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2011 Winter NTTDocomo Smartphone Roundup
The day is October 18, 2011 and NTTdocomo has announced its slew of winter/spring 2011 line of cell phones.
The biggest attraction this year is the expanded range of Smartphones. A worldwide phenomenon, smartphones are also catching on in Japan recently, with iOS and Android being the major driving force.
Though the Japanese manufacturers took much longer than established heavyweights like HTC and Samsung to enter the Android smartphone business, the 2011 winter/spring lineup proves that Japanese makers can be the best in the world when pushed to the edge.
Let’s cover some of the models in detail.
SoftBank Winter/Spring 2011 Lineup Debut
Another year passes by, and as usual the three Japanese carriers are announcing their Winter model lineups in succession. au by KDDI recently announced their Winter 2011 lineup just this last week, and this week is SoftBank’s turn.
As evident, the recent smartphone craze overtaking the developed world has reached Japan. Unfortunately, the high-specced domestic flip phones have paid the price, as there are fewer and fewer of the traditional “keitai” available today.
So, let’s cover some of the interesting models from the SoftBank Winter/Spring 2011 series.
AQUOS PHONE 104SH
- Android 2.3/2.4 (Possibly)
- 4.5” HD (1280 x 720) Screen
- OMAP 4460 1.5GHz Dual-Core
- 63.4 x 129.9 x 8.7mm
- 12.1MP CMOS AF, 0.3MP CMOS
- IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing
SHARP was one of the first domestic manufacturers to jump into the smartphone arena, and they have responded this time around with a monster phone. Equipped with 1.5GHz dual-core processor and a 4.5” HD screen, this thing is a beast.
It will become available in Spring 2012.
AQUOS PHONE 102SH
- Android 2.3
- 4.5” HD (1280 x 720) Screen
- OMAP 4430 1.0GHz Dual-Core
- 137g
- 65.1 x 128 x 9.7mm
- 12.1MP CMOS AF, 0.3MP CMOS
- IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing
A smartphone from SHARP that sees reduced spec in the processor arena, presumably to be slightly cheaper than the 104SH brother. However, aside from the processor everything else remains the same, with HD screen, 12.1MP camera and waterproofing.
Available December 2011.
LUMIX Phone 101P
- Android 2.3
- 4.0” qHD (960 x 540) Screen
- OMAP 4430 1.0GHz Dual-Core
- 128g
- 64 x 123 x 9.8mm
- 13.2MP CMOS AF
- IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing
A year ago, Panasonic revealed its LUMIX Phone line. Originally it was a true, thoroughbred keitai model – complete with Japanese domestic OS. However, it seems the development staff at Panasonic has come under the same pressure everyone else has, and so they merged the LUMIX Phone identity with a smartphone – resulting in the 101P. It features a host of features that can be found in today’s digital camera, so if you have a 101P you probably won’t need to carry a digital camera any longer.
Available mid-November 2011.
2011 Summer NTTdocomo Smartphone Roundup
NTTdocomo has released its highly anticipated smartphone lineup for the Summer/Fall 2011 collection. Perhaps the most exciting news is that all phones sold by NTTdocomo will be available for SIM unlock starting with this season, which means you can very well be using one of these phones natively outside Japan!
Here is a quick roundup of the major phones and its features. All (except F-07C) are are based on the Android OS.
NEC MEDIAS WP N-06C
As said in the title “WP” the MEDIAS N-06C is a waterproof successor to the N-04C that was release this past February. The N-06C keeps the familiar shape and slimness of the N-04C, while adding IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing. The OS gets upgraded to Android 2.3, with T9 support. Other Japan-specific features include IR, osaifu-keitai i-mode mail and 1seg TV tuner.
- 4” FWVGA resolution (854×480)
- 5.1MP CMOS sensor
- 7.9mm thin, 9.7mm maximum, 113g
- IPX5/IPX7 waterproofing
- 3G/GSM WORLD WING compatible (usable in Canada)
- WiFi (802.11b/g/n), GPS
Fujitsu FMV LOOX F-07C
Fujitsu has entered uncharted territory with the F-07C, which combines a Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit with the tried-and-true Symbian OS that’s on most Japanese keitai handsets. With Windows 7, this phone is more accurately classified as a UMPC – or ultra mobile PC.
This UMPC includes all features that are standard on Japanese keitai handsets. It is aimed mostly towards the people who carry both a smartphone and a Japanese keitai (to augment missing features from smartphones).
