Filed under: Tablet PCs

Earlier this month, Mr. Khalil Zaidan of Portland, Oregon, sued Acer, Gateway, Toshiba, HP, IBM, and Fujitsu for violating his 1996 patent “Hinge Assembly for Electronic Devices.” A closer reading of the patent indicates that Zaidan seems to have patented the basic principle behind a tablet PC, allowing a computer to perform “rotational adjustment.” Still, the case — filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division — seems like a pretty easy way to milk these big companies for some cash, given that tablet PCs have been around well before November 2006. Nevertheless, while Zaidan is asking the court for damages on patent infringement be decided in a jury trial, we’re betting that this gets settled out-of-court pretty quick. We’re pretty sure that if Zaidan could actually build a Commodore 64-esque tablet (that’s what his diagram is supposed to represent, right?), he could just make money from that instead of going through all this legal nonsense.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

You feeling that all-in-one up there from Fujitsu? No, us neither. In fact, the FMV-Deskpower EK30T is such a blaspheme of the minimalistic concept that we have to look away from the screen to even type this. Only, punching in the specs don’t make us feel any better: 1.46GHz Celeron M410, 17-inch display, up to 2GB DDR2 memory and 80GB disk, integrated 945G graphics, DVD multi-drive packed into a single, heaving slab. Fujitsu calls it “Windows Vista Premium ready” which is true, just be ready for it to succumb at the first sign of strain. Also announced are their FMV-BIBLO NF70T and 45T low-end laptops. The former being a 15.4-inch sportin’ a 1280×800 resolution and Core Duo T2300 processor, up to 4GB of RAM and 100GB of disk, DVD multi-drive, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and 2.1-hour battery. The NF45T brings the same display but only packs a Celeron M 410 and even worse battery life at just 1.7-hours. All will start shipping in November with the all-in-one hitting for ¥130,000 (about $1,105), the NF70T for about ¥190,000 (about $1,614), and the NF45T for ¥170,000 (about $1,444). Japan only for these, fortunately. Picture of the NF70T after the break, you know, if you’re enjoying the pain, sicko.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops

Sorry to kick y’all laptop owners when you’re down, but Sony announced that it’s initiating another recall of 340,000 batteries, this time adding Gateway to the list of the affected, in addition to already-affected Fujitsu, Toshiba, and its own batteries. (It’s not immediately apparent if this also includes the 300,000 batteries of their own that they recalled earlier this month.) There are a ton of models being recalled for each company, so we’d ask you visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission for full details; also, if you haven’t already checked your battery, please note the following companies are now initiating recalls:

• Apple
• Dell
• Fujitsu
• Gateway
• Hitachi
• IBM / Lenovo
• Panasonic
• Sharp
• Sony
• Toshiba

Kind of scary, but at this rate it’s probably just safest to assume that no matter what your notebook, your battery is or will be recalled — so be wary, and keep an eye out for battery recall pages.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds

It’s been a little while since we’ve heard much about Fujitsu-Siemen’s lightweight Pocket Loox N100 GPS/PDA combo, but thankfully the folks at Lordpercy.com have come through and quenched our curiosity with a fairly thorough review of the device. The N100′s vitals, if you need a refresher, include Windows CE 5.0 Core Version as the OS, a 2.8-inch TFT, 300MHz processor, SiRFstar III chipset, 64MB RAM, and an included 1GB microSD card — all in a slight 2.4 x 3.5 x 0.6-inch package weighing just under four ounces. As for how it all comes together, Lordpercy came away mightily impressed with the device, praising its slimline design and, most importantly, its accurate GPS system, which managed to guide them through the streets of London without any trouble. They were also digging its capable audio player — with support for MP3, WMA and AAC files — along with the unit’s decent battery life, which clocked in at just around four hours. For those less concerned with productivity, you’ll be please to know that the Loox also comes pre-loaded with versions of Pac-Man and other retro games — which we’re sure will be the tipping point for more than a few of you.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

