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3G iPhone in Japan?
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I'm one of those fence-sitters who hadn't decided much until recently. My old boss had one and he highly recommended it to me. Plus, having internet, mail, music, and maps (hopefully, heh) on the go is just too tempting.
Of course, I didn't have much choice in the matter since I was in Japan, but d*mn them for opening up the phone to other countries.
Now here's hoping I can Jailbreak the phone in 14 months or so when I head out of here so I can use it in the US. If not, no huge deal, but I'd like to not have to buy another one! I have faith in the hacking community!
And thanks you guys for all the informative posts bringing me up to date on all the happenings here in Japan. You certainly know more than about 4 of my Softbank stores combined, heh!
Of course, I didn't have much choice in the matter since I was in Japan, but d*mn them for opening up the phone to other countries.
Now here's hoping I can Jailbreak the phone in 14 months or so when I head out of here so I can use it in the US. If not, no huge deal, but I'd like to not have to buy another one! I have faith in the hacking community!
And thanks you guys for all the informative posts bringing me up to date on all the happenings here in Japan. You certainly know more than about 4 of my Softbank stores combined, heh!
I'm not going to bother with the Softbank email, I've got too many email accounts as it is.
BTW, I've been poking all through the settings, and I can't find ANY place to change the from address or enable that field. I was really hoping to avoid having to give out the stupid @me.com address ...
These are a few of
My settings on the Mac are still .Mac for some reason.
My "from" add is still using the .Mac addy.
What the frak is up with the GPS?
What did you do about a case etc?
P.
I
My settings on the Mac are still .Mac for some reason.
My "from" add is still using the .Mac addy.
What the frak is up with the GPS?
What did you do about a case etc?
P.
I
I'm not going to bother with the Softbank email, I've got too many email accounts as it is.
BTW, I've been poking all through the settings, and I can't find ANY place to change the from address or enable that field. I was really hoping to avoid having to give out the stupid @me.com address ...
*Sigh*
Today was the day I didn't buy an iPhone. Tomorrow will be too. And the next…
And to think I've been looking forward to it for months. But what with the high price, the complete lack of essential Japanese texting features, no MMS, and bandwidth throttling — plus the apparently broken GPS — there's no point in buying an iPhone in the foreseeable future. I'd just have to keep using my current keitai for MMS and stuff anyway.
Edit: One thought about the GPS: I have previously read, while researching GPS units, that the Japanese version of assisted GPS, while analogous to the US system, appears to have technical differences. Maybe the iPhone simply wasn't tested in Japan.
Today was the day I didn't buy an iPhone. Tomorrow will be too. And the next…
And to think I've been looking forward to it for months. But what with the high price, the complete lack of essential Japanese texting features, no MMS, and bandwidth throttling — plus the apparently broken GPS — there's no point in buying an iPhone in the foreseeable future. I'd just have to keep using my current keitai for MMS and stuff anyway.
Edit: One thought about the GPS: I have previously read, while researching GPS units, that the Japanese version of assisted GPS, while analogous to the US system, appears to have technical differences. Maybe the iPhone simply wasn't tested in Japan.
I pre-ordered an InvisibleShield (for the back) last month, but until that arrives, I think I'm just gonna try to be careful. I got the white one so it's pretty hard to see fingerprints and stuff anyway - plus, it seems to be much stronger than my old iPods - those things were scratch magnets! This iPhone seems fairly durable.
As for the screen, I actually bought an anti-glare film at the Softbank shop. I love those things! They hide fingerprints, make it MUCH easier to use the iPhone/iPod on the train, and they're thick enough that you can get them on without any bubbles underneath. I didn't use any screen protection on my Touch for months, but I got sick of wiping it clean - I put an anti-glare film on it last March/April and now I swear by them!!!
So after going to 6 or 7 Soft Banks I finally found one that still had iPhones. Here in Okinawa it seems every store got 10 white 16GB iPhones and nothing else. Activation took over 3 hours and sign up took an hour before that. My GPS works perfectly, but the first time I tried it it just searched endlessly. I put it in and out of airplane mode and surprise, it worked. Although I can't seem to create a route from my GPS location to anywhere else. The 3G is decent and the coverage area isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Downloading apps on the 3G is faster than loading web pages! This thing does run SLOW AS ****. I am hoping a software update will square that away in less than a month. My hacked touch with 1.1.4 on it is blazingly fast compared to this. I had it crash after about 5 hours of continuous use. Another problem I had was properly syncing contacts. Random information was dropped in the sync and I had a few other issues too. I am sure if I poked around in iTunes I could disable the constant back-ups, but I have noticed they take FOREVER.
