Japan, the Galapagos Islands of the mobile phone
When I moved to Tokyo earlier this year, I asked my future colleague what mobile phone I should buy.
I had a history of being a Motorola lover, Nokia fan, and until recently, Sony Ericsson’s best friend.
My colleague’s advice was simple.
“Japan is the Galapagos Islands of mobiles. They have evolved in a completely different way from the rest of the world.”
So, basically this meant I was screwed.
The other day I came across an exhibition of Japanese mobile phones from the 1990s to today. Even though I had no idea what functions most of them had, it had been an eye-opener to see how things have changed in the last 20 years.
These are some photos I took from the exhibition. By the way, I used my iPhone to take the pictures.
















