On 5/8/06, Shannon Jacobs <shanen@gmx.co.uk> wrote:
> 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.
The package I hear most people go for (and the one I'm on) is the
roughly 7,000 yen/month one. If my memory serves me correctly it's
2,100 for the voice package (which does not included any calling
credits, but has pretty competitive rates), then 1,000 yen for up to
100,000 packets on the data plan. The price then goes up depending on
packet usage, but tops at 3,800 meaning a max price of 6,900. You can
also use the SIM card via a USB adapter or using a cable while it is
still in the W-ZERO3 to connect your PC. When I dial up the little
Windows XP task try dialog tells me I'm connected at 240 kbps.
> 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?
Not with the bundled cable. I found a cable that does do both at the
Yurakucho BIC Camera. As a long time Pocket PC user I'm used to one
days battery life, although in reality I usually get around 2-3 using
it as a PDA and doing some web surfing. This does decrease a lot if
you use WLAN, keep the screen setting bright and/or stay connected to
the internet using the PHS connection for a long time. I also carry a
small adapter which you can plug USB devices into to charge them.
> I thought it was running Opera? As implemented on my current Kyocera phone,
> Opera has a mode switch for keitai mode.
You can download Opera - much better than Pocket IE. You can also
download the Java version of Opera Mini but I find this almost
unusable as the OK button function doesn't seem to work.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the W-ZERO3. I miss the simplicity of
use, designed-for-one-handed operation, and official site of normal
mobile phones, and often still use my D902i for train schedules and
mobile web sites even though this costs me packet fees. I use the
W-ZERO3 when I need to browse designed-for-PC web sites to find maps
or addresses etc. while on the move. I occasionally use the email
connecting to my POP or IMAP accounts or via WebMail, but I rarely
need to access e-mail urgently and usually have my laptop with me
anyway. I don't use the phone except when both my DoCoMo and laptop
batteries die. (I use my laptop to charge my keitai via USB).
I'm happy with the standard PDA features although I have problems
using one of my favorite apps RepliGo (www.cerience.com) - it freezes.
I sometimes use handwriting recognition using Calligrapher
(www.phatware.com) but most often than not I'm inputting names or URLs
so the keyboard is better.
The camera is terrible so I never use this.
Finally Skype works perfectly when connected using Wi-Fi but you can't
log on when connected using the PHS connection. Would be interested if
someone knows a hack for this.
I posted a few W-ZERO3 links here a while back
http://www.pocketpcjapan.com, but I'm sure you can find a number of
English links and reviews doing a Google search.
> 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.
Not that you can't currently make or receive calls while connected to
the internet which could be a hurdle. I believe this problem will be
solved somewhere down the line.
Andrew
www.andrewshuttleworth.com
Received on Mon May 8 08:36:41 2006