Here's a guide for those of you who have it so that you can properly search your contact list by typing. It's a Jap phone, as Jap as Jap can be, so it won't search last name/first name when you start typing. :(

How to Automatically Set Reading Order

There is likely a better way to do all of this, but this is relatively painless, and very much automatic. Let me know if there's a method that involves less hassle! I've tested this on my 904 and it works like a charm.

1) To start, all my contacts are in the Mac address book. I used Plaxo to sync my address books across my computers and all that, but the Mac one is nice as I can select all the contacts together and export it as one single vCard file. You absolutely need a file in that format. Export the file and get it to a Windows computer.

2) Get Notepad++, do a full install. Get NoteTab Lite, install it (for some reason the vCard file opens funny in Notepad++...dunno why).

3) Open up Notepad++, then open up the vCard file in NoteTab Lite. Copy and paste the whole text from NoteTab Lite into Notepad++. You can close NoteTab Lite if you like.

4) Do a Find and Replace (Ctrl+H) and search for "VERSION:3.0" and replace it with "VERSION:2.1". Our Sharps aren't that advanced yet. :p

5) Next, do an advanced Find and Replace (Ctrl+R), make sure only the "Regular Expr" and "Wrap" checkboxes are checked, and type the following in the boxes:

Find (top box):
FN:(.*) (.*)

Replace (bottom box):
FN:\1 \2
SOUND;X-IRMC-N;CHARSET=SHIFT_JIS:\2 \1;;;;

This takes the data from the "full name" line and adds a reading name line using that data. I have it sorted so it's by last name (i.e. I type in the last name to search).

6) Save the file.

7) Copy the file into your PRIVATE\VODAFONE\Utility\Contacts\Contacts.BCK on your miniSD.

8) Put the card back in the 904 and go to Menu>>Settings>>Connectivity>>Memory Card>>Backup/Restore.

9) Choose Restore and enter in the handset code (9999 if you haven't changed it). Choose yes when it tells you that calling won't be available while it works.

10) Select Phone Book, and choose the file to import from. Up to you whether you want to delete your phone data, but it really doesn't make sense if you don't, eh?

11) Let it finish copying, then enjoy your newly sorted contact list!

For DoCoMo phones, do up to step 6 then follow these steps:

7) Rename the vCard file to "PIM00001.VCF" and copy it to your microSD's SD-PIM\Phonebook folder.

8) Pop the card in your phone and fire it up; go into LifeKit >> SD-PIM, then Phonebook and load up your file.

9) Choose FUNC and choose your desired option. I overwrote everything on my phone because it's just cleaner that way. (=