Fujitsu and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo will next month release an Android tablet you could use in the bathtub, featuring a 10.1 inch touchscreen and dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP4430 processor, according to the Datacider.com website. Meanwhile, Toshiba's poised to release a slimmer followup to its chunky Thrive, according to a Notebook Italia report.

Ruggedized Android tablets designed to resist liquids and dust have already appeared. A Toughbook-branded Toshiba device was revealed in June, and promised for the fourth quarter of this year, and a seven-inch Motorola offering was leaked back in March.

But Fujitsu is preparing a device that is apparently slimmer and lighter than either of these, according to a detailed Aug. 29 posting by Datacider.com. It looks as though it could be the solution for those of us who like to take reading material into the bathtub!

The Fujitsu Arrows Tab F-01D
Source: Datacider
(Click to enlarge)

Citing a leak that appeared on the Japanese Chan Two forum, Datacider says Fujitsu's "Arrows Tab F-01D" will be offered in September by NTT DoCoMo, featuring not only waterproofing but also GSM and LTE (long-term evolution) cellular connectivity.

Just how waterproof the F-01D will be is a mystery, since Datacider cites both IPX5 and the more-stringent IPX7 standard. Our guess is the tablet will survive water splashes and an accidental drop, but we'd fish it out of the drink before hunting for the soap bar.

Apart from this, the Arrows Tab F-01D will run the "Honeycomb" version of Android, and has all the hardware goodies you'd expect (except for an HDMI port). According to Datacider, these include 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, and a dual-core TI OMAP4430 processor.

The F-01D is also said to have a 10.1-inch multitouch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, dual cameras (five megapixel rear-facing, 1.3 megapixel front-facing), and a GPS receiver. An accelerometer, digital compass, and ambient light sensor are also included, Datacider says.

Datacider adds that the Arrows Tab F-01D will have a microUSB port and a headphone jack, plus microSIM and microSD slots. No word was provided on how these are protected from bubble bath or other liquids, however.

Finally, it's claimed that despite its waterproofing, the F-01 will measure just 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.45 inches. The "target" weight is just 1.3 pounds, Datacider says.

Specifications listed for Fujitsu's Arrows Tab F-01D by Datacider include:

• Processor — TI OMAP4430 (dual cores, 1.0GHz clock speed)
• Memory — 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage
• Display — 10.1-inch touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution
• Cameras — 5 megapixel rear-facing; 1.3 megapixel front-facing
• Expansion — microSD slot, microSIM slot
• Networking:
  • WAN:
    • HSDPA/HSUPA 7.2Mbps/5.7Mbps
    • 800M/1.7G/2GHz (3G:UMTS/HSPA)/2GHz (LTE)
    • 3G(2GHz) and GSM/GPRS (900M/1800M/1900MHz) for international roaming
  • WLAN — 802.11b/g/n
  • PAN — Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Other I/O:
  • microUSB port
  • headphone jack
• Power — battery size n/s, but 1440 hours of GSM standby or 920 hours of LTE standby claimed
• Dimensions — 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.45 inches
• Target weight — 1.3 pounds

Toshiba slimming down its tablet?

Toshiba, meanwhile, has its own Honeycomb tablet — the Nvidia Tegra 2-equipped Thrive — that began shipping in July. This device drew praise from some for its full-size SD slot and its standard HDMI and USB ports, but some reviewers — including eWEEK's Clint Boulton — couldn't abide the 1.6-pound weight and 0.62-inch thickness that resulted.

Toshiba's new tablet (top) will be much slimmer than the Thrive (bottom)
Notebook Italia
(Click to enlarge)

Now, Toshiba is following up with a slimmer sibling, according to the Notebook Italia website. It's said the new tablet will slim down as pictured above, by including a microSD slot, a micro-HDMI port, and a micro-USB port.

Netbook Italia did not cite a name, processor, or other details of the new product. But the website claims all will be revealed later this week at the IFA Berlin show.

Jonathan Angel can be reached at [email protected] and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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