Can Dopod U1000 make calls in Japan?

[k_kirk]

I know Dopod 900 and other 3G phones can be used in Japan as long as you have a 3G enabled SIM card from your home telco. How about the new U1000? If I buy one in Singapore can I use it during my trips to Japan? This is a major purchase decision point so please help if you can. Thanks!

[jameshuang]

I can confirm it works. And you need to use a handfree to make call. I used 3HK and CSL SIM card in Japan and works just fine.

[chainbolt]

I can confirm it works. And you need to use a handfree to make call. I used 3HK and CSL SIM card in Japan and works just fine.

Could you make a GPRS / internet connection with the Dopod U1000 in Japan?

[k_kirk]

Yes. It works just fine. No problems.

[chainbolt]

Yes. It works just fine. No problems.

That's good news. Could you please tell me how you set up the GPRS connection?

Edit: oops , I see, you are not using a Japanese service, like Softbank, or NTT. I am still trying to find out whether it's possible to use an unlocked Athena with a Softbank SIM card. I know the it would work as phone, but how to set up the GPRS connection would be the problem.

[k_kirk]

That's good news. Could you please tell me how you set up the GPRS connection?

Edit: oops , I see, you are not using a Japanese service, like Softbank, or NTT. I am still trying to find out whether it's possible to use an unlocked Athena with a Softbank SIM card. I know the it would work as phone, but how to set up the GPRS connection would be the problem.

Yes. I use Singtel and use roaming when I'm in Japan. My SIM has the 3G service activated. I hope you can find a telco offering service in Japan. Good luck.

[Professorredbag]

Hi! Can anyone tell me how to get the Dopod 900 I bought in Malaysia to work here in Japan? Sales clerks are telling me it's not possible. Dopod's site doesn't offer any help. Thanks a lot. I plan to be here for a month or more so it will really help to find out what's true and possible.

[jlingo]

Yes I can confirm it works too.

[jlingo]

Hi! Can anyone tell me how to get the Dopod 900 I bought in Malaysia to work here in Japan? Sales clerks are telling me it's not possible. Dopod's site doesn't offer any help. Thanks a lot. I plan to be here for a month or more so it will really help to find out what's true and possible.

Yes it does. As far as I understand if it supports 3G then it should technically work in japan. Too bad I no longer have my Dopod 900 with me to test it out.

[Professorredbag]

Thanks for your replies. The problem is I want a Japanese sim card and number not the roaming services from Malaysia as I have temporarily moved. This what sales clerks are telling me is not possible. They say I must have a Japanese made handphone. !!?? I know they are protectionist here but surely there is a way around the obstacles.. Any specific suggestions? really appreciate your help!

[larsuck]

What I know

I am really interested in this too, as I plan on getting an Athena soon. However, I know that you don't need a "Japanese made handphone". They don't like people using different phones on their network, but they can't really stop you.

Well, they probably can technically stop you, but it is highly unlikely that they will. The reason the sales clerk is telling you it is impossible is probably because there are almost NO unlocked phones in Japan. 99.99% of all phones sold here are branded and locked to a specific carrier.

I am a Hermes user and bought my Hermes through Softbank, a carrier here in Japan. I have since reflashed it hundreds of times and have never had a problem with connecting to the network. I also know others on this board who are Kaiser users who have imported their Kaisers from other countries and are using them on Softbank's system with no problems. There was also a big interest in the mobile device geek community of Japan in the Treo 700w when it first appeared, and I have seen blogs of Japanese guys who have got that running on Softbank's system. So it IS definately possible to run non-Softbank phones on Softbank's network provided you have a valid Softbank SIM.

Some caveats:

I have never seen any carrier here just selling SIMs. You will more than likely have to purchase a phone to get a SIM card.

Voice and SMS (text) should work automatically just by popping in the SIM. Data and MMS are more difficult.

Data
There are two ways of connecting to Softbank's data servers, and each is charged differently. One method uses a public access server, but the charges for using this are quite high. This is the server used for people connecting laptops using cellular modems. The other method allow access under Softbank's tiered and capped system, which is the much cheaper and safer option. The connection settings to access this system are very closely guarded and no one to my knowledge has been able to hack them.

However, there is a workaround. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=298031
The problem with this workaround is that it requires a program called WIFIwake.exe. And it just so happens that WIFIwake.exe is coded specifically for different machines. On the link above, there is a version for the Universal and a version for the Hermes (the U and H in the .zip file names). Valued member Chaimd hex-edited a file to make it work for Kaiser: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=328362&highlight=softbank&page=3. And he seemed to think it was a pretty easy job. If asked nicely, he might be able to hex-edit one for Athena too - or not. I don't know.

MMS
MMS is also more difficult to set up. Basically, it requires a program called MMSLite which can be quirky. The only way to know for sure whether it will work with Athena is to try and see I think. And it does NOT work on WM6.1 systems, so you will have to decide between MMS + WM6 or NoMMS + WM6.1. This is the big reason I am thinking of buying the 7501 rather than the 7510.

[larsuck]

... on some Japanese sites, it seems that a CID unlocked Athena can use the WIFIwake.exe file meant for the Universal.

Also, MMSLite seems to be working as well. So it seems that on the Softbank network at least the Athena can do it all.

[Professorredbag]

Dear Larsuck,

I appreciate your investing so much time and thought to help me. :) I'm not even remotely savy enough to understand the complexities of your advice but I do gather that buying a Japanese phone is inevitable. Any suggestions for the cheapest? as I'll just use it for local calls and carry my laptop with me when I need other connectivity. :(

[larsuck]

Any suggestions for the cheapest? as I'll just use it for local calls and carry my laptop with me when I need other connectivity. :(

Huh? So you have decided not to the the Athena? There are tons of really cool phones over here that can do many, many different things - but none of them compare to WM in that they aren't as customizable. Go to the Softbank website (English: http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/ ) and check them out.

However, if you want to get the Athena, here are two choices:
1) Get the Athena, come to Japan, get a cheap phone (cheap in the relative sense) here, take the SIM card out of it and put it in the Athena. Do some research on this site and get the Athena up and running. Keep the cheap phone just in case the Athena dies.

2) Get the Athena, come to Japan, get an expensive but slightly subsidized phone, unlock it and sell it on ebay. Use the sim card in your Athena and hope it doesn't die.