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3G iPhone in Japan?

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ajmiyazaki said:
thewhitehart said:
Did Softbank block streaming radio over 3G? When I use AOL radio I get a "forbidden" message when trying to connect. Preemptive "Bastards!"
Click to expand...

Actually, I think AOL has started blocking access to those outside the US. I was having trouble with the desktop app on my mac, so I tried directly from the aol website and it stated, 'we are unable to stream to your location' or something like that...

I tried again using my proxy service and it streamed with no problems... It's unfortunate more and more services are blocking to those outside the US. Doesn't www stand for world wide web?? Haha. I hope media companies update their models soon...
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It's all about licensing ... Everybody wants their little sliver of pie. :rolleyes:

In the meantime, stick it to the man with a VPN service. I use StrongVPN; it works great on my iPhone (Pandora) and at home (Hulu) ... ;)
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (JB3.1, unlocked): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

sushi said:
mavis said:
and at home (Hulu)
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OT: How do you get Hulu?
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You use a VPN. I use StrongVPN; my speeds are solid and I can stream video on Hulu without any slowdowns. I can also use it on my iPhone to stream Pandora. ;) PM me for specifics if you want ...
 
Poor Docomo

It's pretty amazing how just a couple of years ago Docomo was so huge I used to use it as an illustration in lectures with the Bachelor of Innovation classes as an example of a brilliant company.

I guess they just didn't believe the iPhone was going crush them.
 
Unlocked iPhone 3G

I need help please!

I gave my friend who lives in japan an iPhone 3G UNLOCKED.
She currently uses an old panasonic or sharp phone 3G phone.

Anyway my question is can she just transfer her SIM into the iPhone with her current double white plan without letting softbank know???

Thanks if someone have a clear explanation for this :)
 
mavis said:
You use a VPN. I use StrongVPN; my speeds are solid and I can stream video on Hulu without any slowdowns. I can also use it on my iPhone to stream Pandora. ;) PM me for specifics if you want ...
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Which StrongVPN plan do you use?

innertron said:
It's pretty amazing how just a couple of years ago Docomo was so huge I used to use it as an illustration in lectures with the Bachelor of Innovation classes as an example of a brilliant company.

I guess they just didn't believe the iPhone was going crush them.
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DoCoMo used to be the cell phone market.

Now they are becoming just another player. AU and SoftBank have definitely cut into their market share.

CanuckInJapan said:
Softbank uses a different SIM card exclusively for the iPhone in Japan.
So, no, the SIM card from a non iPhone cannot be used.
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FWIW, I was in the local SoftBank shop on base and a fellow took another person's DoCoMo SIM card, inserted it into his iPhone and was then able to use it to make a phone call.

I'm sorry, but I don't recall what other services he had from the SIM other than making a phone call.

I know his iPhone was JB and Unlocked. I don't recall where he purchased it but it was either Japan or the US.
 
hi there

I have to concur that the performance of the iPhone in Japan is very good. In addition i can say that the iPhone performed well in Costa Rica also. However, friends in Japan have told me that only SMS text messages can be sent to me and not the more common S! Mail format.
 
my son's first apple product

My son lives in Japan right now courtesy of the U.S. Navy. (I am so proud of him, can't you tell?) He bought his first apple product late last year: an iphone. :p

I kept talking to him about my iphone and what it did etc, etc. He shocked the heck out of me when he said that he had gotten an iphone. He swore up and down that he would never get an apple product. hmm... He just loves it! I told him next is an apple computer, he still says no on that but mom will keep working on him with about that. ;):D

I have already converted my daughter and husband, who were both dead set against using my imac. Yep, now that is all they want to use. One person at a time, one product at a time. ;)
 
Which iTunes store?

Hi all, I've been reading this thread for a while, but have a question for you.

I am considering buying an iPhone 3GS. I don't have any need for the kinds of features the 4G will reportedly have, but the software update will be useful. Anyway...

I don't have a Japanese credit card, so my iTunes account is based in another country (the big one next to Ner Zullan). So my question is this - if I get an iPhone will I have to use the Japanese iTunes store? If so, will that mean that I won't be able to use the apps and stuff I bought previously?

Ta muchly in advance,
 
To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't matter what store you use. From my personal experience, I buy almost everything on the US store and use it all on my iPhone purchased in Japan with no problems at all.

Shirotai said:
I don't have a Japanese credit card, so my iTunes account is based in another country (the big one next to Ner Zullan). So my question is this - if I get an iPhone will I have to use the Japanese iTunes store? If so, will that mean that I won't be able to use the apps and stuff I bought previously?

Ta muchly in advance,
Click to expand...
 
Thank for letting us know.

