I finally succumbed to the Android wave. It was always on my “nice-to-have” list but unfortunately also on the “running-costs-are-too-high” list. The prices range from about 30000 Yen up-front and about 10000 Yen/month running costs. And 2 years contracts.
Enter the age of SIM-lock free phones available in Japan. Thanks to Expansys I got a Motorola Milestone 2. The main reason was: new enough (Android 2.2) and it has a keyboard. And being SIM-lock-free means while I am outside Japan, I can get a (cheap) local SIM card and use it. Not a big deal, but a nice-to-have.
Android is only half as much fun without 3G connections, but neither Softbank nor Docomo like different than their own handsets. They’ll punish you with a special this-ain’t-our-handset monthly flat rate of about 11000 Yen max instead of 6000 Yen.
However b-mobile has a neat solution: b-mobileSIM U300: It’s using the Docomo FOMA (3G) network, runs on 850MHz and 2100MHz (compatible with W-CDMA). Costs about 13000 Yen for 6 months for a data flat rate, so about 2200 Yen/month. That’s far less than what Docomo and Softbank charge you, but it comes with 2 caveats:
- No voice, only data (read: Internet ok, nothing else, e.g. voice calls, SMS, etc.)
- Capped at 300 kbps
The main point for me of this handset is to have Internet and email available while commuting, so I do not need to spend much time at home reading and replying to emails or checking out things on the Internet. Watching video or streaming music is not high on my list of things I want to do while traveling, so those limitations I can live with.
Google Maps is a bit sluggish. Needs patience. Quite a lot, especially when used with satellite view or Street View.