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zmcnulty posted:Try Wi2: Wow that's cheap and looks great. Thank you so much.
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Mar 22, 2012 04:27
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Do not use Boingo under any circumstances. Just type in "Boingo scam" or "boingo complaints" in google and you'll get an idea of the kind of BS you'll constantly have to be dealing with. Why places ally themselves with these crooks is beyond me.
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Mar 22, 2012 09:24
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Uber Kosh posted:I'll be heading over to Japan in about 3 weeks to start working there. I've been looking at getting an iPhone as my mobile while I'm there. I'm just wondering that, after the end of my work contract, will my Japanese iPhone be able to be used in Australia? maybe? I think you can unlock them to use on different networks, but I'm not 100 percent sure.
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Mar 24, 2012 14:50
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Last time I checked, Softbank wouldn't unlock an iPhone under any circumstance. I don't know about AU.
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Mar 24, 2012 15:46
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Sheep posted:A bunch of crap about mobile 3G internet previously in the thread An update for anyone that cares: I got my U300 SIM the other day from Amazon, 6 months of FOMA pakehodai for 14000 yen, and things are great. Switching SIMs couldn't have been easier, and speeds are as advertised (~30-45kb/s). I wouldn't go out and replace my home internet with it or anything but if you need affordable wireless internet away from wifi hotspots it's probably the cheapest option I've found yet, at 2333 yen/month, so it's about 25% of what I was paying Docomo previously for a tethered connection. Did I mention the router's software is actually decent? That was a surprising find, especially for something made in Japan. Edit: random google ping at 11am: code:Sheep fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 02:45
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I got an E-Mail from AU saying that ezweb addresses now support realtime push notifications for the iPhoone, although you have to go through some settings in order to activate it. Apparently they've had the feature since mid-March but they never bothered to tell us until now? Ah well, it's definitely a feature that was needed, glad it finally arrived. Seems to work fine from what I've tested.
Original_Z fucked around with this message at 08:46 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 08:44
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Maybe not via email, but KDDI announced in February that Push would be launching mid-March... http://www.au.kddi.com/news/information/au_info_20120223.html
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Apr 3, 2012 08:53
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Hopefully this will motivate Softbank to get off its rear end and implement actual push email instead of that screen-blocking "You got a mail." kludge they have now.
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Apr 3, 2012 14:04
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So I'm almost certainly going to be switching from Softbank to Docomo in the near feature, and as I know poo poo all about phone stuff, can I get some phone recommendations? I don't have internet at work, so I want a smartphone or a regular phone with tethering so I can connect my iPod touch or computer in pinch. My main concern is I want something of decent build quality. Cheaper is good but I'll shell out for something that won't cause me headaches One catch, as lame as it is, is that I do find the infrared port to be super convenient, and would like to have one. Although I guess I could do without if a phone without one is far and away the best. Anyway, that's that. Sorry to be fairly dumb WDIIA fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 19:41
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WDIIA posted:So I'm almost certainly going to be switching from Softbank to Docomo in the near feature, and as I know poo poo all about phone stuff, can I get some phone recommendations? I cant speak for all stores, but a friend of mine works as a translator for Bic Camera in Hamamatsu City. During the weekends they'll throw up to 15,000 Yen in bonus points if you make a contract switch. Docomo will also lower your monthly bill by a certain amount just to sweeten the deal. You might even end up paying less for LTE than regular ol' 3G. If you can, check to see if you have (or will have) LTE coverage in your area. As for tethering, check out their site here for compatible models.
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Apr 8, 2012 01:10
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Clockwork Mech posted:Docomo will also lower your monthly bill by a certain amount just to sweeten the deal. You might even end up paying less for LTE than regular ol' 3G. If you can, check to see if you have (or will have) LTE coverage in your area. I'm finding that LTE coverage can still be spotty. My new apartment is smack in the middle of an LTE blob on the map, but walking around from room to room switches it from LTE to 3G and back a lot.
