*** Official NEC N-02A Guide ***

[stevetam]

You have to send it to them. They take the front panel on and then solder the LED lights to the mainboard and connect it to the battery.

[vullcan]

Yes, those are hardware modifications and it costs several hundred dollars (USD) to have them done to your phone. There is one maybe two shops in Japan that will do an international order for people who live outside Japan and want their phone modified in this manner. But most shops who preform this will only ship your phone back to a Japanese address, which requires you to hire a middle-man package re-routing service in Japan. These people will receive the package in Japan for you and then mail it to you internationally, at a "reasonable" rate.

To put this into perspective, those awesome looking versions you see on youtube videos are sold for $800-1500 (phone included) on yahoo auctions Japan; that's a $500-1000 increase over just the price of the phone!

They carry little to no warranty, void your warranty with the phone manufacture (in this case, NEC) and have been known to break (have a LED go out) fairly often requiring you to send the phone in again for repairs unless you yourself are skilled enough with a soldering iron to do so.

If you have a ton of money and want one badly, buy a new keitai, send it in, and a month or so plus several hundred dollars later (cross your fingers) you should have it back! Keep in mind the language barrier if you are trying to describe to them a custom lighting job, and the fact that you probably can no longer go a full day without having to charge your phone! The N-02A eats batteries already like no other. I get a "low battery warning" from trying to watch a video on my phone at the end of the day when only using my phone normally throughout the day.

[stevetam]

thats what Japan is...a land of money. Those guys can afford to dump their keitais everywhere and get it modded, if it breaks they just buy another one.

I can imagine, those lights from a stock N-02A must be doing a crazy load on the battery

[Chillyman]

thats what Japan is...a land of money. Those guys can afford to dump their keitais everywhere and get it modded, if it breaks they just buy another one.

I can imagine, those lights from a stock N-02A must be doing a crazy load on the battery

Who needs big chunky strobe lights when you got a Rave-2-Go N-02A!

[yamanote]

They're LEDs 'implanted' into the phone's casing.

EDIT: Whoops. Missed the second page...

[sugo]

I have been using the software unlocked version for a week now. I would like to share my mini review:

The Bad:

• Vibrate mode motion is next to non-existent. It's softer than 903SH and no comparison with 707SC. I cannot feel the vibration at all when I put the phone in my jeans. If vibrate mode is important to you I strongly recommend against this phone.
• In noisy area, I had a difficult time hearing the other side despite pushing the volume to maximum.
• The housing material is somewhat fragile. Pushing the LCD cover and battery cover will cause the casing to bend. In contrast, 707SC is built like a tank.
• It seems photos can only be taken in portrait (vertical) mode.
• N-02A doesn't use the standard keitai headset connector. You must use the docomo converter before you can use the headset.
• You can't configure the sub-LCD to show network strength or battery info. They are shown only when you missed a call / message.
• As a lot of Japanese users have already complained, battery life isn't great. After disabling all the LEDs and keypad backlights, I was able to squeeze out 2 - 2.5 days on it.
• As a lot of Japanese users have already complained, menu response time is pretty aweful. It often takes half a second before jumping from menu to menu. P905i was so much more responsive.
• Listening to music via sensitive earphone (via 3.5mm jack) will reveal noticeable background hiss.
• Not really specific to N-02A but, it seems I cannot use the carrier specific GSM opeartion codes like #999#. It just says it's not supported.
• N-02A fails to recognize the special SMS for new voicemail. You just get an SMS with no content.
• Opening and closing the phone doesn't give as much satisfying click as on the 903SH.

The Good:

• Unlike 707SC, the keypad is very good. I can actually blind type on it.
• The software unlock seems to work well. I haven't had to CPR yet.
• It has a built-in answer machine. Unlike the one in 707SC this one is actually usable.
• I prefer formal / business ringtone. I am very happy with the built-in ones.
• Signal strength is much better than P905i.
• Voice call clarity is good.
• No problem with receiving and sending SMS with T-Mobile SIM. However, the menu option for changing SMS center number doesn't work.
• You can set it to automatically turn on and off manner mode at certain time of the day. For example, on at 8am and off at 6pm.
• Alarm can be set to make sound even in manner mode.
• While not as thin and light as 707SC, it's much more pocketable than P905i.

