Softbank gets it right (where others stumble) with the X01HT

DoCoMo and Softbank Mobile have both got their sticky paws on HTC's Hermes and are about to launch it in Japan as, respectively, the hTc Z and the X01HT. Softbank's version gets the edge on DoCoMo's by supporting HSDPA, though the network only covers metro Tokyo and a few major cities at present, and for some reason it can only suck down data at 1.8Mbps, half the service's rated max of 3.6Mbps.

All that dry stuff aside, the real question here is why the two companies are selling essentially the same phone for prices that are almost Y50,000 apart. Softbank's model comes in around Y20,000 with a two-year contract, while DoCoMo is selling the hTcZ through its docomo.biz site rather than usual retail channels, to existing subscribers only, and wants you to stump up Y73,000 for the privilege.

Sure, there's a question here of DoCoMo not wanting to get out of bed unless you're willing to sign on for the full Exchange Server push email deal and a bushel of handsets. But that's no reason to give such a monumental shaft to the individual customers who must now be positively priapic at the thought of a decent smartphone that works in Japan, after the miserable Motorola M1000. Why not stuff a few down the retail channel at a reasonable price and risk being pleasantly surprised if you shift a few units?

We're hesitant to switch to Softbank Mobile just to get our hands on a better phone, given the poor rep it has for network coverage, but seriously, if DoCoMo keeps pulling this lumbering mammoth act in the age of number portability then it deserves to get its ass filled full of spears by more aggressive and lightfooted pursuers.

[Via K-Tai Watch (Japanese]