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Several of the other tech blogs picked up on The New York Times’ story on the major problems facing Vodafone in Japan as it struggles to keep hold of its present customers, never mind wooing newcomers.
The facts are straightforward enough — the twin challenges of rolling out a new 3G network and finding a winning global handset strategy have resulted in an increasingly disillusioned customer base. The old 2G network has apparently suffered from a lack of investment, while the 3G setup has struggled technically.
As a user of the 3G network here, I can sympathise with those folk who’ve been less than satisfied with the total screw-up that masquerades as a modern cellphone service and, as a resident of Japan, I can also understand the fretting caused by 2G users missing crucial emails inviting them to another booze-up in the local izakaya. However, the NYT writers seem intent on parroting the myth that handsets here are so much better than those in the West. Guys — they aren’t all that.
Apart from a few (say, two or three) notable exceptions, the phones here are seriously ugly. Most handsets you’ll come across are large, dull clamshells with all the glamor of a dead rat. Yes, they can send email and yes, they have 2+ megapixel cameras, but so what when they are physically challenged and hampered by truly awful software? That’s something most of our readers can’t appreciate simply by poring over gadget sites and press releases.
There’s no denying that Japanese manufacturers were leading the way a few years ago, but this isn’t 2002 any more. Granted, my own personal design and interface preferences don’t make me right and the next guy wrong, but it sure would be nice to see someone other than KDDI go out on a limb with a few attractive handsets.
(Via The New York Times [Registration required])
04:05 PM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
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