So, I'm in the U.S. and I'm looking to get some new tech, soon, and I want to know:

What do you need in order to access the different benefits of the fanclub (hyde's room, VAMPS chance redemption, and whatever other benefits are dependent on mobile)? What phones are compatible? Does it matter what other mobile devices you use, aside from a phone, or are other, non-phone devices the same as using a computer or laptop?

And if you're a fanclub member outside of Japan, you still have to use a service, so do those services help you in some way with communications from the fanclub? Do the services that help you with fanclub membership also offer any translation of communications you receive from the fanclub?

Lastly, is it worth getting a phone that can be used in Japan, in case I manage at some point, to visit there?

Thanks for any information!

(02-26-2013, 02:59 PM)Mme. H Wrote: So, I'm in the U.S. and I'm looking to get some new tech, soon, and I want to know:

What do you need in order to access the different benefits of the fanclub (hyde's room, VAMPS chance redemption, and whatever other benefits are dependent on mobile)? What phones are compatible? Does it matter what other mobile devices you use, aside from a phone, or are other, non-phone devices the same as using a computer or laptop?

And if you're a fanclub member outside of Japan, you still have to use a service, so do those services help you in some way with communications from the fanclub? Do the services that help you with fanclub membership also offer any translation of communications you receive from the fanclub?

Lastly, is it worth getting a phone that can be used in Japan, in case I manage at some point, to visit there?

Thanks for any information!

For the first bit of your questions, I'm not sure what you mean by "what do you need in order to access the different benefits of the fanclub (hyde's room, VAMPS chance redemption, and whatever other benefits are dependent on mobile)?" Are you referring to the technical aspect of the phone that will allow you to view these items? If so, most smartphone devices should be compatible. I own an iPhone 5, so I'll be speaking from an iPhone user's point-of-view, I suppose. I can access Hyde's mobile website on my phone, but I can't actually view certain parts of Hyde Room because I don't have an account with Japanese carriers like Docomo, Au, or SoftBank. I believe you are required to have one of those carriers in order to access the restricted areas of "Hyde Room."

What phones are compatible?
Almost any mobile device. "Hyde Room" can be accessed by non-smartphone devices by using the QR code link (the white box located on Hyde's official website). Smartphone device users (iPhone, Android users, etc.) can access Hyde Room here: http://sp.hyde.com

Does it matter what other mobile devices you use, aside from a phone, or are other, non-phone devices the same as using a computer or laptop?

I don't own a tablet device (which is what I assume you might be referring to), however, iPads in particular utilize the same iOS software (in other words, they use the same "operating system). Thus, accessing Hyde Room on an iPad may be the same as accessing it on an iPhone, just larger. I'm not 100% sure, but from what I have seen on an iPad, it tends to function very similarly to my iPhone, except the screen is much larger and so the webpages are displayed accordingly. iPhone/iPad users also utilize the same browser called, "Safari," as does all Mac users, so the web browsing experience across all devices: iPad, iPhone, and Macs, is essentially the same. The only major difference in terms of web browsing is that both iPads and iPhones can access the "mobile" version of a website AND the "desktop" version of a website.

I'm not sure how the web browsing experience is for users of let's say....the Windows phone by HTC. This phone in particular utilizes the Windows 8 operating system, but I'm not sure whether or not Hyde Room is accessible because I don't know if the Hyde Room site will recognize the phone as being a "mobile" device or a desktop PC.


And if you're a fanclub member outside of Japan, you still have to use a service, so do those services help you in some way with communications from the fanclub?

I use Celga and to my knowledge, they do not offer services that assist with communications. What they do offer, however, is the ability for you to purchase fan club members-only goods. For instance, when the "MY VAMPS LIVE 2012" photobook was released, I was able to purchase the VAMPADDICT version. I placed an order and indicated which photos I wanted to be included in the book and they took care of the rest. For communications of that nature, they can help you. However, if you're wanting to send a message to Hyde or something like that, I don't believe they offer those sorts of services. However, it's pretty easy to figure out how to send Hyde a message in HYDEIST.


Do the services that help you with fanclub membership also offer any translation of communications you receive from the fanclub?

No, unfortunately they do not. At least, Celga doesn't. All VAMPS TIMES issues are essentially all in Japanese, including the communications you receive via email, as well as the communications you receive when you first obtain your membership.


I hope this helps you. Feel free to message me any other questions you may have here: i.heart.vamps@gmail.com

I also had some questions on "Hyde Room" service. Thanks for all the info.