Tag - igadget

 
Menu
Search
 
May 02, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

IGADGET

LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Dec 12, 2007
Gadgetry supports the lazy, and Polaroid launches an iPod-friendly DVD player
Beam me everywhere, Scotty: Laziness is an industry in itself, and, judging by the gadgets that we crave, we are working rather hard to not work hard. Or maybe it is just the pursuit of versatility; why have just one way of doing something when we can create dozens of ways of fulfilling our wishes? Whatever the motive, NEC is pursuing it with its new Lui system, which was shown off at the iEXPO event in Tokyo last week. In essence this is a central server that allows you to stream media such as music, photos and videos to other devices in your own personal network. Initially at least the system will hook up with just two special "client" computers, a hand-held device and a notebook computer. These won't have their own operating systems but will be able to access Windows Vista via the server. The hand-held device will have a 4.1-inch touch-screen and weigh a suitably light 250 grams, with the notebook sporting a 10.6-inch WXGA screen and weighing 650 grams. The server, which looks like a stylish black and silver stereo deck, but which is almost devoid of buttons and lights, will include a pair of high-definition TV tuners and be able to record programs for beaming to the client devices. An expansion in the pipeline would allow the server to be accessed from a regular TV or video-game console. The system, which will use WiMAX to communicate to its constituent parts, is expected to hit the shelves in the first half of 2008 for an as yet undisclosed price. NEC has more information on Lui at: www.nec.co.jp.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Dec 5, 2007
Phones get both weirder and simpler; everything else becomes waterproof
Boning up on new tech: Call me old fashioned, but I like to hear sounds with my ears. Progress, however, is no fan of nostalgia, and so the bone-induction trend continues. NTT DoCoMo ups the ante with its Sound Leaf Plus keitai (cell phone) accessory, due out in February for around ¥13,000. The device, an upgrade of an existing model, hooks up to your handset via Bluetooth and delivers its sounds as vibrations through the bones of your skull and on to the inner ear. Beyond the novelty, the technology is intended to trump noisy environments, such as bars on Friday nights. Weighing in at just 45 grams, it runs for about 15 hours on two LR03 batteries. Improvements include a softer vibration pad.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Nov 28, 2007
Online goes HD, palm PCs go green
Hail HD: Sony is out to worship at the altar of high-definition. Its eyeVio video-sharing site has started up an HD TV service, which will allow users to put their offerings on public display in the super-resolution of 1280x720 pixels from spring 2008. Sony is also marketing its new BRX-NT1 network set-top box, with a price tag of ¥27,800, allowing users to stream HD TV content from the eyeVio site seamlessly to a suitable (Sony of course) Bravia TV set, rather than a staid old PC. Considering that so far there are only a dozen or so animated titles on offer, albeit for free, this is probably one for the early adopters, at least for now.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Nov 21, 2007
Save a bomb and warm your bones this winter
Saving can hurt: With Christmas on the way, it's time to get saving those pennies. Toymaker Tomy is offering to help with its bomb-shaped piggy bank. Looking like one of the ancient black bowling-ball-type bombs beloved of cartoons past, it comes complete with a white skull-and-crossbones motif and a bright red pedestal. Following the custom of these devices nagging their owners, the money box vibrates, shines a light, beeps and "explodes" to remind you to be frugal and feed it a steady diet of coins. Failure to stuff the bomb regularly will cause it to scatter its contents all over the place, forcing the would-be saver to contemplate the error of their ways. The penny-pincher goes on sale this week for just under ¥3,000.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Nov 7, 2007
Nintendo lets you touch that dial
Tuning in: Nintendo's DS hand-held games console will get a 1SEG TV tuner as an accessory from Nov. 20 (although you can order it from Nov. 8). DS Terebi will allow you to watch digital TV almost anywhere in Japan on the upper screen of your DS, with the console's touch-screen doing duty as the television control. Priced ¥6,800 from www.nintendo.co.jp, it sounds perfect for watching the "Super Mario Bros." movie.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 31, 2007
New gadget for beer promotion gives whiff of things to come
Nose for innovation: Sales campaigns have traditionally focused on just one of the five senses. Retailers love to deck out their products in eye candy — some of it even connected to the offerings on sale — to attract the attention of the shopping public. The sense of hearing also gets some attention, but the other three senses usually get short shrift. Now, however, NTT Communications is addressing the disparity with its prototype Kaoru Digital Signage display. The radical creation relies on emitting aromas to lure customers. It's on show now in front of Kirin City Beer Hall in the Yaesu Shopping Mall in Tokyo Station, wafting out scents of orange and lemon to complement video clips of foaming jugs of beer. Citrus smells were chosen for their alleged association with beer. The device uses ultrasound to vaporize aromatic oils and can project the olfactory messages through a space of up to 500 cu. meters. Check out the press release at www.ntt.com/release_e/news07/0010/1017.html. The sweet smell of sales.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 24, 2007
From WiFi digital radio to PCs maid in Akihabara
Radio star: Television did not kill off radio, but it knocked it from the top perch in the entertainment food chain and forced it to change immensely. The iPod revolution, however, has rather surprisingly breathed new life into the old medium. Internet radio brings the world's music to you, quite literally. AsusTek might have gone retro in the appearance of its new Internet Radio, but the technology inside is all top-drawer gear. Supporting both B and G flavors of WiFi, the gadget can quickly detect any WiFi network, and, once connected, you can peruse over 10,000 radio stations worldwide. It puts your iPod to shame. The radio also sports a LAN connection for those of us who are so yesterday in our network thinking.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 17, 2007