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Apr 8, 2012 02:03
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Update: So I went to the Docomo Store today. Even though my area (maybe the whole prefecture) doesn't have Xi, with any sort of tethering its cheaper to use the Xi plan. SO, I left with a beautiful Galaxy LTE II, with a monthly bill that's actually less than what I was paying for my super lovely Softbank clamshell. Oh, and today they also were giving out 20,000 yen in cash for switching companies. So yeah, pretty happy
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Apr 9, 2012 09:13
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New iPhone carrier update from AU today, anyone know what it did?
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Apr 16, 2012 09:03
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WDIIA posted:Update: So I went to the Docomo Store today. Even though my area (maybe the whole prefecture) doesn't have Xi, with any sort of tethering its cheaper to use the Xi plan. Are you doing the pakehoudai tethering? My S2 bill tops out around 1.8man if I max out the data (doesn't happen these days, usually just mark videos/graphic heavy sites as Read It Later and and read them when I get home). Nice gets, at any rate! Docomo has an "experimental" real-time menu translator app for Droid that uses the camera, OCR, and translation software... it's by no means great, but can sometimes give you a fighting chance if your kanji isn't up to par. Aside from that, for camera apps Vignette is worth the purchase (although haven't tried Instagram yet), and the Japan Trains app is pretty good. I used to use Hyperdia and liked the interface better, but it was super crashy so eventually wound up switching. I use Evernote... I think all docomo smartphones come with a year of premium included (plus when I lost my first phone, I got another year free from the replacement), so you may want to try out that. I also use Shazaam for identifying music I hear. A flashlight app also comes in handy. Never figured out how to get the TV to work, I wonder if it's something I have to activate and pay extra for. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 01:55
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Small note about Docomo tethering if you aren't aware of it. Docomo has 2 types of packethoudai. The first is a flat rate and the second is a variable plan. If you tether on the flat rate, you keep the flat rate. However, if you tether on the teired-variable, it automatically bumps the max it can run you up to about 1man+ where as the flat rate is like 5-6,000 a month. So if you plan to tether a lot, make sure you are on the flat rate.
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Apr 18, 2012 05:29
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It also depends whether you're on the Xi or regular data plans -- Xi doesn't have tiered tethering, since tethering is included in the general Xi pakehoudai. However, Xi does have a data limit.
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Apr 18, 2012 07:58
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tarepanda posted:It also depends whether you're on the Xi or regular data plans -- Xi doesn't have tiered tethering, since tethering is included in the general Xi pakehoudai. However, Xi does have a data limit. Yeah, since I have the Xi plan it's a touch under 6000円 for pakehoudai up to 7GB, including tethering, which is more than enough for me. And after that I think it just slows down the connection speed instead of raising the price. And the Docomo website suggests there may be tiered Xi plan too but I don't know or care WDIIA fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 12:57
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1.8 man/month? Good lord. That's more than my cell phone, home phone line and home YahooBB combined most months. Actually, *all* months. Jeez. The only time I broke 5000 on my iPhone was when a friend visited from Australia, calls and texts to coordinate weren't cheap. Otherwise thank god for iMessage, it's brilliant.
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Apr 18, 2012 13:32
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Apparently that AU iPhone carrier update fixed up iMessage so it's more full-featured. Sent us an email several days after the update, you'd think they'd be more prompt with these things. Anyone seen the commercials with that Siri-knockoff on (I think) Docomo Android phones? The commercials make it look pretty full-featured (of course), and if it has support for local attractions it can really deal a blow to Siri, who still can't navigate you around areas outside of America.
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Apr 24, 2012 14:05
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I've been tethering through my tablet with Docomo for the last two months or so; it's great except for the fact that I can't stay on IRC since it drops me every 3-4 minutes. Is there a simple solution to this?
