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- Velnich, on 07/21/2009, -6/+80I would love to see some Japanese carrier buy a slice of the North American market and innovate/upgrade the hell out of it to give the other carriers a jolt.
- inactive, on 07/21/2009, -1/+57I've been to Japan 6 times and I always go check out the latest gadgets and phones while I'm there. The phones really aren't that advanced. They may be about a year ahead of the states in terms of phones. Its actually the service plans that are more advanced. They're so much more flexible and affordable.
- FapCommander, on 07/21/2009, -6/+60It's simple, western networks simply can't support Japanese smart phones, networks in the west try and squeeze every penny out of the consumer, which results in piss poor network infrastructure.
- serif69, on 07/21/2009, -4/+45Skip the article, let me summarize it for you:
The software blows. - LittleDas, on 07/21/2009, -2/+32I don't know why people think Japanese smartphones are something magical. In terms of software they're basically glorified feature phones. The reason they aren't popular anywhere else is because they rely on their networks for much of their functionality (awesome internet speeds, tv, etc.) and in terms of technical sophistication they're sort of a backwater.
"The emphasis on hardware makes even the newest phones here surprisingly bulky. Some analysts say cellphone carriers stifle innovation by demanding so many peripheral hardware functions for phones."
This is one of the more revealing lines in the article. Japanese phones are much more about gadgetry than about functionality. Everyone competes to have the longest feature list rather than the best features. At the end of the day, though almost all japanese phones have internet access, none do it as well as the top American / Western smartphones which I shouldn't have to name but (Palm Pre, iPhone, Blackberry, Android phones, etc.) - DarkCloud515, on 07/21/2009, -0/+20Or any company that has some reals balls.
- Ryokuchaa, on 07/21/2009, -13/+32It's sad to see that western markets are so far behind, that it makes having a Japanese smartphone in a western network pointless to own. But I don't see any of the big carriers rushing out to provide the services these smartphones provide. Is it because there is no market for these services, or do the providers just not want to invest in new technology over in the west?
While in the Japanese market giving a iPhone away free with a service plan isn't enough to boost sales, because the plan is too overpriced, and the phone is too simplistic with hardly any features that even outdated Japanese smartphones are capable of. - sandbaggerone, on 07/21/2009, -1/+19Let's get one thing straight: Japanese cellphones are NOT smartphones
http://sb1.tumblr.com/post/145725276/japanese-cell ... - protonone, on 07/21/2009, -0/+16Simple stuff that works well is much better than some extremely confusing piece of crap. Why do you think people are in love with the iPhone, the Wii, and the Kindle? It's not because they are super powered gadgets, but because they straddle the line. I think the way the American smart phone market is going is the right way, except when it comes to speed.
- Super6, on 07/21/2009, -1/+17There was an article on digg not long ago that said most Japanese don't know how to use most of the features on their phone. They go to the store and pick the one with the longest list of features but they're buried so deep in menus that most are a hassle to use. I love my iphone, the only improvements could be made are with regaurds to speed, and I don't think the japanese are hiding super fast, super tiny processors from us.
- ericthesalmon, on 07/21/2009, -1/+15But Android phones are phones
- mynameisteejay, on 07/21/2009, -4/+16I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so.....
- drewhoo, on 07/21/2009, -0/+9For those without an account:
http://www.bugmenot.com/view/nytimes.com - begbegbegbegbeg, on 07/21/2009, -0/+9...and they don't understand the concept of synching. Useless here in the U.S.
- jman583, on 07/21/2009, -10/+18Japanese phones are just too awesome.
- zeth006, on 07/21/2009, -0/+7Buried for irrelevance.
- zeth006, on 07/21/2009, -0/+7Welcome to the 21st century. America is a land of crumbling infrastructure and a dominance in the technological fields that relative to the rest of the world has declined. We spend tons of taxpayer money on maintaining a military and we keep cutting education. What few realize is education is the source of any country's advancement in technology.
- themastersb, on 07/21/2009, -0/+6I know in Canada our cellular market is way behind and it seems to be having trouble with just the iPhone so far. Also with the rates here a lot of those phones would be useless.
- utinam, on 07/21/2009, -0/+6TV on Japanese phones is free -- they just pick up the regularly broadcast signals. I don't pay a penny (well, yen) to watch Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, TBS, etc., on my cellphone.
- Ryokuchaa, on 07/21/2009, -1/+7I'm not sure how I can be fair to western providers that have "unlimited" data plans that really are 5GB, while also have crazy rates per kb after you hit the cap. I understand that investors want to max profitability for a return on investment. But the cost to the consumer has been huge in that area.
