NTT DoCoMo to release low-cost tablet in Japan: Nikkei

The new tablet will be able to connect to the Internet via wireless LAN, but will not be compatible with 3G or LTE high-speed wireless services.

Mobile phone service provider NTT DoCoMo Inc will soon release a low-cost tablet computer in Japan priced
between 10,000 yen ($110) and 15,000 yen, the Nikkei reported.

The tablet will be made by China's Huawei Technologies Co and feature a 10-inch screen, the Japanese business daily said.

The new tablet will be able to connect to the Internet via wireless LAN, but will not be compatible with 3G or LTE (Long Term Evolution) high-speed wireless services, the newspaper reported.

Telecom equipment maker Huawei has diversified into the mobile devices area selling dongles, mobile phones and tablet PCs, aiming to tap the fast-growing sector.

The new product will be launched by this spring, for sale at DoCoMo Shops and electronics mass merchandisers throughout Japan, the daily said.

Apple Inc, maker of the iPad, already faces stiffening competition in tablets from a growing crowd of rival products from makers, including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd with its Galaxy and Microsoft Corp's Surface.

With the consumer shift to smaller 7-inch screen devices, tablet-makers have responded with Apple coming out with its iPad mini, Amazon.com Inc with its Kindle and Google Inc with its Nexus 7. ($1 = 89.7950 Japanese yen)