Land of the Rising Sim
Richard Otsuki rounds up the hippest mobile phones from Japan.
iPhones are so out. Japan mobiles are hot now. Here are our fav’rites.
SoftBank Aquos Shot 933SH
Tech specs: As the name suggests, the highlight of this phone is its camera. It contains a variety of functions such as a touch-screen control (including a finger sliding motion for focusing and zooming), automatic scene recognition, Chase Focus (motion detecting and focusing) and a 10 megapixel CCD. In case you’re wondering what the last thing meant, let’s just say it makes a lot of digital cameras on the market look stupid.
Fashion fad or fiasco? From the rear, the unconventionally large lens makes it look just like a digital camera only and from upfront, it’s pretty plain and mundane. Like most of Sharp’s flip phones, the screen can be swiveled and reversed so the phone can be closed with the screen facing outwards. The surface is in a dull, metallic texture and it comes in black, white, fuchsia and ivory. Nothing out of the ordinary so don’t expect to be catching a lot of eyes.
Verdict: The whole phone video recording and photo taking has really taken a toll on popular culture so this is the phone to have if you don’t want to miss out on the bandwagon.
Reccomended price: $4,080
Docomo PRO Series SH07A
Tech Specs: This phone redefines the meaning of a portable television. The built-in, two-gigabyte unit can record up to 10 hours and 40 minutes worth of video plus an extra 16GB from external microSDHC cards (sold separately). The screen features a wow-ing double screen, allowing quick switches and simultaneous viewing of videos.