Sharp’s twin-lens 3D prototype camera isn’t a smartphone, yet (video)

Regardless of its ability to present a 3D image without glasses, we just weren’t very impressed with Sharp’s 10.6-inch display at the IFA show. That’s not to say that its parallax barrier technology doesn’t perform well at smaller sizes, like say, oh, the Ninentdo 3DS . In fact, Sharp’s 3.8-inch switchable 3D (400 x 480) / 2D (800 x 480) display did a decent job of tricking our eyes into seeing a 3D image by exposing different pixels to each eye though tiny slits placed in front of a normal LCD. What we didn’t see, though, was this smartphone-looking prototype (lacking radios, unfortunately) that combines that 3.8-inch parallax barrier panel with Sharp’s twin-lens 3D camera module

NTT DoCoMo will demo LTE prototype at MWC, launch service this year

Still on track to launch its LTE network this year, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has today announced that its first prototype handset designed specifically to handle all that bandwidth will be unveiled at MWC 2010. We already knew a cool $10.4 billion or thereabouts were to be spent on Japanese LTE deployment, and now we can break that figure down a little by noting that NTT will be spending between $3.3b and $4.4b on its infrastructure alone. All we know of the new phone so far is that it’ll be the product of the overall partnership with NEC, Fujitsu and Panasonic, but judging from NTT DoCoMo’s last prototype to grace these pages , we’re unlikely to be left wanting. NTT DoCoMo will demo LTE prototype at MWC, launch service this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

iPhone nabs 46 pecent of Japanese smartphone market, the tiny Japanese smartphone market

So you read a headline like “iPhone grabs 46 percent of the Japanese smartphone market” and the first thing you’re likely to think is, “wow, Apple is really doing well for itself.” Well, it is and it isn’t. While it has made some considerable gains in the smartphone market at the expense of phones like Sharp’s W-ZERO3 and the Willcom 03 , it still hasn’t gained nearly the same total mindshare or market share that it has over here. That’s because “smartphones” as we know them are still a relatively small market in Japan, where carriers’ lineups consist of a whole range of offerings including everything from mobile TV-equipped phones to true camera phones to perfume holders . For a bit more context, check out the pie chart after the break courtesy of IDC Japan, which shows cellphone vendors’ market share in Japan as of October of this year

iPhone nabs 46 percent of Japanese smartphone market, the tiny Japanese smartphone market

So you read a headline like “iPhone grabs 46 percent of the Japanese smartphone market” and the first thing you’re likely to think is, “wow, Apple is really doing well for itself.” Well, it is and it isn’t. While it has made some considerable gains in the smartphone market at the expense of phones like Sharp’s W-ZERO3 and the Willcom 03 , it still hasn’t gained nearly the same total mindshare or market share that it has over here. That’s because “smartphones” as we know them are still a relatively small market in Japan, where carriers’ lineups consist of a whole range of offerings including everything from mobile TV-equipped phones to true camera phones to perfume holders . For a bit more context, check out the pie chart after the break courtesy of IDC Japan, which shows cellphone vendors’ market share in Japan as of October of this year. The leaders by a wide margin are Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu and NEC with a combined 72.8% of the market, while Apple is lumped in with “Others,” which add up to 22.6%.

NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more

Filed under: Others , Samsung , Windows Mobile , NTT DoCoMo , Softbank Mobile , Android When two of Japan’s largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan — but for consumers in the local market, it’s nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo: Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a “jewelry quality” phone with a snap-on perfume holder for “an air of elegance.” LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don’t speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone). Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot — for some reason we don’t fully comprehend. Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year , this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera. Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret — the keypad doubles as a touchpad.

LiMo Foundation could be close to bearing fruit for Samsung, Vodafone in a big way

Filed under: Handsets , Samsung , Vodafone , Linux The LiMo Foundation’s platform is far from vaporware — countless Japanese domestic market handsets run it in one form or another, which makes sense considering that NTT DoCoMo, NEC, and Panasonic are all counted among its founding members — but outside the land of the rising sun, LiMo’s had very little end-user impact even as it’s collected big-name members and released several rounds of specs and whitepapers over the last year and a half. To a certain extent, that’s by design; unlike Android, LiMo is as much about creating synergies for manufacturers and carriers as it is about giving subscribers flashy user interfaces, but a new Samsung for Vodafone leaked on Boy Genius Report today suggests that we might be getting flashy UIs nonetheless. We don’t know what this phone will ultimately be called, but it doesn’t take more than a couple glances to pick up on the fact that it’s relatively high-end, equipped with an 8 megapixel cam and full AMOLED touhscreen. The social-oriented interface looks seriously tricked out with faces (hopefully of people the user knows) moving in and out in three dimensions — usability is an open question, but at least it’s pretty to stare at, which is really what a good phone’s all about anyway, right

NTT DoCoMo counters SoftBank with 18 new handsets of its own

Filed under: Handsets , HTC , LG , Others , Windows Mobile , Toshiba , Android 8 megapixel cameras and 3-plus-inch wide VGA displays are the order of the day in NTT DoCoMo’s 18-strong summer 2009 range of phones from Panasonic, LG, Fujitsu, NEC, Sharp, HTC, and Toshiba, but a few are definitely standing out for us. First would be the unforgettable N-09A from NEC, integrating patent leather right into the phone’s case; it’s not often that you need to condition your handset with saddle soap, so that one definitely caught our eye. Next up, we have a couple smartphones (not to say that anything in this lineup can be labeled “dumb” by any stretch) from HTC and Toshiba — the expected HT-03A and T-01A, respectively, which are localized rebrands of the Magic and TG01 . Only a Japanese carrier lineup oozes enough machismo to make a TG01 look like a 16-ounce can of weak juice, so our hats go off to you, NTT DoCoMo — thanks for ruining one of 2009′s most promising devices for us

FCC Fridays, Saturday edition

Filed under: Features Every so often, technical difficulties stop us from delivering FCC Fridays on time, but the way we see it, it’s not Friday until we say it is. So on that note, this ain’t FCC Saturdays — it’s just FCC Fridays, Saturday edition. As always, enjoy! Phones Read – Samsung SCH-R560 Read – Samsung S7120U Read – Samsung 931SC Read – Samsung SCH-B519 Read – Samsung SGH-F480i Read – Samsung W8500 Read – Samsung W8400 Read – Samsung SGH-T459a Read – ZTE A316G+ Read – ZTE C370 Read – ZTE C366 Read – ZTE X767 Read – Huawei U3315h Read – Huawei V835 / Vodafone 835 Read – LG GW520 Read – LG GR500F Read – LG RD6150 Read – LG VM265 Read – Beyond E-Tech D8 Read – Sharp SH-05A Read – Panasonic P-09A Read – Alcatel OT-103A / OT-203A Peripherals Read – Motorola D670 Read – Haier CE100 Read – Option ICON 451 Read – Option ICON 505M Read – i.Tech Clip ME 304 Read – Novatel Ovation MC935D FCC Fridays, Saturday edition originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 09 May 2009 21:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

FCC Fridays

Filed under: Features We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we’ve gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don’t need)

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