Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2012-9 (VOL. 63, NO. 5)

Special Issue: Smartphones

• Fujitsu's Approaches to Developing Smartphones

Amid a paradigm shift from feature phones to smartphones, Fujitsu acquired the top market share in Japan as a vendor of mobile phones with its quick deployment of 11 smartphones for NTT DOCOMO and KDDI in 2011. While maintaining this strong domestic market position, Fujitsu is aiming to enter global markets in earnest with RakuRaku smartphones in 2012. Fujitsu smartphones are founded on two of the company's strengths. The first one is technology such as the industry's top performance in basic functions thanks to Fujitsu's ability to give its phones the latest and fastest platform, leading radio technology, human perception technologies for good visibility of displays, good audibility of phone calls, and comfortable touch panel controls. The other is the company's excellence in manufacturing within factories that are located in Japan. Furthermore, Fujitsu keeps improving its software development ability to use open-source technology which is necessary for smartphone platforms such as Android OS. This paper introduces Fujitsu's strategy for smartphones that utilizes these strengths and also its approach to developing new markets.

• Human Centric Engine and Its Evolution toward Web Services

Human Centric Engine (HCE), which is Fujitsu's proprietary technology suite, is being developed to differentiate Fujitsu's smartphones from those of other vendors. The engine has been studied as a set of competitive technologies offering easy-to-see, easy-to-talk and 24/7 monitoring functions which are composed of built-in sensors and processing technologies, and it is employed in all Fujitsu's models to improve usability from the user's viewpoint. With these technologies, a smartphone can identify the situation of the surroundings, movements, and even the physical condition of the user by utilizing sensors and can provide well-coordinated functionality. HCE can provide not only competitive built-in functions but also harmonized functions with Web services in a smartphone, such as a social network service or m-health service. This paper introduces the goal and practical functions of HCE to demonstrate its superiority. It also describes the expandability of the engine towards harmonization between smartphone functions and Web services.

• Problems with Using Smart Devices for Business and Efforts to Resolve Them

Recently, smart devices have come to be used more often in the mobile phone market in Japan. As smartphones spread, so the amount of data traffic increases. In order to correspond to this increase in data traffic, wireless telecommunication companies are reinforcing their radio infrastructure such as that for LTE, WiMAX, and public wireless LAN. And the mobile broadband environment for using smart devices such as smartphones and tablets is quickly being created. The spread of such devices has led companies to examine the possibility of using smartphones for business. However, their examinations are making it clear that there are problems in terms of security, introduction cost, and such like. This paper clarifies the above-mentioned topics, and indicates a method for introducing smart devices in corporate business.

• Case Examples of Services and Applications Utilizing Smartphones

Recently, smartphones and tablets have seen explosive growth in the consumer market. In consideration of their high portability, high functionality and higher cost performance as compared with notebook PCs, the volume of shipments of smartphones is expected to exceed 35 million units in FY 2016. An increasing number of enterprises are considering introducing these new terminals in the hope of being able to change work styles, revitalize organizations and revolutionize business. Before such enterprises can introduce smartphones and tablets, however, there are many issues to be resolved such as security and introduction and operation costs. This paper presents the services and applications provided by Fujitsu to allow safe and effective use of smartphones and tablets.

• Network Services Required for Business Operations Using Smartphones

Studies are in process to make use of smartphones and tablets, which have rapidly become widespread in the consumer market, as business tools for office work, customer contact operations and specialized operations in various work sites. Before smartphones can be used in such operations, however, issues must be resolved such as anxiety about security and insufficient IT skills for their introduction and operation. To conduct specific studies on such introduction and operation, it must be understood that, in terms of using operations data, there are several different forms of smartphone application each with their own different issues. Based on that understanding, consideration must be given to factors including the content of operations, cost/deployment period, existing system environment and operational load to select the form of application and solution appropriate for the company. This paper summarizes the forms of application of smartphones. It also presents network services capable of resolving issues that arise in using in-house Web applications such as information leakage and unauthorized connections, and adaptation of existing systems to smartphones, from the perspectives of terminals, networks and applications. It also gives examples of their use.