So Fujitsu’s got four portable machines for us to peep today, but unlike the slew of Merom-powered notebooks we’ve been seeing, only one of these models rock that dual-core goodness. First off are two new members of the 15.4-inch Biblio NF family (pictured above), the NF60T with a 1.6GHz Turion 64 X2 CPU, and the 1.46GHz Celeron M 410-powered NF40T. The 60T rocks ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 graphics, 512MB of RAM (4GB max), and a 100GB HDD, while the 40T also gives you 512MB RAM (only expandable to to 2GB, though) and just 80GB of HDD capacity and integrated graphics; both machines, however, offer a full complement of connectivity options, with WiFi, FireWire, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, and D-Sub standard. Next up is the Core Solo-equipped (1.20GHz U1400) FMV-Biblio LOOX Q, with a 12.1-inch WXGA LCD, integrated graphics, 30GB HDD (hey, it’s really slim, at least), 512MB of RAM, and both WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 radios. Finally we have the 8.9-inch LOOX P70T/V convertible tablet, which sports the exact same specs as the Q, but obviously replaces the XP Pro OS with Tablet PC Edition 2005. Look for the ¥185,000 ($1,581) NF60T and ¥150,000 ($1,282) NF40T to drop on September 2nd, the ¥260,000 ($2,222) LOOX Q to be available on the 15th, and the ¥250,000 ($2,136) P70T/V to hit shelves on September 28th — all initially in Japan, of course.

Read- Biblio NF
Read- LOOX Q and P

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Filed under: Laptops

We’ve sure seen a lot of Core 2 Duo- and Core 2 Extreme-equipped desktops today, so props go out to Fujitsu for breaking up the monotony and announcing a laptop spec-bump instead. Available sometime during the fourth quarter, the new and improved LifeBook N6400 series — which was one of the first to get the original Core Duo treatment — stays true to the lineup’s origins by featuring the same 17-inch, Crystal View display and built-in subwoofer as its predecessors, but speeds things up a bit with some of that Merom-style Core 2 Duo love. The rest of the specs probably won’t change too much either, so you can expect to see configurations sporting dual 160GB hard drives, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and most likely a non-integrated graphics chipset of some sort. With the release still more than a month away we don’t have any pricing details to share with you, but the current-generation N6410 (pictured) goes for around $1,700, so maybe that will give you some idea of what to prepare for.

[Via laptoping]

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Filed under: Displays

Now that monochrome e-paper is a pretty standard affair, those at the forefront of e-ink technology have moved on to perfecting the real killer app, which is full-color displays. We’ve already seen a tiny color model from Fujitsu, and a larger, but only two-color offering from Bridgestone, and now Hitachi — maker of the black-and-white Albirey e-paper — is showing off a 13.1-inch version of this product will an impressive 4,096-color palette. Apparently the power-saving “RGBW” filter enables the device to display bright whites as well as deep blacks, but the trade-off is the unit’s rather underwhelming resolution of just 512 x 384 pixels. Therefore, we probably won’t be seeing color eBooks anytime soon, but the low res should be adequate enough for certain types of signage that would benefit from the paper’s ability to hold a picture in the absence of power; we think they would look great advertising all the quality products found at Engadget’s retail location.

[Via MobileRead]

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Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

If you’re all worked up wondering if someone got their hands on the “$5,000 limited edition” version, you can calm down a bit. Nevertheless, we’re thrilled to finally see a review on the self-proclaimed “world’s most desirable laptop” even if it focuses on the slightly less expensive versions. The 2.2-pound Q2010 fared well, according to Laptop Mag, who praised the notebook’s styling cues and fresh looks, but frowned upon the cramped keyboard and atrocious battery life (1:39). This isn’t the first Fujitsu to draw complaints about a lack of juice, and it seems to be its all-too-common achilles heel on otherwise solid products. Amongst the specs on the low-end model is the 12.1-inch 1280 x 800 screen, which has a gorgeous glossy finish, and under the (“world’s thinnest”) hood is a meager 1.2GHz Intel Core Solo, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a space-hampered offering of ports with just two USB 2.0, one FireWire, and an SD reader. Higher-end versions keep the costs heading upwards by including 1GB of RAM and up to an 80GB HD. It’s worth noting that you can nearly triple your battery life by throwing in a $179 extended battery that pokes from the rear and adds 9 ounces of bulk, and you won’t have an optical drive without an external add-on or attaching the $299 docking solution (notice a trend?). The Q2010 is impressively thin at only 3/4-inches, but $1,999+ seems to be a bit much based on specs alone, but as we’ve seen before, style can come with a premium pricetag.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Fujitsu’s tablet PC lineup has been a mixed bag, and the LifeBook T4210 convertible does little to improve on previous attempts. The T4210 gives it to ya both ways, as a tablet and as a traditional notebook, but it’s not remarkable at either — the 12.1-inch device weighs a bloated 4.5-pounds and only managed 2 hours of battery life in testing. Drop the top and you’ll find an Intel Dual Core 2.0GHz processor, 1,024 x 768 XGA screen, 1GB of RAM, 80GB SATA drive, DVD+/- RW optical drive, and a wireless suite with Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g. The legendary Fujitsu build quality is here, and the biometric security features including a finger print scanner are a plus, but the faults of the T4210 literally outweigh the positives. If you have no use for decent battery life and like your ultraportables on the bulky side, then the T4210 is available now for $2,349.

