This Sunday I saw in the Yamada denki store a unique device which connects to the internet through docomo’s 3g network.

The concept of course isn’t new, but this thing is. Essentially this router is a standard wifi router that allows you to connect iPods, pcs, PSPs, etc to the nets at once even.

This update is even from a Sukiya in mutsu.

More to come..

~j out

Update:

Back home with some more details.

What it is:

The Buffalo BF-01B is a wired & wireless router straight up. It’s function is to simply connect wifi-enabled, as well as wired computers (through a hub), to the internet just as other wifi routers work in people’s homes across the world.

The difference is that Docomo, along with other mobile phone providers have designed it to work off of their 3g network that offers speeds (they promise) of 7.2 Mbps down 5.2 Mbps up. The concept of tethering through a phone, of course, isn’t new at all… in fact the internet was founded on tethering through a phone modem. All that’s new is that this router allows more then just your PC connect.. in addition you can connect all your wireless devices to the router just as you would at home.

The Major advantage:

The major advantage to this is that with new devices that seem to roll out each year– each device seems to be more and more dependent on some sort of “wifi-connection” which, when I was in Tokyo, wasn’t much of a problem. However way out here in Mutsu, wifi isn’t as abundant– in fact solid cell service is sometimes a problem. Thus anywhere outside your wifi-enabled home finding a hotspot is near impossible.. This also goes for school visits where it seems everyone in the room is blissfully hardwired into a proxied internet connection except me who can’t because… well I’m not allowed.

So in conclusion.. I’m packing the internet with me in a wallet shaped box so that me and the internet don’t have to be separated. For the price and the tech it’s well worth the purchase and possibly the most useful gadget I’ve bought this year (and probably last year as well).

~J out again.

LINKS!

NTT Docomo’s Press Release (ENG) about it

http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2010/001475.html

The BF01B Specs (Japanese)

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/foma/data/bf01b/index.html

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