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Apple alters its contracts to comply with Japan's antitrust laws
Japan's antitrust regulatory agency just wrapped up an investigation into Apple, and in order to ensure its compliance with the country's antitrust rules, the company will change the sales contracts it has with three of Japan's major mobile service providers. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) looked into four sales practices, but just one stuck out as potentially anticompetitive -- Apple's requirement for service providers to offer iPhone subsidies.
Japan’s answer to Amazon is building its own mobile network
Japanese e-commerce platform Rakuten has announced its plan to shake up the mobile business in its home country. Reuters is reporting that the company is applying for a license to offer 4G service, making it Japan's fourth national wireless carrier. Rakuten intends to offer service in 2019, and has a target of gaining 15 million customers, putting it well behind third-placed Softbank, which currently serves 39 million.
6 next-gen green cell phones
By Cat DiStasio In the grand scheme of things, mobile phones haven't been around that long. Less than 20 years ago, hardly anyone had one, and devices of that era certainly weren't capable of doing what today's smartphones can do. Cell phone technology progresses so quickly, in fact, that most users are prone to replacing their phones with new ones every few years -- even if the old one still works -- just to have something with longer battery life and a better camera. This behavior is inspiring designers to create more sustainable handsets: some with easily upgradable modules, some made with recycled materials and some that charge themselves with little or no interaction from the user. Although a few of these technologies are still in the conceptual phase, it's easy to imagine that they could be available within the next few years -- right about when you'll be thinking about replacing the phone you have now.
HTC's Butterfly 3 makes you wonder why the M9 exists
Here's yet another case of "Japan gets all the nice things." Earlier today, local carrier au by KDDI announced its smartphone lineup for the summer, and the one that caught our attention was the new HTC J Butterfly (HTV31), which will no doubt be entering other markets as the Butterfly 3. With the centered 13-megapixel selfie camera and subtle front-side BoomSound stereo speakers, this new phone shares a similar face with the Desire Eye and the Desire 826; except its 5.2-inch screen has a much sharper Quad HD resolution. The familiar Duo Camera feature on the back (for bokeh plus filter effects) is here to stay, though for some bizarre reason, the secondary camera is placed below its 20.2-megapixel counterpart instead of above it, meaning you'll have to be more careful with where you place your index finger while holding the phone.
I tried to live with a high-end feature phone. I can't.
The feature phone. Still big in Japan. Still being sold in the millions. Still relevant, though? And does it even matter what a 30-something tech writer at a Western tech site thinks? Japan's large elderly population -- people who haven't even heard of Angry Birds, Gmail or Uber -- they're the ones sticking to their flip phones. Hardy, easy to use and cheaper than an iPhone. (If you need a primer on the phenomenon of gara-kei, you should probably read up on that here, but in short, it's how Japan's mobile phone market sped ahead with early technologies, then faltered when smartphone competition arrived.) So let's try using one. The best and newest feature phone available in Japan, no less. It's pitched as bringing the best smartphone features to the flip form factor. Is it better than a plain, old smartphone? Good lord, no.
Japan's leading designers combine to create the latest Infobar smartphone
Japanese carrier au by KDDI has been creating tech-as-art for well over a decade with its Infobar line of phones. After starting with a stylish-but-dumb cameraphone in 2003, the brand began offering fully-fledged smartphones with the A01 back in 2011. It's now back with the third iteration of the A series, the A03, and it's as pretty as ever. Industrial design for the latest Infobar comes from minimalist product designer Naoto Fukasawa, who has worked on the range since its inception, and also created Muji's wall-mounted CD player, part of the MoMA's permanent collection. After the uncharacteristically bland A02, the A03 returns to Infobar's more colorful roots. Encased in anodized aluminum, the A03 has a 4.5-inch 1080p display, 13-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage (expandable with microSD) and capacitive keys for navigation. It's available in a number of hues, but our favorite is undoubtably "nishikigoi," the koi-inspired coloring that Infobar is famous for.
