George's Review.

George
The WILLCOM W-ZERO3 [es]

The Willcom W-ZERO3 [es] is a phone you would want to buy, for yourself, and perhaps for a friend. Whether you’re a businessperson, or a teen looking for a cool phone with lots of convenient applications, this phone has something to offer for everyone. It is a very good phone, and carrying around made me feel prepared, it was like carrying a computer/phone hybrid around in my pocket.

The W-ZERO3 [es], made in conjunction by three companies Willcom Inc., Sharp Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation, has two keyboards, a touch screen, can play music and videos, and is compatible with USB host functions. It also has lots of applications, making it very convenient to have. For example, Opera Mobileä enables you to browse websites, W-ZERO3 Mail lets you check your inbox and send mail even without your computer. Programs such as Word mobile, and Excel mobile makes this phone even more convenient as you can create and edit documents using just this phone. Other applications such as a MSN messenger, and games ensure that you will not get bored.

Display 2.8” VGA (640 x 480)
OS MicrosoftÆ Windows MobileÆ 5.0 software for Pocket PC (Japanese version)
Memory Flash memory 128MB, SDRAM 64MB
CPU IntelÆ PXA270 Processor 416MHz
Dimensions Approximately 135 x 56 x 21mm
Weight 175g (including stylus and battery)

I liked the ability of the W-ZERO3 [es] to receive and send mail, as I have experienced times where I really needed to check my mail, but couldn’t because I didn’t have access to a computer. Another unique feature was a “name card” reader,” which takes a picture of a business card and automatically copies the information into the contact list, although sometimes there are mistakes. All in all, this phone is a must have for business people or anyone, in fact, who wants to stay connected, or just wants to carry their computer around with them. The URLs of Willcom Inc., Sharp Corporation and Microsoft Corporation respectively are: <http://www.willcom-inc.com/en/index.html>, <http://sharp-world.com/>, and <http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/default.aspx>.

Thanks so much George. You did a excellent review.

Quick Gettogether

Sorry it's on such short notice, but I will be at Linux Cafe with lots of cool Windows Mobile devices at the round table, so if you wanna see some cool stuff, just hop in at 12:30PM today.

-stingraze

btw. It's at Akiba.

Auctioning items...

I'm auctioning alot of items like Windows Vista Ultimate, Office 2007 Ultimate, and many interesting stuff on My Yahoo Auction Japan Listing.

I'll try to make a widget so you can see the listings on the site.

Honest Review Part - 1 HTC Kaiser

This is my honest review of the HTC Kaiser. There will be no favoritism on any companies, and it's going to be quite frank.

First of all, I must say I really like the device, so much that I carry it around everytime I go places like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Hiratsuka, Yokohama, etc. The problem is that the battery lasts very short when a hardcore Windows Mobile user like me uses it. The thing about this is that it only lasts for a couple hours, when I use the internet, and especially when I use GPS. The solution for this is by getting an extended battery.

The other thing I don't like about this is the lack of USB host functionality. I wished it could use this because I can put my USB memory reader, external USB keyboard, etc.

I would rate it a 9/10 for now, but if more accessories are put out, it would probably be 9.5/10

Next Windows Mobile Japan User's Evening - Tuesday 22nd January

Best wishes for 2008 to all readers! I'm expecting an even more exciting year for Windows Mobile in Japan in 2008!

The next Windows Mobile Japan User's Evening will be on 22nd January from 7pm.

We'll be devoting the full evening to discussion among all the attendees so there will be plenty of time to get questions answered and share tips and tricks. I'll go into more detail on the 10 power users tips I presented last month for anyone interested or anyone who couldn't make the presentation.

Even if you don't own a smart phone, but are interested to learn more, please come along.

Please RSVP here so we know how many to expect.

X01T pamphlet scan

I just got the Softbank X01T pamphlet, and made a scan of it. If you would like, I can send the actual pamphlet for free to your address. Please leave a comment if you would like one shipped to you.

Ppctweakies Online Shop gets an update

I updated my online shop selling handhelds from many companies in Japan. I finally put up the shopping cart feature. Though it's not completely done, I will update it today.

