Windows 7 on a phone: the 2-hour post-PC device

Fujitsu is launching a unique dual-mode smartphone tomorrow in Japan that doubles as a handheld Windows 7 computer. Known as the Fujitsu F-07C, the device works as a Symbian phone for standard phone use but can switch to Windows 7 with the touch of a button, notes SlashGear. Pricing won’t be announced until the device goes on sale through NTT DoCoMo, but since the phone has some high-end hardware, it’s likely to cost far more than even the most expensive pure smartphones available today.

If that doesn’t convince folks to buy it, perhaps the “up to two hours” of runtime in Windows mode will. I’m being facetious, of course, mainly because this is as niche as a mobile device gets, and I think Fujitsu would be better off spending the R&D dollars for this product on something with stronger mass-market appeal. While the phone will surely find a small market, I can’t help but think this is the worst possible combination of product brands when it comes to a mobile device.

Symbian was fine in its day and still has a massive global following, but even Nokia, its biggest supporter, has dumped it for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform. Speaking of Microsoft, using Windows, a desktop operating system, on a 4-inch, 1024×600 mobile device screen will be an exercise in frustration for all but the most patient. Optimized for mobile use, Windows Phone 7 is enjoyable; Windows, not so much without a mouse and full keyboard. And I suppose that Intel, which has been claiming it will power smartphones this year, can add this as a feather in its cap.

There’s a problem though: Intel’s 1.2 GHz Atom Z600 chip is under-clocked to run at 600 MHz in the F-07C, and that won’t bring stellar performance to the phone’s Windows personality. Fujitsu could probably boost the chip to run at full speed, but the handset would then use more power and that quoted “up to two hours” of Windows runtime might be closer to one. Even worse, once you run down your battery using Windows, you’re stuck without a mobile phone.

Don’t get me wrong; the concept of a full computer in your pocket has sounded cool for years. In a world of smartphones and post-PC devices, however, this approach by Fujitsu takes a traditional computer view, and some would argue that today’s smartphones essentially are pocketable computers. It also exemplifies that some companies still don’t understand the mobile space and sadly appear destined to become mobile losers.

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Lenovo’s three new tablets try to tackle the iPad

Lenovo today introduced a trio of new tablet computers, two running Google’s Android 3.1 operating system and the third powered by Microsoft Windows 7. The Wi-Fi tablets, which leverage the ThinkPad and IdeaPad brands, range in price from $479 to $589 depending on model, storage capacity and an optional pen for one. The company will also offer a $99 keyboard portfolio case for at least one of the new tablets. Both Android tablets are comparably equipped, running on Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor and are the first Honeycomb devices to be certified for Netflix playback.

Here’s a brief summary of the devices:

IdeaPad K1 (starting at $499 for 32 GB model; orders begin today; U.S. availability in August)

• 1 GHz dual-core CPU
• 10.1-inch IPS display; 1280×800 resolution
• Up to 1 GB of memory, 16/32/64 GB of storage capacity
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth
• MicroSD card slot; micro-HDMI port
• 5 megapixel rear camera; 2 megapixel front camera
• 10.4″ x 7.44″ x 0.52″; weight of 1.63 pounds
• Estimated 10 hours of battery life

Compared to most of the currently available tablets running Honeycomb, there’s little here to differentiate Lenovo’s offering. The ThinkPad model does have a digitizer from N-Trig, allowing for pen use and includes Notes Mobile software; I suspect that’s what adds slightly to the weight and decreases the battery life from the K1 model. Lenovo’s product team told me on a conference call last week that the Netflix certification is a big deal, and yes it is nice, but other large Android tablets are sure to gain the same certification soon.

Adobe Flash 10.3 support is there too, but that’s not selling tablets. Other software tweaks include a “Social Touch” app for easy social networking status viewing and Lenovo’s own take on a program launcher. In other words, minor tweaks aside, Lenovo is mixing the same recipe as other Android tablet vendors, just with slightly different software ingredients. Lenovo is however, including more than 40 apps from various top-tier partners such as Amazon, Electronic Arts, Rovio and DataViz.

The problem that Lenovo, and most other tablet vendors face is the iPad juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing. As my colleague Erica noted after today’s Apple investor call, the company has earned $6 billion from the iPad in the last quarter by selling 9.25 million iPads. I don’t have sales numbers or company reports to validate my thought here, but I’m willing to bet that adding up sales of all Android tablets combined this year and it wouldn’t match what the iPad brought to Apple in the last three months. Put another way: even as Apple continues to grow its PC business, mobile devices are already accounting for more of Apple’s earnings. In the meantime, Lenovo is readying consumer tablets in an already crowded market that appears stalled before it really even got started.

Developers know this and haven’t made the move to create compelling tablet-optimized apps for Honeycomb yet. And consumers are using tablets for more than just the web and email. When spending $500 or more on a tablet, they want a wide variety of third-party apps to choose from. No matter how nice the hardware looks, Lenovo’s Android tablets, like those from other manufacturers, can’t offer that yet. On the other hand, the P1 tablet with Windows does offer a range of available software, but most of it isn’t built for a mobile experience; the same challenge Windows tablets have always faced.

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