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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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 Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 6:06 am Post subject: Cheapest cell phone? |
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I was wondering- when I hit the streets running in Tokyo this January, what kind of keitai deal I'll be able to get. I'm sure this question has been answered, but I couldn't find it. Sorry for the redundancy.
Wherever I end up staying, the first thing I'll do is register at the nearest ward office, if that makes any difference. |
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robertokun
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| AU--Free phones, cheap plans. Problem solved. |
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Bread
Joined: 24 May 2009
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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I got a Softbank prepaid phone at Don Quixote. It was like 10,000 for the phone, and you need to get a prepaid card at least every 2 months, the cheapest of which is 3000. It gets free incoming calls and you can get unlimited email for one month for 300 yen out of that credit. So basically I'm paying $15/month and I just don't make many outgoing calls.
If you're arriving without a job, I might suggest what I did: I got a Skype Japanese phone number/voicemail for employers to contact me at. It's like $15 for 2 months or something like that. I actually got my current job from one of those Skype voicemails. |
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LITTLE PEACHES
Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Posts: 94
Location: ORANGE COUNTY, CA & TAMA, TOKYO, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:00 am Post subject: |
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i have and looove softbank!! One of my students work for AU and I asked her where I should get my phone and she even said Softbank!
I got an iphone which up front is free, but I pay 1200 yen a month for it. I'll be ending my contract earlier then the two years, so I'll be charged the remainding balance at the end. But I'm only paying abut 4000 yen a month on it. And since I have internet I use Skype to call my friends and family from it, and or Vonage. I highly reccomend it! I got the 3g, they came out with the 3gs which is more monthly.
I think all places will give you a free phone if you set up a contract. They always have special deals. |
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cornishmuppet
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Nagano, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:05 am Post subject: |
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I never get any luck with stuff like this. I changed my phone a couple of weeks ago after four years on Vodafone. I went to Softbank and asked to upgrade. The first shop I went to wanted me to pay 4man up front for the phone. I went to another shop, and managed to get the cheapest possible phone on a 2 year contract for #only# 1580yen a month. Wow, bargain.
The next thing I have to buy is car tires, for the car I got a really bad deal on six months ago. Looking forward to paying at least double what everyone else does for those..... |
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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, know the feeling...down on ur luck... |
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desu
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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| LITTLE PEACHES wrote: |
i have and looove softbank!! One of my students work for AU and I asked her where I should get my phone and she even said Softbank!
I got an iphone which up front is free, but I pay 1200 yen a month for it. I'll be ending my contract earlier then the two years, so I'll be charged the remainding balance at the end. But I'm only paying abut 4000 yen a month on it. |
I was lucky and got a deal with Softbank on the iPhone 3G when they were having that deal to introduce the 3GS, meaning I got the phone completely free (although I had to pay for it up front, they gradually reimburse me over the 2 year contract, which I'll be seeing through to the end).
So although it was expensive at first, the monthly bills are ridiculously cheap, plus I have a phone I can actually use back home (I can't see what new features I would possibly need to upgrade to in a few years time over the 3G features)
Unfortunately I think that deal ended in September, but you should check in case they have something similar. |
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LITTLE PEACHES
Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Posts: 94
Location: ORANGE COUNTY, CA & TAMA, TOKYO, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:26 am Post subject: |
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I got my iphone through softband in OCTOBER! Hopefully your still good. Maybe it started again!
| Quote: |
| So although it was expensive at first, the monthly bills are ridiculously cheap, plus I have a phone I can actually use back home (I can't see what new features I would possibly need to upgrade to in a few years time over the 3G features) |
DESU- where are you from? I'm from california, can i use it in the states? I heard there is a possibility that you can't that it will loose some of its functions. let me know i got the 3g also! |
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mrbbkk
Joined: 02 Jun 2007
Posts: 70
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:51 am Post subject: are u serious |
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I have bought good new phones in Japan for 100 yen and even seen some for 1 yen
Most Japanese don't want one year old products and they just give away perfectly good phones, literally.
This is also true for cameras, computers, and other year old products |
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mushroomyakuza
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 140
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:48 am Post subject: |
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| I already have an iPhone in the UK and I'm hoping to be able to take it out with me. Can anyone tell me who I should go to for a year-long contract that I can just put the SIM into my iPhone and walk away? |
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desu
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| LITTLE PEACHES wrote: |
I got my iphone through softband in OCTOBER! Hopefully your still good. Maybe it started again!
| Quote: |
| So although it was expensive at first, the monthly bills are ridiculously cheap, plus I have a phone I can actually use back home (I can't see what new features I would possibly need to upgrade to in a few years time over the 3G features) |
DESU- where are you from? I'm from california, can i use it in the states? I heard there is a possibility that you can't that it will loose some of its functions. let me know i got the 3g also! |
Little Peaches - iPhone is the only phone you can use pretty much anywhere in the world, on pretty much any network. You need to know how to unlock your phone, but a quick search and a bit of knowhow (or help from a friend) should make that a piece of cake. I'm from Canada and look forward to not have to throw a way what will end up being a heavily customized phone with plenty of software I want to keep when I go back home! |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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| mushroomyakuza wrote: |
| I already have an iPhone in the UK and I'm hoping to be able to take it out with me. Can anyone tell me who I should go to for a year-long contract that I can just put the SIM into my iPhone and walk away? |
Many phones here don't even have sims.
Softbank phones do however, so you can probably just get a sim and slap it in your iPhone, but don't forget to get it unlocked first.
Actually Softbank actually has qite a few phones that will work outside Japan. If you look on the website, they tell you which handsets will work internationally. I have a Softbank phone, which I took to the UK in the summer. I turned on one day to bluetooth some data to another phone and was shocked when I started receiving welcome messages from Vodaphone. |
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desu
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:44 pm Post subject: |
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| desu wrote: |
| iPhone is the only phone you can use pretty much anywhere in the world |
Ahh I should probably be more accurate, I meant to say that iPhone is the only phone you can permanently join onto other networks with pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of phones have international roaming, however. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| desu wrote: |
| desu wrote: |
| iPhone is the only phone you can use pretty much anywhere in the world |
Ahh I should probably be more accurate, I meant to say that iPhone is the only phone you can permanently join onto other networks with pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of phones have international roaming, however. |
Then I should add that my phone also accepts one of my UK Orange sims. Only the one from my K1, not my Razr. I guess it's because the sim in my Razr is ancient. When I put in the prehistoric relic sim, it says that I need to enter a valid sim. But with the other, it tells me to enter a code, which Softbank has told me they will give me since I bought the phone (in exchange for a small fee, of course  )
And the reason I have my Motorolas is because, like many phones these days (they don't even have to be that new... mine are quadbands that are 3+ years old), once unlocked, you can just slap sims from any country in. I actually have my Hong Kong sim in one now.
In the UK you could just take a mobile to a hacker. My favourite was in Pompey's Commercial Rd. But here, you can just ask instore to find out whether it is possible to unlock the phones. |
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Greg_R
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:05 am Post subject: |
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| I got a cheap pre paid phone from Lawsons works great |
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