Re: [tlug] Android Bazaar and Conference 2010 Spring

[Nikolay Elenkov <nick@example.com>]

On 06/08/10 22:01, Darren Cook wrote:
> > > Yes.  Availability of the Desire in Japan is just terrible.  There's way
> > > more demand than supply.
> >
> > If you don't care much about Sense UI, get a NexusOne while they are
> > still selling it online. It's practically the same phone and works with
> > most Japanese carriers. That is unless you have already ordered a
> > Desire, of course.
>
> But, if I've understood correctly, by buying it through Softbank I
> basically get the phone for free; it will be paid in monthly
> installments (over 2 years) out of the discount you get from a certain
> level of packet charges (*). Or something like that. (It only costs real
> money if you cancel within 2 years.)

Right. The thing is they want you to pay the full price of the phone if 
cancel at any point (61,920). If you use it for 2 years, you will only 
pay 9,120 for the phone. In exchange, you agree to pay 4410 per month 
for pakehodai flat for 2 years, so they get nice predictable cash flow :)

You get a really cool phone with no upfront payment, but considering 
that new, nicer phones will be out in less than a year, the lock-in may 
not be what you want. In that case getting a no-contract phone may be 
preferable.

> If I've got that wrong I'd love a nice clear explanation. They always
> explain it to me in the Softbank shop and draw a nice "0 yen" at the
> bottom, but I always worry I'm missing something.

If you read Japanese, someone already did the math:

http://komugi.net/archives/2010/04/19155842.php

If sign up for pakehodai, you get 2200 discount per month, so you end up 
paying 380 per month for the phone. If you use it for the whole 24 
months, you will eventually pay SoftBank 116,815.