demo of it in all its glory at the source below.
Fujitsu's Arrows ES IS12F has the light stuff, baby, heads to KDDI January 7th
A little junk in the mobile trunk never hurt nobody, but don't tell that to Fujitsu, where thin is clearly in. The company's gone all out on its latest handset -- the Arrows ES IS12F -- for Japanese carrier KDDI, hitting marks for both svelteness and ruggedness: pairing a 6.7mm profile with a Gorilla Glass and scratch-resistant body coating (think: the Brawny Man as a phone covered in Teflon on a Master Cleanse). This 4-incher's outfitted with an 800 x 480 AMOLED display, single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor running Android 2.3, 5.11 megapixel rear shooter and, in keeping with the Arrows tradition, it's also waterproof. If you're living in the Land of the Rising Sun, you can snag this slight smartphone in Ruby Red and Gloss Black starting January 7th. Sorry, chubby phone chasers, you're gonna have to sit this one out.
Fujitsu Arrows ES IS12F coming to Japan next year: thick name, thin phone
KDDI's au network in Japan has revealed that it'll be stocking the slender Fujitsu Arrows ES IS12F starting January 2012. Fujitsu fans may recall seeing a very similar handset with the same (mostly) 6.7mm profile when NTT DoCoMo's version sashayed into those stuffy FCC offices. The phone runs on a single core processor, which is responsible for powering the image-stabilizing five megapixel camera and Gingerbread OS. The 4-inch, 480 x 800 AMOLED screen is cocooned in the same water resistant armor found on other Arrows devices, helping to protect those essential keitai functions like the One-Seg digital TV tuner and IR receiver. The skinny smartphone will go on sale in both black and red options for KIDDI, while NTT DoCoMo customers will have to settle for black.
Fujitsu-Toshiba unveils waterproof Arrows Z ISW11F handset with 13 megapixel CMOS sensor
Toshiba may be bowing out of its mobile joint venture with Fujitsu, but not without bestowing this Gingerbread-munching flamingo upon the Japanese market. The Wimax-enabled Arrows Z ISW11F, unveiled today by Japan's KDDI au, is juiced by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, sports a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 LCD and, most notably, rocks a 13 megapixel CMOS sensor. It also features a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and supports 1080p video, along with your standard suite of 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. Oh, and to top it all off, it's waterproof, too. No word yet on pricing, but KDDI plans to bring this bubblegum to the Japanese market sometime in November. Doggie paddle past the break for more information in the translated presser.
HTC EVO 4G coming to Japan's KDDI au, WiMAX and all
Talk about longevity: HTC's EVO 4G persists as one of the best phones on the American market well over half a year since its release on Sprint -- and it's just now getting ready to take its 4.3-inch, Snapdragon-powered act international. The phone is reemerging on Japan's big CDMA carrier, KDDI au, as the EVO WiMAX ISW11HT, which -- as the name implies -- means that it'll be carrying over the WiMAX radio. Interestingly, KDDI steers clear of the tricky "4G" label altogether, referring to the WiMAX network as "WX" in the status bar when you're in range of a signal. Otherwise, judging from the video, the phone looks like a fairly accurate carry-over (with Japanese localization, of course); sure, you could make the argument that it's been outclassed a couple times over since its original announcement, but we're pretty sure it's going to find some delighted buyers nonetheless. Follow the break for KDDI's full promo video. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
KDDI's biblio Leaf SP02 priced, due out Christmas Day in Japan (update)
E-readers are flooding the market these days, and KDDI has delivered its most recent offering just in time for the holiday season. Since the biblio Leaf SP02's specs were first released, battery life seems to have grown to 13,000 pages, with presumably a few extra thrown in courtesy of its solar array. The device utilizes KDDI's LISMO Book Store and its 20,000 titles to obtain content, and if that isn't enough reading material for you, the company claims that five times as many titles will be available by 2012. All this can be had on Christmas day -- if you're lucky enough to hail from the land of the rising sun, that is. Update: Details on the e-reader, much like the device itself, seem to have gotten lost in translation. As a few readers have pointed out -- and our own Engadget Japanese editor Ittousai confirms -- the SP02 has an "open" price of around ¥15,000 (about $180 in US currency), with 3G prices ranging from ¥525 per month for data on a two-year contract, or ¥1,575 without ($6.28 vs. $19, respectively).