Also what is the deal with the iPhone being so ****ing expensive here. With the only option being 24 payments instead of one up front the price ends up being 49,900 and 59,900 for 8GB and 16GB respectively. That is not what Jobs promised.
Also what is the deal with the iPhone being so ****ing expensive here. With the only option being 24 payments instead of one up front the price ends up being 49,900 and 59,900 for 8GB and 16GB respectively. That is not what Jobs promised.
i just went past omotesando softbank a few minutes ago on teh way home. there were about 50-70 people waiting in line, security guards holding signs, softbank personal out side also. and the shop was closed. i gather they still have some in stock, ready to be sold tomorrow?
This isn't true... the cost of the 8GB is 2880 - 1920 x 24... that comes to only 23,040 (and 34,560 for the 16GB). If you don't have this price I recommend going back to your shop to complain.
3G GPS not impressed!
Outta the box the GPS hasnt worked.
Its been running for ages now and no joy...
Anyone else have any success or solutions?
Podgy
Outta the box the GPS hasnt worked.
Its been running for ages now and no joy...
Anyone else have any success or solutions?
Podgy
gps?
Hi there Keirnna,
So you got the GPS going...
Mines searching endlessly so did you just leave it searching and enable then disable airplane mode?
P.
Hi there Keirnna,
So you got the GPS going...
Mines searching endlessly so did you just leave it searching and enable then disable airplane mode?
P.
You know, I finally got mine to work this morning, following his advice - I turned on airplane mode as I walked outside, stood in the middle of a parking lot and then turned airplane mode off. As soon as I was connected to SoftBank's network I fired up Maps and searched. It took a few minutes (and placed me about 50 meters down the street with an accuracy ring of about 100 meters) but as I stood there it kind of narrowed it down a bit. So, you might wanna give his suggestion a shot.
The prices you mention are the subsidized prices and are not applicable to all customers so I would hold off on complaining just yet. He might want to ask for an explanation on why he didn't qualify for them though.
Like you, I'm reading all of the first impressions here with interest.
One thing I have been reading alot about are reports of the new 3G iPhone screen being quite yellow in comparison to its predecessor.
It appears to be startlingly obvious when the 3G and the 2G are put side by side.
Now that I've got MobileMe set up and working - push calendar (with color-sync'd iCal calendars!) rocks! - I'm starting to kind of settle down. Since I had to restore twice yesterday (fluke? I dunno) it seems stable now, though not as responsive as my 1.1.4 Touch. Hopefully a software update will fix that. I'm glad I got the 16GB, and as annoyed as I was about not being able to get a 32GB iPhone, I'm finding the 16GB to be more than enough for me. If I limit myself to 10GB of music (multiple smart playlists, feeding other smart playlists) I've got enough space left over for about a dozen apps, 30 very-high-quality MP4 home video clips, and a 2GB Transformers MKV rip. With room to spare.
As for the build quality, it's not as impressive as I imagine the original iPhone was, but it's not disappointing. I guess we'll all have to see how they hold up in/out of pockets, etc.
The network performance seems OK, but the signal strength indicator is VERY sensitive - sometimes it seems to fluctuate between 4-5 bars and 1-2, sitting in the same exact spot in my home office ... I don't know if it's how I'm holding the phone that makes a difference (the metal ring around the screen is an antenna, as are the metal rings around the camera and the headphone jack - but I don't know what radios they're for, specifically) ... Anyway I haven't actually used it much to make phone calls so I don't know if that 1-2 bars of signal is adequate for voice calling, although spending a few minutes on the phone yesterday, my friend said I sounded very clear. The wifi performance is noticeably better than my Touch - the iPhone shows 3 bars of signal where the Touch shows one or two (and sporadically drops out completely - HIGHLY annoying) ... So, overall I'd say I'm pleased with the network performance.
