Fujitsu launches new smartphone: Fujitsu F-12D
The Fujitsu F-12D increases one more smartphone in the Fujitsu “RakuRaku” lineup, a series of smartphones with simplified features targeted at aging population. “rakuraku” means “easy” or “comfortable” in Japanese.
Japanese Electronics major unveiled a smartphone recently; specifically aimed at the elderly people. The phone runs on Android OS but a more simplified version of Android UI amalgamated new touch screen designed for the aging community. The Fujitsu F-12D increases one more smartphone in the Fujitsu “RakuRaku” lineup, a series of smartphones with simplified features targeted at aging population. “rakuraku” means “easy” or “comfortable” in Japanese.
“We developed a phone that will let customers step up from traditional feature phones,” reportedly said Nobuo Otani, a Fujitsu executive. The company customized the Android UI with full consent from Google. They did away with a Google account too in order to keep things really simple and designed an interface as simple as large text and buttons and only vertical scrolling. Thanks to the open sourcing of Android.
Fujitsu, developing the notion that Elderly people might not quite be able to adapt to that feather touch, have designed the UI in a way that it prompts users to press a bit after a particular icon is tapped. The phone’s software is designed to ignore “false touches,” such as when fingers used to hold the phone are accidentally moved over the screen.
This move is quite Deliberate as Otani states being unaware of any such smartphone outside Japan. As such, the company has plans to launch an international version of this one, sooner rather than later.
The phone will go on sale in Japan this quarter with NTT DoCoMo’s network. The Japanese carrier is offering the phone on a two-year contract that costs about 4,000 yen (US$50) per month.
Ankur
