More Pocket PC 2003 Second Addition Announcements, this time from HP

HP last week announced three models for Japan including a low-end, compact model (rz1717), a model with built in camera (rx3715) and for power users a high-end model with 4" VGA screen, Bluetooth 1.2, WLAN, CF & SD slots and a unique touch pad (hx4700). Just a shame there is only 64MB of RAM, but having 74MB of the ROM usable should more than make up for this.

More (in Japanese only) here:
HP Japan
Windows CE Fan

Finally a Windows Mobile 2003 SE Pocket PC from Toshiba?

Rumors on WindowsCE Fan (Japanese) from last month's Mobile Solutions Fair that we'll be seeing a Toshiba e800 series device in Japan any time from October. As the e800's have been out for a while in the US market it would be disappointing if we didn't see any interesting features, but with Bluetooth, WLAN, 128 MB RAM, a portion of usable ROM, CF and SDIO slots, 4" VGA screen and powerful processor it's hard to criticise this device. Perhaps a bit bigger than many people like their PDAs and no camera as found on the Fujitsu v70.

Updated: Dell Release 2 Axim X30 Models in Japan

Dell has announced the release of two Pocket PC Second Editions Devices for the Japanese market - one standard and one high model. Reasonably priced (34,800 and 49,800 yen), the high end model comes with a top end processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The big disappointment is no VGA screen version which some would consider the greatest benefit of Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition. The other noticeable deficiencies are a CF slot (probably impossible in a device this size any way) and just 64MB RAM (128MB would be nice). Still all in all a good value package.

At the time of writing the press release is not on their site yet but should appear here (Japanese only). The same applies for the product page although the press release says they will be available from today.

You can also read about the English version of the X30 on the Dell US site.

For comparisons with other Pocket PCs available in Japan see the Hardware section.

PDA & Mobile Solutions Fair Tokyo 2004

This year's PDA & Mobile Solutions Fair will take place on August 31. This is a great place to see a number of different business solutions out there as well as try out the latest hardware.

(The site is in Japanese so post to the discussion group if you need any help).

Update: Finally - Pocket PC 2003 SE Scheduled To Hit Japan's Shelves in July

Microsoft has officially announced the release to manufacturers of the Japanese version of 'Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Pocket PC' (hereafter Pocket PC 2003 SE) and Fujitsu has been the first to announce a device to ship mid-July. The v70 is very similar to the 720 announced overseas but does not feature Bluetooth, which is a disappointment. Still the 128MB memory, 64MB flash ROM (inc. 19MB flash disk), in-built WLAN, dual SDIO and CF card slots, VGA resolution screen, PXA 270 520MHz processor, 1.3 megapixal camera, USB host function, nice design and reasonable 165g weight, Japanist IME all make it a pretty attractive package. Other than Bluetooth, I can't think of anything more that could be expected given current standards other than the nice 4" screen of Toshiba's high end models rather than just 3.7" of the v70.

Although the release is announced as mid July, Fujitsu does have a record of delaying releases by long periods in Japan and overseas so we will see if it does actually hit the shelves as scheduled.

The press release only gives 'open price' but my guess would be just under the 70,000 yen mark. Less than 60,000 and I would be very impressed.

Update: The Fujitsu online shop has a staggering price of 83,700 yen - almost the same as a low end laptop! Price is 77,967 yen on Amazon Japan and you get a 10,000 yen Amazon voucher refund at the time of writing.


Links (Japanese only):

Pocket PC 2003 SE Release to Manufacturers
Microsoft Japan
Windows CE Fan

Fujitsu Loox v70:
Fujitsu Press Release
Fujitsu Product Page:
Fujitsu Online Shop
Windows CE Fan Article & Links

New PPC manga for Japanese learners, "Internet Rhapsody", just $2.50 with PPCJ discount code

For details see Fuyosoft

Special offer for Pocket PC Japan visitors. Get $0.50 off "Internet Rhapsody" - that's just $2.50 for manga for your Pocket PC with kanji readings(i.e. ruby or furigana) and grammar explanations. Visit the shop and use coupon code rhappcjp1535.

Mitac to Release Lighest Pocket PC to Japanese Market

Taiwanese manufacturer Mitac have announced their 4th Pocket PC 2003 device for the Japanese market. The Mio 336 is a basic model but weighs in at just 118g, the lightest Pocket PC on the Japanese market beating their own Mio 339 in to second place at 120g and the iPAQ h1937 at 124g into third. Toshiba's smallest model the e400 comes in at a pocket destroying 137g, 0.5g above Dell's low end model at 136.5g and just a bit less than their high end model at 140g. Honorable mention does have to be given to the h2210 iPAQ which at 144g is the lighest model available with a Compact Flash slot.

