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Why Don't We Have Cool Japanese Cell Phones?

Makers stifled by hardware too advanced to leave country

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 20, 2009 11:31 AM CDT

(Newser) – Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New York Times. Thanks to standards no other country can handle, Japan's manufacturers have created an insular market.

Until recently, Japan’s voracious cellphone market kept its firms growing without venturing much beyond its shores. But in the recession, makers are grappling with a shrinking market, forcing some to weigh a fight for foreign market share. “Japanese cellphone makers need to either look overseas, or exit the business,” says a consultant. That means shifting focus from hardware to software and hiring more foreigners. Sounds daunting, but “it’s not too late,” says an analyst.

Softbank Corp.'s new handsets, Solar Hybrid 936SH, are shown during a press conference to unveil the new lineup by Japan's third biggest mobile carrier in Tokyo Tuesday, May 19, 2009. A 10-minute solar charge will provide enough juice for a one-minute call or power the handset in standby mode...
Softbank Corp.'s new handsets, Solar Hybrid 936SH, are shown during a press conference to unveil the new lineup by Japan's third biggest mobile carrier in Tokyo Tuesday, May 19, 2009. A 10-minute solar...   (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
A model displays comics seen on a mobile phone at Taiwan's 9th Comics Exhibition 2008 in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008.
A model displays comics seen on a mobile phone at Taiwan's 9th Comics Exhibition 2008 in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Tsuyoshi Natsuno, 43, developed Japan's first Net-linking cell-phone service i-mode in 1999.
Tsuyoshi Natsuno, 43, developed Japan's first Net-linking cell-phone service "i-mode" in 1999.   (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
cognitivefilter
Jul 21, 2009 11:42 AM CDT
headline: SO TRUE ????
doingtherightthing
Jul 20, 2009 6:33 AM CDT
the Japanese have always been tinker toy builders since the war ended........no surprise here.....
Serenity
Jul 20, 2009 6:06 AM CDT
Am I seeing this right? a solar assisted phone? How cool!

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