Hasta La Gadget!

There’s no denying that Meinolf Althaus brings some personality to an otherwise stoic slate. Good thing too, because the idea of Fujitsu and Microsoft spawning a stylus-driven tablet from a session of ugly-bumping doesn’t elicit much excitement in the burgeoning tablet space. Enter Mr. Althaus who begins his lesson with an explanation that software user elements must be based on recognition and not on something that’s remembered. You know, like a hammer (or Fujitsu’s new slate) which is obvious in its usability and function. He then likens the current crop of consumer-based tablets to chocolate bars: they’re great for consumption but do little to help with content creation unlike Fujitsu’s Windows-based slate that’s optimized for corporations — spreadsheets naturally, not music or illustrations. The highlight, however, has to be the point in the video where he equates the Windows 7 user experience to a “scratchy” kitchen sponge that’s useful for utilitarian tasks like cleaning the dishes. Fujitsu’s tablet, he contends, is “cozy” like a silk scarf thanks to a custom-built layer that sits on top of the standard Win7 desktop. Brilliant. We’ll take two… Meinolfs that is. You will too after watching the video embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Hanson]

Continue reading Fujitsu’s tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video)

Fujitsu’s tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Face2Fujitsu  | Email this | Comments

Now that AMD’s Fusion is finally real, we’re all sorts of excited to see what kind of numbers the E-350 Zacate APU puts up in honest-to-goodness machines like Fujitsu’s latest. The minty fresh Lifebook PH50/C is just one of the many new lappies unveiled this week by the company, but this particular 11.6-incher has managed to grab our heartstrings and not let go. Boasting a cute, albeit familiar design, the PH50/C is equipped with a 1.6GHz E-350 APU, Radeon HD 6310 graphics, 2GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) and a 5,800mAh battery good for up to seven hours of life in ideal conditions. For those more interested in Intel’s Sandy Bridge, the like-minded PH74/C gets powered by a Core i3-2310M, and given that it’s a Japanese machine designed for Japanese owners, an in-built WiMAX module is thrown in for good measure. We’re also getting the impression that both of these can be ordered up with Intel’s Wireless Display technology, and considering that Buffalo just introduced a new WiDi adapter for this very market, we’d say things have lined up quite nicely. Pricing remains up in the air, but they should be out in Q1 for under $800 or so.

Fujitsu launches 11.6-inch Lifebook PH50/C, complete with AMD Fusion APU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Netbook News  |  ITMedia  | Email this | Comments

Fujitsu Lifebook T580 Tablet PC now on sale in North America originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GottaBeMobile  |  Fujitsu  | Email this | Comments

As fleshy meatbags, we tend to give off a lot of excess heat as we futilely live our lives. Fujitsu wants to help capture every last particle motion, and all the other warmth we generate through the myriad of other inane activities like driving cars, firing rockets, and trying to not freeze to death. But, it’s not just happy with that, developing a new “hybrid energy harvesting device” that does double-duty by also capturing light from the sun. It’s a process shown after the break but, with no hard numbers to go with that pretty picture, we’re not sure just how efficient it is at doing either. Still, there are some 6.7 billion people worldwide. How efficient does it really need to be?

Continue reading Fujitsu hybrid energy harvester makes power from light or heat, gets us closer to human batteries

Fujitsu hybrid energy harvester makes power from light or heat, gets us closer to human batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 11:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Akihabara News  |  Fujitsu  | Email this | Comments

Teddy bears are not just cuddly creatures for kids at bed time. Fujitsu Labs has developed a prototype teddy bear for adults that’s packed with some sophisticated hardware and can interact with and respond to humans. The stuffed bear is being called a  “social robot with a personality,” and can make simple gestures, eye contact and small talk.

The hope is to use them for “robot therapy” in geriatric medicine for patients that suffer from dementia, says Fujitsu.

Fujitsu’s teddy bear robot is reminiscent of Pleo, the green robotic dinosaur capable of displaying basic emotions through animatronics and reacting to its surroundings. Despite Pleo’s innovative approach and tech capability, the robot didn’t really become a mainstream sensation –largely because it was positioned as a toy.

Fujitsu’s teddy bear robot comes with loftier ambition. The robotic teddy bear can be plugged to a PC using a USB port. Sensors stuffed into it help it make some gestures such as lifting one of its furry hands up in response to external stimuli.

The bears have a miniature camera built into their nose so they can automatically wake up from sleep state when they sense a person nearby and can turn in their direction.  A voice synthesizer inside the device lets it channel the voice of a young boy. The sound is projected from a built-in speaker and synchronized to the robot’s behavior.

The robotic bears are capable of up to 300 movement patterns including raising its arms, looking downwards and kicking its feet. The movement are combined with display of “emotions” to signal happiness, sadness and anger, says Fujitsu. And since the robot can be connected to the PC, new movements can be recorded and displayed.

What makes these robots interesting, says Fujitsu, is that it is interactive and real, in a world that is increasingly filled with virtual interactions. The bears can be played with and are likely to integrate easily into people’s lives, says the company.

Fujitsu hopes its teddy bear can help develop “robot therapy,” a way to use robots to help people overcome challenges or problems–much like how animals are used to cheer up patients in some hospitals today.

If you want to see how the robotic teddy bears work, check out this video:

See Also:

• Android Droid is a Robot That Runs Android OS
• Adorable Walking Robot Sets Distance Record
• Butler Robot Can Fetch Drinks, Snacks
• Anybots Robot Will Go to the Office for You
• Gallery: Robot Bartenders Sling Cocktails for Carbon-Based
• Holographic Displays, Robot Eyes Hint at Your Interactive Future

Photo: CEATEC JAPAN Organizing Committee

[via Dvice]