I sell handhelds and accessories that are hard to find to overseas customers at my shop, and my customers include shoppers from: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Brazil, Austria, Netherlands.

I ship to Japanese address too.

http://www.hpcnut.co.uk/winmo/shop.htm

Full keyboard smartphone from Asus!

This is a really cool smartphone that is going to be released from Asus. It's called the Asus M930W, and has Windows Mobile 6.0, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, MicroSDHC, 256ROM, and 128MB RAM.
via pocketgames

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to Windows Mobile in Japan readers!

Hope you are having a blast, and wish you all a Happy New Year!

-stingraze

P.S. 2008 is going to be an exciting year for Windows Mobile! :D

Sigmarion Radio

This is a very interesting Youtube clip.

O2 Xda mini

Today, the O2 Xda mini arrived from U.S., which I have been waiting for some time. The device is a little old, but I really like the metal covering of the Xda mini, and I fell in love with this device three years ago, but couldn't afford to buy it at that time.

Hope you guys are having a Merry Christmas Eve.

Wish you guys the best and Thanks for Reading.

Tsubasa Kato

Intel ships Penny-Size Solid State Drive

Intel shipped their penny-sized solid state drive on December 17th, which means that next generation cellphones and portable audio/media players will have a even smaller, thinner size, with increased memory space!

The actual size of the solid state drive is said to be smaller than a penny, which is amazing. Probably, next year, there will be many Windows Mobile devices with this SSD as the internal disk.

via Windows CE FAN

Windows Mobile Centric Search Engine

I've made the Mohawk Search Engine back in 2003 with Perl, and now it has a major upgrade. I finally got a cool crawler to update my database with, and the Mohawk Search Engine is now on BETA.

The Mohawk Search Engine has thousands of Windows Mobile and Windows CE sites you will find useful and interesting.

Hope you like it.

http://hawkey_t.tripod.com/cgi-bin/new/search.cgi

P.S. It worked quite well on my Advanced W-ZERO 3 [es] even when using the PHS network.

Sincerely,
Tsubasa Kato

Secubox - 256bit Encryption for Windows Mobile

I tried out the Secubox from Aiko Solutions, and it was quite interesting. What Secubox does is that it creates a mounted virtual storage card with a 256bit encryption on your Windows Mobile. I found the software very well made, although it was a little difficult first to see what to use the software for, but after Irina Oltu gave me a little how-to, I could understand its benefit in securing data.

Secubox is available for $39.99, and can be bought at their online store.

More detailed review to come soon.

VITO SmartNavigator Review Part 2

I tried the VITO SmartNavigator with my Tytn II in my car, and it worked flawlessly. The response was good, and there was very little lag as the speed changed on the speedometer on SmartNavigator.

Toshiba Portege G910

This smartphone is going to be released next year, according to endgadget japanese. I perosonally think this is pretty cool!

It looks like the beginning of next gen design, not just copies and clones of HTC devices. :)

via Engadget Japanese

VITO SmartNavigator Review Part 1

I am reviewing the VITO SmartNavigator on my HTC Kaiser (Tytn II). The user interface is superb, and I really like the looks. Because I didn't have the chance to use it outside yet, I will be making this review in two parts, and the next review post will be the actual software in use.

Nice job, VITO. I really like it!

keep tuned for updated posts on this software.

HTC Shift Japanese

HTC was showing off its HTC Shift Japanese at the Windows Mobile Blogger's event in Shinjuku yesterday. It is to be released next year.

Edit your Ringtone from Windows Mobile!

VITO updated their RingtoneEditor to 1.2 on November 27th.

"The new version of VITO RingtoneEditor supports famous BlackJack and Moto Q including other devices with the same screen resolution. With VITO RingtoneEditor you can easily create as many ringtones as you wish from your favorite music. The slider showing the song progress has become more informative. When you start making ringtone the scroll box becomes highlighted. Now it is clearly seen what part of the song is chosen for the ringtone."

VITO RingtoneEditor is available for $ 9.95 at www.vitotechnology.com.

Many reviews of VITO products coming soon. so keep tuned!