The first item in the iTunes store's terms of use states that you must buy from the store of the country you're actually in, and that they can check / enforce this. I reckon they don't actually care which store we use, as long as we keep buying!

PJT said:
I buy almost everything on the US store
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Do you mean you also buy from the Japan iTunes store or do you get some stuff from CDs, DVDs, friends etc. Just wondering how it's possible to buy from two stores at the same time.

Cheers
 
Shirotai said:
Does you mean you also buy from the Japan iTunes store or do you get some stuff from CDs, DVDs, friends etc. Just wondering how it's possible to buy from two stores at the same time.
Click to expand...

90% of my apps are from the US iTMS and the other 10% are from the Japanese store. I sync apps/media from both stores to both of my iPhones and I've never had a problem ... ;)
 
Yes, I also buy from the Japan store, usually music that I can not find on the US store. But the local CD rental place works just as well, just rip it into iTunes.

You can use two stores at the same time. For purchasing, you just need to log in to the store you want to buy from. Once it is in your library, it will play no matter which store it came from, and no matter which user name you are using. For example, the few songs that I bought in the Japan store play no problem when I am logged in with the account and user name from the US store. If I want to buy from the Japan store, I just switch stores and log in to it, and all my songs/shows purchased from the US store play no problem.

The terms of use does say what you stated, and every time a new version of iTunes comes out I see that and wonder if they will ever flip a switch somewhere to enforce it, but so far that has not happened.

Shirotai said:
Does you mean you also buy from the Japan iTunes store or do you get some stuff from CDs, DVDs, friends etc. Just wondering how it's possible to buy from two stores at the same time.

Cheers
Click to expand...
 
If this is a iPhone you are using in Japan and sending to addresses in Japan, you can have a @softbank.ne.jp address on your iphone 3Gs. I do. Set it up via My Softbank to whatever address you want, or keep the one they give you when you purchased the phone. Charges are included in the packet rate. But turn off MMS messages when overseas or the rates are killer, so I hear.

tran1986 said:
I have to concur that the performance of the iPhone in Japan is very good. In addition i can say that the iPhone performed well in Costa Rica also. However, friends in Japan have told me that only SMS text messages can be sent to me and not the more common S! Mail format.
Click to expand...
 
keirnna said:
You can use whatever store you like.
Click to expand...

Yeah. An easy way to use different stores is to have friends, mom, etc. from the other country buy you gift cards and then start a new account (with new eddress and PW) for that country using the GC #--in that case you don't need to give any credit card info.

Note--iTunes Store will stop you from using PayPal if the credit card your account uses is not from the same country as the store.
 
There is some way to open a US iTunes account without a credit card or gift card. I watched a Jr High student do it on his Touch. Someone posted how to do it somewhere and he entered info just like it said and then he was able to get free apps that were not available in the Japan Store.

Tensakun said:
Yeah. An easy way to use different stores is to have friends, mom, etc. from the other country buy you gift cards and then start a new account (with new eddress and PW) for that country using the GC #--in that case you don't need to give any credit card info.

Note--iTunes Store will stop you from using PayPal if the credit card your account uses is not from the same country as the store.
Click to expand...
 
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Leniseyjinio said:
3G iPhone very popular in japan.......... I like it...........
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It's amazing how many iPhones I see every day on my commute. :eek:
 
SMS fees to send/receive overseas to a cell #

A few questions about sending and receiving overseas SMS messages to and from a Softbank iPhone.

1) Info on the Softbank web site indicates that sending rates for SMS - Varies by Area/Local Carrier.
So, how much does it cost to send one SMS to a phone in Canada or the US?
Is there any charge to receive SMS from overseas?

2) What is the character limit for SMS? According to the SB site:
Attempting to transmit SMS messages over 670 double-byte characters will cause a system error.
Then it also says:
When sending SMS messages exceeding 70 double-byte characters, message may be divided and received in multiple parts.
I think the 70 char. limit may refer to people on Orange, Simple, or Blue plans, but it's not too clear.

And, just to clarify, by SMS I mean sending to just the phone number of an overseas phone - not an e-mail address.

TIA
 
CanuckInJapan said:
SMS ?s
Click to expand...
I don't have the answers to your questions (I've sent int'l SMS from time to time, but never checked how much it cost) but I do have a suggestion: Google Voice. It's free, allows you to SMS for free to your friends in the States, and (just as importantly) allows them to SMS you without incurring high charges. Win, win. ;)

I have my GV number set to email a copy of incoming SMS to my @softbank.ne.jp address so I get the notifications instantly; I have a bookmark to GV's SMS page on my iPhone's home screen (well, in a folder anyway - OS4 FTW!!) so I can just reply using that. Works pretty well.
 
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