WonkoTheSane
先輩
- 12 May 2013
- 1,335
- 311
Hi,
I searched but I didn't find anything recent, I apologize if I missed relevant threads.
I'm moving to Okinawa at the end of August. My initial contract is 4 months. After that, if I so choose, I can sign a 2 year contract and every 2 years thereafter indefinitely I'll again have that option (of course dependent upon my satisfactory job performance). My expectation is to stay for ~5 years or so and explore Asia while I'm there.
I'm looking for some information concerning cell phones. My job will have a minimal need for cell usage, in the States I do a similar job and I've never gone over the 100 free minutes my plan provides. I plan to be reasonably social, though, so I was looking at a plan such as the AU Plan L Simple (266 minutes) or the Docomo Type L Value (300 minutes, if I'm understanding correctly). They seem about comparable in price (~6K Yen per month), and about comparable in number of minutes, though it is entirely possible, nay, extremely likely, that I am completely misunderstanding the plans.
From what I've read I should steer clear of Softbank due to coverage and signal strength, but I don't know if this is still correct. The information I've found is sparse, inconsistent and dated.
In any case, I can find the costs for the plans, but not for the phones on either Docomo's or AU's websites.
I own an Android phone which uses UMTS 2100 so it *should* work in Japan (Samsung Exhibit II 4G, SGH-T679), and I've considered B-Mobile's SIM cards for it but I cannot figure out if my phone is supported (should be, at least on 3G). This would help me avoid the eventual 10K Yen early termination fee if I decided I wanted an AU or Docomo plan and made sure I started a contract plan in the same month that my 2 year contract began, and would give me time to figure out my usage and make a more informed plan choice. With this choice, possibly something like the Voice Calling Plan L + Data Communications Service Plan A for ~5K Yen. I'm not a huge fan of my current phone (crappy battery life, Android version 2.3.5), but it's mine free and clear and unlocked so it can't hurt to at least consider it, especially since if I hate it in Okinawa after 4 months I'd rather not be beholden to a cell phone contract. I read that B-Mobile works on the Docomo network so I should have good coverage, if I'm not misunderstanding things.
I'm pretty much phone agnostic, though my order of preference from most preferred to least preferred would probably be: Windows (current gen.), Android (pref. 4.0+), iPhone. I'm not totally against the iPhone, but the tablet I use is Windows 8 based and I'd prefer having a phone with an easily accessible file system. I will have a Mac Mini at home, though, so I can use that for iTunes if the iPhone ends up being the best choice.
My questions are:
1. Docomo or AU, considering my situation (or reconsider Softbank)?
2. How do I figure out how much the actual phone will cost?
3a. Am I totally misunderstanding the plans from Docomo and AU?
3b. If so, can someone explain them to me?
4. Will B-Mobile work for my current phone and is it a good system?
5. What am I missing which will completely change how I'm looking at all of this and make me start from scratch figuring it all out?
Thanks!
I searched but I didn't find anything recent, I apologize if I missed relevant threads.
I'm moving to Okinawa at the end of August. My initial contract is 4 months. After that, if I so choose, I can sign a 2 year contract and every 2 years thereafter indefinitely I'll again have that option (of course dependent upon my satisfactory job performance). My expectation is to stay for ~5 years or so and explore Asia while I'm there.
I'm looking for some information concerning cell phones. My job will have a minimal need for cell usage, in the States I do a similar job and I've never gone over the 100 free minutes my plan provides. I plan to be reasonably social, though, so I was looking at a plan such as the AU Plan L Simple (266 minutes) or the Docomo Type L Value (300 minutes, if I'm understanding correctly). They seem about comparable in price (~6K Yen per month), and about comparable in number of minutes, though it is entirely possible, nay, extremely likely, that I am completely misunderstanding the plans.
From what I've read I should steer clear of Softbank due to coverage and signal strength, but I don't know if this is still correct. The information I've found is sparse, inconsistent and dated.
In any case, I can find the costs for the plans, but not for the phones on either Docomo's or AU's websites.
I own an Android phone which uses UMTS 2100 so it *should* work in Japan (Samsung Exhibit II 4G, SGH-T679), and I've considered B-Mobile's SIM cards for it but I cannot figure out if my phone is supported (should be, at least on 3G). This would help me avoid the eventual 10K Yen early termination fee if I decided I wanted an AU or Docomo plan and made sure I started a contract plan in the same month that my 2 year contract began, and would give me time to figure out my usage and make a more informed plan choice. With this choice, possibly something like the Voice Calling Plan L + Data Communications Service Plan A for ~5K Yen. I'm not a huge fan of my current phone (crappy battery life, Android version 2.3.5), but it's mine free and clear and unlocked so it can't hurt to at least consider it, especially since if I hate it in Okinawa after 4 months I'd rather not be beholden to a cell phone contract. I read that B-Mobile works on the Docomo network so I should have good coverage, if I'm not misunderstanding things.
I'm pretty much phone agnostic, though my order of preference from most preferred to least preferred would probably be: Windows (current gen.), Android (pref. 4.0+), iPhone. I'm not totally against the iPhone, but the tablet I use is Windows 8 based and I'd prefer having a phone with an easily accessible file system. I will have a Mac Mini at home, though, so I can use that for iTunes if the iPhone ends up being the best choice.
My questions are:
1. Docomo or AU, considering my situation (or reconsider Softbank)?
2. How do I figure out how much the actual phone will cost?
3a. Am I totally misunderstanding the plans from Docomo and AU?
3b. If so, can someone explain them to me?
4. Will B-Mobile work for my current phone and is it a good system?
5. What am I missing which will completely change how I'm looking at all of this and make me start from scratch figuring it all out?
Thanks!