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Softbank Mobile will release an Android-based Yahoo! cell phone in late September. The smartphone, called "Yahoo! Phone", comes preloaded with 13 apps that allow easy access to Yahoo!'s free web services like auctions and maps. It is the first cell phone to be branded with Yahoo!'s logo.
The phone will be a rebranded version of the Aquos 009SH handset, made by Softbank and Sharp. It features Android 2.3 as the OS, a 4-inch LCD with QHD resolution, an 8MP CMOS camera, Bluetooth 3.0, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, a microSDHC slot, a digital TV tuner, an e-wallet function, and infrared communication.
Existing SoftBank cell phone subscribers who choose the Yahoo! Phone become Yahoo! Japan premium members for free for two years (instead of having to pay 360 yen monthly). A premium membership is required to bid over 5,000 yen for auction items on Yahoo! Auctions. Subscribers can also get additional points for every purchase made on Yahoo! Shopping for the next two years.
Yahoo! plans to test the market with the Softbank collaboration and analyze sales data before approaching other cell phone companies and manufacturers.
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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Carcharodon
A yahoo! phone piggy backing on a Google Android operating system? So, its really just a Google Android phone with a yahoo sticker and 13 special Yahoo apps pre-installed on it, Also the apps are most likely un- installable from the phone( (I hate apps that can't be removed - samsung and docomo do it with their Android offerings too)
A clean, basic "stock" Android phone is much better, more stable than pimped versions.
looks to have some decent specs on it though.
ExportExpert
Docomo have the samsung galaxy which is a far superior phone then any apple phone, and it even beats the still unreleased iphone 5.
TakahiroDomingo
SoftoBanko are thieves, trying to rip off people. if a smartphone is anything near smart, you can use yahoo and google and bing and lots of apps without having SoftoBanko tell you what to do. i might be wrong, but it is almost certain the SoftoBanko will rip you off with those generous apps, moving lots of bytes over the ether, and charge you dearly for every single one of them. i find it amazing that on the one hand japan has some of the hottest tech in the world, and on the other hand the poor japanese have the dumbest phones ever, and are under an absolute rip-off control by the cellphone companies in this country.
ritzjpn
Softbank surving on Iphone only and white plan rest is s***t. Noone is happy for their after sales services.all softbank android phones are real junk and too pricey may be becoz of apple.
chinpira
Shame Softbank's network is so slow though. Nice that they are pushing Apple's rival Android OS. Glad I stayed on the Docomo network, got the Galaxy S2 last month, awesome phone and much better than the iPhone... best of all is the speed of the docomo network, (4 - 5 times faster). Even if the iPhone5 turns out to be a brilliant device it will still be crippled by Softbanks poor data network.
gogogo
It runs a google OS and it is a rebranded phone, I dont understand what the attraction is? It's like a fake phone or something
Patric Spohn
I see lots of techies here. Can anyone tell me why my 2-year old Xperia (SO-01B) is so slow and bad, even though it's from DoCoMo?
DentShop
Aaah the end of Yahoo. When you go from the number 1 start up EVER to sticking your logo on an Android phone - ya know it cant be long until you start hocking the office furniture to a second hand supply outlet. Rest in Peace Yahoo, i will remember you and your quirky name.
Badge213
I always sit down and laugh when I hear people having arguments about "my app does this just a tad better then yours", in the end for the vast majority of brainless folks out there, it does the same thing.