Regular Samsung i900 Omnia is cool, but the Japanese version is even cooler. Instead of sporting a 240×400 pixels screen, the Omnia which will be sold in the “Land of the rising Sun,” SoftBank (OTCPK: SFTBF) 930SC Omnia, will come with a 0.1-inch larger (3.3 as apposed to the original 3.2 inches) touchscreen which displays WVGA resolution – 480×800 pixels. But the news don’t stop there. The Omnia that will be offered by Japan’s SoftBank also sports a one-seg mobile TV receiver, allowing its users to enjoy TV on-the-go. Finally, the SoftBank 930SC Omnia will be available in three colors – black, white and red. The last mentioned looks super cool, as I’m sure you can tell from the image above.

Ok, we don’t need that mobile TV receiver. We can also live with standard silver color, but we do want is the WVGA screen. C’mon Samsung, HTC already has that with its Touch HD model. Can you make an Omnia version with such a screen for the rest of the world. Will “please” help.

[Via: slashphone, unwired]

These days, a touchscreen smartphone in your pocket (or in your hand) shows the world that you know what’s what in the mobile space and you’re not afraid to sit on the always-moving edge of high-technology. And, if you’re lucky enough to be rocking a smartphone with a VGA or WVGA touchscreen display, you’re probably resting easy knowing that you’re near or at the top of the mobile phone food chain.

That is, unless you live in Japan. Enter Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF)’s Sharp AQUOS FullTouch 931SH touchscreen handset with a 3.8-inch 1024 x 480 display!

Those crazy engineers at Sharp have one-upped themselves with their latest AQUOS-branded high-resolution display handset. Known for their sleekly styled and feature-packed mobile phones, Sharp has a habit of making us drool with AQUOS cellphones boasting contrast, color saturation, and pixel densities that we can only dream of in The States.

The Softbank’s Sharp AQUOS FullTouch 931SH handset boasts an amazingly high-resolution, AQUOS-branded display with pixel-counts that darn near rival those on sub-notebooks. That’s right, this feature-phone packs in an impressive 1024 x 480 pixel display that should make pictures taken with the handset’s 5.2 megapixel camera look mighty fine. Of course the Sharp AQUOS FullTouch 931SH packs in Japanese handset staples like a 1-Seg TV tuner, Bluetooth 2.0, media player, microSD card slot, accelerometer, and a web-browser that’ll put the 3G data connection to good use.

As you’ve probably already guessed, the Sharp AQUOS FullTouch 931SH isn’t going to finding a home anywhere outside of Japan, or outside of Softbank’s network, for that matter. Now, short of moving to Japan, we can only hope that handset makers will bring WVGA-trumping touchscreen displays to the rest of the world!

Jump the break and take a look at a gallery’s worth of Sharp AQUOS FullTouch 931SH pics.

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Looking to continue on the success of their iPhone 3G, Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF) has announced that they will be launching a terrestrial TV tuner / battery-pack add-on for the Japanese iPhone 3G market.

The iPhone 3G has been criticized for its lack of the TV-tuner capabilities that much of the Japanese market demands in their handsets. Still, without a TV-tuner, the iPhone 3G has managed to boost Softbank’s profits and net subscriber additions. And, the Japanese carrier is apparently keen on squeezing more profits from the iPhone 3G.

Softbank's 1-Seg TV tuner for iPhone 3G

Softbank will be launching a 1-Seg (One-Seg) TV-tuner add-on that will pull down terrestrial TV broadcasts and beam them to the iPhone 3G. The as-yet-unnamed 1-Seg TV-tuner is expected to run $100 and will reportedly double as an external battery pack for the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone 3G TV-tuner from Softbank sports an external TV antenna to tune into terrestrial TV signals. The TV signal is then sent to the iPhone 3G via an internal WiFi radio. iPhone 3G users need only download a free iPhone application that tunes into the TV-tuner’s WiFi signal.

The One-Seg tuner doubles as an external battery pack

To be fair, the TV-tuner solution seems to be more of an after-though/response to complaints that the iPhone 3G lacks an integrated 1-Seg tuner. But, with the WiFi workaround allowing the tuner to be left in a purse or pocket while watching TV on the iPhone, it’s an acceptable solution.

