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May 02, 2024
 

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IGADGET

Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 5, 2009
Bikes, VCR-DVD combos merge old into new
Green gadget: Sanyo is addressing the space issue in cities such as Tokyo with a new model of folding bicycle. The CY-SPJ220 is a rather small device with 20-inch tires. It folds in half for fitting into elevators and stowing in apartment foyers or on balconies. The bike weighs just 18 1/2 kg, making it portable. Sanyo is promoting it as part of a "micro park-and-ride concept." The idea is that you carry the bike in your car, park and then ride on to your final destination. On top of its portability the CY-SPJ220 is also no simple pedal pusher — it is an electric hybrid bike.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 29, 2009
Photographs are going to have an extra dimension soon
Revolutionary?: Watching 1950s Hollywood movies while wearing funny glasses was once the high tide of 3-D imagery. But in recent years, the cyclical fascination with 3-D has surged again, but the problem of needing those glasses has dogged the idea. Fujifilm claims to have freed 3-D imagery from spectacles with its new FinePix Real 3D W1 camera. Rather than a movie maker, the new gadget is a compact digital camera. It is operated in the usual fashion, but after the shutter is clicked, things get interesting. The camera uses two separate lenses to take photos, with each one recording to a separate sensor. The camera's innovative new processor, dubbed the "RP (Real Photo) Processor 3D," then takes the two images and joins them to create a purportedly 3-D image.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 22, 2009
Long-lasting netbooks and deep snapping
Get a battery life: Mobile computers these days suffer from a lack of mobility thanks to combining huge power consumption habits with little way to satisfy this demand. Asus is trying to redress the shortcoming in netbooks with a newly released model in its Seashell series of thin and light mobiles, the 1101HA. Marshalling a trio of tricks, namely the Asus Super Hybrid Engine (SHE), LED-backlit display and Z-series Intel Atom processor, the computer maker has claimed an extraordinary battery life of 11 hours. Real life performances rarely match the claims of companies on battery life, but even if the pair fall a few hours short of the specs, they still leave their rivals looking flat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 8, 2009
Ecological lights, clear sound and a way to digitize cassettes
Let there be light: Sanyo's latest addition to its Eneloop world is a lamp that looks like a flower vase and does double duty as a flashlight. The ENL-Y1S runs on a pair of the company's AA-size Eneloop rechargeable batteries, which are acclaimed for being environmentally friendly. In lamp mode, it sits upright on a 12 cm base and produces a bright white glow all the way along its elongated 22 cm-long neck. Pick up the lamp and hold it horizontally, and the lamp switches over to flashlight mode with several LED lamps in the base coming on to project a beam of light and the stem serving as the flashlight handle. A third mode allows the lamp to be illuminated in a muted blue in place of its traditional white light. This mode allegedly has "healing" properties. The Eneloop lamp recharges when it is placed on the included AC-powered stand with the device taking up to 12 hours to get back up to full power.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 1, 2009
Resilient fax machines, tinier computers, USBs
Think you know small?: Before netbooks, all the buzz was about the UMPC, or ultra mobile PC. These devices are smaller than netbooks, with 7-inch screens. They also outdo their more celebrated compatriots for innovation, as UMPCs come with touch screens. Despite the bid to do something different, the consensus seems to be that the UMPCs are just too small and netbooks have stolen the show. Local technology firm Kohjinsha, however, has stayed true to the theme. Its newest UMPC, the SK3KX06GA, debuted last week with a diverse range of features on offer. One key element of the machine is its diminutive size, it weighs just 720 grams and measures 193×132×30 mm. The other headline feature is the convertible nature of its screen, which can be swiveled around away from the keyboard.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 24, 2009
A new camera that packs portable power
Phone book: Toshiba's new mobile phone, the Biblio, aims to capitalize on the e-book boom. The Biblio, which is a KDDI handset under its au brand, looks at first glance like an iPhone clone with its 3.5-inch touchscreen. However, the phone sports unusually good e-book reading credentials. In particular, the Biblio comes with "Book Player," a book- reading program that operates with KDDI's EZ Book e-book service. It also has a built-in electronic dictionary. On the hardware side the Biblio's screen has an exceptional 480×960 resolution, helping it to display books in sharp relief. The screen can also be altered to make it hard for others to see what is on the screen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 17, 2009
A new, faster generation of wireless Internet
