Watch BBC iPlayer in the bath with the waterproof Fujitsu Arrows tablet [Video]

If you’re used to precariously balancing your laptop on a stool in the bathroom to watch a film or catch up TV, then you may want to take a plunge and consider a waterproof Arrows tablet from Fujitsu.

Fujitsu Arrow underwater Android tablet

Is it really fully functional underwater?

The Arrows tablet will work perfectly well underwater, although it can’t be controlled underwater. So a video can be set to play, and then the tablet can be submerged. Also, to record video, something you might want to do a snorkelling holiday, you could start recording above the surface, and then dive. However a dedicated waterproof video camera might be a better option in this scenario.

The Arrows tablet runs Android 3.2, and as with many tablets it has a 10.1-inch display with a 1,280×800 resolution.

So it’s waterproof, but is it a decent tablet?

It’s general performance is quite ordinary. The touchscreen is capacitive, but it wasn’t on a par with the most responsive of models.

The camera on the rear can snap 5Mp stills and there’s also a VGA quality front-facing camera for video calls.

Fujistsu claims that its 6560mAH battery will last on standby connected to a 3G network for 1,600 hours, which is around two months. This measurement isn’t terribly useful as you’d rather use your tablet than leave it on standby, so when we get it into our labs we’ll provide a more meaningful battery life measurement – such as video playback and web browsing.

The 1GB of RAM and the dual-core 1GHz processor make up the list of unremarkable specifications, but the waterproof qualities of the Fujitsu Arrow tablet make it a stand out product, and one that could have broad appeal, until a better-performing waterproof tablet comes along.

Which? Tablet reviews

We’ll look to test the Fujitsu Arrows tablet if and when it launches in the UK and when we do you’ll get the definitive verdict on the following:

Screen quality – A good quality on-screen image is vital to how a tablet performs. We examine every facet, including the viewing angle how reflective the screen is, its ability to resist fingermarks, display colour fidelity and the amount of fine detail shown or lost.

Battery life – After first conditioning the battery as per the manufacturer’s instructions, we test the battery life on wi-fi and watching HD video. We also test how long it takes to charge.

Usability – There are so many things that comprise a tablet’s usability. We test the touchscreen response, ease of typing on the virtual keyboard and the accessibility of connections as tablets are often used in conjuction with other devices.

This is just a flavour of the type of testing we do to examine tablet usability. For more detail, read our detailed how we test tablets page.

More on this…

• Which? tablet reviews - see which models we recommend to buy
• Tablet buying advice - easy to understand advice for beginners
• Tablet OS comparison video – see how Android, Apple iOS and BlackBerry compare
• CES 2012 news and videos – more news of products on show at the Las Vegas technology convention