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Apr 30, 2012 10:54
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Start -> cmd.exe, "ping -t https://www.google.com"? That's what I used to keep my connection open so it didn't get shifted onto the 3000+ ms round trip backburner.
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Apr 30, 2012 11:37
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Doesn't seem to be working.
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Apr 30, 2012 11:46
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I haven't tested with my phone yet since I don't use IRC that much anymore, but I'll try here soon. I rooted and flashed a new ROM onto my phone so I can check tomorrow if the cause is maybe the default ROM you have. My suspicion though might be that its the tower dropping the connection to keep a single caller from hogging a line. There might be some work arounds out there.
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Apr 30, 2012 14:17
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If that were the case, it would (should?) apply to all Docomo connections, and I never experienced anything like that. Tare, are you actually losing signal entirely, only 3G, or is it just your tethering connection dropping? If you're using, for example, PDAnet to tether, then there's your problem. If you're losing 3G connectivity or the complete cell signal then that's more a QOS issue and nobody other than Docomo can really sort that. Also which pakehodai plan are you on? The bizhodai thing has way a way better QOS setup than the standard pakehodai or any FOMA options.
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Apr 30, 2012 15:18
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I'm not losing the signal and it's not affecting my normal browsing/downloading/chatting experiences at all -- only IRC. I'm using the built-in tethering function, not an app. Xi, not 3G.
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May 1, 2012 00:12
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If you're not using the business pakehodai option I easily could see the frequent high latency/packet loss periods being enough for your connection to the server to drop. Not much you can do in that respect other than switch to business pakehodai, but I'm not even sure they offer that anymore (I got a letter explaining I was grandfathered in to some special status under their new pakehodai schemes about 6 months after I got my phone back in 2010).
Sheep fucked around with this message at 00:34 on May 1, 2012 |
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May 1, 2012 00:28
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I'm hoping to use my (unlocked) android phone and a friend's iPhone 4 in Japan for three weeks and ideally for a week in Korea. After shopping around a bit, I think a b-mobile U300 SIM with a Skype account would probably be most cost-effective. I tried to order the SIM from their Japanese site to have it delivered to my hotel but never got a confirmation e-mail, and they never charged my card. Did I screw up or do they only charge me after it's shipped? They also have a really strange/long activation process. Does anyone know if I can use the SIM as soon as I get it, or do I need wait for them to mail me the activation code separately? E: Saw a site that has them pre-activated but it is literally twice as expensive 
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May 9, 2012 14:36
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U300 speeds won't be fast enough for Skype unless you're just trying to use the chat functionality as it's throttled to 30kbps. It's sufficient for web browsing, checking email, and the like, but it simply will not handle streaming anything, including audio, just as it says on the b-mobile webpage (ストリーミング 不適). It's theoretically possible but it's not something you'd ever want to suffer through. If you want to use Skype get either the Fair or 1gb定額 plans, which are unthrottled. Edit: Apparently the new Chameleon thing might work but I can't be bothered reading the fine print this morning. Sheep fucked around with this message at 23:34 on May 9, 2012 |
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May 9, 2012 23:30
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Sheep posted:U300 speeds won't be fast enough for Skype unless you're just trying to use the chat functionality as it's throttled to 30kbps. Although by "minimum" they might mean the lowest you can go before the call will fail, and you won't actually be able to make out anything in the conversation. I'm also heading over for a three week period, and started leaning in the direction of the 1GB定額 card, but the Amazon reviews weren't very encouraging. People are saying the speeds are horrible (especially in Tokyo, apparently), some even going so far as to say they're getting worse performance than on U300, and were planning to switch back again. I'll probably go for it anyway, because Viber possibly being usable is worth the extra few hundred yen compared to a plan where it definitely will be horrible if working at all. (Amazon ordering is also a huge plus for me.)