Maximum range: WiMax is a form of wireless Internet that operates in much the same way as Wi-Fi, but offers greater range, in theory up to 40 km from a central transmitter, and faster speeds than its sibling. It is also just starting in Japan, whereas Wi-Fi is ubiquitous. As part of a concerted push to promote WiMax in Japan, Onkyo's computing outfit, Sotec, has just brought out a netbook that comes equipped with both Wi-Fi and WiMax.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 10, 2009
Sony sorts out the PSP; netbooks get a dose of speed
Small game: Technology companies have an easy way of dealing with mistakes — don't admit them, just quietly stop using the failed innovation. Sony sticks to this dogma with the latest version of its PlayStation Portable gaming devices. Previously, Sony has used universal media discs, a kind of miniature DVD, as the preferred storage method for games and movies on the devices. But its new PSPgo, known formally as the PSP-N1000, relies on internal memory and memory cards for storage and can also download content via wireless. The key benefit of axing the UMD drive is that the PSPgo can be made smaller than its predecessors. It weighs just 158 grams compared to 260 grams for the previous model, the PSP 3000, itself deemed slimmer than the older PSPs. The new model also reduces its dimensions with a clever design change. Instead of having the control pad and other buttons arranged to the left and right of the screen, the PSPgo puts the controls on one panel with the screen on a separate panel above that slides up into position. The change makes the device much more pocketable.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 3, 2009
Tiny HD TVs, a jogger's dream and a tough camcorder
Small and defined: Sharp is looking to save on space with an innovative addition to its high-definition TV family. Sharp claims the Aquos DX, or LC-20DX1, is the world's first 20-inch LCD TV with a built-in Blu-ray burner. Apart from the basic function of showing high-definition television, the DX also offers Blu-ray, DVD and CD playback and video recording. The built-in video recorder can store up to seven hours of high-definition television, which can be copied to Blu-ray discs. Flat-panel TV sets with built-in Blu-ray players are not unusual, but they typically take up much more real estate with 40-inch screens or bigger. Getting a video recorder, much less a Blu-ray burner, into the picture typically requires a separate box again. So, Sharp's all-in-one approach is a smart sales pitch.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 27, 2009
Matching beats, solar chats and tiny vids
Pace me with your rhythm stick: Yamaha is improving the connection between music and physical workouts with the release this month of the BF-1 BODiBEAT digital music player (¥29,800). The BODiBEAT chooses the songs in a playlist you upload to the device that go best with the pace of your workout. A languid ballad will accompany a meandering walk, a jog is greeted with something up-tempo, and a full-blown sprint brings out the raciest numbers in your music library.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 20, 2009
Aerial mice, speaker/stands and hi-def Macs
Wave your hands in the air: Wireless is just the headliner in the campaign to free computers from electric cords. While touch screens threaten to make the mouse extinct, some are trying to give traditional pointers a new lease on life. Filco has crafted the recently released BTLS900 Air Mouse (¥9,200), which is not only free of any cord connecting it to a PC, it doesn't even need a mouse pad or other surface to work on. Equipped with a gyro sensor, the Filco creation can be waved in the air like Nintendo's trend-setting Wii remote control. Swishing the mouse left moves the cursor on your screen to the left, while moving the mouse up triggers a corresponding move and so on.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 13, 2009
Extra power for your netbook
More for your book: Japanese gadget innovator Century is offering a device for putting more muscle into netbooks in the form of its Netbook Stand, the CNBS-WT/ODD. While fundamentally a netbook cooler, the Century gadget also packs in a DVD burner. A fan is built into the left side and swivels up into an unusual vertical position for use. The Netbook Stand also includes space under its lid for an extra 2.5-inch SATA hard drive or solid state drive. A netbook is simply placed on top of the stand and hooked up via a USB cable; the fan is then powered up and the DVD drive is ready for use. It completes the package with two extra USB sockets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 6, 2009
Shedding light with a green gadget
Innovation to monitor: Eizo Nanao is addressing the power-wastage produced by computer screens with the 20-inch EV2023W and 23-inch EV2303W FlexScan monitors, which incorporate its creative EcoView Sense feature. The essence of this innovation is that the monitors automatically switch to electricity- saving sleep mode when nobody is sitting in front of them. This bit of digital magic is achieved with the aid of built-in motion sensors. If no movement is detected within 1.2 meters of the monitor for 40 seconds then the order to power down is given. Moreover, the same sensor automatically restarts the monitor when it next detects motion, so you can walk away from your computer free of guilt over the hidden cost to the environment, and your wallet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 29, 2009
