Hasta La Gadget!

Merger mania in the Japanese smartphone market, as Toshiba and Fujitsu have decided to combine their mobile operations, creating what will be the second-largest Japanese phone maker after Sharp. The move comes just over a year after these two merged their hard drive operations, so clearly the love here is deep. Fujitsu will reportedly own 70-80 percent of the new company, as it’s actually a bigger mobile player — but it mostly makes dumbphones with gimmicky features for the domestic market, which is why it’s buying Toshiba and its lineup of smartphones like the Snapdragon-powered TG02. Of course, the TG02 runs Windows Mobile, so it’s not like it represents any sort of future, but we’d bet it’d look real nice running Android or Windows Phone 7. We’ll see how quickly these two can get in the game — the mobile market isn’t for the faint of heart.

Fujitsu and Toshiba cellphone units merge, become second-largest Japanese mobile company originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We preface this post by saying we don’t know how practical this really is, but PLX’s idea of using a netbook’s keyboard to type on the iPad is definitely an intriguing one. How does it all work? Well, it relies on the company’s USB Duet technology, but the setup isn’t exactly what we’d call streamlined. You’ll need a netbook like the Fujitsu MH380 or NEC LaVie Light with the built-in PLX chipset / mini-USB port, an iPad with the camera connection kit, and of course the applicable USB Duet software. Regardless, the demo we saw today at the Netbook Summit worked fairly well. When all was said and done, we laid the iPad on top of the netbook’s screen and we were able to use the keyboard to type in Safari and in Notes faster than when we were pecking on the virtual keyboard. Additionally, PLX says the same USB feature enables you to use the netbook’s speakers as well as transfer files from the iPad to the laptop without iTunes (we should note here that USB duet also allows you to hook up a netbook to other laptops to transfer files, etc.). Truth is, we could debate the value of this iPad hook-up for quite a few hours, but instead we’ll just direct you to the video and press release after the break, and then let you duke it out for yourselves in the comments.

Continue reading PLX USB Duet: your netbook is now a cumbersome iPad keyboard

PLX USB Duet: your netbook is now a cumbersome iPad keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What, your plasma display is flat? How very quaint! Fujitsu would like to make you feel a little less adequate by showing you the wonder that is a curved PDP, seen here stretched around a column for the sake of providing digital signage. Yes, it’s perhaps a somewhat boring duty, and not quite as awe-inspiring as the company’s massively curvaceous installation at Kansai airport. But, if you’re looking for a way to show off orange silhouettes on a field of light blue, baby it doesn’t get much better than this.

Fujitsu’s curved plasma displays make Roman columns look a little dated originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu’s been dabbling in the color e-paper market for years, showing off prototype readers during a time when the iPad was simply a twinkle in the eye of Steve-o. Now, the e-reader realm as a whole is having to reevaluate itself with the explosion of multifaceted tablets, but we’re not giving up hope just yet — Qualcomm’s downright stunning color Mirasol display could turn the tables once more later this year, and Fujitsu’s new and improved color e-paper might do the same later this month. Scheduled to debut at the Fujitsu Forum in Japan, this newly developed color electronic paper utilizes a redesigned panel structure and image re-write methods, and there’s also an improved contrast ratio to boot. Unfortunately, there’s no public commercialization plans just yet, but we’re hoping it’ll hit a few products sooner rather than later — time’s a wastin’, Fujitsu!

Fujitsu breathes new life into color e-paper: brighter, faster, lovelier originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s no question that Fujitsu’s LifeBook UH900 is a niche device; much like Sony’s VAIO P, there’s just not a lot of demand for an expensive clamshell with an extremely high resolution and an exceptionally cramped keyboard. That said, there’s a curious seduction surrounding this thing, and critics over at Pocketables seemed to agree. After spending some long days (and nights, don’tcha know?) with the Japanese version of this here device, they came away with a huge mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, the snappy performance and excellent portability made it difficult to put down, but the downright dreadful 2 – 2.5 hours of battery life more or less forced them to. There’s also more gentle gripes about the screen color, the “toy-like” build quality and “useless multitouch.” For us, that’s probably one flaw too many to accept, but the forgiving among us should definitely check out the full skinny before making a final call.

Fujitsu’s LifeBook UH900 gets reviewed, notable flaws found originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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