the query column Got a computer-related question, or a better answer to a previous query? Send it to The Query Column by mail, e-mail (questions@cj.gol.com), or fax (03-3447-4925).ISDN, phone holsters, and convenient softwareby

Thomas Caldwell

ISDN answers

When I told a colleague of mine in Washington that the Tokyo bureau of the news service I work for would soon be getting an ISDN line, she asked me if I knew what ISDN really stands for. Consummate straight man that I am, I inquired, "No, what?"

"It Still Does Nothing!"

Although not altogether true, her comments are a good indication of the ISDN hype/reality imbalance, as well as the frustration many people feel when they start using it. The system has been touted for years as the "future" of telecommunications. But, until recently, certain monopolies in Japan (think three-letter acronyms) have prevented ISDN from being as widely used as it should be.

This is partially due to the fact that most Japanese companies (and government agencies) still have a hard time coming to grips with pricing for the information age. (Just compare the prices of a Japanese-language service and a similar one overseas). Instead of using the highly successful strategy of going after market share -- like they did in the '60s -- when newer technologies are the commodities being sold, the Japanese corporate establishment seems more concerned these days with recovering its costs over the short term rather than the longer term.

However, ISDN is now becoming practical for smaller companies and some individual users. The major capital expense of using ISDN -- the terminal adapter -- is an item now being made by all the major electronics companies and is sold through network specialty shops. Prices for terminals adapters, as of the time of this writing, are as low as ¥40,000. (Earlier units sold by NTT were over ¥200,000.)

But, before you go out and start shopping around for ISDN gear for your Japan operation, I strongly recommend you study up on what it's really all about. The ISDN technical standards are different in Japan -- sometimes very different from those in the US and Europe.

Recommended Reading:

The ISDN Literacy Book
by Gerald L. Hopkins
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
ISBN 0-201-62979-8
(about ¥4,500 in Japan)

Recommended Web Page:

NTT's Internet WEB site
http://www.info.hqs.cae.ntt.jp/SER/ISDN/ISDN.html
(lots of diagrams and useful technical information)

Best Prices/Selection of ISDN
gear in Tokyo:

The Laox Computer Network Kan
(in Akihabara, across the street from the main Laox Computer Kan)
Phone: 03-3251-6241

The thing to remember when getting a terminal adapter is to make sure the command language used is the same as the one you will be calling to or receiving from. (The solution many companies are turning to is having the same terminal adapter in use throughout the firm.) Global ISDN today seems to be where 9600 baud modems were not too long ago: too many standards. Thus, connection problems are still a big headache.

Even if you won't be getting an ISDN line any time soon, it is a good idea to start studying up on it now -- even if you consider yourself just a low-end PC user. The technology of computers and telecommunications is moving faster and faster every year; those who don't keep up with it will find it increasingly harder to stay employed in well-paying jobs. These days, if someone isn't familiar with the basic Hayes-compatible modem language, they get laughed at. And if their employer loses money because of technical their ignorance, they get fired.

Don't get run over on the Infobahn folks. Stay alert and wear your seat belt!

Cellular phone holsters

For the DoCoMo Dirty Harry who always needs his or her cellular phone at the ready, a shoulder holster is a must if you want look good in business clothes. It's also a lot of fun -- so long as you don't pull your phone out too quickly near security personnel.

The best quality "phone holsters" currently available in Japan are made by a company in Yokohama called Ubako Kogyo (phone: 045-814-2828, fax: 045-814-2976; no English spoken). Prices vary from ¥4,000 to ¥6,500, depending on material and size. Phone holsters can also be purchased in the leather goods section of Tokyu Hands.

Convenient software

Another sign of the times: During the recent release of Windows 95, there were stories that copies were being sold in 24-hour convenience stores. It's true. The Daiei-owned Lawson chain, the retailing heroes of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, were selling copies of the product at their outlets during the first few days that Japanese-language Windows 95 went on sale.

You could pick up your latest software fix while coming home from work late at night, and get a bowl of hot oden for supper at the same time. How convenient.

May you live in interesting times? You already do.

Thomas Caldwell@Shinjuku West in Tokyo, Japan
Radio Journalist

caldwell@gol.com
http://www2.gol.com/users/caldwell