Japan’s summer 2012 phone lineup – The Verge

Frog redesigns the Android user experience with Feel_UX

2012-06-19T10:25:05-04:00

aquos phone xx feel_ux

When we first came across Sharp's Aquos Phone Serie back at AU/KDDI's summer lineup launch event last month, we were a little taken aback by the aggressively minimal Feel_UX skin that lay on top of Android 4.0. While manufacturers customizing their devices is hardly a new thing, Sharp's effort goes further than almost any other we've seen - it's nothing less than a top-to-bottom rethink of the entire Android user experience, and it'll be found on seven smartphones from the company this summer. Feel_UX is actually the work of Frog, a design firm with over four decades of history covering creations such as the NeXT Computer and Sony Trinitron …

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SoftBank’s summer 2012 Android lineup: better signal, faster downloads

2012-05-29T07:55:04-04:00

softbank summer lineup 2012

The radiation-detecting Pantone 5 isn't the only new device SoftBank unveiled today. It will be pitting a total of four new Android phones against much bigger lineups from competitors AU and Docomo this summer. All of the phones announced today run on SoftBank's newly-awarded "platinum" 900MHz band, which SoftBank will be introducing with a new advertising campaign in an effort to shake its reputation for poor signal strength.

The key word is 'network'

SoftBank has been offering fast Wi-Fi hotspots for a while, but Sharp's Aquos Phone Xx 106SH and Fujitsu's Arrows A 101F (mentioned below) are the first two devices offering 42Mbps download spe …

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‘Fastest ever’ 110Mbps SoftBank 4G mobile router out in Japan this fall

2012-05-29T05:08:05-04:00

softbank 4g 110mbps router

SoftBank's recently-launched AXGP 4G network is capable of speeds up to 110Mbps, but so far we've only seen the release of a 76Mbps mobile router. That's set to change at some point after September courtesy of the Ultra Wi-Fi 102HW, a Huawei-made router that SoftBank is calling the "fastest ever." It'll allow for theoretical maximum download speeds of 110Mbps and uploads of 10Mbps, and has a 3,000 mAh battery.

Somewhat oddly, SoftBank seems to be content with restricting its new network to mobile routers for now. At today's event announcing the carrier's summer lineup of phones, CEO Masayoshi Son elected to emphasize the recent acquisition …

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SoftBank Pantone 5 107SH hands-on: radiation detection comes to Android

2012-05-29T02:24:36-04:00

Gallery Photo: SoftBank Pantone 5 107SH hands-on photos

SoftBank's Pantone 5 107SH will make headlines in the global press for one reason and one reason only - it's the first phone in the world to come with a built-in radiation detector - but it'd be a big deal in Japan even without that headline feature. Indeed, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son introduced the Pantone 5 onstage today without even letting the audience know what that color-matched button was for, and showed off a new commercial that makes no mention of the functionality at all. The carrier's colorful range of Pantone phones has long been a hit in its home market, and a first smartphone entry for the series running Android 4.0 is almost g …

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SoftBank announces Sharp Pantone 5 107SH, a smartphone with a radiation detector

2012-05-28T23:30:00-04:00

We know, it's cliché to say that Japan gets the weirdest and coolest phone features - but clichés get that way for a reason. The latest reason comes from SoftBank's summer 2012 lineup, the Sharp Pantone 5 107SH. The 107SH is a fairly bog-standard Android 4.0 smartphone, with the exception of one main feature: a radiation detector. Naturally neither Sharp nor SoftBank want users to actually depend on it in life threatening situations (and won't take responsibility if they do). As you might expect from the "Pantone" in the name, it will come in 8 different colors, including pink, blue, purple, and orange. Other specs include a 3.7-inch screen …

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NTT Docomo president prefers ‘open’ Android to the iPhone

2012-05-16T23:31:15-04:00

docomo summer lineup

The iPhone may be Japan's most popular smartphone, and NTT Docomo may be the nation's biggest carrier, but what would seem like a match made in heaven is unlikely to come to pass any time soon. That's the takeaway from comments made by Docomo president Ryuji Yamada yesterday, who expressed preference for Android devices due to the open nature of the platform. At yesterday's event announcing the company's summer lineup, Yamada told a crowd of reporters that it would be 'difficult' for Docomo to provide the same experience to iPhone customers because of Apple's strict regulations. The number two and three carriers in Japan, au / KDDI and SoftB …

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Samsung Galaxy S III has 2GB RAM on NTT Docomo in Japan

2012-05-16T22:25:38-04:00

docomo galaxy s iii

NTT Docomo has confirmed to us that its variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III will have 2GB of RAM. The number one Japanese carrier's model, named the SC-06D, will also feature a 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor instead of Samsung's quad-core Exynos, presumably because of its compatibility with Docomo's Xi LTE network. We've already heard that LTE variants of the phone in the US will use a dual-core processor, but it's important to note that Docomo's model is a separate version - it has other features specific to the local market such as a 1seg TV tuner, so the expanded RAM may well remain exclusive to Japan. Still, with LG's Optimus LT …

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Docomo’s Raku Raku Smartphone F12-D reinvents Android 4.0 for seniors (hands-on)

2012-05-16T07:28:02-04:00

raku raku smartphone

It's no secret that Japan has an aging population, and that means that there's a sizable market of people who either won't learn the ins and outs of today's advanced smartphones or are unable to afford the latest devices. There are options for elderly customers in the country, such as Fujitsu's Raku Raku Phone series, but with the inevitable shift to smartphones means carriers risk leaving some behind. With that in mind, Fujitsu and Docomo are releasing the F12-D, which is the very first Raku Raku Smartphone. It's an Android 4.0 device with a 1.4GHz processor, a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, and an 8-megapixel camera, and it's quite unlike any A …

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Panasonic’s Eluga V P-06D: thicker but better

2012-05-16T06:24:41-04:00

Gallery Photo: Panasonic Eluga V P-06D hands-on gallery

When we reviewed the Panasonic P-04D last month, some of our major gripes with the device were its lack of Android 4.0, laggy performance, Pentile screen, glossy plastic construction, and the poor placement of the sleep / wake button. Well, today Panasonic and NTT Docomo are announcing a new handset - the Eluga V P-06D - that fixes pretty much every complaint we had.

First off, this isn't the 5-inch Eluga Power, although Docomo will be releasing that phone later this year as well. All of Docomo's new Android devices are launching with Android 4.0, and the P-06D is no different. The combination of the new OS and faster 1.5GHz dual-core proce …

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Panasonic Eluga Live tablet hands-on video

2012-05-16T05:12:38-04:00

panasonic eluga live tablet

The Eluga line is Panasonic's attempt to break into the global mobile marketplace, but if its first tablet under the brand is anything to go by we can't see the worldwide push extending to larger screens. The only distinguishing feature of its Eluga Live tablet, coming out in August through NTT Docomo, is something that will only work in Japan - a pull-out antenna that lets you watch 1seg terrestrial TV broadcasts along with content from Docomo's new Nottv service. Panasonic already sells a lot of portable 1seg TVs, though, and while Nottv looks pretty good on phones it's not all that impressive on a 10.1-inch screen.

The Eluga Live is comp …

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