Android based “Yahoo Phone” coming to SoftBank in Japan

The Yahoo search engine is apparently Japan’s biggest website, and Japan’s third largest carrier, SoftBank, is Yahoo Japan’s largest shareholder, which is why it is not surprising to find out that SoftBank subscribers will be able to get their hands on a “Yahoo Phone” some time in the next month.

The phone is actually based off the Android platform, which sounds weird given that Google and Yahoo are direct competitors in the search engine business. The phone itself is basically a rebranded “AQUOS PHONE THE PREMIUM SoftBank 009SH” (directly translated) which was showcased a couple of weeks back.

For those interested, the device will be running on Android Gingerbread 2.3 with a 4” LCD qHD display, an 8MP camera and a digital TV tuner along with an e-wallet function, both of which are commonly found in Japan’s mobile devices. Naturally with this being touted as a “Yahoo Phone”, it will come preinstalled with Yahoo services such as Yahoo Japan Auctions and Yahoo Loco, which is the company’s location based service.

Interestingly enough, SoftBank subscribers who purchase the phone will become Yahoo Japan premium members for a period of two years for free, after which if they choose to remain there will be a $4.50 monthly charge.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, Gingerbread (Android), Japan, softbank, Yahoo