Give exercise the finger:
Is it laziness or just a desire for precision? Fukui Computer is bringing out a line of exercise machines, named medimo, that come equipped with finger-vein authentication readers from Hitachi. A user identifies themselves by pressing a finger to the reader and, once satisfied with the ID check, the machine automatically adjusts the weight resistance and seat position in accordance with the user's previously logged-in preferences. The machines also retrieve the user's personal exercise data from a remote server. The information, including exercise records and statistics, training regimens and calorie consumption figures, are shown on a touch-screen display. The data are also updated each time the exerciser uses one of the machines. With all those advanced features, the medimo machines are not for the home gym, except perhaps those belonging to the fitness-crazy uber-wealthy: Fukui starts selling the ¥1.8-million machines on April 1, targeting fitness gyms and hospitals in particular. Visit www.medimo.info/index.html for more information. Sound computing: Even Apple has not changed one fundamental characteristic of desktop computers — the almost universally afterthought nature of the machines' built-in sound systems, complete with tinny speakers. Onkyo, known for its audio products, has tried to redress the balance with computers that make sound reproduction the cornerstone of their performance. Its latest "HD audio computer," the APX-2, has a 1.66-gigahertz Core 2 Duo T5500 chip set, 1 gigabyte of RAM and a 500-gigabyte hard drive, and it runs Windows Vista. Making the stylish box stand out is its digital-audio amplifier and noise-canceling measures make the computer as silent as possible. Onkyo worked with computer manufacturer Sotec on the machine. Costing ¥219,800, it went on sale Feb. 15, and more information is online at www.jp.onkyo.com/apx2.
Back to the past: Sony is looking back to the glory days of analog audio with its CFD-W77 dual-tape recorder. The machine sports a double tape-deck of the sort that was standard on stereos and boom-boxes until just a few years ago, allowing users to dub from one tape to another. For those who still have a horde of tapes stashed away, unable or unwilling to upgrade them to CDs or some other format, this will be justthe ticket. The new product also includes a CD player, an FM/AM radio tuner and two 2.5-watt speakers. It hit the shelves last week with a price tag of ¥15,800. Visit www.jp.sonystyle.com/Qnavi for more information.