i wonder if they've left it a bit too late, just as the rest of the world begins its big migration to smartphones. in my experience Japanese handsets (i've had 6 now) sport a bunch of gimmicky but ultimately un-useful features that aren't compatible with major computing platforms and rarely get used after the first afternoon of playing around ('facial-recognition' security, bone-conducting speakers, proprietary calendar software and music players that play only tunes purchased from that provider's store, to name a few). And the biggest selling points mentioned here are TV broadcasts and electronic cash, both useless without extensive infrastructures in the country using them.
don't get me wrong, there's some great technology at work here and some of the online services are great -- but recently i've wondered if Japan should be importing more devices available in places like the US or Europe, instead of the other way around.
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i wonder if they've left it a bit too late, just as the rest of the world begins its big migration to smartphones. in my experience Japanese handsets (i've had 6 now) sport a bunch of gimmicky but ultimately un-useful features that aren't compatible with major computing platforms and rarely get used after the first afternoon of playing around ('facial-recognition' security, bone-conducting speakers, proprietary calendar software and music players that play only tunes purchased from that provider's store, to name a few). And the biggest selling points mentioned here are TV broadcasts and electronic cash, both useless without extensive infrastructures in the country using them.
don't get me wrong, there's some great technology at work here and some of the online services are great -- but recently i've wondered if Japan should be importing more devices available in places like the US or Europe, instead of the other way around.