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May 10, 2012 00:13
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I'm not sure that it won't work, but I am sure that I wouldn't even bother. 30k/s is their optimal best effort speed, and in reality you should expect an average of 20-25k/s, with periods of high packet loss when you hit the throttled cap (ie when using streaming media of any sort), with the occasional 1500+ms ping. As I said it's sufficient for internet browsing and email but nothing much more intensive than that. Availability will be the same across the country as you're using FOMA, which is 90% of the time going to be using Docomo's infrastructure. So if your standard Docomo connection would suck then so will b-mobile's. I can confirm that 1GB定額 speeds were unthrottled (I got about 350kb/s), but other than that and the data usage cap, it's exactly the same connection as the U300. I should point out that using Skype sucks even on an unthrottled 3G connection (ie my Softbank Iphone 4). The response lag was incredible, not to even mention call quality. Sheep fucked around with this message at 01:35 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 01:31
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PretentiousFood you could supplement with a wifi plan as well. Wi2 has a massive quantity of wifi spots in Tokyo. http://300.wi2.co.jp/en/service/ There's a 380 yen/month unlimited plan but it says you have to be a resident of Japan for that. If you're just visiting, looks your options are: -6 hours @ 350 yen -1 day @ 800 yen -3 days @ 1500 yen -1 week @ 2000 yen FWIW Skype (video chat) works fine for me on 3G, but I'm using KDDI. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 01:55 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 01:48
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^^^^ Missed your post, I'll look into it! Oh shoot, thanks for the heads up! We'll be three people travelling with two cells so it's mostly so we have some way of reaching each other for emergencies or if we split up. The 1GB定額 isn't much more expensive though so I'll grab that instead, thanks a bunch! Viber seems like a way better idea than Skype too.
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May 10, 2012 01:51
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Well, I feel stupid now. I've been waiting for Docomo to update the Galaxy SII to ICS forever -- I just did a search now to find the ETA and found that they released the update almost two weeks ago. http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/support/utilization/product_update/list/sc02c/index.html I guess I expected some kind of notice or something. Updating now! Edit: Nevermind. It only updated the baseband? Still on Gingerbread... tarepanda fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Jul 15, 2012 01:14
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I gave up on Docomo and rooted my phone. It took me forever to figure out how to install things (SBS had a really, really lovely guide and it was my first time rooting), and even after I installed CM9, a lot of crap wasn't working properly. All in all, it took me well over 12 hours. If anyone else has a Docomo Galaxy S2 and is interested, I could post a thorough guide to try to spare you the pain I went through.
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Jul 29, 2012 08:30
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tarepanda posted:a lot of crap wasn't working properly. If you didn't flash a CM9 rom that was built for Docomo/Galaxy S2, you'll need to flash (Using ODIN) the original modem.bin back on to improve your signal. You'll also need to add/update some files to get GPS working again too. And finally, you'll have to use some DeDexer/Dexer programs to put Docomo's WapPush file on so you can receive WAP Push's from Docomo and get informed you have mail on SPMode. Otherwise you'll have to check periodically. Not sure if you can get OneSeg back, but then I never figured out how to use it in the first place so I didn't consider it important.
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Jul 29, 2012 17:49
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You don't need the separate GPS or compass fixes anymore since they're in Siyah now. I did have to apply the modem fix, a push fix, and an emoji fix.
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Jul 30, 2012 01:22
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My girlfriend and I are heading out to Japan for a few weeks this fall, and I was wondering if there's a suggestion for renting a microsim for an iPad? I have a new one, and they come unlocked. There was mention of someone back on the first page, but all of the talk since then have been about people in Japan, not travelers. We got a prepaid SIM in France last year and it was great. So yeah, any advice?
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Aug 5, 2012 22:20
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Op should be updated with the B Mobile sims for visitors. http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/index.html
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Aug 5, 2012 22:47
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Madd0g11 posted:Op should be updated with the B Mobile sims for visitors. What's up with the visitor 1GB plan on that English site being valid for only 14 days, and on top of that is pricier than the regular one?
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Aug 5, 2012 23:29
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Probably speed.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:49
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