From dust-gathering tapes to the digital age
Walkman brand still standing: Sony's latest additions to the once-venerable Walkman brand, the NW-X1050 and NW-X1060 (released last week), base their appeal on a wide range of features for watching video and playing music. Each of the pair sports a 3-inch OLED touch-screen display, which has a 432×240-pixel resolution. While OLED screens are known for their clear, bright pictures, you can't escape the difficult nature of watching images on such small screens.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 22, 2009
Slimmed-down Hitachi TVs, another swing-screen Nikon and an MP3 player for the pool
It's not what you put in: If you want to build a thinner television, the trick is to take something out. So, Hitachi has slimmed down its latest LCD lineup by the simple expedient of taking out the TV tuner and supplying it as a separate, but included, wirelessly connected box. The result is its four XP800 models, which feature bezels that have a thickness of 35 mm. Beyond the slimness, the televisions have standard styling, sitting on a rounded stand and coming in either black or white.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 15, 2009
Moving forward with speed and quality
Driving forward: The line that divided solid-state drives (SSDs) from hard disks has always been that the former have speed and toughness, while the traditional disks boast much greater capacity. This distinction is beginning to disappear, and PhotoFast erases more of the barrier with its G-Monster eSATA. This is an SSD that connects via a standard USB and eSATA, or external SATA connection. SATA plugs are the ones inside your computer for connecting such necessities as a hard disk and optical drive to your motherboard. The idea of eSATA is to provide a plug on the outside of your computer to which you can connect external storage devices. In effect, it serves the same function as a USB or FireWire connection but offers faster data-transfer speeds.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 8, 2009
New technology to transform old products
Ray of hope: Two new Blu-ray products by Sony are taking aim at the DVD and also undermining traditional television. Sony's new Blu-ray recorders, the 320-gigabyte BDZ-A750 and the larger 500-gigabyte BDZ-A950, work as both Blu-ray burners and hard-disk video recorders. The pair are designed for downloading videos that are bought from the Tsutaya TV or acTVila video-on-demand services. These can then be transferred to a PlayStation Portable or media players that can read Sony video formats for watching on the smaller screen. TV programs that are recorded on to the BDZ units the old-fashioned way can also be transferred to the portable devices.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 1, 2009
Pictures, videos and talking without hands
For the record: Some of the most impressive camcorders being made at the moment are compact or pocket recorders. Tokyo-based Amadana, known for stylish contributions to more routine products such as hair dryers, has crafted a unique-looking camcorder with its new SAL. The SAL looks like an old digital audio player, with a small screen on the top half of its rectangular slab and the control buttons clustered on the bottom half. The lens is on the reverse side of the SAL, with the user pointing it at the subject while framing the view on the small screen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Mar 25, 2009
A revolution in lighting, Japan's Kindle and an on-the-go theater
Light fantastic: The traditional light bulb in this period of global warming is seen as wasteful: It uses too much electricity and has too short a life span. Bulbs that use light-emitting diodes (LED) are seen as leading candidates to replace the incandescent bulb. Toshiba is promoting this technology with a new pair of E-Core branded light bulbs, the LEL-AW4L and LEL-AW4N. Equivalent to 40-watt bulbs, the pair are intended to replace conventional bulbs in homes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Mar 18, 2009
Clarity up for reading, dieting and television
Tuned in: The small fortunes people spend on television antennas or television sets can be a waste of money if both products are not of a similar quality. Panasonic looks to solve this problem with its new compact LCD high-definition TV, the 17-inch Viera TH-L17F1. The key to this innovative set is that it comes with four built-in digital terrestrial antennas. These team up with a new tuner that takes the signals from the four antennas and combines them into a single image. Panasonic claims that this system creates a top-quality picture. The TV can also be switched to operate off the 1Seg portable system if you are in an area that does not receive regular terrestrial signals, though be warned: The picture quality of 1seg television is very low.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

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