Japan's first Firefox OS phone is transparent
Transparency has always been one of Mozilla's big selling points with Firefox OS, but a new smartphone from KDDI in Japan is taking that idea to its literal extreme. KDDI's Fx0 is the first Firefox OS phone to hit Japan, and as you can see, its clear case (crafted by designer Yoshioka Tokujin) doesn't leave much to the imagination. It's also the first device running Mozilla's mobile platform to include LTE and NFC. And unlike most Firefox OS phones, it packs in some decent hardware, including a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, and a 4.7-inch IPS display. Up until now, Firefox OS been targeted at low-end devices for emerging markets like Brazil. But the Fx0 shows that Mozilla wants to take on developed markets, rather than just compete for scraps.
Google backs an undersea cable that will give the internet a big speed boost
The internet is quickest when you have a direct connection to the sites you're trying to reach, but that's a daunting challenge in the Pacific -- undersea network cables can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It's therefore good to hear that Google and a host of telecom giants (China Mobile, China Telecom, Global Transit, KDDI and SingTel) are backing FASTER, a $300 million fiber optic cable that runs between Japan and the US. As the name implies, it's all about speeding up data transfers between Asia and the Americas; the cable should offer a whopping 60 terabits per second of bandwidth between the two regions, which makes even Google's gigabit home internet service look puny by comparison. You won't see the difference until FASTER is finished in the second quarter of 2016, but it promises to improve the internet as a whole when it's ready. Don't be surprised if foreign multiplayer games and video streams get noticeably smoother within a couple of years. [Image credit: US Pacific Fleet, Flickr]
HTC's latest J Butterfly is a supercharged One M8 in a waterproof body
Japanese carrier KDDI has just announced a new HTC J Butterfly, a handset which resembles the HTC One in specs, but with features aimed at KDDI's home market. Like a lot of other Japanese devices, the 5-inch, full HD handset is waterproof in case you feel like taking fish photos. And to do so, the latest from HTC has brand new cameras: a 13-megapixel rear dual-camera model with a selfie-friendly 5-megapixel front shooter. That differs from the One M8's 4-megapixel Duo "Ultrapixel" camera. KDDI instead calls it a "Duo Effect" camera, with the secondary 2-megapixel module giving depth-of-field adjustment and other features. Filling out the spec sheet are a Snapdragon 801, 802.11ac WiFi, LTE-Advanced, 150Mbps 4g, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat, JBL audio profile (plus bundled earphones) and a Dot View case. All of that sounds pretty nice, but will it come to US shores? Hard to say, but the last J Butterfly model did eventually arrive as the Droid DNA (to Verizon), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the new model here too.
LG gives a taste of the upcoming G3 with its first QuadHD phone
KDDI has just launched the first QuadHD (QHD) phone solely for the Japanese market, the Isai FL model built by LG. That gives us a preview of LG's G3's 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 display and its record 538ppi resolution. As it happens, LG just announced that the panel has now been certified, and re-confirmed that it'll be installed in it's "forthcoming flagship smartphone," ie the G3. KDDI's model may give us an idea of what LG's eagerly-awaited G2 successor will be like spec-wise, too. The Isai FL has the narrow bezels we saw in leaked images of the G3, but sports a different design lacking the LG's rear buttons and rumored metal back. It also has some of LG's Knock functions and will come in three colors with a 13-megapixel camera, 3,000mAh battery, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 2.5GHz CPU. That lines up with some of the G3's rumored specs, but we won't have to wait long to know them -- it's set to arrive on May 27th.
