In Fujitsu's first full-fledged entry into smartphone sales overseas, the firm intends to launch its smartphone targeting the elderly in France by the end of this year, company officials said Monday.
The handset will be marketed by major French telecom carrier France Telecom, the officials said. The company also hopes to sell its smartphone in other European nations, including Britain and Spain, as well as in North America, if it receives a good reception in France, they said.
Under its plan, Fujitsu plans to launch a model based on its Raku-Raku (easy-to-use) smartphone, which hit the Japanese market last August.
The handset, sold by NTT DoCoMo Inc., features a touch screen that can accurately differentiate between a finger stroke and a tap, making it easy to use for elderly people who may be unfamiliar with touch panels, according to Fujitsu.
As sales of the easy-to-use handset have been successful in Japan, "The handset may be accepted as well in Europe, where the market for the elderly is big," a senior company official said.