Windows Mobile in Ikebukuro

Today, I walked to Ikebukuro to look at the Windows Mobile devices in Bic Camera. I looked through the Willcom's booth, and looked at the Advanced W-ZERO 3 [es] on display. The cool thing was that as I was looking at the flyers, I noticed the HTC P3600 on it. I didn't know they sell HTC unlocked smartphones in Bic Camera, and I went to the display case that contained the HTC P3600 and the HTC X7501.

For me, however, neither devices really impressed me because the HTC P3600, although it has a GPS, does not have a slide-in keyboard, and was a big downer for me. I was surprised, however, that the device was not too expensive, being 69,800yen. The HTC X7501 was 119,800yen.

I think the HTC Athena will be a good replacement for older Handheld PCs, but I still think the Sigmarion 3 is better because it has many accessories and has a SDIO and CF slot for expansion.

I also went over to the Softbank booth to take a look at the X01T, but there wasn't any one on display except for the mock up. I guess if I had asked, they would have put it out for me to play with. I think the best smartphone to get at the moment is the Softbank's X02HT because it has Wifi (IEEE802.11b/g). By adding the latest add-on, the X02HT supports the Office 2007 format. I also thing the good part is that the X02HT supports charging by USB.

After I finished looking at the Bic Camera's smartphone booths, I headed over to the Yamada Denki's Emobile booth. I got a pamphlet from the EMobile booth, and in the pamphlet, I noticed something very interesting called 3D Box. 3D box is a 3D browser software in which you can view News, Weather, Movies, Music, and Variety Programs. The interesting feature of this program is that it shows the bookmarks in the Internet Explorer and Opera Browser in a 3D cabinet format. You can see the details here .


The new D02HW supports the latest 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connection,which I find it cool. The only negative part of this modem is that it doesn't support any Windows Mobile devices, let alone Windows CE.

The EMobile subscription rates are quite cheap, being 5980yen for basic data plan and 4980yen when you get a two year "Shin ninen " plan. ADSL service can be added for only 1,500yen per month, which I think is quite good.

Before I switched over to Yahoo ADSL and current FTTH, I was using EAccess' ADSL service, but I found their service pretty satisfying, and I am sure they improved it even more since then.

Sigmarion III Detailed Review

Sigmarion 3 Review

The best thing about the Sigmarion 3 is that it is very useful for making reports, editing text, and even surfing the web on the go. There are many enthusiasts all over the world, and since I am exporting Sigmarion III to users all over the world, they seem to be getting many new patches for the device created by individuals, on sites like HPCFactor. The best feature of this device is the instant on/off, unique to the Windows CE devices.


The light weight (455 grams) is very good, and it is much better than carrying a heavy laptop which sometimes can be about 3 Kgs.

You can use the Wifi at 54Mbps by buying the IODATA 54Mbps card or the Planex 54Mbps card. There are also many 11Mbps Wifi cards that are supported by this great device, including WLI-CF-S11G and WLI2-CF-S11G. You can also use SDIO Wifi card from Sandisk and such.

The best option for the Sigmarion 3 will probably be the extended battery, which is very rare and quite expensive. This allows 3000mAh of power, which means you can use for about 16 hours straight without recharging. This will make the Sigmarion 3 even more trustworthy, and you won't have to worry about bringing several batteries on the go, which will cause quite a bit of hassle.

Most people think the small factor of the Sigmairion 3 quite impressive, even after 4 years after its initial release (the device was put out of line in 2005). The display size is still impressive, being WVGA (800X480) instead of the regular VGA (640X480). Watching movie files on Sigmarion 3 is quite good, which you will need to use the TCMCP player available for free.

Also, there is a hack of increasing the video memory to 8MB, in which I found it to have some effect on the speed.

Overclocking the Sigmarion 3 is very easy, and can be done using a software, and it will increase the speed to 796 Mhz (uncofirmed). I tried overclocking it myself to 520 Mhz, which made the device faster, but a little unstable when connecting to Wifi. The utility I used is called xclkcfg.

