Mmbi has raised $618 million in funding as they prepare to launch a smartphone broadcasting service. The investors in this round are from their 11 corporate partners, which includes Fujitsu, Sharp, and Fuji Media Holdings. Their new partners will also provide media business expertise. Mmbi is a subsidiary of mobile communications company NTT DoCoMo. They have issued 962,000 new shares and the 11 partners took 196,620 of them. Other existing shareholders took the other 765,360 shares. [Variety]

Fujitsu Japan has built one of the “world’s first” glasses-free 3D desktop known as the Esprimo FH99/CM. The Esprimo FH99/CM is a 23-inch widescreen with a full HD 3D panel. Other specs include Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), Intel Core i7-2630QM 2GHz processor, Intel H65 Express chip set, 4GB of memory, 2TB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, IEEE 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. The Esprimo FH99/CM will be available in Japan on February 25th and it will retail for $3,100. No word on whether it will be available in the U.S. as of yet.

Fujitsu has announced the ScanSnap S1100, which is known as one of the smallest document scanners in the world. The ultra-portable scanner weighs only 12 ounces. The device has a single USB cable that converts scanned data into searchable PDF files. It then transforms your documents into editable Google Docs, Evernote, Word and Excel files. Scanning a full document takes 7.5 seconds at 300dpi and color. The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 costs $199. [Coolest-Gadgets]

Fujitsu is now selling a 10.1-inch tablet in the U.S. called the Lifebook T580. This device has a Core i3 / i5 processor and a capacitive display with an N-trig digitizer. The $1,149 “Express Buy” version of the device has a Core i3-380UM processor with 2GB of RAM, 160GB storage, and a 5,800mAh six-cell battery. [GottaBeMobile]

Masami Yamamoto, the President of Fujitsu Ltd. said that the company is “very actively” seeking acquisitions in order to enhance their global growth. “Targets will be companies that have technologies that Fujitsu doesn’t have or that have customers that Fujitsu has never been able to reach so far,” said Yamamoto in a translated interview in New York. “We would like to get engaged very actively in M&A activities.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has acquired the iPad trademark from Fujitsu. The trademark (serial number 76947338) was assigned to Fujitsu in March 2003 for their iPad wireless handheld computing device that was sold at retailers. The trademark was assigned to Apple on March 17. [USPTO via PatentAuthority]

Fujitsu has unleashed a new phone called the PRIME Series F-09A on the NTT DOCOMO. The F-09A will be available on June 10 in Japan. The F-09A has a 3.4″ touchscreen with a VGA LCD. The F-09A screen can slide and rotate into a horizontal position. The F-09A is the only phone with the world’s first Exercise Monitor. The phone has an 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus. The phone also has a geomagnetic sensor and GPS. Other features include 3G connection, GSM, Bluetooth, and TV tuner.

[via GizmoWatch]

Now here’s an interesting way to use the Google Android open source operating system.  Android is already used on mobile phones and it is rumored that several companies are installing them in netbooks.  But now Fujitsu and Macnica are teaming up to install Android into digital photo frames.  The project is called “Software Platform for Home Network Digital Photo Frames.”  The above frame was shown on display in Japan several days ago.

[via Engadget/TechOn!]