Author Topic: I want a Sony Xperia SX, but I think it's stupid to buy one. (Read 41169 times)

superboyac · « **Reply #25 on:** September 01, 2012, 03:39 AM »

See? The docomo site, if you click the "English" button on the main page, shows this:
Screenshot - 9_1_2012 , 1_35_51 AM.png

What the f--- does "In Japanese only" mean? The phone can only show japanese language? That's hard to believe if it's Android, as Android can switch between multiple languages, right? So is the Sony software overlay on Android the thing preventing it from showing english? Is there a way to get stock android on it so I don't worry about what customizations sony did?

Or, is it saying that only Japanese customers can buy it? Is it a phone that is only available with a japanese company's cell plan?

Am I going to have to contact my corporate Sony contact to get it? Will he even help me?

40hz · « **Reply #26 on:** September 01, 2012, 06:14 AM »

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What the f--- does "In Japanese only" mean?
-superboyac (September 01, 2012, 03:39 AM)

Well...in this case, I think it means: Moka-moka Su-su, Yankee-Boy. (In a polite way of course.)

Am I going to have to contact my corporate Sony contact to get it? Will he even help me?
-superboyac (September 01, 2012, 03:39 AM)

Yes. But only if you speak Japanese.

ewemoa · « **Reply #27 on:** September 01, 2012, 06:45 AM »

See? The docomo site, if you click the "English" button on the main page, shows this: (see attachment in previous post)
What the f--- does "In Japanese only" mean?
-superboyac (September 01, 2012, 03:39 AM)

May be this is what 40hz meant -- in this case I believe it means that if you click on the link, the resulting page is in Japanese.

There was a downloadable manual for the phone and within it there was a description of a procedure for changing the UI language so I don't think you have anything to worry about on that account.

ewemoa · « **Reply #28 on:** September 01, 2012, 06:56 AM »

I didn't manage to find out anything useful regarding whether the phone can be purchased without signing up for service.

superboyac · « **Reply #29 on:** September 02, 2012, 02:42 PM »

So I've been browsing this one site talking about the phone:
http://www.gsmarena....05d-reviews-4775.php

The comments are fascinating. Check it out:

My wife has this phone. Got it 2 days ago and she likes it a lot. It has many languages installed by default so you can use it. But does it support your network? The battery is removable. I like the size a lot. I got the xperia gx and think its a little big. We both had the arc before and i think it was the perfect size.

if you understand the japanese language then you can import it cause dont know if the phone have english language.It has english support. Don't worry about that.

answering question of if the phone has english support. yes!

This mobile will NEVER be available to outside of Japan, it is only for Japan and if you not Japanese you will NEVER NEVER have this phone.
This phone is ONLY for Japanese and never to non Japanese. Please do not ask me as it will be only for Japan people, non Japan people will NEVER have this phone.

What's your or SOny's problem??!! I just want to give you money for something!

even if iphone 5 gets out... i'd rather have this...

superboyac · « **Reply #30 on:** September 02, 2012, 02:45 PM »

damn it, is this true?

Sony have keep all best mobile phone for Japan only. This phone and best phone are only for Japanese people, you will never EVER have this phone if you are not Japanese.
All best Sony phone are only for Japanese, if you are not Japanese you will never EVER have Sony best mobile. Never EVER have Sony best mobile for non Japanese.

If true, I'm hawking ebay and asking my japanese friends to hook me up with some insider shit. That's it, this is now personal!

superboyac · « **Reply #31 on:** September 02, 2012, 02:50 PM »

this phone is perfect. It's the best non-apple phone on the market, and i haven't even touched it yet. I'm saying it in advance:

superboyac · « **Reply #32 on:** September 02, 2012, 02:52 PM »

Someone mentioned the phone will be around 14500 yen, so about $200. I would jump on that if true.

ewemoa · « **Reply #33 on:** September 02, 2012, 07:29 PM »

I saw much higher prices. I'll see if I can dig them up.

superboyac · « **Reply #34 on:** September 02, 2012, 07:30 PM »

I saw much higher prices. I'll see if I can dig them up.
-ewemoa (September 02, 2012, 07:29 PM)

