LG Optimus Pad Hitting Japan's NTT DoCoMo On March 31st, 3D and All

It looks like the first place the LG Optimus Pad (G-Slate in the US) will be hitting is unsurprisingly Japan. This tablet will be available on NTT DoCoMo starting on March 31st and it'll be the first Android "Honeycomb" tablet with 3D capabilities without the need for glasses. Other specs include: an 8.9-inch display with a 1,280 x 768 resolution, 3G / GPS support, Bluetooth, and a rear-facing camera that'll shoot 3D video and pictures if you want it too. The price hasn't been mentioned yet so you'll have to wait for that.

[Engadget]

Pink Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc Headed To Japan On March 24th

The perfect Paris Hilton phone? Possibly. NTT DoCoMo in Japan has just announced what you see above and that's a pink (Sakura Pink, to be exact) Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc. It'll be launching on March 24th along with the Misty Silver and Midnight Blue colours. This should be right around the same date that Europe will be getting it as well. Sadly, we don't know if this will be hitting North America so we're going to have to keep waiting.

[Engadget]

NEC MEDIAS N-04C Is the World's Thinnest Smartphone At 7.7mm; Also Packs NFC and Android 2.2

NEC just unveiled something quite thin and it's a smartphone which is just 7.7mm thin. That's definitely thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc. Dubbed the MEDIAS N-04C, this handset features a 4-inch display, NFC, a 1-seg TV tuner, and Android 2.2 with a skinned UI. This one should be available in Japan on February 24th but it likely won't be hitting anywhere else. 

[Engadget]

"Satin Silver" Sony PS3 Hitting Japan On March 10th

Sony has just announced the "Satin Silver" colour of the PS3. It's the same colour as the original PS3 when it came in silver in case you wanted to know. Of course, there'll be two models available a 160GB version for ¥29,980 ($365 USD) and the 320GB model is ¥34,980 (USD$427). This will be available in Japan starting on March 10th. This one's likely a Japan exclusive unfortunately.


[Kotaku]

Bloomberg Says Sony Will Announce the PSP 2 on Jan. 27th and PlayStation Phone at MWC

Bloomberg has just mentioned a few bits of information regarding Sony's near future. Apparently, on January 27th Sony's event in Tokyo will definitely be about the next PSP (PSP 2) and then at MWC, which takes place in a few weeks, we'll see the official announcement of the PlayStation Phone - could be called the XPERIA Play. There's not much left to tell you here so we'll really just have to wait for the official announcements.

[Engadget]

Sony's PSP 2 To Get Grand Unveiling In Tokyo On January 27th?

Sony is rumoured to be announcing their PSP 2 in the next few weeks. Apparently, the public event will be taking place in Tokyo, Japan on January 27th. Rumoured specs haven't been confirmed yet but it should have a touchscreen display, a trackpad, a microphone, a front-facing camera, and dual analog sticks. It likely won't have 3D capabilities but let's hope that the battery will run a lot longer than Nintendo's 3DS does. Mark the date on your calendars people!

Update: Kotaku has mentioned that Sony is telling a few people that the PSP 2 is as powerful as the PS3. I would love for this to be true, so let's hope this really is the case. I might actually buy one if it's that powerful.

[Electronista]

Toshiba 12GL1 Glasses-Free 3DTV Now Available In Japan, 20-Inch Model On Christmas

If you're interested in glasses-free 3DTV then you might want to head to Japan. Starting today, you can get the Toshiba 12GL1 which has a 12-inch display (466 x 350 resolution) that will do just that. This is now available for 120,000 yen ($1,431 USD), which is half of what the company will be offering the 20GL1 (20-inch model) for (240,000 yen or $2,863 USD). The larger 20GL1 will feature 720p resolution along with 550:1 contrast ratio and will be available starting on Christmas (December 25th).

[Engadget]

16MP Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot S006 Handset Hits the FCC, Destined For KDDI Japan

The PlayStation Phone isn't the only thing that Sony is focusing on right now because something new has just hit the FCC. What you see above is the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot S006 handset which will raise the standards for mobile cameraphones all around the world. This will be the first handset from the company that will have their Exmor R camera sensors and it'll be hitting KDDI in Japan.

The sensor on the back is a 16MP back-illuminated camera which should take better low light pictures than the current sensors do. Specs include a 3.3-inch display, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, WiFi / Bluetooth support, GPS, and their own dumbphone OS. Oh yeah, this is also reportedly a tad waterproof. Interesting indeed. Check it out at the FCC.