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Filed under: Laptops

Apparently Fujitsu understands that not all business travelers have burgeoning corporate expense accounts ready and willing to absorb the cost of the latest $3,000 ultra-portable business machine. Their new C1410 notebook offers up a Core Duo processor, a 15.4-inch XGA display, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0 and up to 100GB of storage, with basic configurations starting at just $1,199. We understand that carrying around a 6.6-pound machine (.1-pound lighter than Lenovo’s widely praised and oft-copied ThinkPad Z61m) might be out of the question for some airport rats, but those willing to deal with the extra weight can also enjoy the 11-hours of battery life Fujitsu promises with the addition of an extra cell in a modular bay. Just make sure you get a laptop backpack with some extra padding in the straps to make the arduous walk from tarmac to taxi a little easier.

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Filed under: Storage

Looks like Intel and Texas Instruments aren’t the only ones with some chip bragging to do, since Toshiba and friends are joining forces to standardise a 45nm manufacturing method, and possibly even share manufacturing plants in the future. The deal marks the end of a plan by Toshiba, Fujitsu, NEC, Renesas to build an independent microchip foundry. The Japanese chip makers scrapped the plan because it supposedly wouldn’t have made any money in the ultra-competitive space, but analysts aren’t so sure this recent cooperative plan will help these smaller manufacturers compete against the big boys like Samsung, Intel and TI. Sony has agreed to team up in 45nm development with the four manufacturers, in continuation of a deal with Toshiba and NEC, but there’s no word if any of these smaller outfits have made similar process breakthroughs to those that Intel and Texas Instruments were bragging about on Monday.

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

It’s getting harder and harder to commit a successful white-collar crime these days, thanks to the ability of crafty law enforcement officials to recover all that incriminating data you supposedly wiped from your drives. Well Fujitsu feels your pain, and has just released a semi-affordable degausser called the Mag EraSURE P2V that lets you cover your digital tracks by exposing your drives to a powerful, bit-killing magnet. Actually this $13.000 version of the company’s high-end EraSURE P2E is meant not for aiding criminal geniuses, but for enabling security-conscious firms to permanently remove data from hard drives, backup tapes, floppy disks, and the like. Plus, since Fujitsu only promises protection against commercial recovery methods, its probably still best to destroy drives used for illegal activities the old-fashioned way, by tossing them into a wood chipper.

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Filed under: Storage

If you thought that magnetic tape cartridges were headed the way of Zip disks and five-and-a-quarter-inch floppies into the storage medium graveyard, think again, because IBM and Fujitsu are currently working together to make the venerable technology capable of storing a Blu-ray-humbling eight terabytes-per-cartridge. Using barium ferrite crystal film from Fuji and read/write technology from IBM, the two companies are reporting success in creating storage densities of up to 6.67 billion-bits/square-inch, which is something like fifteen times the capacility of current backup tape. Unfortunately there is no word yet if the cartridges, which should be available in about five years, will be able to fit in your old 8-track player for rocking millions and millions of MP3s.