Decuma Japanese 2.0 is now on sale at @irbitway!

News from Decuma:

"Starting today, Decuma Japanese 2.0 is available for PPC users at "@irBitway" web site! Please check detailed product information & purchase conditions at:
https://www.airbitway.com/meng/cps.php?site=airppcpc&req=131_01_01&CID=3AP006602
(Please note that all information and support are only given in Japanese at "@irBitway".)

The software is priced at 4,179 Japanese yen (including consumption tax), and all users of PPC are welcome to download and test a trial version before purchase (limited to usage for 30 days). This trial version is available at the above "@irBitway" site, as well as at Decuma's web site. www.decuma.com/jp/"

e-NAVI

The e-NAVI service was an interesting project being run by Narita Airport. Visitors to Japan are loaned a PDA pre-loaded with phrase translation software, useful Japan related travel information and a Compact Flash communications card. (From the photos these look like a Genio Pocket PC and a DoCoMo PHS card respectively). In addition to unlimited internet access the user can receive make (but not receive) domestic phone calls. The trials have now finished but it would be interesting to see if this turns into a permanent service.

Micorsoft Announces Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition

No news on any of the Japanese sites yet, but Microsoft have just announced Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition:

"Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition extends the Windows Mobile 2003 software platform to include the features and functionality that truly encourage device and application innovation, such as support for square-screen resolution and dynamic screen switching between landscape and portrait modes, in addition to Video Graphics Array (VGA) and Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) to support high-resolution displays."

Let's hope we see some new and original hardware on the market soon with Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Second Edition (WMPPCSE

As always for English news, lots of good info and views on Pocket PC Thoughts.

BeMap and Japan Communications Collaboration

Mobile software developer BeMap and Japan Communications, who provide the b-mobile flat rate, all-in-one mobile network and WiFi hotspot communication package, have teamed up to sell to 'mobile information terminal'* makers. The first result of their collaboration is a bundle from HP (J) which includes an iPAQ, a b-mobile contract and the b-Walker location-based information service (J).

japan.internet.com news (J)

*mobile information terminal is the direct translation of the term commonly used in Japanese for PDAs and related devices.

Mitac to Release Pocket PC with GPS in Japan

Mitac have announced (Japanese only) that they will start selling the Mio 168 which include built-in GPS from March 31. At 39,800 yen (source: Windows CE Fan), the 147g, 300MHz, 64MB RAM Pocket PC will also come bundled with Super Mapple Digital Ver.4 for Mio map software, a car holder and car charge cable. It will be interesting to see how well this Pocket PC performs compared to other PDAs with a bulky Compact Flash GPS card.

5000 yen cash back chance campaign

Microsoft Japan is running a campaign giving anyone who buys a Pocket PC between 9 March and 14 May a 1 in 10 chance of winning 5000 yen cash back. For more details see the Microsoft Japan Windows Mobile Web Site.

Windows Mobile Fan Festa 2004

Microsoft and Windows CE Fan are co-hosting their third Pocket PC Users event on Saturday April 10. The event is limited to 400 attendees and advanced registration is required. It sounds like an action packed event with presentations from 13:00 to 18:00, including opening remarks by Microsoft Japan's Business and Marketing Director Adam Taylor, the latest information on devices and solutions from Microsoft Japan, and a look at what we may see in the future in the field of PCs, mobile phones and PDAs.

The exhibition will include 'touch and try' displays by a large number of national and international hardware vendors, a sales booth with the latest Pocket PCs and accessories at special event prices, a Windows Mobile Expert Cafe, free Pocket PC wallpaper featuring your favorite 'idols', and an art corner where you can give your Pocket PC case a makeover. Sounds like top class event for Pocket PC fanatics in Japan. Sign ups are accepted to until April 5th but I'd recommend signing up sooner to be sure to get your place.

Dell to start selling Pocket PCs in Japan from March 8

An article in today's Nikkei said that Dell will start selling two Pocket PCs in Japan from March 8. They are models already being sold in the US and will be priced at 22,000 yen and 38,000 yen. There is nothing on Dell Japan's web site or Win CE Fan at the current time so we will have to wait for more info from tomorrow.

Update (Mon Mar 08):
News has appeared on Dell's web site and the other major news sites today. In contrast to the news report it seems that the Axims will be on sale from March 9 and will be shipping March 24. They will be priced at 29,800 for the X3 and 37,800 for the X3i. Specs have been added to the Pocket PC Japan Hardware Comparison Table.

Some links (Japanese only):
Dell Japan News Announcement
WinCE Fan News (Links to news on other sites at bottom of page)
WinCe Fan Photo Review
WinCE Fan Spec Check for X3 and X3i

Dinosaur Factory

Interesting use of Pocket PCs in Japan. If I remember correctly they were using a Cassiopaeia.