[Phone Arena]

5.5 and 10.8-Inch Sharp Galapagos Tablets Hitting Japan On December 10th

It looks like Sharp has finally decided to price and date their Galapagos tablets that we heard about back in September. The 5.5-inch model (1,024 x 600 resolution) and the 10.8-inch model (1,366 x 800 resolution) will be hitting Japan on December 10th for ¥39,800 ($474 USD) and ¥54,800 ($653 USD), respectively, which is a bit much to pay for. The displays - on paper - for both devices seem quite good though so if you're interested in quite an expensive Android tablet then you might want to give this one a few looks.

[Engadget]

11.6-Inch Gateway Notebook To Hit Japan Soon With Core i5 ULV CPU

It looks like Gateway is prepping up another notebook that will hit the market in the near future. Dubbed the EC19C-A52C/S, this notebook features an 11.6-inch display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution and other quite impressive internals. Specs you'll find in this notebook include a dual-core Intel Core i5-470UM 1.33GHz CPU, a 320GB HDD, 2GB of RAM, HDMI / VGA outputs, WiFi b/g/n, an integrated 1.3MP webcam, a 4-in-1 card reader, Bluetooth 3.0 support, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), and a 6-cell battery that will reportedly last 12 hours. This will be available in Japan for ¥65,000 (around $775 USD).

[Engadget]

Sony Vaio Y Trims Down To An 11.6-Inch Display, Hitting Japan On Nov. 27th

The Sony Vaio Y launched in January of this year sporting a 13.3-inch display but just like the small MacBook Air model, this new model will be sporting a smaller 11.6-incher instead. The display resolution will be 1,366 x 768 which is pretty good and the rest of the specs is where it tries to set itself apart. Inside you'll find an Intel Core i3-380U 1.33GHz ULV CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, a 320GB HDD, Bluetooth 2.1 / WiFi b/g/n support, an HDMI output, and a battery life of 6-hours. This will be available in Japan starting on November 27th - the price is still unknown.

[Engadget]

Toshiba Announces Their First Android Phone, 3D Android Phone Headed To Japan Too

Today, Toshiba announced their first Android phone and it's dubbed the Regza T-01C. This handset is packing quite the spec sheet with a 4-inch touchscreen display with a 480 x 854 resolution, a 12.2MP AF camera with 720p HD video recording, GSM connectivity, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.1 support, a microSD card slot, a digital TV tuner, and a slightly waterproof body. This will be available in early 2011, through Japan's NTT DoCoMo for the equivalent of $370 USD.

The other handset that will be hitting the carrier is the LYNX 3D SH-03C, which will be launching in December. This handset is packing a 3.8-inch 3D-capable display, a 9MP camera, a microSD card slot (2GB card in the box), and a one-seg TV tuner. This will be available in three colours: Ink Black, Fairy Blue, and Pure White.

[Mobile Crunch, Android Guys]

LG Unveils the 12MP-Toting L-03C and Android 2.2 Based L-04C Handsets, Headed To Japan's NTT DoCoMo

LG has unveiled two phones today that'll be headed to Japan, via NTT DoCoMo. The first one is pictured above and it's the L-03C cameraphone. It's basically a camera with a 12MP sensor and they slapped the NTT DoCoMo OS on it making it a camera first and a phone second. Other specs include a xenon flash, 720p HD video recording, and a 3-inch WVGA display. This This is actually being touted as the best cameraphone to date and that's pretty much expected. This will be available starting in January 2011.

The other handset that the company unveiled is the L-04C. This one isn't packing an excellent camera on the back though, it's your regular handset. This sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, a microSD card slot, a 3.2MP camera, and 3G support. This will be available in February 2011 and will come pre-installed with Android 2.2.

LG L-03C Cameraphone Gets Unveiled: Engadget

LG L-04C Shown Off: Akihabara News

Sharp Intros the Galapagos 003SH and 005SH Glasses-Free 3D Android-Based Smartphones

Oh, so you love 3D, you say? Well, if you're willing to head to Japan you can check out the newly introduced Sharp Galapagos 003SH and 005SH smartphones. Both of them are glasses-free 3D Android phones that are headed to Japan's Softbank carrier. The 003SH sports a 3.8-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, and a 9.6MP camera with 720p HD video recording. The 005SH sports the same display and CPU but sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard along with just an 8MP camera with 720p HD video recording. The 003SH will be available in December of this year while you'll have to wait until February for the 005SH.

[Engadget]

Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot S006 Gets Announced For KDDI, 16MP Camera On the Back!

