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Aug

LG Officially Announces The Optimus G – Headed For Korea Next Month With Global Release To Follow

Posted by Liam Spradlin in LG, News, Optimus G

The LG Optimus G, the tantalizing flagship device for which LG released an teaser video last week, is finally official.

The phone, which we know to be packing a 4.7" 1280x768 display, 2GB RAM, a 1.5GHz quad-core S4 Pro processor, and a 13MP rear camera, is slated to launch in Korea next month, followed by a yet undated global release expected to start with Japan in either October or November. The Optimus G will also be packing a 2100mAh battery pack, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and a super slim 8.45mm body.

The Optimus G's Japanese debut on NTT Docomo will see it getting a red paint job and a few extra features including an infrared transmitter, waterproofing, and LG's Palette UI.

Jun

Sharp Announces A New Skin Called 'Feel UX' For Its Japanese Handsets, And It Actually Looks Pretty Good

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Sharp

I know what you're thinking: "Oh no, not another Android skin!" That was my initial thought, too; after seeing what Sharp and frog (the design firm behind this skin) have done with Feel UX, though, I actually kind of like it.

First off, I think this is far different than any other Android skin we've ever seen. It appears to be highly functional, but still maintains a level of cleanliness that even the most meticulous minimalists among us can appreciate. Enough babble, though; have a look for yourself:

While this new skin is definitely unique, it appears that it takes an almost-iPhone-esque approach and forgoes the homescreen completely.

Mar

Panasonic Eluga Coming To Japan On March 29th, Europe In April

Posted by John Thompson in Eluga, News, NTT DoCoMo

Last Updated: January 21st, 2013

Panasonic is set to enter the high-end smartphone market in Europe and Japan in the coming weeks with the waterproof and dustproof Eluga.

We first saw the Eluga at Mobile World Congress last month, and although it looks like a great phone on paper, with a dual-core CPU and qHD display, it disappointed us when we went hands-on. Nevertheless, this is still big news for the European market, where Panasonic isn't known as a smartphone brand at all. The waterproof feature is sure to give the phone a head start against its competitors; in case you didn't know, it tends to rain a lot in England...

Jan

[Updated: More Specs] The World's New Thinnest Smartphone - The 6.7mm Fujitsu ES IS12F: Taking The 'Pretty' Out Of 'Pretty Thin'

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Android OS, News

If the Motorola Droid RAZR's 7.1mm frame (at its thinnest point, that is) just isn't thin enough for you, take a look at Fujitsu's latest offering in the Japanese consumer market, the ultra-thin (but not all that attractive) ES IS12F:

The 4-inch device measures a paper-thin 6.7mm, weighs in at a mere 105 grams, and ships with Android 2.3 intact. That's not all this popsicle stick is offering, either; it's also water resistant.

Update: We all love specs, so here is the rest of what this device has to offer:

800x480 display with Gorilla Glass
1.4GHz Snapdragon
5.11MP rear shooter (wtf?)
245MB of storage (wtf?

Oct

Galaxy Nexus Confirmed For November By Japan's NTT DoCoMo

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Galaxy Nexus, News, NTT DoCoMo

Last Updated: January 21st, 2013

Although the official launch of Google and Samsung's first Ice Cream Sandwich phone is still a few hours away, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has prematurely confirmed the existence of the Galaxy Nexus. In a tweet sent out a few hours ago, @docomo stated that it would be "among the fastest" to launch the handset, when it becomes available in November.

Rumours have already surfaced indicating that Google's latest flagship phone will come to Verizon on November 10th and will cost $299.99. However that is more likely to be the earliest possible launch date and there has been no confirmation of these rumours.

Oct

Samsung Retaliates Against Apple, Files For Preliminary Injunction To Ban iPhone 4S In Japan And Australia

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Legal, News, Samsung

Samsung just announced in a blog post today, that they have filed preliminary injunctions in the Tokyo District Court and in the New South Wales Registry to ban the sale of Apple's iPhone 4S in Japan and Australia, respectively. Additionally, in Japan, Samsung have also requested an injunction to bar the sale of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.

According to Samsung, the injunction request in Australia is premised on Apple infringing various patents relating to wireless telecommunications standards, specifically Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA). In contrast, in Japan Samsung has filed on the basis of Apple infringing one HSPA standard-related patent and three user interface patents.

Dec

Onkyo Introduces TA117, A New Froyo Tablet

Posted by Anuj Ahooja in News, Tablets

Onkyo has announced a brand new Froyo-based tablet that will launch in Japan. Most of the specifications seem pretty much up to par with what we expect; here's what the TA117 will come packaged with:

Tegra 250 Chipset (1 GHz)
Android 2.2
10.1-inch screen
1024x600 resolution
2 USB 2.0 ports
WiFi & Bluetooth
microSD card slot
HDMI port
1.3MP Camera
Either 8GB or 16GB internal storage

The only disappointing features seem to be the low-quality rear camera and the lack of a front-facing counterpart. Of course, we expect numerous Honeycomb tablets to be featured next week at CES, so this may even become obsolete within the next few months.

Jul

Fujitsu Developing Japanese Market Android Smartphone To Challenge iPhone's Domination

Posted by David Ruddock in News

MobileCrunch is reporting via Japanese site Sankei Digital [JP] that Fujitsu is planning on manufacturing an Android handset for the Japanese market. Apple currently dominates the smartphone market in Japan, largely because the Japanese smartphone market was fairly bland before Apple entered the foray.

Japanese phones have tended to focus on high portability, social connectivity, and gadgetry over advanced software or bigger displays. The iPhone changed all that, and created a market for devices with larger displays and modern smartphone operating systems. The iPhone 3G and 3GS last year accounted for over 72% of all smartphones shipped in Japan, and the iPhone 4 will likely be just as big a hit.