From Big Brother marketing tools to powered Kitty-chan collectibles
Looks alone might not determine a person's character, but for marketing they are at least a good start. NEC certainly believes in the power of appearances, with its new FieldAnalyst camera. The device, in essence, judges passersby on the basis of their looks, determining their gender and approximate age. Its creators are working on developing it to the point where it can guess a person's social class, too, based on how they dress as compared with examples in a database. The gadget is intended for use by big retailers in market research, with shopping malls in Japan already using early versions.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 10, 2007
Trash can's size adjusts to your trash; MP3 player one-fifth as thick as iPod
Trash suffers so much at our hands. We inflict the twin insults of scorn and apathy on it, despising our refuse and really not caring too much just how it is removed from our presence. Just think how many research grants are devoted to building the better mousetrap, while we just treat our trash cans with the one size fits all philosophy. No matter how much waste we have to throw out we just cram it in as best we can into whatever receptacle is to hand. The Yukka Bin, however, is something else: an adjustable garbage can. At its standard size it has enough capacity to accommodate the average at-home-alone waste. But the can easily expands to provide enough space for an entire dinner party's leftovers with a third, still bigger size, for the real waste-generators among us. While it won't be elevating the humble garbage can to fashion accessory status, decked out in its snappy orange and white colors and with a smart, simplistic design, at least it won't stand out for the wrong reasons. Costing ¥4,778 each, details are available at cataloger.jp/shopping/productDetail.do?id=6135.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 26, 2007
Back-chatting TVs and translating photocopiers
Bridging the gaps between the multiple towers of Babel that are modern languages has traditionally relied on software. Whether this be organic software, as in humans and their linguistic skills, or computers with their still relatively primitive ability to translate from one language to another. Fuji Xerox is championing the use of a bit of hardware with its latest prototype photocopy machine. The device, which is currently on show only in Japan, can scan a printed sheet of Japanese text and dispense a translation of it into Chinese, English or Korean. Moreover, it retains the original layout of the source document, whether that be from a newspaper, or a magazine, or the like. Aware of the need for the translation superhighway to be two-way, the machine can work in reverse with the flip of a switch. The trick is that the copier connects to a translation server and these electronic brains are paired with algorithms that can distinguish between text, drawings and lines in order to maintain page layouts. It is a superlative concept, but whether for a change hardware will trump software only time, and proving that it can do a better job of keeping faith with syntax than the amusingly inadequate efforts of the likes of Babel Fish and Google Translate do now, can tell.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 19, 2007
Automatic sushi machine, simple soba noodle maker
Many of us possess all the culinary abilities of an aardvark. Bandai Namco is not about to have Michelin knocking on our doors to try out for its restaurant guide, but it at least promises to enable us to make sushi. The toy maker does this with its new automatic sushi roller. The little orange machine looks a bit like one of the manual washing machines with two rolling pins that were used in ancient times B.E. (before electricity). You simply load up the little orange machine with seaweed, rice and whatever other ingredients you opt for, crank the rollers, and out come the product of hours spent at cooking school. The suggested price is ¥2,940, with more information at www.bandainamco.co.jp/releases/2007062102.html. An ingenious device, as long as you aren't allergic to seafood.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 12, 2007
Burn CDs from old records; copy audiotapes to computer
They don't make 'em to last any more. Well, in truth, capitalism never intended any product to last forever; making things that never need replacing is after all a lousy business strategy. While that may be understandable, one of the more insidious tricks of capitalism is to get consumers to indulge in self-imposed obsolescence. Products that still get the job done are shunned simply because something shinier is in the shop window. One of the great examples of this mass shopping psychosis is the murder of records by the CD. While the shiny discs unquestionably have the edge on the black Frisbees in terms of durability, the old LP record is still a viable music producer. It's just not digital. Unfortunately, keeping your records turning is a task beyond almost all of us, the nimble fingers of DJs being a notable exception. Traditionally, this has meant tossing out years of record collecting and rebuilding your music library from scratch. TEAC offers an alternative with its admittedly rather stodgy-looking GF-650. Basically this is a CD burner that allows you to copy your records straight onto the upstart digital discs. It comes out this month with a price tag of ¥83,790. The songs must go on.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 5, 2007
Robokitties, Hello Dr. Kitty
Space is not so much the final frontier as the last aggravation that drives you to the bottle in a Tokyo apartment. Short of a rich relative passing on their fortune, or robbing a bank, you won't be getting any more of it. So, you just have to get creative with what little you do have. In keeping with Japan's status as master of the cubicle, Thanko is turning out a nifty idea with its Chair Desk, a standard office chair on wheels with an attachable, adjustable miniature desktop to serve as a platform for your laptop. The outfit carries a price tag of ¥9,980. Check it out at www.thanko.jp/chairdesk/.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 29, 2007
