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The Japanese love their cell phones, but they’re not so sure about the iPhone. Cyrus Farivar reports from Tokyo.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the variety of cell phones in Tokyo. This man looking for a new phone says he isn’t sure about the new iPhone and even if he got one, he wouldn’t give up his old phone. He says Japanese cell phones are for functionality and the iPhone is for fun stuff. He adds that the iPhone doesn’t have an electronic wallet feature. eWallets are standard on just about every Japanese cell phone. He also shows me something on his Japanese phone that the iPhone doesn’t have: a feature that allows you to record television. Getting online through your cell phone is old hat in Japan, says this technology analyst. He adds it’s too early to tell how well the iPhone will do in Japan, but he notes the company that carries service for the iPhone in Japan recently cut the cost of its service in half to attract more consumers.