(keitai-l) Re: Earphone mic usage in japan

    I bought an earphone-mic in Japan 2 years ago for about 700 Yen.
They are everywhere and are also called handsfree sets here as well.  They
were in common usage for quite some time before that, but the usage
seems to have dropped a bit.

    I found on my old TH-92 (a model from a long time ago) that
it drained the battery very quickly, so much so that I couldn't use it
for regular use, even though I wanted to, and so I haven't used
it much since (even though I have long since upgraded to the TP01 and
then the TT21, I haven't used it for personal use since) .
But I use it all the time at work to test my chakumelo
on various models so I don't disturb my neighbors too much ( but some
handsets like the P504 have a different jack so I can't use it on those).

    As for the streets, quite afew people do use it walking down the streets.
Its not common, but its not rare either.  You might just think they are
talking to someone else since most of the time the streets in Japan
are so crowded you probably think they are talking to the person next to them.

    When I bought one of our testphones, the JPE-03 it came with a free hands
free
kit!  Cool.

    The handset free kits are sold in Bikku camera, and many other keitai
retailers,
but I do not see them in the TuKa, DoCoMo, JPhone or AU shops much.  Try
any discount keitai store and they'll be there usually next to the blinking
antenna display.

    Last year or is it 2 years ago they started having stereo versions of
the usually monophone handsfreekit.  I don't think it caught on much though...
at least not yet, but its been tried.  And I am not sure if the stereo version
had a microphone or not.

graham street wrote:

> I hope that someone out there can advise.
>
> We are looking for information and opinions on earphone mic usage in japan.
> In europe the earphone mike is called a handsfree set which basically allows
> the mobile phone user to use a microphone and earpiece to use a mobile phone
> while freeing his hands. In Japan a handsfree device is used only for cars
> it seems ....
>
> Can anyone can point us in the way of information sources or know the
> numbers and ercentages of device sold ??
>
> I have hardly seen any being used on the streets in Tokyo. Do you think the
> number of earphone mikes sold will increase in the future due to 3G video
> conferencing usage or cancer related health worries ?
>
> very best regards
>
> Graham
>
> http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/
>
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--
-Paul Lester
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