World’s first water-resistant mobile phone capable of photography under 1.5m of water
Fujitsu Limited announced that the docomo STYLE Series F-08A, which it manufactures, will be available from NTT DOCOMO, Inc. in Japan from June 12, 2009.
When it comes to water-resistant mobile phones, Fujitsu has always been a trailblazer, having previously introduced the world’s thinnest water-resistant mobile phones1 as well as DOCOMO’s first water-resistant mobile phone with a one-segment TV viewer2. With the F-08A, Fujitsu has taken water-resistance to the next level, introducing the world’s first3 mobile phone with an IPX8 designation4, allowing photographing when submerged in 1.5 meters of water.
The shape of the new mobile phone is designed with rounded edges and sloped sides, making it easy to handle and operate with just one hand.
The phone is also rich in functionality with features such as the “Eye-Emphasis & Skin Tone-Balance Photography Mode” bringing out the natural beauty in facial photographs taken with the built-in camera with 5.2-megapixel resolution; the “Art Illumination” feature which lights up the casing of the handset when it is flipped open or closed; and the “Exercise Monitor” feature which measures the user’s level of physical activity to accurately calculate calories burned.
The series also includes a special model designed in collaboration with nail artist Eriko Kurosaki — the “Beauty Pink erikonail*” special model.
Product Features
- Water-resistant mobile phone with under water photography
Building on previous water-resistant models with IPX5/IPX7 designations5, the new model, with a water-resistance designation of IPX8, can take pictures even when submerged in 1.5m of room-temperature tap or still water for up to 30 minutes. - Design collaboration model with erikonail*
In a design collaboration with the popular nail brand erikonail*, the series also includes the “Beauty Pink” special model. In addition to its pink gradation side casing embedded with a heart-shaped stone, the special model comes with an “Eriko Heart Charm” accent strap made from jewelry-cut 4-carat cubic zirconia for extra sparkle. - High-resolution camera
The phone comes equipped with the “Eye-Emphasis & Skin Tone-Balance Photography Mode”, which brings out the natural beauty in eyes and adjusts skin tones to ensure proper color balance. This photography mode can be easily activated with the touch of a soft key when the camera is on.Additionally, the phone is equipped with a “Smile Finder” function that measures a person’s smile, and then automatically snaps a photo when the subject is smiling, always capturing the perfect moment for the photo.
- “Art Illumination”
When the handset is flipped open or closed, the backside animation and illumination design are automatically activated, lighting up the casing. There are 14 different illumination patterns, enabling users to customize the glow of their mobile phones. - “Beauty Advice” standby display
Attention to beauty does not end with merely the phone’s design. It extends to the standby display as well – displaying 45 different screens of beauty tips on subjects ranging from hand to skin care to nail art displayed at random. - “Exercise Monitor”
The mobile phone includes a custom engine designed to implement a measurement algorithm that tracks the user’s level of physical activity to accurately calculate the calories burned6. It goes beyond traditional pedometers to measure the exertion involved in running as opposed to walking 100 steps and calculates the calories burned accordingly. - “Pulse Monitor”
The mobile phone includes a function that measures the user’s pulse rate for convenient daily monitoring of their health. By activating the “Pulse Monitor” iAppli, pulse rates can be recorded by placing the user’s finger on the back-side camera lens. - Dolby Mobile
The phone is equipped with Dolby Mobile, a technology from Dolby Laboratories optimized for mobile phones. This gives the same sense of stereoscopic and realistic sound as 5.1-channel surround sound7 when listening to one-segment broadcasts through stereo headphones (sold separately). - WMV streaming video playback
The phone can play WMV streaming video, enabling users to enjoy streaming video and video services on a full wide screen.
Other Key Services
- FOMA HIGH SPEED (maximum downlink speed of 7.2Mbps8)
- WORLD WING (GSM+3G) international roaming service
- iConcier
- iWidget
- iAppliOnline
Key Specifications
- Size: approx. 109 x 50 x 15.4 mm (HxWxD); thickness at widest point: approx. 17.8 mm (when closed)
- Weight: approx. 120 g (battery pack included)
- Continuous Talk Time:
- Voice: approx. 200 min.; Videophone: approx. 110 min.
- Main Display: approx. 3.0″ TFT color LCD full-wide VGA (480 x 854 dots)
- Cameras:
- Camera (back side): approx. 5.2-megapixel CMOS imager
- Camera (front side): approx. 320,000-pixel CMOS imager
- Colors: Mystic Purple, Precious Black, Pearl White, and Beauty Pink
Glossary and Notes
- World’s thinnest water-resistant mobile phones: F703i (released January 30, 2007), F704i (released July 17, 2007), F705i (released January 16, 2008), and F-04A (released February 2, 2009) were all the world’s thinnest water-resistant mobile phone models at the time of their release, according to research by Fujitsu.
- DOCOMO’s first water-resistant mobile phone with a one-segment TV viewer: F706i, released June 17, 2008.
- World’s first: As of May 18, 2009, in the mobile phone category, according to research by Fujitsu.
- IPX8 designation: When submerged in room-temperature tap water at a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes, the F-08A can take photos underwater and normally function as a phone when taken out of the water.
- IPX5/IPX7 designations: The IPX5 designation implies that the F-08A can normally function as a phone after being placed on a turntable and sprayed with water at a rate of 12.5 liters per minute from a distance of 2.5-3.0m for at least 3 minutes. The IPX7 designation implies that the mobile phone can normally function as a phone after being submerged in room-temperature tap water at a depth of 1m for 30 minutes.
- Accurately calculate the calories burned: Assumes that the mobile phone is carried around the waist using a carrying case.
- 5.1-channel surround sound: This does not apply to sound output from phone speakers.
- Maximum downlink speed of 7.2 Mbps: Based on technical specifications for data transmission method, and is not the actual transmission speed. Transmission speeds are quoted on a best-effort basis, and the actual speed will vary depending on the communication environment, network usage conditions and other factors. Even within FOMA HIGH SPEED areas, maximum speeds may be as low as 384kbps depending on location.