I am hoping NTT Docomo or some other company will revive the Handheld PC device soon, because I am very sure there will be many new users who will find such device very valuable if they put out the latest OS on it. It will even be more interesting if NTT Docomo decided to make a Windows CE 6.0 upgrade to the Sigmarion 3, providing a ROM upgrade. I think they can even make the device over 100,000 yen. Personally, I am hoping that companies other than NTT Docomo to make such a device, like Softbank or Au.

Advanced W-ZERO 3 [es] extended battery

PocketGames is selling an extended battery (2400mAh) for the W-ZERO 3 [es] ! :)

This is something I would like for my Christmas, I guess, because my Advanced W-ZERO 3 [es] seems to run out when I need it the most.

HPCNut Online Store Christmas Special: $1 Sigmarion III on eBay!

$1 Sigmarion III Auction !

Christmas Special! I put up a Sigmarion III with accessories on eBay, starting from $1, no reserve.

For giving special thanks to all the people who bought Windows Mobile and Windows CE products on my shop :)

Check it out here !

Wired LAN connector for W-ZERO 3 [es] series

Planex just announced their Wired LAN connector that enables wired LAN via USB host cable. This is very useful for people who need to access networks that are not wireless.

http://www.planex.co.jp/product/usb/ue-200txgp
via Windows Keitai

X01T First Impression

Today, before attending the UG Windows Mobile in Japan event, I went to the BicCamera at Shibuya to try out the new X01T. I felt the device was very well made, sort of like a cross between the X01T and the Willcom Advanced W-ZERO 3 [es]. Though I didn't have time to try it out, the fingerprint recognition (security) on the back was cool.

The only bad point about this is that it doesn't have an integrated GPS, butI honestly thought the device is worth buying.

Livecast of Tonight's Windows Mobile UG Event

If you can't make the event this evening, then you may be able to participate remotely. Experimentally I'm going to try livecasting it using the widget below. There is a chat and comment function so please send in any feedback.

X01T availability

Today, I went to the Hibarigaoka LAOX to check if they had the X01T. Unfortunately, after I asked the clerk if they had one available, she said even though it is already out, they do not have one in stock.

So, I took some photos of Windows Mobile phone X02HT and Softbank phone instead. I was surprised they were giving an iPod nano (older one 2GB one) away with the Softbank phone.

X01T Release Date

I went to the Softbank shop today, and I asked when the X01T is going to come out. The shop clerk said it will come out on December 8th, but I will have to pre-order it.

Good news for those who waited for the cool device for a long time!

Charging Tytn II via Advanced W-ZERO 3 es

Today, I had this idea that popped into my head. Since Advanced W-ZERO 3 es has a USB host capability, why not charge the Tytn II by this?

I just connected a miniUSB cable from my Tytn II to the Host cable that is connected to the Advanced W-ZERO 3 es. Surprisingly, it worked even when the screen was on ! This will be a temporary solution to drain Advanced W-ZERO 3 es' battery to charge HTC Tytn II. I am sure the same process will work on other smartphones as well.

Windows Mobile (X01T) ads in train

Coming back from the SANYO Xacti event that took place in PinkCow, Shibuya, I took a picture of a Softbank X01T ad in Saikyo Line. The Windows Mobile market will increase tremendously by viral marketing strategy, for example, it should be put up on Youtube and other video upload sites, so new users will by the Windows Mobile and begin to create a higher demand on both hardware and softwares.

I think the most effective way to promote devices is lending the device or giving it away to people who just love to carry around gadgets. Naturally, many people will touch the device, and there should be many new users. The process should be very effective among the high school students, around 16-18.

Tytn II, Windows Mobile and Yokohama

It is getting very Christmas like here in Japan, as many decorations are put everywhere.

Today, I went to Yokohama's Sofmap to get a 802.11n router to setup a network in my friend's house. He bought the Sigmarion III from me, and it included many accessories like Wifi card, etc.

The Sigmarion III is rather old (made in 2003) but still very popular among users in Japan.

I took a snapshot of Windows Mobile booth (Sofbank) in Sofmap.

I also went for a stroll around Yokohama Nishiguchi (West Exit). I took several snapshots there. Hope you enjoy it.