Fujitsu's Waterproof LTE F-01D Android Tablet To Land In Japan Next Month - TechCrunch

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo is stepping up its efforts to bring Xi, its LTE service, to the masses: today, the company announced two tablets that are compatible with the standard for the Japanese market, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a new device from Fujitsu, the so-called ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D.

Both tablets will be released next month, come with Android Honeycomb, and have the Japanese versions of Hulu and Qik pre-installed. While the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is largely the same that’s sold elsewhere (just with LTE support), the Fujitsu tablet is more interesting.

It has a waterproof body (so you can take it to the bathtub with you – a selling point, especially in Japan) and features a special gesture control function that allows you to slide its screen without touching it with your finger (important when you’re cooking, for example).

Here are the main specs of the Fujitsu Arrows:

Android 3.2 HoneycombLTE and FOMA 3G support10.1-inch screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution (LCD)5.1MP CMOS camera (inner camera: 1.3MP)microSDHC slotGPS moduleBluetooth 3.0Wi-Fidigital TV tuner1GB RAM16GM memorydual core 1 GHz OMAP 4 CPUsize: 181 x 262 x 11.3 mm, weight: 597g

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Fujitsu's IS12T Windows Phone Mango Launched In Japan Today (Quick Hands-On) - TechCrunch

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

Last month, Fujitsu in Japan unveiled the IS12T, announced as the world’s first cell phone running on Windows Phone 7.5 aka Mango. And the country’s second biggest mobile carrier (and exclusive provider of the handset) KDDI au, didn’t lose much time: the IS12T became available today over here (here‘s Fujitsu’s official press release in English from today).

As we reported previously, the Mango handset comes with a 3.7-inch LCD with 800×480 resolution, a 13.2MP CMOS camera, a water- and shock-proof body, 32GB internal memory, a microUSB port, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (no tethering), DLNA support, GSM/CDMA, etc.

There are nine languages for the UI, and the IS12T is available in three “neon” colors (citrus, black, magenta).

I went to the only cell phone store in my neighborhood to have a look at the handset today, but unfortunately, I got to take just a few pictures (see above) and play around with it for a few minutes before I had to leave (no pictures-no videos policy).

My initial impression was that the phone itself felt light and thin, but also extremely cheap and plasticky (I couldn’t give Xbox Live, the Internet Explorer and other apps a spin because Wi-Fi and 3G were turned off – in the few minutes I played with it, the UI felt great).

Price-wise, the IS12T is positioned on the higher end of the spectrum for phones in Japan: the store (and every other retailer, for that matter) sells the phone for up to $955 (but with drastic discounts under certain circumstances). So if Fujitsu really starts selling the handset outside Japan (they do have international plans), don’t expect this to be a budget model.

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