I will take back my calling the iPhone simplistic. In fact it is one of the few phones in the west that pushes the envelope on the western networks. AT&T even complains that less then 5% of their customers use over 90% of their capacity and out of those 5% most are iPhone users. I also think that Apple would probably push the iPhone even harder as it is capable of much more, but really AT&T is keeping the innovation of the iPhone from pushing harder on their already over burdened network.
But yes in the end it is all a matter of taste in the different markets, while someone in Japan couldn't really see a phone without a digital TV tuner as being cutting edge, most in the west probably could care less about something like that. It is all a matter of perspective.
I should change that the western markets are not behind, as much as I should have said the western providers are falling behind what these devices are now capable of, leaving the western market without many options. While the Japanese phones have too many useless addition's that are worthless in western markets, mostly because no providers provide those additional services. - ae92, on 07/21/2009, -4/+10Good luck using the crappy UI designed by engineers... Japanese smartphones are full of features ...that nobody can figure out how to use.
- kwestin, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5It is more about carrier control, unlike other markets Japanese and European carriers do not subsidize the cost of the phone. Your monthly rates are cheaper and there are more phones to choose from as the market is not controlled by the carriers. Japan also has faster mobile Internet due to the increased competition amongst carriers, as well as the smaller land mass to deploy their networks.
I feel retarded when I bring my iPhone to Japan, it looks like a kids toy compared to some of the features their phones have. Nothing like sitting on the subway and some old perv next to you is streaming anime porn in HD to his phone while texting his wife. Now that is innovation. - AgmLauncher, on 07/21/2009, -1/+6Agreed. Im sick of all this talk of "advanced" phones when the reality is it's the SERVICE in America that sucks, not the hardware/software in the phones.
What good are 23749273493794 extra features if carriers just nickle and dime you to death to use them?
Who wants to pay an extra $50/month for digital TV on their phone's 3" screen? Give me a break. - ddawggin, on 07/21/2009, -1/+6Japan is about the size of California with a population of almost 130 million. It's a wee bit easier to cover such a dense population.
- HillBully, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5fap fap fap
- zeth006, on 07/21/2009, -2/+7A couple of solutions for successful entry into the US market:
1. Less Hardware, More Software
Scale back some R&D on hardware. Not all Americans want clunky phones with 9,999 features. Dedicate some of that R&D cash toward making the phones user friendly for the average joe and desirable not just for people who like the clamshell design.
The Japanese are infamous for their obsession with innovation. I think if the likes of Sony Erricson and NEC were to put some time and money into it, they could develop their own apps store...
2. Incorporate a new OS
Meet with Google executives and engineers to discuss possibly incorporating Android OS onto Japanese cellphones and making some add-ons and applications usable entire phone lines.
3. Marketing
Follow the example of Samsung and LG. Pour money into movie and television advertisements. Increase visibility and awareness of the brand, not just the phones.
4. Pricing
Work out deals with Verizon and AT&T. The goal is to keep prices reasonably low without ending up having to sell underpriced phones that give the American consumer the false impression of a cheap--thus low quality--phone. - ZGambit, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5Better Camera :), Better Carriers offering service, Free Streaming TV, Internet Access, Bar Code Reader, Multitasks, Doesn't Break as Easy and Doesn't require a Case. Did I not mention Phone Accessory bits for Hello Kitty fans and almost all Japanese Girls.
- kenism, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5Why Japanese phones haven't gone global? We simply don't have the specific phone tailored services. They can use their phones like a credit card to buy stuff from vending machines, checkout at the store, watch TV, and even scan the bar code in stores to find more information about the item online (using a dedicated scanner sometimes, almost like the iPhone where it takes a picture).
- Soniti, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5The talk time rates are INSANE there.. Prepaid plans are literally $1 / min.. AKA 30$ gets you 30 min of talk time.
As a result, people will always try and get you to call them, because incoming calls don't charge minutes, and thus, everyone thinks that person is an *****.
Madness. - VociferUnbanned, on 07/21/2009, -1/+6This is true. There was no reason for the massive credit expansion in the USA in the mid 2000's not to have sufficient consumer demand for Japanese phones if the supply was available. Chalk this one up to a USA telecommunications oligarchy and legal barriers in the related markets.
- utinam, on 07/21/2009, -0/+5Affordable. Hah. I have AU and my bill's 10-12,000 yen a month (~$100 US). Half of that is for the 2 hours of talk time I'm allowed a month.
- Orchid64, on 07/21/2009, -1/+5The bottom line is that the Japanese market is different and the phones designed for their market don't appeal to people in other countries. Mainly, Japanese people are using their cell phones to amuse themselves while they sit on public transport or to take crappy pictures when they travel around Japan. People in other countries want something that has less entertainment value and more useful functionality and easy integration with existing hardware. Most Japanese consumers don't use their home computers much and don't care about connecting their phones to them and synchronizing data.