Me too. I seem to remember them being closer to $600. Still, at this point, I've worked myself up so much I think I'm just going to get it. And I think I still have to dish out additional $$ to buy a nice family dinner for my friend who will help me.

ewemoa · « **Reply #35 on:** September 02, 2012, 07:36 PM »

It's possible the prices you came across were for sign-up with a plan. The following two links lead to pages which IIUC suggest that if one actually uses the phone for 24 months with a plan determined at sign-up, the SX initially costs 13400 yen (pages in Japanese):

http://someya.tv/xperia/device/gxsxprice01.php
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/1208/10/news084.html

In my experience with Sony products in recent times, I've not found them to be amenable to the idea of people using their products in ways that they haven't specifically thought are good for Sony (like Apple). In recent years, I have the impression that many companies are following this path. Sony and Apple products are things I am not likely to purchase any more -- I used to though.

superboyac · « **Reply #36 on:** September 02, 2012, 07:49 PM »

It's possible the prices you came across were for sign-up with a plan. The following two links lead to pages which IIUC suggest that if one actually uses the phone for 24 months with a plan determined at sign-up, the SX initially costs 13400 yen (pages in Japanese):

http://someya.tv/xperia/device/gxsxprice01.php
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/1208/10/news084.html

In my experience with Sony products in recent times, I've not found them to be amenable to the idea of people using their products in ways that they haven't specifically thought are good for Sony (like Apple). In recent years, I have the impression that many companies are following this path. Sony and Apple products are things I am not likely to purchase any more -- I used to though.
-ewemoa (September 02, 2012, 07:36 PM)

I agree in principle. But there is no other phone with these specs and this size. So I will give in this time for Sony making a good product. They can be as closed off and stuff as they want, I just want to get the phone. I'm not going to hack it or do anything like that. I'm just going to use it as a phone. I'm not doing anything Sony doesn't want me to do, other than being an American who wants the phone that won't be sold to Americans.

ewemoa · « **Reply #37 on:** September 02, 2012, 08:11 PM »

I'm not familiar with how mobile phone stuff works in the U.S. -- it's easy enough to bring a phone to some carrier and get them to use it?

40hz · « **Reply #38 on:** September 02, 2012, 11:31 PM »

I'm not familiar with how mobile phone stuff works in the U.S. -- it's easy enough to bring a phone to some carrier and get them to use it?
-ewemoa (September 02, 2012, 08:11 PM)

Not always.

ewemoa · « **Reply #39 on:** September 02, 2012, 11:34 PM »

Thanks for the info

superboyac · « **Reply #40 on:** September 03, 2012, 12:40 AM »

Well, just technically speaking...if the phone is specified for the particular cellular technology your carrier uses (GSM, HSPA, that stuff) than the phone should work. Now, they can do other things to prevent it from working like locking it. But you can usually unlock a phone and stick your SIM card in it and it should be fine. I use ATT which has SIM cards, so if the phone accepts the cards, it should work. Will it be locked? I don't know. Can I find out? Not now it seems. Very little english information about this phone right now.

Here's more interesting weirdness. The two exclusive japanese phones out now are this SX and it's larger version, the GX. The GX is being sold now or soon here in the USA, called a TX. Why a TX? Who the fuck knows, it's Sony. But SOny also a month or two ago released the Ion, which is supposed to be their flagship Android phone. But the Ion sucks compared to these two other phones. It's almost like 40 said, Sony just wants to give the F-U to the USA customers when it comes to these phones. I'm really struggling to find other reasons why a unique sized phone with a lot of people like me dying to buy it precisely for its uniqueness...and they won't sell it here. But they will sell inferior versions of it here, which they call their flagship models, and they are released at just about the same time (so it's not like the technology available is any different). And this is when most people will tell me..."You're thinking too much, go get laid." And I have no problem with the last half of that statement. The first half is nonsense.

ewemoa · « **Reply #41 on:** September 03, 2012, 12:48 AM »

Perhaps a case of...If you can release something that's less sophisticated and make more profit...