Filed under: Laptops, Storage

It’s about time. Hitachi may be the granddaddy of perpendicular media (if not, they’re certainly the technology’s biggest booster), but the company has been a little slow to shrink its high-capacity drives down to 2.5 inches. But the company is now prepared to follow such competitors as Seagate and Toshiba, with its own 160GB, 2.5-inch drive. The 5400RPM Travelstar 5K160 drive is expected to sell for $270 to OEMs and $300 to consumers. Hitachi plans a 1.8-inch version by the end of the year; they’re playing catchup there as well, since Toshiba’s 1.8-incher is already on the market.

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Filed under: Storage

So that one petabyte Symmetrix DMX-3 array from EMC you bought a few months ago just isn't meeting your storage needs anymore? Well Fujitsu's new ETERNUS8000 Model 2100, with its 1.3PB capacity, may be exactly what you've been looking for. Besides those extra 314,572GB, you also get a system capable of accommodating up to sixteen 3.4GHz processors, 256GB of cache memory, and RAID 6 configuration for ensuring data integrity even if two of the 2,760 500GB Nearline FC drives happen to crap out simultaneously. Other nice features include built-in data encryption, multiple automatic backup options, live capacity updating, and iSCSI support for copying files over a network. Although no price has been announced for this storage behemoth, considering that your DMX-3 set you back over $4 million, we imagine that the Model 2100 will also be priced out of the reach of mere mortals.

[Via DailyTech]

Filed under: Displays

border="1" alt="" src="http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/04/fujitsu_eink.jpg" />

We’ve been seeing a lot of
e-ink passing through here lately, especially noteworthy was href="http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=e-ink">Citizen’s recent e-ink LCD. But we have a feeling it’s going to be a
little while before anyone tops Fujitsu‘s bezel-tastic QVGA
color LCD e-ink display, which holds color images steady in perpetuity without power. It’s hard to tell how good the
color representation is, what with that blaring flash, but the applications of color e-ink are enormous, especially as
the displays get larger (and smaller) — and Fujitsu does claim to have sheet paper-size prototypes.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

So what do you do to followup the launch of both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc machines? Drop a couple of ultra-portables into the mix, naturally. No, not ultra-mobile PCs, Fujitsu's talkin' ultra-portable with their latest P70S, T70S (pictured) and T70S/V line-up. First up, the P70S which pumps an Intel Pentium M753 (1.20GHz) processor to drive XP Tablet PC Edition on that 8.9-inch display. Rounding out the specs is a 30GB disk, 512MB of RAM in lightweight 990g (2.18-pound) package. The T70S, meanwhile, foregoes the touchscreen but brings a bit more power to the show with a Pentium M773 (1.30GHz) CPU, 512MB RAM, 10.6-inch 1280 x 768 screen, DVD-burner, 60GB disk, and Intel 915GMS video card. The T70S/V then gives the same specs but throws in an external digital (DMB we think) TV tuner for Japan. All-in-all, just a modest bump in specs from what they delivered last year in the T70K/T models. Picture of the T70S/V after the break.

 

Filed under: Handsets, Others, NTT DoCoMo, GSM, UMTS

Never mind the elderly, this seems like a perfectly hot phone for pretty much anyone looking for a decent 3G clamshell. Fujitsu’s F882iES operates on NTT DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA network, rocks 2.2-inch QVGA internal and 64 x 64 external displays, a 1.3-megapixel shooter, and miniSD expansion in your choice of gold, pink, or black. But here’s the best part: much like KDDI’s A1406PT from Pantech, the F882iES features a piercing alarm that can simultaneously fire off a pre-recorded message to a number of your choice. At 100 ear-annihilating decibels, we think it might even pack enough oomph to outdo our phone-in-a-wine-glass trick.

[Via TechJapan]

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Filed under: Handsets, Others

Hey LG: why slide just two ways, like your SH100, when you could slide four? That’s the question Fujitsu seems to be asking with a new concept phone they’re parading around these days. The rounded, almost egg-like handset appears to feature touch sensitivity for virtually every control — well, it would, anyway, if it were a functional prototype — and can be slid in all four cardinal directions for access to different functions. Left reveals a keypad (though usability might be a concern here), right offers music controls, up gives you camera / video recording stuff, and down appears to reveal gaming controls, not to mention a traditional d-pad on the phone’s surface. While this particular example will never be seeing the light of day on a store shelf, Fujitsu says they expect to see similarly-equipped models coming to market some time in 2007.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.