Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung does seem to be on course to roll out their Tizen-powered smartphone in due time, where the device is said to share more than just a passing resemblance to the Android-powered Galaxy S3. Other than Samsung, are there any other potential candidates out there in the market? Fujitsu and NEC look set to follow in the footsteps of Samsung, as they are about to commit themselves to roll out Tizen-powered devices sometime next year – and not in 2013 itself.

Chances are pretty good that Fujitsu alongside NEC will roll out their Tizen-powered devices in Japan first, and judging on the situation, they might then follow up with a worldwide release. Well, if you are wondering what Tizen 2.0 looks like, it is something like what you see above, and chances are the final version of the mobile operating system would not be too far different. Do you think that the Tizen platform will finally catch on, and will you be there to ride the wave when it happens?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony Xperia TL, Xperia J Receiving Android Jelly Bean 4.1, Samsung Galaxy Commercial’s ‘Unicorn Attack’ Game Is A Thing Now,

Somehow we missed this at Mobile World Congress last week. We were so busy playing with Fujitsu’s GPS cane and 5-inch F-02E phone that we didn’t even notice the company introduce a waterproof, dustproof Android tablet. As you can see in that shot above, the Stylistic M702 is more than just water-resistant: it meets the standards for IPX5, 7 and 8, which is to say it can withstand immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. (That, and the occasional jet stream.) A close inspection of the tablet will show that all the ports are sealed with rubber-coated doors, which should keep out liquid as well as dust particles.

Other than that, this more or less has all the specs you’d expect on a high-end Android tablet, including a 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a 10.1-inch, 1,920 x 1,200, IPS display, 2GB of RAM, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, MHL, dual 8MP / 1.2MP cameras and LTE connectivity. The built-in storage tops out at 32 gigs, but fortunately there’s a microSD slot to give you more leeway. Out of the box it will run Android 4.0, but an upgrade to Jelly Bean is coming. Interestingly, there’s also a small door housing an antenna, but that’ll only be offered on the Japanese model; the European config we handled here at CeBIT had just a blank slot. Most impressive of all, potentially, is the claimed battery life: the 10,000mAh cell is rated for 15 hours of runtime, which would be a coup indeed. And at 590g (1.3 pounds) the tablet isn’t even that heavy, considering the gigantic battery squeezed inside. It’s available now in Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East for €999, which is expensive, sure, but perhaps it’s a price corporate customers can swallow anyway.

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To be honest, CeBIT is a fairly sleepy tech show, especially compared to Mobile World Congress, which just wrapped last week. For Fujitsu’s part, the outfit already showed off its waterproof slate and GPS cane (aka the best thing we’ve seen so far this year). But the company did keep at least one trick up its sleeve: a tablet with a built-in palm reader. If you recall, we knew a year ago that Fujitsu was working on a tablet that could scan the palm as a form of authentication, but we’ve never actually seen a finished product, or even a functioning prototype. Until today, of course. Meet us after the break for a closer look.

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We may not love the austere devices that are foisted upon us for our daily 9-to-5, but at least Fujitsu’s trying to make our late-night commutes a little less unpleasant. The company has outed a trio of 20mm-thick Lifebook E series laptops that hover just outside the entrance to Intel’s exclusive Ultrabook club. The first to try its luck with the guest list is the 13.3-inch E733, weighing in a 1.7kg with a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768. If that doesn’t succeed, then perhaps the 14-inch E743, with its 1.9kg body and 1,600 x 900 screen might get past. Of course, bringing up the rear is the 15.6-inch E753, which weighs 2.1kg and a choice of 1,366 x 768 or 1,920 x 1,080 displays — but since none of them meet Intel’s latest mandated requirements to bear the Ultrabook name, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be let in. Naturally, as we’re here at CeBIT, we indulged in our favorite hobby, which is smearing our paws all over this hardware to bring you our first impressions.

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We usually hear about new tablets and smartphones at the Mobile World Congress, but this year Fujitsu also showed off a different mobile device. The Japanese company had a working prototype of a cane that downloads routes wirelessly and then guides its user using large arrows on its LED screen.

The next generation cane is obviously intended for the elderly. I’m just guessing here, but I think the prototype is based on the grand prize winner of a design contest that Fujitsu held in 2011. The idea is for someone – hopefully not a prankster – to make a route on a computer using the cane’s companion program. The cane will then download the route via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or 3G. With this information at hand, the cane will now tell the user which way to go using large green arrows. Should the user stray from the route, the cane will vibrate and reprimand the user with a red exclamation point. Then it shows the green arrows again.

What do you think this is grandpa, a leisurely stroll?! Make your way around the park in a predetermined, optimized and orderly manner!

I don’t see much point in just having a heart rate monitor. What’s an old person supposed to do with the data if he’s already having a heart attack or trying to run away from a thief? The cane does send its location back to the companion app so other people can track the user, but it would be more awesome if the cane could automatically call for help based on the user’s heart rate. It would be even more awesome if the cane could transform into a laser cannon. Yeah Fujitsu, screw the heart monitor. Just go with the laser cannon.

[via The Verge & Pocket-lint]