Smartphones in Japan

[NoFakie 45]

A quick question to those who've got them, but how much does it cost to own a smartphone in Japan? I.e., the monthly cost for what you get if possible in everyday language, not the "double teigaku packetto waribiki" runaround they give you in the shop. The way they are sold reminds me of one of Baldrick's cunning plans!

 

At the moment, me and the missus just have ordinary au mobiles and pay 7000 a month total for calls and mail. We don't do any surfing etc.

[loaf of bread 0]

It does get annoyingly complicated doesn't it.

 

I have a Galaxy S and my bill usually comes to around 8000 yen a month. I use the data plan that has a limit of 5980 yen and usually use it up to that limit - that's for internet etc. If I don't use that at all in a month it would recude the cost by around 4000 yen I think - if you do use the data, it quickly rises up to that limit.

 

I don't make that many calls myself, receive them more than get them. I think I'm on the S monthly basic charge plan.

[tokabochi 9]

Will you be wanting to use data/internet?

As loaf said, with NTT that is pretty much fixed at 5980 yen a month limit and you get to that limit pretty quick if you use it. If you don't use any data, I think the basic there is 1050 yen. So anywhere between 1050 and 5980 yen for data. Add onto that the basic cost + your calls package.

[pie-eater 207]

If you get a new one it will cost a bit for the phone itself.

Unlike years ago, the phones cost now and the monthly is cheaper.

[veronica 2]

Which carrier do you want to use Mr Wiggles?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

my mate has an iPhone and his bills are 7-8000 a month. He uses it all the time for cals, mail and web surfing, he has a maximum cost cap on it for the internet, so he can surf as much as he wants and he'll only be charged a max of 5k for it

[muikabochi 208]

My bill is usually about 7500-8000 yen.

I have the docomo data plan thing going.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

my bills are about 3500 every month but I have a dumbphone....for this very reason

[klingon 10]

Do you use it a lot TB? That actually sounds a fair bit for a dumbphone

[Tubby Beaver 209]

yeah I use it all the time. I get free emails, my last non-smart phone was with Softbank and my bills were coming in at 9-10k a month! so I don't think that 3500 is too much

[grungy-gonads 54]

I think you will find them to be much cheaper now Tubby.

 

It's gone from being cheap phones and expensive monthly to the other way round.

[pie-eater 207]

You'd have to be making a lot of calls on a "not many calls allowed" package to rack up that now TB. When was this, a number of years back?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I changed 2-3 years ago

[loaf of bread 0]

So, did any of that help at all, Mr Wiggles?

[JellyBelly 1]

I pay about 5000 yen a month.

Don't use the monthly data thing but do use mails and stuff and chat quite a lot.

Still using a non-smartphone kind though even though it's a fairly slick and newish model.

 

Actually, what exactly is a "smartphone"?

[NoFakie 45]

Originally Posted By: loaf of bread

So, did any of that help at all, Mr Wiggles?

Yes it did. Thanks everyone!

Its a long story but we're on normal au mobiles. We are going to Europe this month where our current phones won't work. Normally we're not bothered, but this time we're going with the inlaws and some of their mates. Two phones would be a help when we do different things. Anyway, since we need to change phones and smartphones are cool, I thought it was time to get ones. Unfortunately, we'd have to pay penalties to break with au (their smartphones don't work in Europe either) and the docomo and Softbank smartphones make most sense with their data plans, which we wouldn't really use because we don't commute. The data plans sound like they are discounted against the device cost. If you commute or move around, the cost of 3G is the equivalent of a couple of books a month for the train, so it must be well worth it, but I think it would be a waste of money for us.

The end result is that I've bought two second-hand GSM+CDMA au phones for 4000 each for our hols and spent the money "saved" on bunging the missus a s/h Ipad instead of the Galaxy phone she wanted. Its the 3G iPad so we can bang in a sim (unfortunately it'll have to be Softbank in Japan) in it if we find we want 3G. 99% of the time it'll be wifi at home. It'll also be good for our kids on the plane and my missus when she's sitting bored at my parents' place. We're going to France first, so I may well buy their prepaid sim for a go. It sounds much cheaper than wifi at hotels that charge for it.

When au finally get round to making a worldwide smartphone, we might get one then. Or simply wait for the month when we can cancel with no penalty and tell them to sling their hook. Au does get the best reception in our house however.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Did you get the ipad 1 or 2?

 

Actually, you can put an overseas sim in the Japan ipad? I thought it was locked to Softbank Japan......

[NoFakie 45]

Just the Ipad1. 64GB with 3G. A Japanese one. I got 64GB because the price difference isn't much when they are s/h. I'll stick all our photos on it.

 

Going on what Apple said, a non-Softbank sim should work outside Japan. I suppose there's always rented mifi in a pinch if it doesn't work.

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/05/15/apple-clarifies-japanese-ipad-sim-lock-question/

[bobby12 0]

By coincidence I got an iphone from work yesterday (we are making an iphone app), but as I expected my feeling towards it is 'meh'.

 

It came in handy this morning to check the footy result on the train to work, but beyond that I can't imagine when I will use it. (And I can survive 30mins to wait to get to work to check that kind of thing).

 

Its a pain to type on it, and I do not spend much time on the road, so for me it seems not much use. I think these things are good for salesman types who are always out the office, possibly for students with a lot of free time too.

 

How do you guys use yours?

[grungy-gonads 54]

I don't have an iphone actually, just an ipad. Phones are just too small for fiddling about with I think.

 

ipad is like a great bit iphone really but that huge screen makes a massive difference. Simplicity is the name of the game. It just does things so silky sleekly, and then there's all the apps you can load in. Use mine a few hours a day.

[loaf of bread 0]

I have a Galaxy X. Use it for checking mail, bit of web, reading kindle books and navigation/maps.

[JA2340 16]

So, gg, do you have to pay for the internet access? If so, do you KNOW for sure when you are accessing the net?

 

My concern is that the iPad (and the iPhone as well) access the 'net when they think they need to and without feeling the necessity to ask for permission. The way ISPs here charge, that is a tiny bit of a problem.

[grungy-gonads 54]

It's not a problem at all unless you are a total dumbass.

 

If you are on a 3G connection just turn off the push notifications if you are worried about that and it won't use any data unless you specifically instruct it to. Takes about 3 seconds to do once.

 

Probably 95% of the time I am using my existing wifi home connection. I have a mobile wifi thing with a docomo data card in it for when I am outside of that or other wifi area.

[iiyamadude 6]

A smartphone is worth having if only to get away from those goddawful menu systems that most phones had until recently. I hated them they were so not user-friendly.

[muikabochi 208]

Yes they frustrated me as well.