Google Android vs. Apple iPhone (in Japan)

In my eyes, the Android phone is unusable in Japan because Docomo doesn’t provide a mobile email address for it (such as @docomo.ne.jp). You have to use a regular PC email address which results in quite some trouble in Japan.

First, it’s troublesome to give out a PC address when people are expecting a mobile address.

Second, and most important, emails from PC addresses are rejected by default by many mobile phone settings. So you won’t be able to email people who set up their phone like that and there are many from my experience.

Does AU have a response to these fancy phones?

First, James, thanks for the story.

Second. Japanese people also have issues. read the 2chan archives that linked to that are over 1500 posts long. Japanese people also have no idea why they are declined.

Third, just wanted to make sure that everyone understands that this site is primarily a joke I am well aware that many of the posts that I linked to are old and outdated. I purposely used the language I did figuring most people would get the joke.

I was really hoping that I could attract some commenters who would share their stories and maybe I could understand better. BTW, I never actually said anything about emoji and what not on the iphone. I linked to a blog post that made me rotflmao ;p

Someone has already commented saying that softbank cannot process US credit cards. They say they can, but if this commenter is not full of it, they actually cannot.

Which would explain likely why I was declined. I used a US credit card when I applied. Mission accomplished. I have a much better idea of what is going on at softbank.

I will correct anything that is wrong. Please provide me a link that says if you an iPhone is lost or stolen it can be replaced and I’ll strike that out.

I am however correct on several points you challenge. I will confirm with docomo, but I was specifically told it didn’t matter if my visa period was less than my contract period. I was told docomo had one rule: 90 days. period. I was if I had over 90 days, that I could get the phone on installments. Clerks have never been know provide misleading information, so I will confirm this

It also doesn’t matter for softbank since you provide 1) utility bill 2) national health card 3) bank account info to register as a foreigner. In this case, softbank has no clue what your status is. Obviously you have some proper status or you wouldn’t have a health card.

Yes, to have full control, you need to root the phone, but you can install apps from outside the marketplace without doing this.

Huh? You can download apps over 3G in Japan. Just not if it’s over a certain size threshold, but that isn’t Japan only, that’s everywhere (you can get around it with jailbreaking and installing a special app that fools everything to think it’s over WiFi anyways).

As for not getting a @docomo.co.jp address with the Android, is that really a problem? I have a @i.softbank.jp address on my iPhone and never use it. The only time I ask my wife/friends to use it is when it’s urgent and they need my attention, since my gmail addresses only poll ever 15 minutes when it’s sitting in my pocket.

I do agree that both phones don’t have any i-mode browsers. This is actually not a problem with the phones, IMO. i-mode really sucks, and it was developed because that’s the types of phones people had in Japan for the longest time. Now it’s ubiquitous and web developers sometimes only have an i-mode version of their mobile sites, so smarter devices like the iPhone and Android have to use the full web version of the page (if there even is one!). This goes back to the “Galapagos Island” problem that Japan is facing with regards to their mobile phone technology. Things grew so fast and quickly, but in such a bubble here in Japan, that now Japanese consumers are expecting these features that no one else in the world wants or cares about, so Japanese manufacturers can’t sell their devices anywhere but Japan. Look at the failed attempts at Docomo getting into the US market and beyond. The only success story (and not even so anymore) was Sony, and only because of their partnership with Ericsson.

I’m so happy with my iPhone in Japan. But I was happy with the iPhone in the US as well.

having one email address for phone and net is brilliant, the way of the future – you dont need a Japanese mobile address -thats backwards thinking – not forward thinking, If Softbank, yes the oft criticized Softbank yet again (its softbank addresses that have the issues with gmail and webmail) get their act sorted out and besides if your friends are too lazy to make your address an exception and get your mail perhaps they aren’t really friends worth having…
all my friends I worth their salt on softbank have made my gmail on exception to the filters.

And no emoji! that’s great, I love mail without stupid emoticons – you dont need that crap anyway, only teenage girls would be upset at the lack of “emoji” on phones.