KDDI announced a bunch of phones this morning, including the one you see above from Sony Ericsson. Named the Cyber-shot S006, its selling point is definitely its camera. On the back of this handset is a 16MP camera along with up to an ISO of 12,800. Other specs include a 3.3-inch touchscreen display, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, WiFi / Bluetooth, GPS support, and sadly just the company's own proprietary OS so that sucks. If only it had Android on it!

[Engadget]

KDDI Introduces the Toshiba IS04 (With a 12MP Camera), Sharp IS05, and Pantech IS06

KDDI has just shown off three Android phones that they'll be launching in the future. The first one is coming from Toshiba, dubbed the REGZA IS04, and it looks like a Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. This smartphone packs some pretty high-end specs like a 4-inch touchscreen display (480 x 854 resolution), a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, and a whopping 12.2MP AF camera on the back which is one of the highest we've seen on an Android smartphone thus far. Other specs include WiFi b/g / Bluetooth 2.1 support, a microSDHC card slot, EVDO connectivity, Android 2.1, and it's even waterproof. Sadly, you'll have to wait until January 2011 if you want to get your hands on one.

Next up is the Sharp IS05 which sports a 3.4-inch touchscreen display with a 480 x 854 resolution, an 8MP camera with 720p HD video recording, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, Bluetooth / WiFi support, a 1Seg TV tuner, a microSDHC card slot, and Android 2.2. Last, but not least, there's the Pantech IS06 which will also launch with Froyo. Other specs include a 3.4-inch display with a  480 x 800 resolution along with a 1Seg TV tuner, a microSDHC card slot, and a 5MP camera. This one will be available in December.

[Slash Gear, Slash Gear, Akihabara News]

KDDI Japan Getting the Samsung SMT-i9100, It's Almost the Galaxy Tab

Japanese carrier KDDI has announced a bunch of new devices today including the tablet you see above and below. This may not look familiar but it's actually Samsung's Galaxy Tab for the carrier. Dubbed the SMT-i9100, it features a 7-inch touchscreen display (1,024 x 600 resolution), 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a 2MP rear-facing camera, and Android 2.2. Sadly, it's a dumbed down model so it doesn't have a front-facing camera which actually sucks.

[Phandroid]

Toshiba Says Their 12 and 20-Inch Glasses-Free 3DTVs Will Be Available In Japan This December

Toshiba has just announced that Japan will be getting their first crack at a glasses-free 3DTV before the year ends. They plan to ship two models sometime in December and they'll be the $1,450 12-inch model (12GL1) and the $2,900 20-inch model (20GL1). The 12GL1 sports an LED-backlit display with a 466 x 350 resolution, HDMI / USB ports, LAN, Regza Link capabilities, and an SD card slot. The larger 20GL1 model sports an LED-backlit display with a 1,280 x 720 resolution, a Cell processor, and everything else you'll find in the smaller sibling. The 20-inch model is pictured above and the 12-incher is below which actually looks like a digital picture frame.

[Gizmodo]

Sharp Announces the Android-Based IS03 Smartphone With iPhone 4-Like Display and 9.6MP Camera

Sharp has just announced their latest smartphone, simply the IS03. This smartphone takes Android to a whole new level on the resolution scale with its 3.5-inch display with 960 x 640 worth of pixels. The handset's display also has Advanced Super View (ASV) which should sport the same advantages (wide view angles) as an IPS display. Yep, just like the iPhone 4 so far. Then we get to the specs, the IS03 sports a 9.6MP AF camera with a flash, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, WiFi b/g / Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support, GPS, an FM radio, 512MB of RAM, a 2GB SD card for storage, a one-seg TV tuner, and version 2.1 of Google's OS. Sadly, it likely won't be hitting anywhere outside of Japan but the smartphone itself does have Global Passport CDMA connectivity so if you can smuggle one out of there then you can use it on a CDMA network where ever you want.

[Engadget, Slash Gear]

Nintendo 3DS Hitting Japan On February 26th, Europe and US In March

All the rumours can stop right now. Nintendo has just announced that their upcoming gaming handheld, the 3DS, will be available in Japan on February 26th, 2011 for ¥25,000 (around $300). In the next month, March 2011, the 3DS will also be available in Europe and the US (maybe Canada as well, I guess). At launch, the Nintendo 3DS will be available in two colours and that's cosmo black and aqua blue which is pictured. The company has announced that your Mii will be created using the 3DS' front-facing camera which is pretty neat. In the box, you'll be getting a 2GB SD card which isn't too bad.

There's another piece of great news. On the 3DS there'll be a virtual console store where you'll be able to download classic Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games and play them straight from your 3DS, which is pretty awesome!

Mark that date on your calendars folks!

[Engadget]