The Japanese aren't cutting it in other markets because they don't understand those other markets very well and can't fathom why they don't want the same kinds of phones that people who are nearly PC illiterate and don't mind standing or sitting around for hours pecking at tiny buttons on their phones want. - jjc5004, on 07/21/2009, -0/+4I'm still pretty happy with my Canadian smart phone
- haidalangara, on 07/21/2009, -8/+12The Japanese people are awesome.
- DrSnugglebunny, on 07/21/2009, -0/+4"The Sharp 912SH for Softbank, for example, comes with an LCD screen that swivels 90 degrees, GPS tracking, a bar-code reader, digital TV, credit card functions, video conferencing and a camera and is unlocked by face recognition."
Me wantee! But it can't connect to a PC and synch? Strange decision. - 2Deluxe, on 07/21/2009, -1/+5Infrastructure expense is a hack excuse for poor planning and investment.
- upeneff, on 07/21/2009, -2/+6Is it just me, or were other people completely unimpressed with this article. No where did they name a feature I want, well besides TV.
But, the last Japanese phone I used was for 3 minutes (Sony Ericsson w810) and those weren't happy minutes. Now I don't buy anything from Japan, just due to a typically terrible user experience. - drifter, on 07/21/2009, -1/+5Japanese phones use to be light-years ahead, but now with smartphones catching on in America, all the Japanese have are frivolous features. Being able to pay for stuff with your cellphone, having your credit card stored on it etc. Watching tv.
I mean honestly those are features that are novelties and actually security risk. I think the current smartphones in America are offering pretty good features. It's just the speed and price of plans that needs to change. - zakatov, on 07/21/2009, -0/+4Finally, a good explanation.
- beachsouthpaw, on 07/21/2009, -2/+6The more I read about something like this, the more I wonder if our pompous, self appreciating, we're #1 attitude is exactly that. Are we now just a country coasting off of infrastructure and institutional accomplishments that happened 50 years ago, or am I missing something?
- Velnich, on 07/21/2009, -2/+6No one here perhaps. It sounds like they do alright over there.
- Gizza, on 07/21/2009, -0/+4It's been quite some time since the US were the best at anything other than raw military strength.
- AngelBunny, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3Not to sound like a fan girl but ever since the iphone came out japanese cell phones in general haven't had a chance in our market. The reason japanese cell phone companies are cutting back so much in the last 2 to 3 years isn't because there are less people buying phones in japan or less people with cell phone service in general. It is actually because our market is slowly taking over their market.
If we really want to incorporate the awesome from japanese phones then a phone service like at&t will have to stop nickel and dimming everyone. - pika2000, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3In Japan, they have ikemen advertising cellphones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PcGx_HwWhA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HHcLLzFKHM
In the US, we have a dorky guy with glasses. :P - Mascots, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3Or remove the Diggbar
- cyberdork, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3"makes even the newest phones here surprisingly bulky"
That's exactly what I remember from my trip to Japan. I was almost shocked at the size of those ugly bricks almost EVERYBODY in the subway fiddled around with. At the same time here in Europe it was trendy to have the smallest/thinnest phone possible. - zeth006, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3Who's "they?"
I won't deny that the US still has leadership in some important sectors of technology. But a lot of the senseless deficit spending of previous presidencies could've been better managed by investing in our education, which is the foundation of our superiority in the first place. The way I see it, you're watching the scoreboard as the other team catches up, but lying to yourself by telling yourself "We're still ahead"... - anderfail, on 07/21/2009, -1/+4All of that hardware functionality is useless if the software sucks. I kind of view it like the PS3, great hardware but terrible usability thanks to poor software (compare the PS3 to the 360 with Xbox Live). I have an iPhone and I can honestly say that even though it has a lot more features than any phone I've ever had, it's about 50 times more easy to use as well. It's ridiculously simple to do anything on the iPhone, the touch screen and OS make sure of that (you have to be flat retarded to not figure out how to do stuff on the phone).
Of course the Japanese have always been weird about technology because for some unknown reason they care about completely different things than the rest of the world (usually most of those things are meaningless status symbol related ***** too). - Phersick, on 07/21/2009, -0/+3It took until v3.0 to get cut/copy/paste dude, don't get your hopes up on seeing this anytime soon.
Unless by 'new iPhone OS' you meant like v10.0 or above - mrBitch, on 07/21/2009, -0/+2@ ae92, RE: " .. Good luck using the crappy UI designed by engineers... Japanese smartphones are full of features ...that nobody can figure out how to use."
That's what the Japanese themselves already know. Even the article includes this comment FTA :
" .. Japanese developers are jealous of the runaway global popularity of the Apple iPhone and App Store, which have pushed the American and European cellphone industry away from its obsession with hardware specifications to software.
“This is the kind of phone I wanted to make,” Mr. Natsuno said, playing with his own iPhone 3G." -
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