Willcom seems to be doing great on their latest Advanced W-ZERO3 [es] they put out several months ago. It seems many users have switched from W-ZERO3 [es] to this greate device, and I found alot of W-ZERO3 [es] lying around in Sofmap that sells used PDAs for a reasonable price.
There is a really big advertisement on the wall of the new Sofmap in Akihabara. I took a snapshot of it with my new HTC Tytn II. Enjoy the photo!
For those who are considering to get the new Windows Mobile devices, good news! Microsoft started a new campaign called Windows Mobile Smart Chance Campaign, giving gorgeous prizes to 500 people, incuding a relaxing trip at a high ranking hotel. To qualify, one must keep the receipt of the purchased new smartphone running Windows Mobile, and send it according to the regulation.
More details are at this site: (in Japanese)
In my previous post, I posted about the Motorola Q that I ordered from eBay and that it arrived safely here in Japan. I played around with the Motorola Q some more, and I must say I like the device very much. I still think it was a bad idea that Motorola decided to drop Wifi on both devices, although the 9h and Q has Bluetooth.
Yesterday, I met up with Andrew and borrowed the Motorola Q 9h to review.
One cool thing about the 9h is that it has a light sensor to automatically turn off the keyboard back light when it is in a lighted room. It turns on the back light of the keyboard when it is in a dark room.
The 9h's overall design is better, because it is black, and the keyboard is now flatter, but bigger and easier to type. The 9h is slightly wider but it fits in the jacket pocket well. The advantage of these devices is that it is quite thin, unlike the X01HT from Softbank, so you can carry around without feeling its weight.
Also, the Motorola Q 9h works in Japan, although for some reason, Japan was not listed in the carrier list in automatic configuration.
Also, I scanned for Bluetooth devices in Saikyo-Line going to Ikebukuro, and I was surprised to find a lot of devices! Mostly Softbank SH phones, but I found one Nokia E61.
This will probably come in handy for a salesman who travels around presenting presentations on the go. It is a VGA adapter that fits W-ZERO3 es. This is a picture taken with my 902T at a shop in Akihabara and I do not know the details or the product name, but it is probably already marketed somewhere. I saw a similar one back in 2006 at Akibax, which was a microSD version.
Very interesting solution though.
I just got a Motorola Q from eBay just a few days ago, and this is my thoughts.
At first, I thought I would not like the keyboard similar to Blackberry devices, but I must admit I was wrong. It is actually a little easier to use than the Advanced W-ZERO 3 es, and it is pretty cool.
First off, I was a little confused about not being able to find the Explorer application, but on this device, it is called File Manager. I installed an application called viekaWordpad. It is a simple wordpad application able to edit html files. The only problem with this device is that it lacks wifi, and you can't be able to use the device in Japan due to radio frequency and technology differences. (The Motorola Q uses GSMCDMA ).
I heard rumors that you can use miniSD wifi if you put the AC adapter.... This got me thinking of ideas...
More review coming soon.
I got the new Advanced W-ZERO3 es without a contract, and tested it out today. Overall, the device is a great device, although the keyboard took some time to get used to. compared to the smaller keyboard keys of W-ZERO3 es, it has become bigger, and is a little similar to the upcoming X01T by Softbank. Because the CPU has been upgraded to 520Mhz, and the device runs WM6.0, browser is robust and very easy to see.
Also, the screen is somewhat better than the W-ZERO3 es. The USB host functionality enabled me to use a portable USB keyboard, and I could use it on Word and many other programs. Since W-ZERO3 es has a integrated Wifi, It can do interenet on the go.
Great device, Sharp! I am looking forward for Willcom's new Windows Mobile device.
Tsubasa K. More detailed review to come soon!
Lars Cosh-Ishii, Dir. Digital Media, Wireless Watch JapanHaving a Windows Mobile phone (i.e. something that's likely to be with you even more and therefore even more convenient than a PDA) opens up additional opportunities for learning Japanese and using reference tools such as dictionaries.
A search of Handango (long one of the leading vendors of software for Windows Mobile) currently lists gives 152 results when searching for Japanese in the Windows Mobile Professional (i.e. X01HT-like) category. Unfortunately there are only 7 matching apps for WM Standard (i.e. X02HT-like) devices, but still that's a good enough selection to be able to find something useful. (The X02HT is not listed on the site so choose the T-Mobile Dash with is a very similar device).
I'll aim to do some more in-depth reviews of some of the best Japanese software over the coming months.
I've started creating a spreadsheet of Windows Mobile devices available in Japan. I'll be updating as much as I can but anyone can update below or using the full EditGrid interface so it would be great if readers can help fill in the details. Currently no user name or password is required but I'll have to change that if the spreadsheet starts getting spammed.
I often get asked about options for renting a mobile phone in Japan.
Softbank Global Rental
You can rent either a phone with SIM, a SIM card only to use in your own phone, or a phone to use with your SIM card. Nokia is the only phone-only option at the moment, but hopefully they'll start to offer Windows Mobile devices soon now we have one with an English interface. Daily rental rates seem good and incoming calls are free, but outgoing calls are expensive.
Go Mobile
Advantages of Go Mobile include advance notification of your rental phone number when the phone is shipped and long term plans if you need the phone more than 90 days. Once again - no Windows Mobile devices at the moment.
Update: I see Softbank also offers an option to be notified of the phone number you will receive in advance.
You are sure to find other options at the airport.
Another option is buying a prepaid phone. Here is prepaid phone information from Softbank and AU. (DoCoMo does not have a prepaid service). Although identification is required, there is nothing on either site about a requirements for an address in Japan? Has anyone got any experience with this?
These are the cool devices I saw in CEATEC 2007.
The Windows Mobile market was quite interesting, as many people was looking intently on the X02HT and other smartphones. It seems X02HT was drawing the largest attention. I got to touch a mockup of the NTT Docomo's HT1100, and FT1100, but it was okay. I think I would rather prefer buying a X01HT or X02HT. The X01T was interesting too, but it lacked originality, and I would prefer getting WILLCOM's Advanced W-ZERO3es.
One interesting device was in Mitachi's booth running Windows CE 5.0, and it was like a tablet device, called MIU FACE 084. It runs MIPS32 core 400Mhz, and has 128MB DDR-2SDRAM, 32MB onboard Flash, and 512MB extended Flash. It also has wired LAN and Wireless LAN (b,g) and W-SIM.
I posted a scan of the specs of NTT Docomo's HT1100 and FT1100 (in japanese).
Dave Mori
What device are you using and how long have you had it?
I am using the X02Ht and I have had it since the first day it came out here in Tokyo, September 22, 2007.
What's your experience so far?
What's your favorite feature?
What do you most dislike?
What feature do you wish you had?
Any other comments?
It was good to see a nice contingent of Windows Mobile users at last night's Engadget Meetup in Tokyo. They had more than 200 people show up at Google's office for a great geekfest. There were robots, gadgets, phones, digital cameras and even the $100 laptop to enojoy. Geek factor 110. Here's a few shots of some of the Windows Mobile users and a short video of the room.
I find having seamless wireless sync between my PC and phone one of the biggest benefits of using a Windows Mobile phone. I use a hosted Microsoft Exchange provider so I just pay a monthly fee and don't have the hassle and cost of setting up my own server.
I use 4smartphone.net but users in Japan have a local solution from Isle starting at 1,575 yen/month/user.