Japanese phones will soon get alerts for inbound missiles and other attacks
The Japanese get phone alerts for natural disasters, but they have more than that to worry about these days with an occasionally belligerent North Korea just a stone's throw away. Accordingly, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that it will soon warn phone owners when there's a hostile missile launch, a terrorist attack or a similar human-made threat to their region. The new alerts will use the disaster technology from before, so residents won't have to worry about software upgrades when the warning system takes effect on April 1st. Locals hopefully won't ever see the system put to use, but it's good to know that it exists. [Image credit: Ignat Gorazd, Flickr]
Sonic Adventure, La-Mulana feature in Japanese TV streaming service
Japanese cable company KDDI is set to roll out an Android app-based cloud service that will stream games from Sega, Konami, and other publishers to J:Com and JCN subscribers, Engadget reports. The Ubitus-developed GameNow service, which is compatible with an upcoming lineup of Toshiba Smart TVs in the United States, will offer a number of paid and subscription-based games when it launches in Japan this year. Announced titles include Sega's Sonic Adventure, Milestone's World Rally Championship 3, and Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven 2014 (Pro Evolution Soccer 2014). Other featured games include Square Enix's puzzler Yosumin, Nigoro's indie adventure game La-Mulana, and Falcom's Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki FC (released stateside for the PSP in 2011 as The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky). Sony's similar PlayStation Now streaming service recently entered a closed beta ahead of a planned launch this summer. [Image: KDDI/Ubitus]
Japanese cable provider launches on-demand gaming service, will stream Sonic and Pro Evolution Soccer titles
Sony's PlayStation Now streaming game service is still months away from launch, but Japanese cable company KDDI is testing the idea with the app-based GameNow service, through cable. It's the same company responsible for LG's Smart TV game service, although judging from the title lineup, J:Com and JCN cable subscribers might not see games at the level of Devil May Cry 4 and Dead Rising 2, at least to start with. Temper that enthusiasm a little, and expect several puzzle games and sports titles, including Pro Evolution Soccer, World Rally Championship 3 and Sonic Adventure DX. KDDI's Smart TV Box launched in 2012, but its new gaming service will go live at the start of March. And hey, know where you could play Sonic over cable, just over 20 years ago? The Sega Channel, that's where.
Sony's Xperia Z Ultra gets WiFi-only 'tablet' option, launches in Japan this week
Dropping its radios for cell service and turning itself into a tablet... The 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra may be big enough to pull it off, but are you willing to pay just under $500 (52,000 yen) for the pleasure? Sony hopes you will. It's a Japan-only deal for now (neatly tying in with KDDI's own 4G-capable Z Ultra, also announced today), but we could imagine it filling tablets shelves at your nearest electronics store. If Sony tells us anything more, we'll let you know.
Fujitsu's latest Arrows Tab packs a multi-user fingerprint reader
For Fujitsu, fingerprint readers on smartphones are old hat; on Android tablets, however, they're still rare. The company should make those sensors easier to find with its latest Arrows Tab, the FJT21. The 10.1-inch slate uses its fingerprint reader to streamline Android 4.2's multi-user support, signing anyone in with a swipe. Families can also implement both a simple mode for newcomers and a content-restricted kids' mode. Fujitsu isn't leaning solely on sign-in technology to sell its tablet, though. The FJT21 centers on a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 protection; under the hood, there's a fast 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and 64GB of expandable storage. Japan's KDDI will ship an LTE-equipped version of the new Arrows Tab in late November. Sadly, it's doubtful that we'll see an equivalent model reach the US.
Apple lists model numbers, carriers for new iPhones
Apple has posted a web page showing the various worldwide model numbers and LTE carriers for the new iPhone 5c and 5s. The list shows something fascinating for the the four major mobile carriers in the US -- now AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will all use the same devices thanks to the new radio chips used. The model A1532 iPhone 5c and A1533 iPhone 5s will run on those carriers as well as Bell, Rogers and Telus in Canada. Sprint users will have a completely different set of model numbers: A1456 for the iPhone 5c and A1453 for the iPhone 5s. Those same SKUs will also work in Japan on the KDDI and Softbank cellular networks.