[Via: Akihabara News]

Things are looking good for Japan’s iPhone carrier, Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF). Ever since the Japanese wireless carrier signed on as Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone 3G carrier partner, Softbank has seen their bottom line moving onwards and upwards.

Even in the face of flagging mobile phone sales amidst a global financial downturn, strong iPhone 3G sales helped Softbank increase their fiscal Q4 2008 (that would be calendar Q3 2008) net profits to ¥21.7 billion ($225 million). Softbank saw the biggest net subscriber growth in 17 consecutive months, adding 521,400 subscribers in the July-September quarter.

While Softbank stopped short of quoting hard numbers on their sales of iPhone 3G units, the company stated that, “The iPhone certainly supported our profit and boosted the number of new mobile phone subscribers during the quarter,” adding that “Since the July launch, iPhone sales have been very good.”

And, with the holiday shopping season yet to officially kick off, Softbank will likely see even better fiscal performance from continuing iPhone 3G sales.

[Via: AP]

Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF) Mobile has recently scored its first major corporate customer for the iPhone in Japan. It’s a management and technology consultancy firm called BearingPoint.

BearingPoint’s idea is to help its consultants improve the productivity and enable them to get information more easily. For that purpose, the company has ordered “at least 1,000 units” of the iPhone from SoftBank.

It’s an important win for both Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and SoftBank, though we’re still not hearing that impressive iNumbers from the “Land of the rising Sun…”

[Via: Unwired View]

Adult services to be blocked for youngsters in Japan

NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM), and four other Japanese Mobile OpCos, have announced they will start to block access to certain Internet content for subs younger than 18. That content will be assumed to be things like (obviously) adult sites, and dating sites. However, the block will be able to be lifted by the parents of said younger subscribers.

I have to admit I found this all slightly surprising – there is a well established (although largely hidden) adult entertainment “sector” in Japan (like most other countries), and these things are self-perpetuating, through any channel(s) that can carry them – given Japan is SO advanced in the area of mobile interweb, I couldn’t envisage this kind of action having any effect whatsoever.

But, having said that, if moves are made to protect the minors in any country, that’s a good thing.

[Via: redorbit.com / Image via: crave.cnet.co.uk]

Who said the iPhone would struggle to find traction in the super-competitive Japanese wireless market? That’s right, just about everyone.

Following on new sales estimates that point to 3 million iPhone 3Gs in the wild, a new study from from TechOn, dubbed “iPhone Affects KDDI’s Net Subscription Growth,” points to incredible new subscription growth on SoftBank (OTCPK: SFTBF), Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s exclusive iPhone 3G carrier in Japan. Of the 391,500 new activations in Japan for July, more than half, or 215,400 to be more precise, were due to the iPhone 3G alone. “We believe our large net growth was an iPhone effect,” according to Softbank.

And, it the iPhone 3G’s affect on the Japanese wireless market has been noted by rival carrier KDDI. They found that the iPhone 3G was responsible for more subscriber cancellations due to customers porting their accounts to other carriers. “We are accepting the fact, considering that our handsets weren’t attractive enough,” said KDDI representatives.

While there are many potential explanations for the iPhone 3G’s success in the Japanese market, there seems to be a lack of focus on the heralded iPhone’s user interface (UI) and the user experience that it delivers.

While Japan has more than its fair share of feature phones that boast the most advanced features on the planet, Japanese handsets have traditionally been limited to flip-phone form-factors with little emphasis on a clean user interface. The iPhone 3G represents a major shift in handset-perception for the Japanese people, giving them a multi-touch touchscreen handset that focuses on delivering a user experience bar none.

The iPhone 3G does lack in the feature-department. The 2 megapixel camera is woefully lacking compared to the high-end shooters from competitors. There’s no video recording. No turn-by-turn navigation. And, in comparison with the feature-packed handsets in Japan, the iPhone 3G is a veritable late-bloomer that has yet to actually bloom.

