Remember how the BlackBerry Thunder (RIM's rumored touchscreen device) was said to possibly come LTE-ready? An eye-brow raiser for sure since the US networks won't deploy LTE until 2010. Nevertheless, here's how it could be done. ASOCS and Fujitsu just announced what they are calling the "world's first wireless Multicomm processor." The system-on-chip can run up to three wireless air interfaces such as GSM/EDGE/GPRS, WiFi, HD Mobile Digital TV, and GPS concurrently. Better yet, device manufacturers "using ASOCS ModemX technology can ship a single-chip mainstream MultiComms baseband solution in parallel with LTE development and later add LTE as a low-risk software upgrade." Get that? LTE or pretty much any other wireless service added via software update. Hot damn!


[Via Thumb Report]

Reaction to NTT DoCoMo's new logo has been mixed, but when it comes to the carrier's phones, there's still very little to not love -- and when we say "love," we mean "feel sorry for ourselves that we don't have access to these things." The recently-announced (and copied) Raku-Raku F884i from Fujitsu is now available in three delicious colors, featuring the same one-seg mobile TV tuner and gargantuan display present on the majority of modern handsets for the Japanese domestic market. Other goodies include a configurable orientation sensor that, by default, fires up the TV when tilted in one direction and the camera when tilted in the other (clever!) and upgraded voice recognition that allows for complete email dictation by sending the user's voice to a server and text back to the phone in real time. Oh, and this one does global roaming, too, so we'll take one of each, please.

With KDDI au and Softbank under our belts, we turn our attention to the granddaddy of 'em all, NTT DoCoMo. As usual, Japan's largest carrier has pulled out all the stops for its latest release, the 705i and 905i series rocking entries from Sharp, Fujitsu, LG, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, and NEC. Flips are the name of the game here (surprise, surprise) with an occasional slider thrown in for good measure, all with feature lists designed to please -- and in some cases, stun. We're going to kick things off here with a look at the 705i goodies -- so without further ado, read on.

Remember that Super 3G network you tried to forget about after realizing it'd likely never leave Japan? Yeah, well NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu were busy showcasing a prototype base station that supports the specification at CEATEC. Reportedly, the device "marked a download rate as high as 900Mbps" when utilizing MIMO. Sadly, there was no mention of this technology (nor the base station) going commercial anytime soon, but we'll take every demonstration we can get in the meanwhile.

NTT DoCoMo customers will have no shortage of cool phones to choose from in the upcoming holiday season (as if they ever have a shortage of cool phones). Luckily, the same sleuth who found Mitsubishi's D905i has returned for round two, and now it looks like Fujitsu's F905i is appearing on the radar. It features a 3.2-inch display that rocks WVGA resolution (862 x 480) and a 3.2 megapixel CMOS shooter to match. Let's not forget that Fujitsu threw in a rotating display that offers split screen viewing for those times when you just can't tear yourself away from the teevee while you're browsing the 'nets. If we had to guess, we'd say this'll be one of about twelve or fifteen released in a typically NTT DoCoMo-esque launch extravaganza any week now -- everyone gettin' amped for it?

Leaving so soon, are we? Turns out Fujitsu Siemens Computers is ditching the PDA / PNA market after 2007, which means that those bulky, albeit fashionable Loox handhelds will soon be available only in closeout bins and on your favorite auction site -- and just think, things were lookin' so bright just last year. According to a statement by FSC spokesperson Amy Flécher, the decision to cut the proverbial cord was simply "due to the usual examination of the portfolios," and the firm apparently noticed that "the traditional handheld segment (PDA) [had been shrinking] for years." Essentially, the company felt that smartphones would eventually swallow the "traditional handhelds" of the world, and considering that cranking out smartphones "is not its business at all," the choice seems logical.

Although WiMAX handsets have not made it out into the wild yet, Fujitsu wants to make sure those mobile WiMAX batteries don't die so quickly. To that end, the Japanese company has developed some tech to enhance the power transmission efficiency of upcoming WiMAX handset amplifiers. With WiMAX transmitters needing large amounts of power to transmit data, any gain in the power efficiency of amp design is going to be welcome, we suppose. Fujitsu claims a power output gain of one and a half times what normal transmission amps get now in mobile WiMAX-equipped handsets. WiMAX networks are probably hitting en masse in 2008 -- if not before -- and conveniently, that's the date Fujitsu has set to commercialize this new tech. Perfect timing, eh?

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.

You just forget everything you know about that QR coding qrap 'cause Fujitsu just went next-gen with the introduction of FPcodes. Like QR codes, Fine Picture codes allow you to photograph the code with your trusty cameraphone and then be redirected to a URL for the product. However, instead of looking like a greasy black smudge, the pale yellow FPcode is printed directly onto the image of the product, just snap the product and off you go. FPcode-printed catalogs and magazines are expected to be released as early as October and require the download of a free app to use. Now considering we don't even have QR implemented yet, we'll call you daddy on this one Japan.

[Via lariviereauxcanards]

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]

We thought all of the hot new cellphone action would be at CTIA in Las Vegas this week, but it looks like we were wrong. Fujitsu turned up at the Milan Triennale to show off some concept phones, including the large-screen-and-QWERTY slider and clamshell-like "multi-slider" pictured above.  We doubt either will ever make it to the market anytime soon, which might explain why Fujitsu chose to show them at a design show instead of at CTIA. Then, again, maybe they just wanted a really good cup of coffee.