Nikkei: KDDI plans 220 Mbps cellular network upgrade for summer 2014
Think 150Mbps LTE-Advanced data is quick? KDDI could offer far more bandwidth next year. Nikkei claims that the Japanese carrier plans to upgrade its cellular network to 220 Mbps data as soon as summer 2014. Service would reportedly launch with an Android smartphone, and rely on new wireless technology; it's not clear whether this entails a faster LTE-A variant or something new. KDDI hasn't confirmed the rumor, so we wouldn't consider moving to Japan just yet. If there's any truth to the claims, however, even NTT DoCoMo's upgraded LTE could soon feel downright pokey. [Image credit: TAKA@P.P.R.S, Flickr]
Sharp's Serie SHL22 coming to Japan with a fast f/1.9 lens and chunky battery
Cramming 13-megapixels into a phone means nothing if you don't have nice optics to boot. Fortunately, Sharp's Serie SHL22 has an unusually fast f/1.9 lens to go with its high-resolution sensor. Launching on KDDI this Friday, this Aquos Phone runs Android 4.2, has a fairly big 3,080mAh battery, a 4.9-inch 720p screen using Sharp's own IGZO technology, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 clocked at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD). The phone is a bit thicker than what we're used to these days, at 9.9mm (0.39 inches), but we're willing to ignore that if it means leaving our charger at home. Marginally informative video after the break.
KDDI's HTC J One variant packs a microSD slot (updated)
These days, the presence of a microSD slot on new handsets is arguably more important than the amount of storage on the inside. One such slot found its way onto the Chinese variants of HTC's One, and now Japanese network KDDI has unveiled its model -- the HTC J One (aka HTL22) -- also with expandable memory on the spec sheet (up to 64GB cards supported). An accompanying promo video has informed us of some new camera modes as well, including a best shot feature like Nokia's Smart Group Shot or BlackBerry's Time Shift, the ability to edit out background photobombers, and creating slow-mo highlights within video clips. We'd hope to see a camera software update bringing these features to US Ones in the future, but for now, check out what you're missing in the video below. Correction: We originally reported that some of the camera modes shown off in the HTC J One promo video below were new, but commentors have pointed out that these features already exist within the gallery / Zoe UI. The video gives the impression that these features were moved to the camera UI, alongside HDR and panorama (like on the GS4), but that's not the case. A few eyes also spotted there's some extra detail on the back panel below the camera. Fear not -- we're digging. Update: We've come to the conclusion that the black oblong under the main camera -- similar to the one found on KDDI's J Butterfly variant -- is for IR communications (read: it's different from the power-key emitter). Oh, and that logo under the flash signifies FeliCa NFC-based payment support.
Sony Xperia UL announced for Japan: 5-inch 1080p display and 15-frame burst photography skills (video)
The FCC may have spoiled the surprise, but Sony's now gone official with yet another smartphone and this one's for its native Japan. The Xperia UL appears to be a slightly thicker riff on the Xperia Z, matching the display of the company's early-2013 flagship, with a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) ticking behind the 5-inch 1080p screen. It's worth noting that it's a substantial resolution bump from the similar-looking 720p NTT DoCoMo Xperia A. Although it's not the Snapdragon 600 rumored, Qualcomm's S4 Pro flexes its muscle through Exmor RS 13-megapixel camera sensor, offering up the ability to capture 15 frames in a second. NFC, naturally, is already in attendance as well as the Felica wireless payment system. You'll also get the benefits of both a physical camera button and water (IPX5/8) and dust resistance (IP5X) -- two features in tandem that should help separate it from Sony's pair of existing 5-inch 1080p smartphones. The Xperia UL will launch on KDDI's au network in white, black and hot pink colors on May 25th. Check out the obligatory close-up ad after the break. Update: The Xperia UL runs on an S4 Pro processor, not the Snapdragon 600 initially stated. %Gallery-188820%
