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Fujitsu Japan’s futuristically named new LOOX F-07C is designed to function as both a smart phone and a mini tablet, packing Symbian and Windows 7.
Hang on a minute! Windows 7? Lest the shock of a dual-booting mobile device allows confusion to set in, we’re not talking about Windows Phone 7. No, this baby crams in the 32-bit Japanese version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Engadget reports. How bizarre, as OMC put it back in 1996.
The initial specification list mentions a 1.2GHz Atom processor, so it would certainly have a good go at running Microsoft’s latest operating system, albeit with some processor-intensive functions such as Full HD playback missing. The unnamed chip is unlikely to be Intel’s new Z760, which should run at 1.5GHz.
The 2cm-thick handset has a gorgeous 4-inch touchscreen display pimping a 1,024×600-pixel resolution (just slightly taller than 16:9 widescreen) and a slide-out keyboard. Symbian apps will be work just fine, while Windows 7’s multi-touch credentials should mean using the phone as a very mini tablet is at least possible, if not comfortable.
Early video of the device shows it sitting in a USB cradle, which means it could be used as a desktop replacement at a push. It could end up permanently attached to its dock if the specs are to be believed — in Windows 7 mode it has a 2-hour battery life. Apparently it switches to Symbian phone mode when the battery is low. We guess users will spend a lot of time using Nokia’s one-time best friend.
It includes two cameras — one 5-megapixel snapper with face detection and auto-focus, and a 0.3-megapixel effort for video calls. It takes microSD cards up to 32GB.
With a June or July launch date, its expected price converts to around £540. Whether it ever leaves Japan is another matter. We’ve already seen some interesting concepts from Fujitsu, but no UK market for its phones.
On a practical note, we’re not convinced sticking a full-blown version of Windows on a smart phone is such a hot move. Why not ditch the dual-boot shenanigans, throw out Symbian and load it up with Windows Phone instead? Or better yet, Android?
