Lately, it seems as though the biggest smartphone (and gadget) market is centered around Japan (China also). So, it should come as no surprise that Japanese manufacturers are creating some of the coolest smartphones around, outside of Apple. This past week at the CES conference in Las Vegas, a few new Japanese smartphones were introduced to attendees. The first was the Infobar CO1, a colorful phone that many North Americans wish would come to American and Canadian markets. The second Japanese smartphone that stood out at CES was from Fujitsu.

The new Fujitsu ARROWS Ој F-07D isn’t as colorful as the Infobar (then again, few phones are), but it does have some nice specs that Android fans will like. The new Fujitsu hits markets in Japan this coming Friday (no word on whether or not the phone will reach North American markets yet). If you happen to live in Japan and are shopping for a new smartphone, there are a few things you can expect to find when looking at the newest member of the Fujitsu smartphone family.

The Details

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the new ARROWS Ој F-07D is that this phone is significantly slimmer than the iPhone. This new offering measures 6.7mm thick, which is 2.6mm thinner than the iPhone. The second thing you’ll notice is the design of this phone, which, sadly, isn’t all that creative. Fujitsu covered this phone in a matte black shell and included a decent size touchscreen surrounded by Gorilla glass. Design-wise, that’s about all that’s happening with this phone.

Inside of the ARROWS Ој F-07D, you’ll find Android 2.3, 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM, and a MSM8255 Snapdragon processor. This phone also happens to be waterproof (just don’t drop it in a lake or a bathtub). All of these things add up to a phone that’s really quite decent. If you can get past the lackluster look of the ARROWS Ој F-07D, you’ll find a phone that’s worth your hard earned pennies. Speaking of price, Fujitsu hasn’t yet released pricing details, but you can expect this phone to be competitively priced for today’s Japanese market.

Why This Phone Stands Out

If you’ve been paying attention to the phones coming out of Japan lately, you might have noticed one very significant thing: color. The newest Japanese phones don’t hide quietly in the background. The Japanese market, it seems, demands colorful phones, and those phones that look brighter than the rest are usually the first to sell. In stark contrast, the new Fujitsu phone isn’t bright in the least.
The fact that Fujitsu decided to go with matte black appeals to Japan’s business elite. After all, most business people don’t want a phone that is brighter than a rainbow.

There’s a very good chance that Fujitsu will see a lot of success with the ARROWS Ој F-07D, and this phone would do well in North American markets too. Now, the question is: will any of Japan’s colorful phone manufacturers attempt to sell these Skittle-esque phones in North America? Keep your eyes open for some new and completely original smartphone offerings from Japan (I have a hunch that these phones will quickly catch on across the world!).