There are some other options, with more on the way soon, but it will
require a bit more work to set up.
I am currently using an HTC Universal (Windows Mobile 5 PDA/Cell combo) in
Japan and have been able to get it to work with several email solutions.
So far, using a Vodafon Japan 3G SIM card I can get push email using both
the Microsoft mobile email solution (Exchange server required) as well as
Commontime Msuite to sync to a Notes/Domino server. Pop3Mail of course is
no problem.
The WZero3 from Sharp/Willcom is actually a modified version of the
Universals little brother the HTC Wizard. Of course the Wizard, sold
widely under various names by QTek, iMate, TMobile, and such will not work
in Japan as it is GSM/GPRS only. Sharp contracted with HTC to add the
Willcom W-SIM enableing Japan telcom support (at the cost of the GSM and
global roaming capability). The Universal is great as it uses WCDMA 3G
networks and keeps GSM/GPRS compatibility.
Now here's the tricky part. First, the Universal is not available in
Japan. You will have to get one from an importer (like expansys.com).
Second you have to get a Vodafone SIM card that is provisioned for 3G,
voice, and data. Using a mix of all these means that you fall outside of
most discount price plans. Talk or email a lot and you can be looking at
some hefty mobile bills. Of course, as it is imported, the Universal does
not ship with native Japanese support, but this has already been addressed
with some imaginative 3rd party solutions.
Now if you are down on Windows Mobile, there are some interesting options
coming up. First, the Nokia E61 starting shipping last week. This is a
Blackberry like device that runs on Nokia S60 OS. It also ships with
support for Visto, Good, , Seven, Blackberry connect, and Pop3 email
support. As Vodafone Japan's Office mail product is powered by Visto, that
means that you should be able to get push email from an Exchange server for
a pretty good price. The E61 is also a 3G WCDMA/GSM/GPRS phone.
Unfortunately I don' know about Japanese language support yet.
Also on the way is the Sony Ericsson M600 due this year running Symbian
UIQ.
Both Docomo and Vodafone have promised to get devices such as these on the
market in Japan this year, but personally I wouldn't fetilize my lawn with
the stuff they pass. I estimate Spring 2007 before Japan finally gets a
reliable convergent device into the mainstream.
"Shannon Jacobs"
<shanen@gmx.co.uk
> To
Sent by: <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
keitai-l-bounce@a cc
ppelsiini.net
Subject
(keitai-l) Re: Sharp Zero3 from
05/08/2006 03:32 WillCom
AM
Please respond to
keitai-l@appelsii
ni.net
> Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 22:36:26 +0900
> From: "Arnold P. Siboro" <asiboro@maltech.jp>
> Subject: Re: Sharp Zero3 from WillCom
>
> If you can read Japanese, there are tons of links to zero3 related
> information. Looking at Google search result, it is clear that zero3
...
Yes, but... As already noted, I don't read it very quickly, and I think I
could probably get more from a 20-minute discussion with you as an
English-speaking user than from 2 hours of reading in Japanese. Perhaps we
could meet somewhere like Mickey House?
> As zero3 user, I find zero3 very useful, easy to use and economical at
> the same time. It only costs about 5,000yen for unlimited packet at
> 64Kbps, and I can type email with both hands. The only major drawback
> was battery life: it lasts less than a day under heavy use (and much
> less if you use wifi).
Actually, I'm interested in the 4x (128 Kbps) service. I've been told that
there may be a way to set it up for unlimited packet use around 7,000
yen/month by combining some of their confusing service offerings. I'm also
unsure if that approach is compatible with my ISP, Asahi-Net. There is also
a packet-hodai service at 4x for about 9,000 yen/month, and that might be
suitable for my purposes.
I've heard about these battery problems, and they worry me somewhat. Do you
carry your charger? Can it charge effectively from the USB cable?
I'm also interested in your wifi experiences. It sounds like you don't use
the handwriting recognition for input?
> BTW, zero3 is a PDA, not keitai, so by default it does not have keitai
> web browser and its default mail client feels more like PC-based
> client
> than a keitai mail client. Zero3 is a PC in many aspects, and that's
> one
> major reason it stands out. Of course it can be very inconvenient when
> what you want to access is a keitai only sites. BTW, it seems that
> most
> zero3 users have keitai (au/docomo/vodafone), like I do, so when zero3
> cannot access certain sites, we just switch to keitai.
I thought it was running Opera? As implemented on my current Kyocera phone,
Opera has a mode switch for keitai mode.
One of my goals is to avoid having multiple devices such as a separate
mobile phone. Actually, I'd be interested in consolidating all of my
non-work communications and even eliminating my ADSL service.
This mail was sent to address Steven_Nagata@capgroup.com
Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/
Received on Mon May 8 05:25:00 2006