My impression with Japan and Korea (at least recently) is that people are willing to pay more for things than in some other countries (e.g. U.S.) -- this might be the case seeing as both of these countries appear to be much more uniform than say the U.S., so it's easier to tailor to larger audiences. I don't know if this is true, but may be it's a factor.

superboyac · « **Reply #42 on:** September 03, 2012, 01:44 AM »

Perhaps a case of...If you can release something that's less sophisticated and make more profit...

My impression with Japan and Korea (at least recently) is that people are willing to pay more for things than in some other countries (e.g. U.S.) -- this might be the case seeing as both of these countries appear to be much more uniform than say the U.S., so it's easier to tailor to larger audiences. I don't know if this is true, but may be it's a factor.
-ewemoa (September 03, 2012, 12:48 AM)

Maybe. But people are dying to pay for it here, and they won't sell it. I just wonder why. We're not that uniform, but I bet the market here is comparable to whatever they are getting in Asia. I don't really know these things.

I checked a couple of other sites. It's not just me. people really want the SX. It's the very first time a top-shelf quality android phone has been released that is a small phone, latest cell tech (LTE), and not missing any of the "expensive" features like lots of megapixels, cpu, and whatever else companie's cut corners on the their cheap phones.

And it's an aesthetic thing. Geeks like me love small, sturdy, powerful gadgets. Design wise, the iphone is the best out there. Why? The shape is perfect. Pretty much perfect size, beautiful rectangle and corners (lol, I know, but it is). And it's got a very good heft to it. Feels like what it costs. Mass is important to me, I don't know why. If I'm going to pay big bucks, I want metal, not plastic. The Samsun S3 is a top shelf phone. But aesthetically, it's super lame. It's too light, feels too cheap. Compared to the iphone, it feels like a kid's toy. And the stupid weird rounded stuff is ugly and not great to hold either, sorry. The bottom with the rounded concave body, yuck. The overly rounded corners. Eww. It's too thin relative to it's length/width. I don't feel special holding it.

But this SX is different. I don't even have to hold it to know it will have the proper amount of heft. I just know it will, you can see it. Lovely shape, beautiful simple, elegant rectangle. Slightly smaller than the iphone, even more perfect! Android! Perfect! LTE! quad-core blah blah, basically, all the latest good stuff. This is it.

because when it comes down to it, there isn't much functionally distinguishing a lot of these phones. You may say I'm making a big deal about corners and weight, but these little things are the only remaining distinguishable characteristics. It's not like there's a circular vs. rectangle shape. So if they're all rectangles, then the rounded corners become a distinguishing feature. And it's not like there's a Linux alternative to android and ios, so you just have to pick one. And they are ALL 4-point-whatever inches, so until now, there wasn't even a "small" option. This screen is better than that screen, big deal, I don't give a shit. This has snapdragon, oh my god, this other one is still on 1.3 Hz, or some shit like that. I don't give a shit!! is it faster or something, is that what you're saying? And what exactly is faster? Does swiping take 5 milliseconds less on the slow one? Is dialing a number more instant on quad core vs duo core? Oh, I'm being silly, sorry. Maybe some people use the phone for heavy computing tasks like playing call of duty on a 4" screen. Or maybe you're watching a 4GB 1080p...on your 4" screen. I mean, I really get tired of seeing the same damn four and a half inch rectangle being compared to a slightly different four and a half inch rectangle. I just want a smaller phone. I mean, a good phone that is a smaller phone.

superboyac · « **Reply #43 on:** September 03, 2012, 01:48 AM »

ewemoa · « **Reply #44 on:** September 03, 2012, 02:19 AM »

We're not that uniform, but I bet the market here is comparable to whatever they are getting in Asia.
-superboyac (September 03, 2012, 01:44 AM)

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population, Japan's population is about 128 million while that of the U.S. is 314 million. I am clueless regarding what the target sizes are for this phone, but I bet it's much easier to target to larger groups in Japan than the U.S.

I checked a couple of other sites. It's not just me. people really want the SX.

I wonder how many people this would add up to.

