Why is it that their phones are the ones that appeal to me the most?
(Note: This entry was originally going to start off with the lines “I love my cellphone. But I hate my service provider.” – but I went shopping today. ^.^)
I’d been thinking of getting a new keitai for a while. I had a failed fling with a Vodafone 3G model last year (worked fine in Australia, but the interface/camera on the phone were intolerably bad), and the reception in my apartment is so bad that something had to be done. (Do you know how annoying it is when your friends’ phones work perfectly in your apartment and yours doesn’t?)
I looked at what AU had to offer, since a lot of my friends (who either started on AU or changed from Vodafone) had them and were happy with the service. They had some pretty flash-looking phones, but nothing that really appealed to me. I hadn’t given much thought to Docomo, since they’ve got the rep for being the most expensive (both phones and fees).
Then I found myself in front of a Docomo display (at Bic Camera in Shibuya) with a little time to kill as I waited for a friend.
Most of their handsets were pretty standard, but one did jump out at me. This one.
I really liked the design on this model. Most of the sliders here are a tad thick, but this one’s nice and slim. (Thinner than my snazzy, green Vodafone phone.) The screen is freaking huge and very sharp. Great interface, bilingual and there’s a sliding lens cover for the camera. Then I noticed who made it: Mitsubishi.
Same manufacturer as my old phone. ^.^
Clearly, they’re dialed in to my tastes.
The D902i is far more advanced than my V401D. The D902i runs Symbian OS (8.1), has a bigger screen (240×400 vs. 240×320), has double the camera resolution, uses mini-SD instead of SD, runs larger java applets, has an even better email interface….
Basically, Mitsubishi took an already great phone and made it phenomenal.
Of course, such coolness comes with a price. The new one ran me ¥29,800, which is triple the original cost of the old phone. (And Docomo charges extra for the AC adapter. What the hell’s up with that?!?)
But so what? At least I can hear it in my fucking apartment. ^.^
The green one lasted me over a year and a half, and I’m sure I’ll get at least that much life out of the new one.
Now, who to call next… ^.^