• Context Desktop Technology

We are now conducting research and development on a service platform which vertically integrates smart devices and the cloud, so as to provide adequate information and services to humans. Recently, we have developed Context Desktop technology which selects and delivers the minimum services to smart devices depending on the human situation. In this paper, we describe the concept and structure of Context Desktop and its applications. Context Desktop automatically provides optimal applications to smart devices and changes the available application sets on these devices based on real-world data sensed with the devices or ambient sensors. This technology frees users from having to set up applications in advance, and thus enables them to utilize smart devices, when and wherever needed.

• High-Speed Thin Client Technology for Mobile Environment: Mobile RVEC

Thin client systems on smart terminals have been attracting interest from mobile workers because they do not need to hold any important business data, leading to improved security and business efficiency. In order to use a virtual desktop smoothly in various mobile environments with fluctuating bandwidth and packet loss ratio, it is essential for smart terminals to have a stable mechanism for transferring images over an unstable network and smooth touch operation. To meet these requirements, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has developed new technologies called Mobile RVEC. They consist of an adaptive image transfer mechanism that considers variations in network bandwidth on a real-time basis, a data transfer protocol for unstable networks, and a touch-based user interface for mobile thin clients. These technologies promise to open up new applications such as interactive product demonstrations at customer premises on mobile thin clients.

• Technological Initiatives for Waterproof and Thin Smartphones

Smartphones are becoming larger with the use of higher-capacity batteries that allow for more sophisticated functions and longer operating times, and their screens are becoming larger so that the displayed items are easier to see. At the same time, however, people are essentially carrying them around for use in daily life, and this means smartphones must be easy to hold, compact and waterproof, and be able to be used free of worry since they are not easily damaged. By satisfying these conflicting requirements and enhancing the design aesthetics as well, smartphones with improved overall marketability must be developed to meet the needs of the market. In order to develop salable smartphones, a product which is becoming diversified, it is important to have technological development in line with individual product concepts. Accordingly, we have been working on giving smartphones a waterproof structure that suits their thinness and design while avoiding the restrictions that an ordinary waterproof structure places on a phone design in terms of its size, shape and such like. We have also worked to make each and every component as thin as possible, and give smartphones a more efficient component layout. This paper presents technologies for achieving waterproof and thin smartphones, which are in the market environment described above, and approaches to having those technologies further evolve.

• Approach to Commercialization of RakuRaku Smartphone

The Fujitsu RakuRaku Phone, which we developed jointly with NTT DOCOMO, is a long-selling line of products with 16 models commercialized from 2001 up to the present, and over 20 million units have been sold. As the cell phone market is rapidly shifting toward smartphones, the elderly are also increasingly interested in smartphones. In view of this market environment, Fujitsu has worked in cooperation with NTT DOCOMO to commercialize RakuRaku Smartphone as a new model of the RakuRaku Phone line and started to offer the product in August 2012. Based on thorough research and analysis, we have identified the values of and challenges faced by the elderly, who are the main target customers. We have re-examined all of the hardware and software to develop a smarphone that can be used without the users being made aware of their age or physical ability. This paper presents our approach to commercialization with the focus on the development of a touch panel-type user interface, to which we have paid the most attention in the development of the RakuRaku Smartphone.

• Approach to Developing Windows Phone Products

Fujitsu has launched in Japan a cutting-edge smartphone that runs Windows Phone 7.5 as a world first. iPhone and Android products are rapidly getting popular in the business market. In these circumstances, Fujitsu has developed a range of competitive products that run not only Android but also Windows Phone, though the latter operating system does not have a strong position in the market. Fujitsu has a good relationship with Microsoft since it shares product policies, key features and advanced technologies in the early stage of development. Also Fujitsu optimizes the performance of its products that run Windows Phone in areas such as operation response, low-power consumption, and stability (quality), and promotes those key features as a Fujitsu product that guarantees various specifications for interface and validation criteria. This paper describes Fujitsu's efforts to develop products that run Windows Phone and that enhance the position of smartphone platform such as Android and iOS.