I guess at this point my biggest complaint would be the (comparatively) sluggish interface. Hopefully we'll see some performance boosts with future software updates.
(oh and BTW - the Japanese entry systems are GREAT! My wife was really impressed. The handwriting system is Chinese only, but that particular input method (in fact, all of them, it seems) can be enabled independently, so tapping the little globe goes: English --> JP (QWERTY) --> JP (KANA) --> KANJI ... Of course, you can add or remove each entry method one by one. Anyway, it's a VAST improvement over the older firmware's method!)
Actually, my screen seems OK (and I think I've got a pretty good eye for that stuff - my iMac is profiled with a Spyder2Pro colorimeter) but I restored yesterday, to the newer software. Apparently the newer software resolves this issue.
My screen has no issues. It does look a bit different than the original iPhone screen, but it looks exactly the same as my 16GB iPod Touch. I definitley think this phone feels less 'expensive' than the original iPhone and doesn't seem to be as well put together. The fit and finish is just so-so...
anyone watch at midday the TV program on mobile fones from docomo/au and softbank? no mention of iphone on there that i saw.
they were talking about how cool the features of the phones where, how you can change the skin, etc.
japanese phone makers are feeling a little pinch.
they were talking about how cool the features of the phones where, how you can change the skin, etc.
japanese phone makers are feeling a little pinch.
I went to my local Softbank today and had a look at the display model. It didn't look at all yellow to me like the ones I've seen pictures of on the net. Of course, there wasn't a 2G iPhone right next to it for comparison but I don't think I would need one to see the sort of yellow those in the pictures have. Maybe, like the screen issues reported on iMacs, that is a problem that only affected certain batches or something.
I was also surprised to see that at the shop that just told me a few days ago that they had no requests for preorders they just have a sign in the window that says "Regarding the iPhone: we have sold our entire stock and have no estimate of new shipments. We do not accept preorders or reservations. Please understand, blah blah blah." So, even out here in the inaka they seem to have gone fast.
10 hours worth waiting..
Hey guys! I finally got me.. gulp. 16GB White! at Omotesando.
Man, what a day.. I went there yesterday.. yes.. (Friday) around 9PM. There is only like less then 10 person queuing up. I was surprise what happen to the rest of the queue, then I found out that the 16GB was sold out!
They only have 8GB, at that point I was ready to turn back.. after walking around I found myself queuing up for it LOL (I know, but I can't wait any longer).
Later they told me that the store will be only open at 10am, which is 10 hours away! omg!.. should I wait? so I did. At least well they have a ticketing system for you to go for toilet or whatever for 30 minutes each time.
What a restless night that was. I hardly could sleep there. I just pray I would not regret getting the 8GB.
They start putting up sign board that the 16GB was not available, but strangely some staff from Softbank ask them to put it away.. hmm.
Then one hour before opening, Fuji TV came and interview some of the first few, just right in front of me. I might have gone on national tv . From their news reporting, I heard there is already like 300 people in line.
A few more minutes till opening, the store manager announce that there is some surprise waiting for us.. hm... what could that be...
I'm in one of the first row that entered, man .. we were greeted by 100's of Softbank employee...
When they asked me which model.. well I tell him the only left is only 8GB right? BOOM.. nope.. we now have a lot of 16GB Black and White . Instantly I ordered the 16GB white.
The activation process was smooth, it took me 1 hour because of my mediocre japanese but others only took like 15-30 minutes. Btw, if you don't have a visa that is more then 27 months don't even think about it. Use other like japanese driving license or your national health insurance card.
No mention of credit card, only my bank details and the bank cash card. They only need some sort of prove of where you stay in Japan, any utilities bills will do.
I went directly to Akihabara to get some screen protector and case, and well.. there is stock in Akihabara Softbank as well! I think about 30+ of black and 20+ of white 16GB around 12:30pm today. So.. it might still be there! I think not many people know that there is stock today.
Good luck! As for me... I need my sleep NOW =__=
Hey guys! I finally got me.. gulp. 16GB White! at Omotesando.
Man, what a day.. I went there yesterday.. yes.. (Friday) around 9PM. There is only like less then 10 person queuing up. I was surprise what happen to the rest of the queue, then I found out that the 16GB was sold out!