Lady Gaga trapped in an Android smartphone, we wish she'd stay there (video)
NTT DoCoMo has Darth Vader selling its Android wares, so what could KDDI au possibly counter with? Why, a force even darker and more heinous than the Sith Daddy himself: Lady Gaga. Yes, the music fiend we love to hate has remixed Poker Face just to make sure we take notice of Sharp's IS03, and the kindly Japanese carrier has taken care of inserting her into the phone for maximum promotional value. Yes, au, now that we've seen Lady Gaga strutting around inside it, we totally want to own one of these handsets! See the video promos after the break. [Thanks, machine]
KDDI tacks solar panel onto biblio Leaf SP02 e-reader
Haven't seen enough of KDDI's fall 2010 product line? Good. The company has just outed a new e-reader, and shockingly enough, it actually manages to differentiate itself quite well in the sea of me-too alternatives. The biblio Leaf SP02 (a followup to last year's model) is right around the size of Amazon's newest Kindle, packing a 6-inch E Ink display (800 x 600 resolution), 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, included stylus, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, inbuilt 3G and a battery good for around 7,500 page turns. Curiously, there's also a small solar panel adorning the bottom right, and we're guessing that you can (slowly) rejuvenate the internal cell while reading under the sun -- just make sure you keep your right palm out of the way. Unfortunately, there's no direct mention of an expected price, but those stationed in Japan should see it on sale this December for somewhere between free and Yenfinity.
KDDI au outs Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections at the same time
A few of these handsets were already public knowledge, but by and large, KDDI's mind-numbing torrent of phones announced as members of its new Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections will leave you once again asking why you haven't sold your four-bedroom suburban home and relocated your entire family to a 125 square foot flat in the heart of Tokyo. We've already talked about the X-Ray, a member of KDDI's fashion-forward iida line, and the 16.4 megapixel Sony Ericsson S006 -- but other highlights include the IS04, IS05, and IS06, Android smartphones from Toshiba, Sharp, and Pantech, respectively (which doesn't even include Sharp's IS03 announced at CEATEC a few days ago). Of the three, none matches the IS03's 960 x 640 display nor its low-power secondary LCD, but the Toshiba Regza IS04 notably features a 12.1 megapixel cam. As the iida line goes, the X-Ray will be joined by the G11, a follow-on to 2009's G9 model -- and from what we can discern, it'll be a GSM / CDMA dual mode slider for international roaming with a touch-sensitive area below the 854 x 480 display in place of the G9's physical keys. Highlights among the other models include an upgraded Sharp Aquos Shot SH010 combining a 14.1 megapixel sensor with a waterproof shell, a Bravia-branded Sony Ericsson S005 with a 1GHz processor, and "simple" phones from Kyocera and Pantech -- the K008 and PT002, respectively -- that are designed for the occasional shopper that actually doesn't want ridiculous specs designed to make every phone outside Japan look like a DynaTAC. There's also a new e-reader, the E Ink-equipped Biblio Leaf SP02, featuring integrated solar recharging -- a smart feature for a device designed to sip power in the first place -- and a new mobile WiFi hotspot from Pantech, the WiFi Walker Data05. If you need to know more, follow the source link, but we've got to warn you: it might be hours before you're done.
Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI
KDDI may have done its best to bury it amongst the few dozen other phones it announced today (including that eye-catching X-RAY clamshell), but we're not about to let the first phone using Sony's new 16.4 megapixel CMOS sensor slip by. That honor naturally goes to Sony Ericsson itself, which has stuffed the sensor into the otherwise ordinary looking Cyber-shot S006 cellphone. In addition to all those megapxiels, you'll also get ISO settings up to ISO 12800, and the rest of the camera's specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch screen (said to be VGA, though we're assuming it's actually HVGA or WVGA), and built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unfortunately, all of that is paired with Sony's own proprietary non-smartphone OS and it's, of course, exclusive to KDDI in Japan for the time being (and only being released next spring).
Samsung Galaxy Tab redesigned for KDDI, hitting Japan in late February as SMT-i9100
Japan's KDDI is in the midst of its biannual hardware refresh and in among its new roster of phones is a familiar 7-inch slate device we're more familiar with as the Galaxy Tab. Samsung has stripped all branding (and 3G, boo!) from the SMT-i9100, while refashioning its exterior a little and letting KDDI throw in a bit of custom au-branded software aboard. Beyond the cosmetic changes, which include the capacitive buttons being aligned for landscape (rather than portrait) utilization, you're mostly looking at the same machine as the rest of the world, with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 512MB of RAM, MicroSD expandability, and a built-in webcam. The internal storage is quite a bit more frugal at 4GB, but you will get a handy docking cradle as a consolation prize, plus a mobile router that'll turn this into something very similar to Verizon's iPad plus MiFi offering in the US. All that said, KDDI won't have the i9100 on sale until February, by which time the Android tablet market could be somewhat better populated.
KDDI's 'smARt' television viewing concept links phones to consumerism at long last
Say you're watching a cooking show on television and you see some ketchup. Tasty, right? Salivating? Need some ketchup right this second? Look no further than KDDI's "smARt" television viewing concept, which uses your phone as a tool to get more information on stuff you're seeing on the boob tube in real time. Using an Android-powered Sharp IS01 to demonstrate, KDDI's crack team of presenters showed some delicious-looking food on screen then captured it with the phone's camera, which ultimately resulted in being redirected to a site where you could purchase a bottle of Hunt's for ¥650 (about $7.83). Of course, considering that TV itself can be interactive in a variety of ways, it seems a bit much to bother getting your phone involved while you're trying to zone out on the couch... but hey, whatever gets us to our Utopian dream of real-time ketchup purchases the fastest is where we want to be. Follow the break for video.
Sharp IS03 ASV display vs. iPhone 4 IPS display... fight!
Two 3.5-inch displays at 960 x 640 resolution, both equipped with fancy wide viewing angle technologies. Does the Sharp IS03's ASV get the nod over the iPhone 4's famously good IPS? After peeping them side by side, we're not sure any mere mortal could call it -- both look bright and ridiculously crisp from every conceivable vantage point and have roughly the same amount of gloss, though the IS03 has the advantage of a second always-on monochrome LCD strip. Regardless, we're just happy to see that we've got at least two suppliers of excellent 960 x 640 mobile displays in the industry now -- let's just hope they can keep up with demand. %Gallery-104499%
Sharp IS03 Android phone hands-on
Both KDDI and Sharp had a billion IS03s on display at CEATEC in Japan today (okay, not literally a billion, but quite a few), so naturally, we swung by to see what all the commotion was about. We'll be honest -- the phone didn't feel particularly high-end, coated top to bottom in cheap-feeling plastic and weighing a little less than you'd expect a phone of these specs to weigh. Furthermore, it was pretty sluggish and Sharp's UI skin atop Android 2.1 felt very "version 1.0," so we think we might want to wait for these guys to hone their game a bit before jumping in. That said, the vaunted 960 x 640 ASV display definitely seems up to the task, delivering bright, crisp images in the face of the notoriously harsh trade show lighting -- and the always-on LCD strip below the main display is a neat trick for glancing at the date and time without going to the hassle of powering on your phone. You might be worried that stacking it below the already-large primary display would make the handset too long, but we really didn't feel like that was the case. Follow the break for video! %Gallery-104240%
Sharp's IS03 Android phone packs retina display, minus the branding pretense
WVGA's so 2009, isn't it? Sharp has broken Android's usual 800 (or 854) x 480 mold this week with the introduction of the IS03 for Japan's KDDI au network, boasting a full 960 x 640 on its 3.5-inch screen -- matching the iPhone 4's so-called retina display -- along with Advanced Super View (ASV) technology, delivering the same kind of viewing angle benefits you find in IPS. If that alone doesn't make for enough of a monster spec sheet for you, consider that the IS03 also features a 9.6 megapixel autofocus camera with image stabilization, one-seg TV tuner, and Osaifu-Keitai, which allows the phone to be used for contactless payments in subways and the like. Though you won't find it sold outside Japan, you might eventually see one outside Japan thanks to support for Global Passport CDMA, meaning the IS03 can be used in countries that have operating CDMA networks -- the US, for example. Unfortunately, it's running Android 2.1, but let's be honest: the monster hardware might be enough to overcome that little oversight. Look for this puppy to launch in three colors next month.
NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections
Surprise: Japanese carriers are announcing literally dozens of phones at once. Okay, look, that's not a surprise at all, but bear with us, because there are a few shining jewels in here amongst the seemingly endless array of WVGA displays and one-seg tuners from NTT DoCoMo and KDDI au, both of whom have announced their Summer 2010 collections of handsets this week. Of note, two of the models from DoCoMo -- the Fujitsu F-06B and Sharp SH-07B are capable of shooting 1080p video, while KDDI's SH008 from Sharp, S003 from Sony Ericsson, and CA005 from Casio all feature sensors of 12 megapixels or larger. Several of the devices can also be used as WiFi hotspots, and Hitachi's trick Beskey for KDDI has interchangeable keypads that change the shape of the keys, not the layout -- a bit superficial, perhaps, but we're all about choice. DoCoMo is also launching a handful of smartphones: the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp (not to be confused with the old Atari handheld of the same name) that features Android atop a 5-inch touchscreen, Toshiba's 4.1-inch T-01B Dynapocket with WinMo, and RIM's plain old BlackBerry Bold 9700. Don't get us wrong, it's still quite a haul, but we can't help but feel that the gap between Japan's wireless scene and the rest of the world is closing fast.