• Development of Tablet Devices and Future Prospects

In 2011, Fujitsu commercialized a highly functional, waterproof tablet device with support for LTE and 1seg (one-segment broadcasting by ISDB-T) for the Japanese market. It adopts a large 1280×800 pixel screen, high-definition display and dual-core CPU. The device is easy to use, has high performance—achieved by Fujitsu's Human-Centric Engine—and is waterproof and supports 1seg. Fujitsu has given this product a gesture control function for easier use as a waterproof device. And it has been given a front stereo speaker structure for higher acoustic performance as a large-screen entertainment device. These functions is achieved a new user experience. This paper presents Fujitsu's technological approach to developing a larger screen than smartphones have. It describes the features this product has been given on the assumption that it will be used in new areas of daily life, which were made possible by the large screen. It also explains the points we paid special attention to in our development. In addition, this paper describes how Fujitsu aims to accommodate a further expansion of cloud services and its relationship with human-centric technology for future development of tablet devices.

• Device Connectivity Technologies Using Short-distance Wireless Telecommunication

Having seamless connectivity among digital devices in a multi-network environment is a key requirement in establishing the Human-Centric world proposed by Fujitsu. Better device connectivity with short-distance wireless telecommunication technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC provides users with appropriate services anywhere and in any situation in the fields of entertainment, health and communication. There are three types of device connectivity. The first is connectivity of audio-visual equipment that allows digital content in a smartphone to be sent to a TV, and then played on the TV; it also makes it possible to control content in a digital recorder with a smartphone and play it on a TV. The second is connectivity of in-vehicle apparatus that allows you to take a hands-free call and play back audio on in-vehicle apparatus. The third is connectivity of healthcare apparatus that allows you to easily collect data that are acquired with measuring equipment, accumulate data on a server in a network, and then utilize such data for medical care and fitness. This paper outlines short-distance wireless telecommunication technologies and shows our innovative application technologies for connectivity and interoperability among smartphones, audio-visual equipment, car navigation systems, and healthcare devices.

• Approach to Smartphone Design

Recently, the enhancement of communication infrastructure, Web services, applications and handsets has caused a rapid increase in the number of customers switching from conventional mobile phones to smartphones. While feature phones have been provided mostly by Japanese domestic manufacturers, many manufacturers of smartphones are based overseas and customers' expectations for design and attitudes toward quality are gradually changing. To adequately create designs that are appealing to customers in such a market environment, we must develop designs that embody the values of customers while clarifying Fujitsu's originality and points of differentiation based on an understanding of the situations in which customers use such products, how they use them, and their preferences. This paper presents the evolution of mobile phones up to the present and describes our approaches to smartphone design and the requirements that designs must meet. It then gives our views on these aspects and specific examples.

• Smartphone User Interface

As smartphones have become popular in recent years, a touch-based user interface (UI) has also become familiar to many users. A touch-based UI, with which users directly operate their devices, is more natural to use than indirect operation based on a key UI, because it is much easier to learn how to use it and the rules that are involved. This paper describes how to make the UI more intuitive so devices can be used without the need to read a user manual. Furthermore, this paper introduces our original input method using Fujitsu's handwriting technology to expand the potential of touch UI.

• Hardware Platform for Supporting Smartphones

Recently, smartphones have been spreading drastically, spurred on by companies such as Apple and Google, and they will account for over 70% of domestic mobile phone sales in fiscal year 2012. The spread of smartphones leads to several changes in our mobile user experience; the standard user interface changed from that used in a conventional mobile phone to a touch panel. This has led to devices with larger size and higher resolution displays. The amount of data that a browser needs to process in a given time is increasing as wireless networks are speeding up. As a result, smartphones must not only have a processing speed that is equivalent to the speed of personal computers a few years ago, but also low power consumption. Achieving both these requirements simultaneously is a big challenge. This paper introduces rapidly evolving application processors in a high-performance hardware platform for supporting smartphones. It then describes Fujitsu's approach to solving technical challenges to ensure smartphones have the required features, performance and low power consumption.

