So a few years ago, I started getting into Japanese cell phones (keitai).  I was coming from a Samsung slider phone that was decent, but it wasn't anything exciting..


Then I found out about keitai, which are beautiful and very different from Western cell phones.  The first one I bought was the Sharp SH906i from Docomo.  My cousin helped me buy it from a White Lom shop in Tokyo.  Basically (at least at the time), to get these phones working with T-Mobile or AT&T, you use this chip that attaches to your sim card.  The chip tricks the phone into thinking that it is running on a valid sim card, and you are able to use the phone's basic functions not including MMS & internet.

Well, I was super excited to get this phone.  I personally think it is really nice.  The sleek styling and LED lights on the side are a nice touch.  The only thing that takes getting used to is that keitai tend to be really long when flipped open (as shown in some of the pictures below).

The phone also has a flip touch screen (which actually didn't work that well).  Touch screen phones were pretty new at the time, and this was Sharp's first one.  Of course they eventually improved in later models, but the touch screen functionality on this phone was lacking to say the least.

SH906i, cell phone case, and various phone straps

 As you can tell, I started going a little overboard with phone straps.  My current phone doesn't have a strap hole, and I miss having one on there..

SH906i charging dock

At the time, phone charging docks were pretty new.   I thought it was amazing that these charging docks existed.  The SH906i screen flips around, and while on the dock, it displays the time, battery life, etc. This is similar to iPhone docks that exist now.

The SH906i's 854x480 3.0" display was amazing and one of the best during its time.  The "touch cruiser" was also amazing at the time, which works similar to a trackpad.

I learned a lot about keitais through the Japanese Phones subforum of HowardForums (HoFo) and lurking on the Singapore forum hardwarezone.  I haven't been keeping up with the latest info, but those are good places to check out if you need more detailed information.

The 5.2 MP camera was pretty high at the time, but quality was just okay.  You can also see the fold out antenna at the top of the picture (used for picking up Japanese digital TV).  This was before the US converted over to digital.

I really enjoyed the SH906i, but I started getting tired of having to CPR the phone.  I forget if CPR actually stood for anything in this context, but it's similar to actual CPR where you have to revive the phone.  Sometimes if the phone loses connection for long periods of time, it has trouble regaining a signal.  This is due to the nature of how these sim hacks work.  To CPR a phone, you have to take your sim card out and put it in a "normal" phone, make a call, then put it back in the keitai.  It's pretty inconvenient having to worry about this all the time.

This led me to my next keitai, the 903sh.  This particular phone, which is actually from Vodafone UK, is software hacked.  So there is no need to worry about sim hacks, CPR'ing, etc.  I decided on the 903sh, which is somewhat similar in style to the SH906i with it's flip swivel screen.  It is an older model by a few years, so it is chunkier and less elegant but still nice.  The 903sh phone was also one of the best during it's time with it's 3.2 MP CCD 2x optical zoom lens.  I also started subscribing to a $10/month data plan which I barely made use since the phone was on the older side.

This was the only phone I could find of it:

I had the pearl white color, which probably looks better in pictures than in person.

Well, the 903sh had its share of problems as well.  Because of the software hack, the OS was a little unstable and would crash once in a while.  It wasn't that bad, but I started getting a little bored of the phone. Since it was older, it was less flashy.  I missed the flashy elegance of newer keitai, so I moved on.  I kept the 903sh though because it was relatively cheap compared to the other keitai (cost me about $140 or so).

I knew I didn't want to deal with CPR'ing and the like, so I decided on the 923sh, which is a model sold in China.  The advantage to this is that China uses similar frequencies as the rest of the world and sells their phones unlocked.  So, for a small premium compared to true keitai, you get a fully unlocked cell phone with keitai styling.

The biggest advantage for me was that I could actually use data with this phone.  I was only able to get EDGE speeds with this phone, but at the time it was more than enough.

The only negative about these China keitai is that they seemed to be made a little cheaper.  They didn't feel as sturdy and solid, even though they had the same design.

Black 923sh on the right (blue SH-01a on the left)

Black 923sh on the right (blue SH-01a on the left).   The SH-01a also had a cool LED screen on the cover.  It's not on in this picture, but maybe I'll post one in the future.

The 923sh still left a lasting impression on others when I used it.  It was mostly due to the fact that it looked so different compared to other phones.  The LED screen that you can see on the bottom right was okay, but didn't look that great.

Black 923sh on the right (blue SH-01a on the left).  The SH-01a's 8 MP CCD lens took the best pictures out of all the cell phones I've ever owned.  The newer ones are better from what I have seen, and the new iPhones take stunning pictures.