"At the entrance, visitors are given a personal digital assistant (PDA), which they wear around their necks. When they reach different areas of the exhibit and hold up the PDA to a pole called a Fact Scope, information about nearby exhibits is displayed on the PDA. Visitors can also listen to an audio program via earphones; the virtual tour guides are real researchers. The visitors can also use the PDA to take pictures. ..... When visitors complete their tour, they are given a special ID number and a password. After returning home, they can access the official website http://dinosaurfactory.jp/en/index.htm and view the data from the PDA they used during the tour, as well as any pictures they took."

PPCLINK Japanese->English Dictionary for eDictionary

PPCLink have was looks to be a function packed and reasonably priced ($12) dictionary tool called eDictionary. They provide lots of free data but some data, such as the Japanese->English dictionary costs a little extra ($5). Handango product page affiliate links. As always use the discount code for 15% off software at Handango. Japanese to English Dictionary eDictionary Reader

15% Off Handango Software for Pocket PC Japan Readers

Readers of Pocket PC Japan can now gt 15% of software at Handango or Handango Japan. Just enter the special discount code F98ADFD6 at the checkout. (Valid until 31st Dec 2004). If you forget the code you can find it on the footer of the Pocket PC Japan Yahoo! Group mails or on the Pocket PC Japan Shopping page.

Here are some useful (affiliate) links to Handango:

• Handango Pocket PC Software - Including New, Best Selling and Specials
  
• Search Handango for 'Japanese'
  -> Sort by price, free software first
  -> Sort by rating, best first
  -> Newest software first
  -> Most downloaded software first
  -> Best selling software first
  
• Pocket PC Software at Handango Japan
  
• Search Handango Japan for 'Dictionary' in Japanese
  

Japanese Dictionary for Pocket PCs - PPDic

PPDic is a very interesting looking free dictionary reader for Pocket PCs. The instruction page is also in English. It explains that you can use it by highlighting a word in Pocket Word or Pocket IE and clicking an icon on the tool bar. The definition is displayed in a pop up balloon. The instruction page links to dictionaries in PDIC and KDIC format that can be used as well as linking to pages listing more sources (in Japanese only). It's great to see Japanese freeware developers making the effort to provide instructions in English!

Cheapest places to get iPAQs in Japan

HP iPAQ Pocket PCs are not available in the mainstream electronics stores in Japan. Other than a few small Akihabara shops which probably order from HP for each order they receive one of the only other options seems to be Amazon Japan. Although the listed prices on Amazon are roughly the same as the HP site and include free shipping, they are currently running a campain where you get up 15% of the purchase price back in gift vouchers. That's a nice bit of money back you could spend on English books or more electronics :-)

They have the following 3 models but not the h1937 (affiliate links so please use to support Pocket PC Japan):

	iPAQ Pocket PC h5550 - 39,600 yen minus 5,000 yen back in gift vouchers		iPAQ Pocket PC h4150 - 44,800 yen minus 5,000 yen back in gift vouchers
	iPAQ Pocket PC h5550 - 70,000 yen minus 7,500 yen back in gift vouchers

Note that the Amazon Japan site has a link to 'English site' which provides key parts of the site in English to help English only speakers place orders. It's great to see this type of support for the English speaking community in Japan.

All information correct at date of posting. For more information on the above hardware see the Pocket PC Japan Hardware page.

NTT DoCoMo's FOMA Blutooth Adapter

NTT DoCoMo are launching a limited trial of a of Bluetooth adapter for the 3G FOMA mobile phones. Pocket PCs or other PDAs or computers with bluetooth can connect to the internet via the bluetooth link to the phone for theoretcial speeds of up to 384 kbps. Of course the adapter looks rather large and unpractical and packet charges are still far to high for serious internet usage, but it's good to see things like this in the works.

http://www.fomasquare.com/ (Japanese only)

On a related note AU have just announced fixed rate data plan for their phones and I think this is one of the signs that there is going to be more activity and competition in the flat rate data market for the rest of the year.

HP iPAQ h4150 Released in Japan

HP have released into the Japanese market their iPAQ h4150 featuring built-in Bluetooth and WLAN in one of the smallest and lightest Pocket PCs available.

HP US
HP Japan (Japanese only)
Windows CE Fan News & Review (Japanese only)

To compare to other Pocket PC 2003 devices available in Japan see the hardware comparison table.

Geocaching in Japan

If you are looking for innovative uses for your Pocket PC and you like the outdoors, Geocaching could be for you. You can read an introduction to Geocaching at Pocket PC Thoughts and look for Geocaches in Japan at Geocaching.com.