NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more

When two of Japan's largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan -- but for consumers in the local market, it's nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo:

• Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a "jewelry quality" phone with a snap-on perfume holder for "an air of elegance."
• LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don't speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone).
• Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot -- for some reason we don't fully comprehend.
• Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera.
• Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret -- the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever.
• Samsung SC-01B: Samsung's Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup.

And from Softbank:

• Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first.
• Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride.
• Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it's Softbank's turn -- and this time, it's called the X02A. Not much more to it than that.
• Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T's Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard.
• Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics.
• Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung's now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing.
• Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don't think you'd want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors -- hence the name, we think.
• Android: The simply-named Android runs -- you guessed it -- Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won't be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn't being revealed right now.

Both companies are also adding wireless digital photo frames to the lineup, and in Softbank's case, a pair of data modems with support for 7.2Mbps on the downlink. We'll admit -- we didn't think we'd live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan's.

Read - Softbank Winter '09 / Spring '10 collection
Read - NTT DoCoMo's new series

[A Man Posted Nov 10th 2009 2:48PM]

This is just awful on so many levels.

[SoCoolCurt Posted Nov 10th 2009 3:25PM]

it seems weird to me that these Japanese companies will announce -- all at once -- their entire lineup for the rest of the year, while in America, we are lucky to know a phone is coming 2 weeks before it drops. well excluding people who read this site of course.

[carcomptoy Posted Nov 10th 2009 4:05PM]

I used to be quite enraptured by all the Japanese phones--but now I think it's ridiculous how practically every phone is the same save for some variations. I can barely tell them apart, except for how one looks more ridiculous than the other. I would love the AQUOS screen on my phone, but that's about it. I think phones have progressed enough even in America, that really the only thing we need be jealous of is the screens and possibly the TV tuner. With 3.5G and even 4G gaining popularity and acceptance, FOMA and i-mode seem to be just novelties.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2009 9:59PM]

i love their immense amount of color selection, i've wanted a white cell phone for as long as i remember... as far as style/looks go, their line ups are unbeatable in my book... i just hate the lack of color selections of cell phones sold here in the states... i can care less about mobile tech itself since there is absolutely no way i can work with such small screens for more than ~30mins...

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2009 11:51PM]

Okay. I admit it. My iPhone looks like piece of junk compare to these phones.