(keitai-l) Re: SoftBank X01HT

From: Tom Motoyoshi Kalland <tmk_at_infeline.org>
Date: 11/20/06
Message-Id: <988A6200-594A-48B3-AFAE-8F9E97B95CB3@infeline.org>
Looked a bit for info on the X01HT and there actually seem to be a  
few catches (please correct me if my information is wrong, even the  
staff at my local Softbank stores don't seem to know anything):

- Normal packet-houdai only covers keitai web and keitai mail.
- The extra PC packet-houdai covers only browsing of PC sites with  
the bundled _IE_. According to the Softbank staff, using Opera or any  
other software to access the Internet will fall outside the plan.  
Also there are no packet-houdai plans covering this kind of use.
- The above PC packet-houdai costs more than 10,000yen/month from  
January.
- Users on forums are reporting that several ports are blocked by  
Softbank so they can't get through on MSN Messenger, SSH, etc. The  
Softbank staff couldn't confirm this one way or another simply  
stating that the pre-installed software works and that's all they  
guarantee.
- Users on forums are reporting that the modem is disabled.
- You have to sign up for a two years plan, and if you cancel it  
earlier you have to pay for the phone (which is 71,000yen+, basically  
you pay 690yen/month while you're a customer).
- MMS is not supported by Softbank (users on forums seem to have  
gotten around this by installing MMS apps though).

On the up side, there are various hacks out there to unlock it, put  
an English version of the OS on it, etc.

Anyone got any hands on experience with this phone? How about the w- 
zero[es]?

I hope we'll see more phones like this though. The Japanese market is  
somewhat behind and there obviously is a need.

Regards, Tom



On Nov 9, 2006, at 15:31 , Hugh Ashton wrote:

> It was a question, rather than a statement, about the locked-out apps.
> People were asking what the catch was. This is a possible gotcha,  
> but if
> that would break the terms of distribution for Windows Mobile, then
> obviously you can install 3rd-party apps. Typically, though,  
> Microsoft tend
> to sue if you miss out Microsoft components at the expense of others.
> Interoperability has never been a catch-phrase at Redmond.
>
> Hugh
>
>
>
> On 09/11/2006 2:04, "Tom Motoyoshi Kalland" <tmk@infeline.org> wrote:
>
>> For real? It won't let you install 3rd party apps like Opera and  
>> Skype?
>> Isn't that the whole point of getting these smart phones (a bit  
>> tired of
>>   how closed the normal Japanese phones are)? :/
>>
>> I'm mainly using Macs too so wondering about the sync'ing. Anyone got
>> any opinion on this for example?
>> http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_windowsmobile.php
>>
>> Regards, Tom
>>
>>
>> Hugh Ashton wrote:
>>> On 08/11/2006 0:05, "Stuart Woodward" <stuartcw@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> The SoftBank X01HT looks really nice. It is even wifi capable.
>>>>
>>>> http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/product/3g/x01ht/index.html
>>>>
>>>> What's the catch? :-)
>>>
>>> It uses a Micro$oft operating system?
>>> It's hacked so no third-party apps can be installed?
>>> It won't sync with Macintoshes?
>>>
>>> And as they say, it won't send MMS, so any non-SB messages have  
>>> to go
>>> through an ISP (packet charges)
>>>
>>> Hugh
>>
>>
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>
>
>
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Received on Mon Nov 20 04:57:29 2006