Don't get me wrong, there have been devices I've wanted that have only been available in other countries! I've usually given up with the thinking that what I would like and the way in which I'd like to use something is never common enough to be interesting to a large company. Trying to satisfy my gadget desires has seemed futile for some years now so for the last few years I've decided it's not worth directing my energy there. Perhaps the recent activity of folks building their own hardware is a constructive way to redirect one's energies

Still, I can appreciate small phones -- I recently chose an older (a model from 2 years back) smaller phone over more recent offerings because it would fit more easily in trouser pockets.

superboyac · « **Reply #45 on:** September 03, 2012, 02:52 AM »

So you chose small too?? lol. sweet.

I guess this is what I'm saying. I *predict* that whichever company makes a top shelf SMALL android phone with good build quality and etc for the US will have a hit. Obviously, big phones are more popular, that's not really a question for me. All these companies wouldn't be making 100% big phones if the market was not demanding it. But the consumers don't know yet how much they will like the smaller phones, so they aren't demanding it. So if I were gambling, I'm calling it: the next small phone is going to be a winner. The SX can be that phone, but they chose not to release it here.
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My guess is Japan will have a hit with that phone, Sony will realize that it will be a hit elsewhere as well, then they will most likely release a more global small phone, give ti a different ridiculous model name, make it with cheaper build quality, remove some convenient features I'm sure, and it will still be a big hit. And then I will be super pissed that they made it worse than the SX.

They did all this all the time with the minidisc players and other stuff. It's Sony.

ewemoa · « **Reply #46 on:** September 03, 2012, 03:08 AM »

To be honest though, my preference is some very small device that communicates with a larger device which I keep in my bag.

Future smart watches that speak Bluetooth (successors to the likes of the pebble) are what I'm hoping for. I don't really want a device that is a phone. What I want is the ability to use a mobile network for voice and data -- along with WiFi, etc.

The small device I might carry on me -- I'd like for it to be easy to glance at with a minimal display which allows me to do a few essential things (perhaps some simple acknowledgement to messages it receives from a larger device). For more complex tasks I can imagine pulling out more powerful computational power from my bag -- I should be able to decide this through a simple interaction with the small device.

I don't think I'm alone in imagining this sort of thing.

superboyac · « **Reply #47 on:** September 03, 2012, 03:22 AM »

To be honest though, my preference is some very small device that communicates with a larger device which I keep in my bag.

Future smart watches that speak Bluetooth (successors to the likes of the pebble) are what I'm hoping for. I don't really want a device that is a phone. What I want is the ability to use a mobile network for voice and data -- along with WiFi, etc.

The small device I might carry on me -- I'd like for it to be easy to glance at with a minimal display which allows me to do a few essential things (perhaps some simple acknowledgement to messages it receives from a larger device). For more complex tasks I can imagine pulling out more powerful computational power from my bag -- I should be able to decide this through a simple interaction with the small device.

I don't think I'm alone in imagining this sort of thing.
-ewemoa (September 03, 2012, 03:08 AM)

You're not! That sounds even better.

Fred Nerd · « **Reply #48 on:** September 14, 2012, 08:02 AM »

+1
My solution to this: 2 phones. I have Google Nexus (running Jelly Bean, so glad I got the Nexus) but since its big, breakable and bad battery life, I also have a Nokia 1200 (I think that's the model, small, unbreakable thing, not picture capable)
My Nokia is the number I give out and is on a network with good coverage but high cost. My Nexus is on an unlimited cheap plan with a dodgy carrier.
If the Nexus is unavilable, or I don't answer it, it diverts to the Nokia (no cost)
If you send it a message, it forwards it (free app SMS forwarder, and free on the plan)

So then I only have to keep the Nokia on me and get any incoming calls. To make calls I take the Nexus where I get reception and call for free.

It works reasonable well for me.

superboyac · « **Reply #49 on:** September 17, 2012, 11:43 AM »

Well, still no promising news on this SX. My japanese contact said you can only get it if you buy through the carrier. My friend will be visiting Japan in December and he's going to see if he can buy it on the street or something without the contract.

Ebay is selling one now for $825, which is a little too rich for my blood. But it's the only option.