They only have 8GB, at that point I was ready to turn back.. after walking around I found myself queuing up for it LOL (I know, but I can't wait any longer).
Later they told me that the store will be only open at 10am, which is 10 hours away! omg!.. should I wait? so I did. At least well they have a ticketing system for you to go for toilet or whatever for 30 minutes each time.
What a restless night that was. I hardly could sleep there. I just pray I would not regret getting the 8GB.
They start putting up sign board that the 16GB was not available, but strangely some staff from Softbank ask them to put it away.. hmm.
Then one hour before opening, Fuji TV came and interview some of the first few, just right in front of me
. I might have gone on national tv . From their news reporting, I heard there is already like 300 people in line.A few more minutes till opening, the store manager announce that there is some surprise waiting for us.. hm... what could that be...
I'm in one of the first row that entered, man .. we were greeted by 100's of Softbank employee..
.When they asked me which model.. well I tell him the only left is only 8GB right? BOOM.. nope..
we now have a lot of 16GB Black and White . Instantly I ordered the 16GB white.The activation process was smooth, it took me 1 hour because of my mediocre japanese but others only took like 15-30 minutes. Btw, if you don't have a visa that is more then 27 months don't even think about it. Use other like japanese driving license or your national health insurance card.
No mention of credit card, only my bank details and the bank cash card. They only need some sort of prove of where you stay in Japan, any utilities bills will do.
I went directly to Akihabara to get some screen protector and case, and well.. there is stock in Akihabara Softbank as well! I think about 30+ of black and 20+ of white 16GB around 12:30pm today. So.. it might still be there! I think not many people know that there is stock today.
Good luck! As for me... I need my sleep NOW =__=
any word at all on whether the japanese iphone will be compatiblte elsewhere? I travel a lot and don't want to spend the money if its only going to work in country.
Gps? Oh Yes!
I just came back from the softbank shop where I asked them about the GPS and why it wasnt....BOOM as the Jobs says there's my GPS location! WTF?
Seems like somethings been fixed and being outside helps although I was IN the Softbank shop when it located me...hmmm
P.
I just came back from the softbank shop where I asked them about the GPS and why it wasnt....BOOM as the Jobs says there's my GPS location! WTF?
Seems like somethings been fixed and being outside helps although I was IN the Softbank shop when it located me...hmmm
P.
You know, I finally got mine to work this morning, following his advice - I turned on airplane mode as I walked outside, stood in the middle of a parking lot and then turned airplane mode off. As soon as I was connected to SoftBank's network I fired up Maps and searched. It took a few minutes (and placed me about 50 meters down the street with an accuracy ring of about 100 meters) but as I stood there it kind of narrowed it down a bit. So, you might wanna give his suggestion a shot.
Has anyone gotten the softbank e-mail to work?
I changed my password/mail address from the one they gave me through the Softbank interface, but trying to set up the mail account is now an entirely lost cause. It doesn't seem to work at all no matter what combination of password/login I put in.
Has anyone successfully set it up and feel like walking me through it please?
I changed my password/mail address from the one they gave me through the Softbank interface, but trying to set up the mail account is now an entirely lost cause. It doesn't seem to work at all no matter what combination of password/login I put in.
Has anyone successfully set it up and feel like walking me through it please?
Well, guys - I'm on my sixth restore now. A couple words of advice:
Don't bother letting iTunes backup your iPhone. If it crashes (stuck at Apple logo, not seen by iTunes) and you restore, you cannot use the backup. It will simply cause the iPhone to lockup again, requiring a second restore.
Also, don't update apps using the App Store icon on your iPhone. Doing so will cause your iPhone to lockup, requiring a restore.
Do not attempt to add/remove apps once your initial sync is done. Doing so may cause a lockup requiring restore (this has caused two of my six restores) ...
Don't bother letting iTunes backup your iPhone. If it crashes (stuck at Apple logo, not seen by iTunes) and you restore, you cannot use the backup. It will simply cause the iPhone to lockup again, requiring a second restore.
Also, don't update apps using the App Store icon on your iPhone. Doing so will cause your iPhone to lockup, requiring a restore.
Do not attempt to add/remove apps once your initial sync is done. Doing so may cause a lockup requiring restore (this has caused two of my six restores) ...