What are Keitais!?
A Keitai, or ケータイ (携帯), is the Japanese word for a mobile or cell phone. Unlike a modern smartphone (スマホ), Keitais are coloquially used to describe older flip phones! As someone interested in digital minimalism and old tech devices, I use a Keitai to be more intentional when using technology, reducing my time online through its unconventional form factor and interface. This blog will be a repository for my experience with them, guides on how to obtain and use them, alongside reviews and my thoughts on different models.
keitai i drew!
Planned Entries
How to buy Keitais in NZ
A guide on how to purchase these phones for those living in New Zealand like me. For each of me and my different friends, we would either buy through a proxy, use interntional shops, or travel to Japan directly. There are a lot of nuances when it comes to unlocking and identifying compatible bands, and I wish to go into more details in the future.
How to set up a Keitai
It can be fairly intimidating setting up a Keitai. It's a device made in Japan, in Japanese, made for Japan, and although modern ones run the Android operating system, they can still many individual quirks that sets it apart from typical smart phones.
My favourite launchers for my Keitai
A flip phone can be fairly strange in the modern day, and most Keitais don't usually have touchscreens. The way to interface these devices can be somewhat specific, but there are launchers out there that can make the experience easier. I personally use Niagra Launcher, but there are many more options there that I've tried, with some are still in active development.
Emulating retro games on a Keitai
Yes, retro handhelds are much cheaper nowadays, but I think having games on a Keitai is very cool! I want to share the specific key mappings I have and my experience with systems that it can run.