The camera on the 923sh wasn't that great. It had a 5.2 MP CMOS lens took mediocre pictures.  The battery cover for the 923sh was sort of cheap.  It just pops on/off, unlike the other phones that slide and click into place.

Black 923sh on the right (blue SH-01a on the left)

The main reason why I chose the 923sh was because in Lucky Star, Konata had a similar phone.  The screen flips 90 degrees so that you can view it in landscape.  Honestly, it was amazing.  I used to flip it all the time.



As you can see, it has many features similar to my old SH906i, minus the touch screen.

So... The 923sh was probably the most practical keitai I owned to date.  I was able to use data, I didn't have to worry about losing signal, and it had a cool design.  However, I started getting bored of it (I probably should have bought the white version).  I ended up selling it locally to a guy who was actually using a P906i.  I personally think I gave him a pretty good deal, and he asked why I was getting rid of it (since it was obviously one of the most practical keitai around).  My only reason was that I sort of missed the styling and construction of real keitai.

This is when I bought probably the best looking keitai that I owned, the SH-01a.  There are some pictures of it above, but I also put some more below.  I loved this phone for its style, color, form, construction, and features.  It was beautiful to say the least.

Opened and flipped.  You can see my Gintoki screen protector.

Here's a comparison shot between my SH-01a and my girlfriend's 930sh.

 Our phones matched!  She still has this phone, and I've gone through 2 phones since then.

The SH-01a was very solid, and the flip mechanism was fun to use.  I honestly really liked this phone, but in the end it had to go.

I miss this phone...

 So, the reason why I got rid of my SH-01a was (again) because of the CPR problem.  By now, I was able to avoid having to CPR most of the time by knowing when and where a dropped signal would most likely occur, but it was still a hassle.  So, I decided to move on.

During this time, smartphones were starting to take over and I was curious to see what the fuss was about.  I wouldn't say I'm anti-Apple, but I just don't see myself ever owning an Apple product.  I looked around, and thought the Nokia N97 mini was pretty cool.

I sold my SH-01a (a sad day), and just used my old 903sh for a couple months until I could save up for an N97 mini.

It was now 2010, and I finally had my first smartphone.  The form factor was pretty interesting, because the screen would slide and tilt to expose the qwerty keyboard.  It was very solid and pretty cool.

The downsides to this phone were it's resistive touch screen, Symbian OS (which was okay, but pretty outdated compared to newer OS's), again only EDGE speeds available, and poor app support for Symbian.  It was an overall decent phone, but definitely a weak contender among smartphones.

Front of the phone.  I  bought the white since I like bolder colors.

Opened.  The sliding mechanism is honestly one of the best I have ever felt.  It was solid and gave a very pleasing feeling.  The buttons were okay and gave decent tactile feedback (better than the big N97 that I tried in a store).

The metal battery cover added a nice touch to the back.  The "Carl Zeiss" lens didn't take great pictures.

 The N97 mini was able to hold me off for a while, but my family decided to switch over to Verizon.  I did some research and decided I wanted to try an Android phone.  The Droid 2 Global was being released in a few weeks when we were switching, so I waited that extra few weeks before I switched over to Verizon.

This was my first step into 3G as well. Now I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to a non-smartphone.  I can't see imagine going without all of the features that a smartphone provides.  The N97 mini gave me a taste and let me wet my feet while the Droid 2 Global is easing me into the smartphone world.

Comparison between my Droid 2 Global and my brother's Droid.  Pretty similar in the front except the silver vs gunmetal trimming.

Comparison between my Droid 2 Global and my brother's Droid. The camera lens on the Droid 2 Global protrudes a little.

Comparison between my Droid 2 Global and my brother's Droid.

Comparison between my Droid 2 Global and my brother's Droid.  Keyboard has more tactile feedback and is more pronounced on the Droid 2 Global.

The Droid 2 Global provides me with the most usability, but it's design is probably the least attractive out of all the phones I've owned these past 4 years.   At least it's white..  I'm not sure what phone I will be getting next year, but right now I really like having the qwerty keyboard because my chubby fingers have trouble with touchscreen keyboards.


Anyways, unlike the keitais that I've owned, I am pretty much stuck with the Droid 2 Global until my contract expires (1 more year to go).  It's holding me off pretty well due to its usefulness, but there are times where I wonder about other phones.  Ideally, I would love to own a keitai again, but only if I'm able to use data on it (which will probably never happen).  I think my only hope is if a Japanese company decides to make a keitai-style smartphone and sell it internationally with international data capabilities.  A guy can dream, right?

I hope you enjoyed my little cell phone history.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions about any of these phones.  I owned each one for about 6 months (Droid 2 Global for 1 year), and I am more than willing to comment about these phones.

The pictures in this post were taken with a Nikon D40.