- 4” SVGA resolution (1024×600)
- 5.1MP CMOS sensor
- Intel Atom Z600 @ 1.2GHz
- 19.8mm thick, 218g
- 32GB SSD
- 3G/GSM WORLD WING compatible (usable in Canada)
- WiFi (802.11b/g/n), GPS
Panasonic P-07C
The Panasonic P-07C is Panasonic’s first attempt at the Android smartphone market. Loaded with Android 2.3, the P-07C features a large 4.3” LCD screen as well as Panasonic’s own take on the Android OS.
Other features are very standard for Japanese smartphones (which surpass the specs of overseas smartphones).
- 4.3” screen
- 5.1MP CMOS sensor
- 14mm thick
- 3G/GSM WORLD WING compatible (usable in Canada)
- WiFi (802.11b/g/n), GPS
SHARP AQUOS PHONE SH-12C
SHARP released their first Android smartphone a year ago in the form of SH-10B, with Android 1.6 and a unique form factor suited to Japanese users. It was followed 6 months ago by a more concentrated effort, resulting in spectacular and groundbreaking phones such as the 003SH (3D display & CCD camera) and SH-03C LYNX 3D. This season, SHARP is focusing on strengthening their 3D portfolio.
The AQUOS PHONE SH-12C incorporates a 3D camera as well as a 3D display. Nearly all specs have received a boost from the 003SH, SHARP’s prior flagship smartphone.
- 4.2” QHD resolution (960×540), 3D-capable
- 8.0MP dual sensor w/ProPix engine capable of 3D images and video
- HDMI-out for playback on TV
Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- to hit Android
Official NTTdocomo page for the newly released LYNX 3D SH-03C indicates that the blockbuster game “Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA-” will be preloaded into the Android smartphone when it ships towards the end of the year.
Here’s a snapshot of the official page of SH-03C as of November 29, 2010:
Interestingly, the page says that Project DIVA will feature 3D video output, so it must mean that some contents have been reworked to be suitable for Android + 3D play.
For those unfamiliar, LYNX 3D SH-03C is an Android 2.2 smartphone made by SHARP, incorporating all the good Japanese features like 1Seg Digital TV, 9.6MP CCD camera, FeliCa chips for mobile wallet and compatibility with native e-mail with emoji support.
The official NTTdocomo LYNX 3D SH-03C page can be found here.
NTTDocomo Smartphone Roundup
With the mobile marketshare war heating up in Japan, each of the three major carriers – au by KDDI, SoftBank and NTTdocomo are gearing up for a fight in the smartphone arena.
Toshiba T-01C “REGZA Phone”
Déjà vu? We saw this as IS04 from au by KDDI two weeks ago. Back then, I had hoped that Toshiba would bring this to NTTdocomo and perhaps even worldwide. Of course, a worldwide release is uncertain but perhaps unlikely considering the numerous Japan-specific features.
The REGZA Phone T-01C features Android 2.2 running on second-generation Snapdragon hardware. Couple that with a FWVGA resolution 3.8” screen and a powerful 12.2MP CMOS camera and you’ve got one high-spec smartphone that isn’t afraid to trade punches with traditional keitais.
Toshiba included the Japanese features such as SP-mail, emoji, Osaifu-Keitai (mobile wallet) and 1seg Digital TV. Waterproofing was also a feature found in almost all keitais that was lacking from smartphones until the T-01C.
Unlike the IS04, the T-01C comes in Black and Red (which looks more like rose/pink). I would have preferred a white variant myself.
Touch Wood SH-08C
While not a “smartphone” per se, I chose to put it here for the sake of simplicity.
The Touch Wood was first seen at CEATEC JAPAN 2009 as, you guessed it, Touch Wood concept model. The idea is that each phone is crafted from its own piece of hinoki – or Japanese cypress – and that no two phones are alike. True enough the grain patters are unique out of the limited 15,000 to be made.
The phone is made by Sharp, so it incorporates all of Sharp’s goodies – MobileASV display incorporating AQUOS technology and the snappy Symbian interface.
LYNX 3D SH-03C
Another smartphone made specifically for the Japanese market is the Sharp LYNX 3D SH-03C. It also incorporates all of the Japan-specific features found in traditional keitais.
SH-03C runs on Android 2.1, but its greatest strength is the 3D capability, both in display and capture. In this respect, it’s much like the IS03 from au by KDDI. The SH-03C supports video and photo capture in 3D mode using its 9.6MP CCD camera. It can also convert 2D images to 3D. 720p HD video is also supported. In further integrating with other hardware around the home, the SH-03C supports transfer of video recorded using a Blu-Ray disc recorder to the phone for viewing, as well as DNLA standard to stream its contents wirelessly.