But, the iPhone and iPhone 3G’s UI, the iPhone Mac OS,  helps affect a user experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. While advanced Japanese feature-phones focus on packing in features with little regard for an integrated feel, the iPhone 3G makes the most of its limited feature set.

The iPhone’s UI may not be the single, or even the most significant, reason for Japan’s enthusiastic adoption rates of the iPhone 3G, but it likely does play a role.

The question remains, will the iPhone 3G sustain this kind of explosive growth?

[Via: TechOn]

Mobile applications developer Paragon Software announced partnership with Japan’s BB Softservice, a subsidiary of SoftBank (OTCPK: SFTBF) mobile operator. Under the agreement, Paragon’s apps will get listed in BB Softservice’s local online channel – BBSoft Direct Mobile Application. Additionally, Paragon will provide convenient local availability and support.

With this strategic partnership, Paragon Software Group will be able to reinforce its position in the region with faster, more reliable and more responsive service to its Japanese customers. The product line will include Paragon’s personal productivity utilities, such as Handy Taskman, Handy Weather, Handy Profiles, Handy Keylock, Handy Expense, Handy Converter and Handy Calculator. All Paragon products will be localized and customized for Japanese mobile users, allowing them to get the most out of their mobile experience. Paragon’s coming product releases will include full Japanese interface to enable Japanese customers the most comfort in their native language.

Commenting on the announcement, Paragon’s chief of sales and business development, Dmitry Bekhterev, said: “We understand the complexity of the Japanese market, and begin our entry through an experienced local partner. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to providing Japanese customers with the maximum in customized mobile solutions through usual shopping, ordering and support processes. In addition, we are committed to customizing existing product titles in many ways, and to developing a series of entirely new products tailored specifically to Japanese mobile phone users.”

It seems that the threat of the iPhone’s camera being used to take surreptitious “upskirt” and “downblouse” pictures of unsuspecting Japanese women was significant enough that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) decided to force the Japanese iPhone 3G’s camera emit a loud shutter “click” whenever a photo is taken, even when the iPhone 3G is set to “silent” mode.

Apparently, there are enough of these perverted Japanese iPhone owners out there that Apple found it necessary to force their Japanese iPhone 3G units to emit the sometimes useful, but mostly annoying, shutter click. The feature is unique to Japanese iPhones, and combined with warning signs, should help skirt-wearing members of the fairer sex avoid exploitation.

And, Apple apparently isn’t alone in their pervert-thwarting practices. Cameraphones are reportedly offered in Japan with similarly loud shutter clicks, with some cameras that even say “cheese” upon shutter actuation.

It isn’t clear, however, if the iPhone 3G jailbreak could open the door to sexual deviants in Japan disabling the upskirt-preventing shutter click.

[Via: CultOfMac]

Torrential interest or not, Japan’s Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF) is set to welcome Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone 3G to its island-soil. As the exclusive iPhone carrier in Japan, Softbank will be doing its best to get an iPhone 3G into the hands of every single one of the 9%, or more, of the Japanese population that indicated interest in the next-generation iPhone.

Softbank’s announcement for the iPhone 3G’s pricing structure falls in line quite nicely with what we’ve come to expect. That is to say, the 8GB iPhone 3G will be sold for 23,040 yen ($215), while the 16GB variant of the iPhone 3G will cost 34,560 yen ($320). Both prices mirror the iPhone 3G’s $199-$299 price in the US and is apparently staying true to Steve Jobs’s promise of a maximum price of about $199 for the iPhone 3G 8GB.

Reuters expects most iPhone 3G hopefuls to fork over 7,280 yen ($68) per month for their iPhone rate plan. Masayoshi Son, Softbank CEO, says that the iPhone is set to bring in 70% more revenue than they have seen in the past.

But, with iPhone 3G stock in Japan seemingly not able to meet projected demand, many Japanese iPhone hopefuls will likely have to wait for a secondary iPhone 3G shipment before they can get their hands on the iconic device. “We expect the first lot to evaporate instantly. We in the company will probably fight to get one as well,” Son said. “Supplies will likely be scarce for a while.”

As for the rest of us, see you in line!

[Via: Reuters]