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NTT Docomo's winter lineup arrives, includes Sony Xperia Z1 mini and Samsung Galaxy J
As is tradition this time of year, NTT Docomo's annual winter/spring lineup has just fallen in our laps, unveiling a slew of devices that includes ten smartphones, a tablet, two feature phones, a photo panel and two mobile WiFi routers. On the smartphone front, several standouts include the new LG G2, the Galaxy Note 3, the Sony Xperia Z1, the Sony Xperia Z1 f and the odd Japan-only Samsung Galaxy J. The latter two are of particular interest, as this marks their first official unveiling. The Xperia Z1 f is essentially a miniaturized Xperia Z1 -- it has a 4.3-inch screen instead of a 5-inch one -- and packs in specs that are similar to its bigger brother, such as a 2.2GHz MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 processor and a 20.7-megapixel camera. The Galaxy J, meanwhile, has a 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and a 13.2-megapixel camera. Also of note is the Fujitsu Arrows NX-F01F, which has a 5-inch full HD screen, a 2.2Ghz quad-core processor, a 3,200mAh battery, a 13.1-megapixel rear shooter plus a fingerprint scanner. For fans of Disney and Square Enix, there's a special Disney branded phone from Fujitsu plus a Dragon Quest handset that's really just a rebranded Sharp Aquos Zeta. The latter is pre-installed with Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and is limited to just 30,000 units. The lone tablet on the list is a 10.1-inch Fujitsu Arrows Tab, which happens to be both water- and dust-proof. All smartphones and the tablet are compatible with Docomo's high-speed Xi LTE service, several of which are capable of hitting the 150Mbps maximum download speed. They also come equipped with long-lasting batteries, quad-core CPUs and the docomo LIVE UX home screen application. Though not listed as part of the 16 devices in the release, NTT Docomo also added a couple of wearables to its winter lineup -- the new Samsung Galaxy Gear and a wrist device called "move band" that tracks steps, calorie consumption and sleep hours. All of them are slated to arrive on or after October 11th, though we should note that the Xperia Z1 mini won't arrive until the end of December. If you wish to find out more details on what the Japanese carrier has to offer this holiday season, go on and hit the source link below. Update: We've included a promo video of the Sony Xperia Z1 f below as well.
Fujitsu's latest Arrows Tab packs a multi-user fingerprint reader
For Fujitsu, fingerprint readers on smartphones are old hat; on Android tablets, however, they're still rare. The company should make those sensors easier to find with its latest Arrows Tab, the FJT21. The 10.1-inch slate uses its fingerprint reader to streamline Android 4.2's multi-user support, signing anyone in with a swipe. Families can also implement both a simple mode for newcomers and a content-restricted kids' mode. Fujitsu isn't leaning solely on sign-in technology to sell its tablet, though. The FJT21 centers on a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 protection; under the hood, there's a fast 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and 64GB of expandable storage. Japan's KDDI will ship an LTE-equipped version of the new Arrows Tab in late November. Sadly, it's doubtful that we'll see an equivalent model reach the US.
Fujitsu Arrows Tab shows up at CEATEC with Windows 8 in tow (video)
We got a look at Fujitsu's Arrows Tab at CEATEC last year, and the 10.1-inch tablet is making an appearance yet again -- this time running Windows 8 rather than Android Honeycomb. Exact specs were MIA, but the slate sports a front-facing camera along with a rear-facing shooter, plus a micro-USB port and a microSD card slot. Rather than the shiny plastic backing we saw last year, this device has a slightly textured, metallic finish, and it sports much sharper corners than the earlier version's more curved design. A booth worker did confirm that the Arrows Tab is waterproof like last year's model, and while he wouldn't provide exact availability, he said the tablet will launch within the October-November time frame. Last year's Arrows Tab F-01 LTE debuted on NTT DoCoMo, and given Japan's penchant for hydrophobic gadgets, it's safe to say that the device will be targeted at this country in particular. Head past the break for a quick video hands-on.
Amazon offers prepaid 4G LTE data in Japan, gets you online 500MB at a time
Amazon has decided that offering 3G-capable Kindles isn't enough of an involvement in the cellular world -- it's now getting into the business of offering the bits themselves. Through a tie-up with NTT DoCoMo-using MVNO Japan Communications, Amazon is selling prepaid SIM cards for LTE data. Each slice of plastic and circuitry will provide a 500MB block of sweet, sweet 4G for ¥1,980 ($25). There's a very good chance we'd burn through that in a day, but it'll let you get an NTT DoCoMo-ready smartphone or Arrows Tab online in a pinch. The Japanese can snap up the cards later in the month, while those of us in the US will just have to hope that Amazon can make a similar (if hopefully cheaper) deal closer to home.
Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D with gesture control hands-on (video)
NEC's waterproof MEDIAS N-06C to get a sprinkle of Gingerbread and 1GHz power Wireless, Tablet PCs Sony's Tablet S and P get 3G in Japan NTT DoCoMo begins testing automated Japanese / English translation app that actually works (video) We'll probably never match Japan's obsession with waterproof gadgets, but anyone would appreciate how the local manufacturers also manage to keep them thin and light at the same time. The Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D we fiddled with here at CEATEC is one such example: while it's thicker than Samsung's 10.1-inch counterpart by almost 3mm, we were surprised that Fujitsu's latest Android tablet also weighs just under 600g -- not bad considering it's suitable for use in the shower. What's more, the F-01D comes with a rather unique feature that's great for use in the bathroom or the kitchen: camera-based gesture control, which works in the browser (to scroll pages or go back and forth) as well as the 1seg or DLNA TV viewer (to change the channel and volume). You'll see in our video after the break that the gestures worked liked a charm for us, though initially we had to make sure that the tablet wasn't facing any strong light behind us (a typical problem in large conventions). Anyhow, if you're up for grabbing an F-01D, it'll be available on NTT DoCoMo in Japan next week. %Gallery-135783%
