Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 19th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
In October last year , Pentax launched a “robotic” version of their K-x entry level digital camera, a colorful variation of the conventional black model. And today, the same company, presented another “creative” approach, the “Camera-man” [JP]. It’s not a new camera (or a special version of an existing device) but a set of accessories, namely a special 52mm lens cap (which shows a smiley) and a puppet body that needs to be fixed beneath the cap. As a result, you get the Camera-man. Pentax says there are 100 different design variations for the Camera-man. The main selling points are that the accessories were created by a famous Japanese designer, 100% handmade and only available for a limited amount of time. I don’t know who’d be interested in turning his or her camera into something like this, which is why in this case it’s not a tragedy the Camera-man is Japan-only. Each design costs $33.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
We last blogged about EMIEW2 , a two-legged robot made by Hitachi, in July 2008 . The main selling point was (and still is) an array of 14 microphones integrated into his head, enabling him to identify three different human voices simultaneously . But up until now, EMIEW2 tended to easily fall over on bumpy surfaces, which isn’t really ideal for a humanoid that’s supposed to one day serve as a receptionist and “walking” guide. That’s why Hitachi has been working on a sophisticated suspension system for his wheels that helps the new version maintain its balance in certain situations. In the case of EMIEW2 running over the edge of a rug, for example, a sensor built into his body detects his body position and automatically adjusts the length of the springs attached to the wheels, preventing the robot from toppling over. If a wheel loses contact with the ground, it automatically stops rotating, lowering the chance of the robot falling over. Hitachi says the previous EMIEW2 models had problems with bumps that were just a few millimeters high. But the updated version is able to handle bumps that are up to 1.5cm high. EMIEW2 himself stands 80cm tall, weighs 13kg and can run as fast as 6km/h. Via The Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Japanese video gaming powerhouse Square Enix has released a handful of hit titles for the iPhone already (including Final Fantasy I and II ), but the next one, an RPG named Chaos Rings, is poised to blow them all out of the water. Officially announced [JP] today, the game’s trailer shows absolutely amazing graphics. There will be five scenarios in the game, a turn-based battle system, boss fights, and “five 2-person teams that enter into a battle tournament to the death” (the game’s main storyline revolves around said tournament). Square Enix says Chaos Rings will be an original iPhone title with optimized touch controls. And it seems to have the best graphics seen on the iPhone so far. The company released the trailer for Chaos Rings just a few hours ago. It’s in Japanese, but that doesn’t matter too much in this case. Expect the title to hit the App Store “soon”, at the very least within this year (judging from the trailer, the game could be pretty much finished). Here it is: Via andriasang
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
The electric car continues to be a hot topic in Japan . A slew of influential Japanese companies like Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi (whose i miev is pictured above), or Tokyo Electric Power have now started an initiative aimed at creating a global standard, dubbed CHAdeMO, for high-speed battery chargers for electric cars. The consortium will consist of a total of 158 different companies and organizations. The goal is to turn a charging system developed by Tokyo Electric Power into a global standard for electric cars. That system lets the charger determine what kind of batteries are installed and how much charge they require, basically a charging protocol. The technology is already being put to practical use by Mitsubishi and Subaru, with Nissan likely to follow. Most electric cars still can’t travel more than 200km on a single charge, which makes the availability of brand-agnostic charging stations a critical factor for their future success. Apart from Japanese firms (Honda, Mazda or Toshiba will also take part), the consortium also has European engineering group ABB, PSA from France (Peugeot, Citroën), German auto equipment giant Robert Bosch and a few other foreign companies among its members. The Japanese government is supporting the joint venture with $13.7 million.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Are you a woman? Are you sick of seeing all those manly USB sticks around you every day? Then these four new models announced [JP] by Buffalo in Japan today might be right for you. Aimed specifically at “mature women”, each model is available with 4GB or 8GB of storage. Color-wise, buyers can choose between Rich Brown, Shiny Coral, Royal White and the inevitable Glossy Pink. Buffalo plans to start selling the pretty sticks in Japan at the beginning of April. The 4GB version will cost $28, while the 8GB sticks will go for $40. Buffalo is active outside Japan, too, but didn’t say anything about international sales. If you’re interested, I’d suggest contacting import/export specialists Japan Trend Shop , Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya .
Posted by 010081
Tech
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
This robotic fish is not the first of its kind, but it’s certainly one of the coolest out there (granted, not too many of these actually exist). Developed by the Faculty of Engineering at Osaka City University , the unnamed robo fish can move very realistically and has a key selling point: It can be powered by a solid-polymer fuel cell dubbed “Power Tube”. The fish, which is 10cm long, can not only swim around but also dive and rise, thanks to a joint at the front end. The developers first used a motor but scrapped that idea later when they found out power consumption stood at 1W. A magnet system then did the trick, pushing down that number to just 10 milliwatts. The final goal is to develop a robot fish that’s able to swim for three consecutive days on a single charge. The robot is intended to be used for rescue work and maritime research in the future. This video shows the robot fish (and another cool model) in action:
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
First a Casio Exilim , now an ultra-mobile PC (or UMPC, as the Japanese say): Cult teddy bear Rilakkuma is on his way to dethrone Hello Kitty as the character of choice for Japanese electronics companies when it comes to giving gadgets that extra-cute touch. The bear is now to be seen on a special version of a Kohjinsha tablet PC [JP, PDF] that’s part of the company’s XS series. The Rilakkuma device features a 8.9-inch touchscreen with 1,280
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 15th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Augmented Reality is a pretty hot topic currently, but it seems to me that the Japanese in particular have really embraced the concept of mixing the real world with computer-generated imagery and data. One case in point is the Crimsonfox project [JP], an “Alternative Reality” scavenger hunt game event that took place over the weekend in Tokyo, Japan. The main idea here was to use a tailor-made augmented reality app on the iPhone (which is only available in the Japanese App Store) in a mass-player game in the real world, namely the central district of Shibuya . And over 200 players showed up in flesh and blood on the day of the event, all equipped with iPhones. Using said app, GPS and the built-in compass of the 3GS, players ran around in the city looking for hidden (physical) hints to find the real-world hideout of a “secret society called Moonlights”. On the screenshot below, you can see those hints in red and an interim goal in blue. Players were able to “scan” hints they found with their iPhones, for example a graphic printed on a piece of paper somewhere. The app would then verify the hint by superimposing an emblem (see below) over the image on the iPhone camera, give away points for finding the right hint and then lead players to the next part of the game. Very cool concept, so it wasn’t too surprising that the Crimsonfox project was watched by a total of 7,000 people live online. Tokyo-based Ubiquitous Entertainment , the main organizer of the event, was even able to win the support of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry . While this is probably possible in Japan only, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this kind of event copied for marketing or other purposes outside this country in the future (hit this link for more information on the game in English). Here’s the official Crimsonfox promo trailer:
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 15th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Last week it was Sony, and today it was Hitachi announcing [JP] a flood of new flat-screen TVs for the Japanese market. Hitachi does sell TVs outside this country , too, so chances are the four plasmas and seven LCDs find their way into other markets as well. (Some models will be offered in different colors, which is why you see more than 11 TVs in the picture above.) The company has divided their new line-up of Woo TVs into three series (XP05, HP05 and H05). XP05 The flagship XP05 series consists of three plasma TVs, namely a 42- ($2,650), a 46- ($3,100) and a 50-inch model (P50-XP05 for $3,650, pictured above). All of these devices are full HD, support DLNA, feature 4 HDMI ports and come with a 320GB internal HDD. The two LCD TVs in this series, a 32- ($1,900) and a 37-inch model ($2,200), just have a resolution of 1,366×768 (IPSα panel). But a 320GB internal HDD and DLNA support are on board as well. HP05 The HP05 series includes just two TVs, a plasma (the P42-HP05 with 42 inches for $2,200 is pictured above) and an LCD model (32 inches, $1,600). Buyers will get a resolution of 1,024×768 for the plasma and 1,366×768 for the LCD. Both TVs offer DLNA support and a 250GB internal HDD. H05 The four LCD TVs of the H05 series are entry-level devices with 1,366×768 resolution. Hitachi offers a 19- ($770), a 22- ($880), a 26- ($990) and a 32-inch model (the L32-H05 for $1,100 is pictured). All of these TVs have an IPS panel (just the 32-incher has an IPSα panel), support DLNA (client only) but lack an internal HDD. The TVs of all three series will hit Japanese stores on April 17.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 12th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">
Last month, we reported that according to some rumors in the industry, Sony is seriously considering relaunching their portable gaming device, the PSP Go, with a price cut and marketing campaign. And today, Tokyo-based research firm Media Create released [JP] the latest hardware sales numbers for Japan, one of the biggest video game markets in the world. And these numbers indicate that sales-wise, the PSP Go is poised to go down as the biggest failure in recent video gaming history: According to Media Create, a mere 1,275 units were sold all over Japan between March 1 and 7. By way of comparison: The Nintendo DS Lite (not the DSi or the XL) found 4,316 buyers in the same time frame. The regular PSP (the best portable gaming device ever in my opinion), on the other hand, was the No. 1 console, selling 64,808 units in that week. Sony was able to sell just 17,618 PSP GO [GER] in the ten weeks between December 28, 2009 and March 7, 2010 - an almost unbelievably low number. Good for Sony that in the same time frame, 667,961 of the regular PSPs were sold, making that device the best-selling game system in Japan in 2010 (if you ignore the three-way split of the DS systems). In Japan, the PSP Go currently goes for 26,800 Yen , a more than steep price when compared to the 16,800 to 19,800 Yen buyers have to pay for a PSP-300o or the 29,980 Yen a PS3 costs (10,000 Yen=$110). It looks like the rumored price cuts, marketing campaigns and hardware changes don’t come out of nowhere.