Save the planet: wind-powered toys and PC ways to catch insects
A nimal rights are as important to me as they are to the next Homo sapien. But I draw the line at in sects inflicting their unwanted presence on me, mosquitoes most especially spring to mind. Frankly, the first solution that comes to mind is finding use No. 1,001 for a newspaper. Those who prefer a less violent method, whether out of an excess of ethics or simply not wanting to leave a mess, can now use an insect vacuum. Just point what looks like an elongated plastic pistol at your target and suck the unwanted guest in. You can then either keep them as a conversation-starting pet or free them to someplace where you are not. You can keep faith with your conscience for ¥2,980 at www.netprice.co.jp/netprice/search/goods/227518/
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 22, 2007
Multitasking watches and solar iPod rechargers
No craze is complete without its own gadgets. This new Sudoku aid looks just like another Japanese obsession — the "keitai" — with players using the number keypad to enter their sudoku answers. It costs ¥1,029, with more information available at item.rakuten.co.jp/wnd-minakuru/4582256_900052/. If nothing else it allows you to indulge your love of the numbers without giving the game away.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 15, 2007
Air-conditioned neckties, AERO multifunction iPod docks
Cool Biz is not a principle that your average Japanese salaryman is going to embrace without a robust philosophical debate. A key impediment to his embracing of the green logic is the necktie. If he could have it surgically attached, I do believe that he would. Thanko is giving the poor guy an option with its NecktieUSB — an air-conditioned necktie, of all things. In essence it is an ordinary-enough looking piece of apparel with a small fan located in the knot. You simply connect it to your computer's USB port via a 140-cm cable, giving you a leash of some freedom. Since it relies on electricity it won't earn you too many greenie points, but at least you'll be cool, in a sense. Thanko has it available for ¥2,980 at www.thanko.jp/usbnecktie/
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 8, 2007
Cell phones may turn into boomboxes
Batteries just don't generate the respect they deserve. Imagine how much poorer your lifestyle would be if all of the miniature power cells you use just up and disappeared. Panasonic, as one of the many companies whose profit margins very much rest on these humble gadgets, knows their value and often overlooked abilities. The electronics maker showcased both of these recently with an extraordinary car that runs at 100 kph-plus and is powered by 192 AA-size batteries. Admittedly the power cells, Panasonic's own Oxyride creations, pack 1.5 times more power than the average alkaline battery but their new-age fuel achievement remains impressive. The car, a 3.3-meter-long craft with an F1-style cabin complete with fin and rudder, was clocked at a top speed of 122 kph, enough to leave its mark in the record books. While neither the car, nor any obvious derivative of it, can be expected to hit the showrooms the feat remains one of the more remarkable bits of advertising.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 1, 2007
Yamanote Line clocks — perfect for torturing Tokyo commuters
C locks make marvelous torture de vices. For sheer infliction of pain it's hard to top a creation that's dedicated to wrenching you out of your hard-won sleep. Throw in the fact that they insist on rousing you in time to cram yourself into a sardine can on wheels known as a train and you are adding pain to injured psyche. Or maybe it's just that I am not a morning person. Regardless of personal preferences the dreaded timepieces and mobile body squeezers are unavoidable, so you might as well deal with them in style. Cue the Yamanote Alarm Clock. An otherwise standard piece, it sports the notorious green decor of the famous Tokyo train line and displays the line's stations arrayed on its circular face. So when it has done the deed and woken you, to the dulcet tones of a ring tone that mimics those used to alert you of incoming trains at Yamanote Line stations, you can figure out how long you have to the next imposition. Capping the deal, it ensures its accuracy by automatic radio time signal updates. The clock can be bought online at: shopping.hobidas.com/shop/nissha-yumekobo/item/L169.html for 7,980 yen.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 25, 2007
Glowing mini-fridge/heater, the world's smallest robot
Miniature fans are just so standard fare as office accessories for the long hot days of summer. International Trading Kansai Co. has crafted something rather more compelling, a minifridge that looks like a giant egg. Available in 6-liter and 10-liter sizes, the gadget gives you the option of keeping its contents either cold or hot, although an English person would inflict the latter on beer. The unit caps its act by boasting the ability to emit a blue glow, for a bit of ambient lighting. For details, see www.topone.co.jp/tamago.htm
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 18, 2007
Mirror, mirror, in the phone and portable photo storage
Videophones might be the future of communication, but there is more than a whiff of narcissism about them. After all, whose self-image is such that they believe the person at the other end actually wants to gaze at their visage? Thanko is appealing to the powers of the ego with its Mirror WebCamera. It is a deceptively simple but clever concept — a Web Camera positioned behind a small circular mirror. You simply connect it up next to your computer, and looking in the mirror you get to see just what the person on the other end is privileged enough to see. It operates with both PCs and Macs, is USB-powered and even includes lights around the edge of the mirror to brighten up your image. More information is available at www.thanko.jp/mirrorwebcam/ and the camera is on sale for 5,980 yen. For many of us it might be advisable to disconnect it in the early hours of the morning.
'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.
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.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER