japanesecellphones

posts about #japanesecellphones more →
Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
Only in Japan: KDDI au's Spring 2009 Cellphone Line
KDDI au Casio Phone Makes Music With a Touchscreen
Hitachi Wooo Adds Another Dimension to Cellphone Screens
Japan's Finest: KDDI Fall Winter Cellphone Line

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The Lab
07/28/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
Having seen many a cell phone get killed by rain, that waterproofing sounds awfully nice.
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fuchikoma
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
"Glorified WAP" is really pushing the limits of credibility there. Have you used WAP? Have you used iMode? iMode is just HTML for small screens! We're just starting to get there with phones that only cost a few hundred dollars with heavy contract subsidies.

iMode is glorified WAP the same way a PSP is a glorified TI-82 calculator...
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kamui47
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
The NYT article forgot to mention one essential fact: That many of the features are not only hardware gimmicks, but that those features are integrated into the daily life in Japan.

Two examples:
- Pay function: It is common to enter the huge subway system in Tokyo (2.916 billion passenger rides per year) by paying contact-free with the mobile phone.
- Bar codes: entertainment listings, advertising posters, magazine articles, e.g. _all_ come with barcodes for beaming essential information (like addresses, time schedules, e.g.) on the mobile phones.

Currently in the West only the iPhone is able to match most of the functions of Japanese phones have, but they are not part of the daily life (contact-free ticketing via mobile phones in Western subways anybody?)
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fuchikoma promoted this comment Edited by kamui47 at 07/20/09 2:57 PM kamui47 was starred kamui47 was unstarred

OtisCabeal
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
They are still leaps and bounds ahead of us in toilet seat tech.
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Hello Mister Walrus
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
I would like to hypothesize that this phenomenon is caused by cultural timing - the Japanese were eager to integrate complex functions into cellphones before the internet enabled them to do so efficiently and elegantly. In the absence of the internet, their alternative was to bolt on additional components, which more or less did what they were supposed to, but added complexity to their cell phone designs. Evidently, this created a design bias that persists today.
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bosskev
07/20/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: An intriguing, carefully thought out and well-crafted hypothesis—that, or they just like buttons.
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Gene
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
This really isn't anything new; Japanese cellphones *never* have been able to leave home, for much the same reasons stated. Do you seriously think that they would not have been selling them here a decade ago along with all the other CE widgets that get exported, if there was money to be made? The evolution metaphor is apt, in that the US and Japanese markets have developed into two very different environments, and the devices that fill their respective niches are quite different and not suited to the other. Japanese devices are inferior to what we have - for us. For the Japanese, our devices are inferior.
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bosskev
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
Super-gadgets indeed. My prototype Japanese cellphone has built-in hardware support for time travel.

While the software to drive it is still in beta—sheesh, a misdirect to 1979 taught me a lesson about the hazards of beta testing, still itching from all that polyester!—it currently functions well enough for me to have posted this comment last Tuesday.

(sent 7/14/09 from my GundamPhone)
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Edited by bosskev at 07/20/09 1:45 PM bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

Ali Khan
07/20/09

In reply to Japanese Cellphones as Mysterious Super-Gadgets: 2009 Edition
I agree that there is better/new technology coming but I fear you're missing the point that the Japanese have had TV, credit card payment etc for a few years now and we're just scratching the surface on these things now.

One thing the i wish the article had mentioned was if the Japanese CDMA technology was a limiting factor since its only used in the US, Korea and Japan and the ROTW uses GSM.
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BeautifulAgony
01/30/09

In reply to Hitachi Wooo Adds Another Dimension to Cellphone Screens
A poor execution of a fundamentally flawed vision of where this technology ought to be.
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Chris Dougher
01/30/09

In reply to Hitachi Wooo Adds Another Dimension to Cellphone Screens
"Thailand, Guam and Canada"

One of these places is not like the others...

They must be striking for more internet monay again.
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fuchikoma
01/30/09

@Chris Dougher:

I have to wonder too, living in Canada myself. I thought KDDI offered a range of GSM phones.

Then, with our plans here on the local GSM monopoly, I could see it if they just decided to distance themselves from Rogers and decide it's not worth the angry customers paying loads of cash to connect.
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tbbpim
01/30/09

In reply to Hitachi Wooo Adds Another Dimension to Cellphone Screens
what child over 6 has a cell phone?when i have kids they must be 12.
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Kaiser-Machead
01/30/09

@tbbpim: In some countries, children are assigned cell phones from birth.
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BeautifulAgony
01/30/09

@tbbpim: All 12 year olds are over the age of 6 (it's mandatory), and therefore...
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Andy Hsu
01/30/09

In reply to Hitachi Wooo Adds Another Dimension to Cellphone Screens
That Hitachi phone seems oddly similar to this one...

[panasonic.jp]

I knew I would have some use for that link someday.
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tbbpim
01/30/09

suck thisAndy Hsu: the name isnt coming but there is a samsung phone with the same hinge type.
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BeautifulAgony
01/30/09

@tbbpim: That would be the Alias.
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