You wouldn't want a bunch of handsets out in the wild without your own company name on them, so SoftBank has announced 13 handsets to "launch" alongside the new brand.

Luckily SoftBank is continuing the tradition of putting out English press releases and information alongside Japanese press releases and information, so you can head over to the official page for more information. Just so we're clear, the handsets are:

• 910SH, a Sharp handset with 5MP camera and 2.4" display
  
• 910T, a Toshiba handset with 1GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, and music player
  
• 810SH, a Sharp handset with a VGA display and "elegant design"
  
• 811SH, a Sharp handset with a VGA display and 21mm thickness
  
• 810T, a Toshiba handset with "Advanced Simple Mode"
  
• 811T, a Toshiba handset with audio playback and GPS
  
• 705N, a NEC handset with 16mm thickness and "stylish design"
  
• 705NK, a Nokia handset with 3.2MP camera and bar design
  
• 705P, a Panasonic handset with a 14.8mm thickness and one-push button open
  
• 705SC, a Samsung handset with 12.9mm thickness and sliding mechanism
  
• 706SC, a Samsung handset with a 12.3mm thickness
  
• X01HT, a Windows Mobile smartphone known elsewhere in the world as the hTc Z, with HSDPA support
  
• C01SI, a CF connectivity card with HSDPA support.
  

As of October 1st, Vodafone K.K. is officially "SoftBank Mobile Corp."



Hopefully I'll remember to call them that from now on. I'll be updating the topic logo when I get a chance, but for accuracy, no previous references to "Vodafone" will be changed.

Vodafone.jp is now redirecting to SoftBank Mobile's site here:
http://mb.softbank.jp

Vodafone and JR East Japan have announced that you'll be able to use Mobile Suica with Vodafone handsets from December 2nd at 4PM. Mobile Suica uses the "FeliCa" contactless chipset found in many modern Japanese handsets to allow users to ride trains without paper tickets.

Only two Vodafone handsets currently available will support Mobile Suica: the 904SH and 905SH. The name of the service itself will also be changed from "Vodafone live! FeliCa" to "S! FeliCa" when Vodafone's brand name changes to "SoftBank" on October 1st of this year.

Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/30887.html

Press Release:
http://www.vodafone.jp/japanese/release/2006/20060905_1j.pdf

SoftBank's logo looks pretty nice on the "SoftBank 705SH," a handset being offered in a limited run by Vodafone. In actuality, the phone is already available in Champagne Gold, Royal Black, Silky Pink, Black, White, Pink, and Blue -- but on September 2nd the company will be adding Copper, Green, and Red to the lineup. 10,000 of each color will be available, so if you've been dying for a phone with SoftBank's branding, knock yourself out.



Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/30791.html

Press Release:
http://www.vodafone.jp/japanese/release/2006/20060830j.pdf

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested 4 merchants including a company president on the 23rd for selling Vodafone handsets with the SIM lock removed, citing trademark infringement and the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. The offending parties illegally modified the "U-SIM" card software of the handsets, thereby removing what is referred to as a "SIM lock." SIM locks are to prevent handsets from operating with the SIM cards of other providers.

Handsets were sold and delivered to customers using standard home delivery services. Vodafone's first quarter earnings report indicates that merchants receive 44,00 yen as an incentive for establishing new contracts for users, bringing the "true handset cost" for Vodafone to in-store cost + 44,00 yen. Vodafone, saying that this sort of activity "undermines [their] business model," estimates that damages range "in the millions" per month from this kind of activity.

Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/30723.html

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department:
http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/

Vodafone announced that they will be expanding their global roaming service area on September 7th. Additions include Angola to the list of countries that support voice calls -- this makes it the 166th country where Vodafone users can make voice calls. Likewise, they will be adding Vodafone Live! and data transfer to Pakistan, Belarus, Kenya, and Réunion (a small island and French territory off the coast of Madagascar), bringing the number of countries where Vodafone Live! can be used to 95. 13 of company's devices, including the 705SH SLIMIA, 705T, 904SH, 904T, and 804SS handsets and VC701SI connect card support global roaming.

Inspired by:
http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0608/24/news074.html

Press Release:
http://www.vodafone.jp/japanese/release/2006/20060824j.pdf?cc_1441=

Vodafone has announced that they've elected Mr. Tetsuzou Matsumoto to Chief Strategy Officer for the company. Mr. Matsumoto previously served as president of Qualcomm Japan, then as its chairman, and finally becoming a senior VP at Qualcomm's headquarters here in the USA. However, in May of this year, he gave up his role as chairman at Qualcomm Japan to focus his efforts o­n Qualcomm's global strategy.

It looks like Mr. Matsumoto's career is moving quickly; his final day at Qualcomm will be August 31st, and he will assume his role as the Chief Strategy Officer at Vodafone o­n September 1st.

Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/30656.html

Press Release:
http://www.vodafone.jp/japanese/release/2006/20060822j.pdf

We don't need to explain what Social Networking Services are; Americans need o­nly think of MySpace, Facebook, LiveJournal, and Japanese need o­nly think of mixi (who is by the way putting out their IPO).

Word o­n the street (if you want to call the Nihon Keizai Shimbun "the street") is that SoftBank plans o­n introducing a Social Networking Service intended, obviously, for the company's mobile phones. Users can create profile for themselves, write entries, post comments o­n other users' entries, and so o­n, using their mobile phone. Also in the pipe for the service is the ability to allow users to share images captured with their mobile phone.

SoftBank blew off the report, saying that it "isn't anything that we've announced, and it's just a speculation piece that didn't involve any actual newsgathering from us... so we can't comment o­n it."

Inspired by:
http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0608/21/news094.html

Vodafone is getting ready to release the "V604T" in late April, a Toshiba handset with an analog TV tuner. More details are available in the English press release, and Keitai Watch has more images here.

Vodafone is all geared up to release Sharp's "905SH," the first Vodafone handset to support One-Seg broadcasts. Features include a rotating display, Osaifu Keitai functionality, Bluetooth, and FM radio. Impress Watch has some pics in their article here, and the Vodafone's English press release with more details is here (PDF file).