Overall, I am happy with the phone but really disappointed with the weak vibration.

[registered99]

The physical caveats seem to be exactly what I experienced with the n905iu.

To change the SMS center on the n905iu, I had to search for SMS in the menu options, and then I could change it.

I think all phones newer than the 906i series use that headset converter.

[aw614]

the sub display on n-02a isnt changable? The n905iu I was able to get the signal strength and display to show be changing the indicator display in the display settings.

Im noticing the low volume in louder areas also on my n905i, I got an important call and had to ask the person to repeat themselves.

Does the n-02a have a light sensor, did you keep it on or off? I think the NEC light sensor is a bit crazy un adjustment, changes very often, not subtle like the 920sh

[registered99]

I also think I could change it pressing volume down on the n905iu.


How is the answering machine more usable? As in, more than 5 recordings?

[vullcan]

• I can feel the vibrate in my jeans, but it is on the weaker side as far as vibrators go ( ).
  
  
• You actually can change the "sub-display" (outside display / indicator display). Just go to MENU >> SETTINGS >> DISPLAY >> INDICATOR DISPLAY >> ON
  Personally I use "Clock 3" and that shows me the battery level and signal status. Make sure "Display Clock Only" is set to off.
  
  
• The answering machine is only 5 recordings. I find using my service providers voicemail is a thousand times better. I use the built in voicemail set to Japanese answering machine message to play jokes on certian people, or to get rid of unwanted calls.
  
  
• And yes, when your service provider sends your phone the signal that you have a voicemail waiting it will just show up as a SMS in your inbox, for example with t-mobile its a SMS from +129 with no subject or body text.
  I have added an additional mail folder outside of the "INBOX" folder that has a filter to automatically put SMS from sender "129" in it, that way they never clutter up my inbox and I dont have to worry about them.
  
  
• I was able to change my SMS Center Number, but with the T-mobile sims I never had to because that number is already saved onto my SIM cards when I get them from T-mobile, and the phone reads it just fine.
  
  
• The volume is not loud on this phone, if you are driving down the highway with the windows rolled down or in a crowded room you will not be able to hear someone. You have to keep in mind that this phone is razer (haha get it) thin and there was probably not a lot of room to add large components such as a louder sound driver or 8.0 megapixel CCD camera.
  
  Which leads into the phone feeling brittle, this thing is so thin for a keitai (I've never owned or seen a keitai this thin before) that is no wonder you can flex the plastic by exerting some force on it. This is the price you pay to have a slim fashion phone.
  
  
• The battery life is bad, I can get a full day out of mine with all the bells and whistles enabled and doing things like playing videos or taking photos. If I dont mess around with it and only receive / make calls I can squeeze two days out of it without disabling anything. I make sure to recharge it every night and have yet to run out of batteries except during the first week I got it when I wouldn't stop playing with it.
  
  
• The light sensor works OK, but sometimes the screen will not be bright enough so I disabled it completely. I just set the screen to max brightness, all the time.

[sugo]

Thanks vullcan. I got the battery and signal indicator to show up in the sub display now by using digital style 3. It turns out the preview is somewhat incorrect.

From what I read, the SMS center setting issue seems to be software unlocked version specific. I don't really care as I don't need it for T-Mobile.

The recording volume of answering machine on 707SC is very very low which made the feature useless. Just like vullcan, I just use T-Mobile voicemail system due to 20 seconds limitation per voicemail on N-02A.

Um ... 707SC is thinner than N-02A but I cannot feel any flex when applying force on the LCD cover. I got a feeling that 707SC has a metal casing on the LCD, where N-02A is plastic for sure.

I don't use the light sensor on the N-02A either. I set it to 3 out of 6 always.

Setting up folder and filter for +129 voicemail SMS is a very good idea.

[sugo]

Sample indoor photo taken with N-02A. Auto mode. Click on the photo for the original resolution version.

[vullcan]

Heres a photo I took indoors (resized)

[MI_canuck]

any luck with getting the web / internet to work on the unlocked N-02A ?


cheers

[stevetam]

nope..you have to crack i-mode open and that is a whole different story