• Development Approaches to Android Software Platform

Android smartphones first appeared on the market in October 2008 and overtook Apple's iPhone, the early market leader, to obtain the largest market share of the smartphone market, bringing large changes to the way people use cell phones. Android is developed and distributed as open-source software. And device vendors integrate it and original features into their hardware. The Android platform is still rapidly growing along with fast advances in hardware specifications. In addition, high-speed network infrastructure service (WiMAX, LTE) was launched in 2011. Therefore the ways smartphones are used and services for them are drastically expanding. In December 2010, Fujitsu released its REGZA Phone T-01C based on the Android platform with Japanese features (waterproof, receiver for one-segment broadcasting, FeliCa, and infrared communication). Since then, we have been developing Android smartphones with not only new features but also improved user-friendliness. This paper presents our efforts and technologies to ensure stability and power-saving, which have been important system design items, manner mode for user-friendliness, high-quality picture technology with Mobile REGZA Engine, and technology to connect to AV electrical appliances with DLNA.

• LTE-capable Multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Baseband LSI

Fujitsu, jointly with NTT DOCOMO, NEC, and Panasonic Mobile Communications, has developed a baseband LSI that realizes on one chip the Multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) communications function supporting Long Term Evolution (LTE) and High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+). The demand for mobile communications with high-speed traffic is rapidly increasing due to the dissemination of smartphones and demand for high-speed data transmission is increasing in many countries and regions. Meanwhile, different communication systems are deployed in different countries and regions to speed up data transmission and their coexisting conventional systems are also different in many cases. Accordingly, communication platforms for mobile phones and baseband LSIs, which are one of the key elements of such platforms, need to support a variety of communication systems. This paper presents the characteristics and key technologies of the Multi-RAT baseband LSI that has been developed to support a variety of communication systems and the direction towards future technological development in these areas.

• Security Technologies for Smartphones

Smartphones contain personal information, network operator information, and often contain company information. Most smartphones adopt an open-source OS and anyone can refer to its source codes, so it may be possible to maliciously and illegally acquire such information. Fujitsu protects this information with multiple technologies such as Secure Boot, Linux Security Module, and TrustZone^TM to ensure smartphones are safe. Secure Boot is a technology to detect whether a boot program of a smartphone has been changed and make it impossible for a boot program that a third party has changed to start up. It also protects network operator information. Linux Security Module controls access to information by any program installed after factory shipment, stops unauthorized access to information and prevents personal information leaks. TrustZone separates program operating environments with hardware and is a technology to prevent unauthorized access to information by any program on open-source OS. It also ensures online banking services carried out on a smartphone are safe. This paper introduces each of the technologies of Secure Boot, Linux Security Module, TrustZone.

• Automated Production Method Supporting Our Smartphone Manufacturing

Due to the transition to smartphones in recent years, the keywords in their manufacture have become shortening the development period and reducing costs. To that end, it is necessary to have technology for vertical launch (a marketing technique where, rather than expanding a business in steps, it is maximized in one go from the start of business to production and sales) to be able to manufacture products in a short time. In addition, an automatic production method is needed that can cope with model changes. Fujitsu Peripherals Limited (FPE) has accumulated technology to develop and manufacture ubiquitous devices such as mobile phones and tablet PCs. At the same time, it has acquired superior mechatronics technologies in its system printer business and automated manufacturing equipment business field. While utilizing an automatic production method that applies these technologies and brings them to general use, it is developing its manufacturing while sticking to the principle of "Made in Japan." FPE's method involves using various types of robot (parallel link robots, multi-joint robots, linear motion robots) as a platform, and uniquely customizing peripheral parts such as a robot hand or testing part in order to have an automatic production system that suits FPE. This paper focuses on the issues in developing and manufacturing smartphones, and presents ways to solve them using the technology FPE possesses. It also introduces automation technology that supports "Made in Japan" manufacturing.

• Manufacturing Innovation for Smartphones

Mobile phone manufacturers are now changing their main products from feature phones to smartphones. In addition, due to the stagnation of the global economy, the manufacturing industry in Japan is faced with six main issues: a strong yen, high corporation tax, a delay in trade liberalization, tight labor regulations, global warming, and a power shortage problem stemming from the accident at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. While being exposed to cutthroat cost competition from overseas vendors, Fujitsu Mobile-phone Products Limited (FMPL), as a key factory of mobile phones, is not only providing even higher-quality products to customers but also working on production innovation so that FMPL can continue to manufacture in Japan. This paper presents the four pillars of our activities (smartphone test innovation, automation and robotization, strengthening of prototyping and evaluation, and standardization of manufacturing and repair).