GW-288 -- The hottest gizmos and gadgets from Japan

Fri Jan 25 09:43:51 JST 2008

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Japan Inc Magazine Presents:

G A D G E T W A T C H

READ GADGETWATCH ONLINE AT:

www.japaninc.com

The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan

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Issue No. 288 Friday January 25, 2008

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Name: ASUSTeK Computer Eee PC

Category: Mobile Internet Device

Price: ~50,000 yen

Release date in Japan: Already available

The Gist: Call it a cheap laptop if you want, but Asus's new

'Eee PC' is making headlines around the world. Japan is no

exception, as ASUSTeK Computer is releasing the machine in

the country this month for about 50,000 yen.

The concept of the 'Eee PC' is to offer a low-cost and truly

mobile computer that caters to basic needs such as browsing the

internet, checking email, or posting on blogs. Asus translates

such needs into specifications that include a 7-inch widescreen

LCD (800x480 dots), a Intel Celeron M 900 MHz processor, a

910GML chipset, 512MB of memory, 4GB of solid-state storage,

three USB 2.0 ports, a 0.3MP web camera, onboard 802.11b/g

wireless LAN support, SD card slot, Ethernet jack, and a

connector for an external display.

The operating system is Windows XP Home Edition, and this

particular version for the Japanese market also features a

Japanese-style keyboard.

A quick glance at those specifications probably doesn't

conjure up images of a great machine, but the focus is on

value. While plenty of other manufacturers offer extremely

portable notebook PCs, few offer the combination we see here

of 'decent' equipment with an attractive price tag. Especially

in Japan, there's plenty of competition in this particular form

factor, but these competitors typically require sacrificing yen

for horsepower.

In Japan the 'Eee PC' ships with three 'bonuses' for added

value. The first is the 'Zero Bright Dot' service, where any

machine's screen found to have even a single hot pixel (a pixel

that is constantly illuminated) qualifies for free repair if

handled within 30 days after purchase. It's not clear if this

service also applies to stuck pixels (pixels stuck displaying

a color) or dead pixels (pixels that don't display at all).

Anyway, the second service is the inclusion of a free 4GB SDHC

card. Since the machine features a SD card slot, this basically

doubles its storage capacity for free. Also included in the

package is a free optical mouse and protective case.

The final bonus, a month of free 'Wi-Fine' service, is offered

in conjunction with NTTBP. Wi-Fine currently offers public WiFi

access at around 1600 locations throughout the country, such as

train stations of the Tsukuba Express, Yurikamome, and

restaurants like Lotteria and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Too bad

it doesn't include a free pack of wipes to clean the grease off

your keyboard.

More info: http://www.asus.co.jp/products.aspx?l1=24

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--------------------- MIDEMNET FORUM ---------------------------

MUSIC BUSINESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

26/27 January 2008, Cannes, France, at MIDEM, the world's

music market. MidemNet Forum brings you an invaluable

update on how digital is driving the music business

forward, changing it rapidly and radically. Over 2 days of

intense conference sessions and serious networking

opportunities. You will debate and engage with more than

1,300 key international executives and play an active role

in shaping the future of the industry.

Speakers: Janus Friis, Co-Founder, Joost, Kazaa and Skype;

Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO, Vivendi; Tero Ojanpera, EVP & CTO,

Nokia; Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi.

The earlier you register, the less you pay. Hurry, seats

are limited! www.midem.com

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Name: Hitachi DZ-BD9H

Category: Digital video camera

Price: Open Price; estimated around 180,000 yen

Release date in Japan: February 12, 2008

The Gist: Hitachi's new BD9H digital video camera gives anyone

the capability to record Full HD (1080p) video directly to a

Blu-ray disc or on a 60GB hard drive. The camera is the

successor to the DZ-BD7H, released in August of just last year.

The new model features an improved optical sensor, better image

processing, more pixels to take advantage of, and a brighter

monitor.

That image sensor is a 5.3MP CMOS sensor, with an effective

2.07MP for video and 4.32MP for still images. This of course

yields 1080p video, but also gives users the option to do still

images at aspect ratios of 3:2 (for 2400x1800 pictures) or a

widescreen 16:9 (for 2400x1350 pictures). Being able to record

still images at 16:9 is a nice feature given the increasing

popularity of widescreen displays in the home. If you for some

reason forget to record still images, you can use the camera's

'Full High Vision Still Image Capture' feature to extract still

images from the HD video itself, and export them to a card

inserted in the camera's SD slot.

The five video recording modes range from 'HX' with a 1920x1080

dot resolution under the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec at 15Mbps, down

to 'SF' with a 720x480 dot resolution under MPEG-2 at 6Mbps.

Unfortunately, there are some restrictions on the recording

modes based on destination; you're simply unable to record HD

video to a DVD disc, for example. Hitachi must have missed the

memo about AVCREC, which was recently finalized by the Blu-ray

Disc Association specifically for recording HD video to DVDs.

Anyway, about 9 hours of HX-quality video fit on the unit's

internal hard drive, so you'll have plenty of room to record

whatever you please.

With a new LED backlight, the unit's 2.7-inch widescreen monitor

is now 1.4 times brighter than that of its predecessor.

The viewfinder is 0.2 inches. Available connectors include HDMI

Type A, Component, and USB 2.0.

More info: http://winki.co.uk/~0Xtg

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------Metropolis Magazine Valentine`s Glitterball---------------

Glitterball is back!

Tokyo's favorite party makes its triumphant return on

February 14, 2008-Valentine's Day.

An institution for nearly a decade, the Metropolis-hosted

Glitterball was on hiatus this year due to the closing of

Velfarre nightclub, but 2008's version promises to be better

than ever.

Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 1,000 V-Day revelers

for a night of eating, drinking, dancing, making friends-and

who knows what else.

Prize drawings, swag bags, and Tokyo's funnest crowd will make

the reborn Glitterball the highlight of the Tokyo social calendar.

CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME

www.metropolis.co.jp/glitterball

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Name: Panasonic Viera PX80 series

Category: Plasma TVs

Price: Open Price; 50-inch: 330,000 yen, 42-inch: 240,000 yen,

37-inch: 200,000 yen

Release date in Japan: February 15, 2008

The Gist: Matsushita expands their line of Viera plasma TVs to

include the PX80 series, bringing a massive helping of contrast

ratio from the potluck dinner that characterizes today's

selection of displays. Specifically, these new models all

feature a contrast ratio of 15,000:1, representing a drastic

improvement versus the 4,000:1 contrast ratio of the previous

series.

This new contrast ratio was brought to you by a new algorithm

that 'minutely governs the driver voltage of the excess

electrical discharge,' to give a literal translation of the

Japanese. For the rest of us, a contrast ratio means the

difference between the whitest white and the blackest black.

A ratio like 15,000:1, therefore, is excellent when compared to

all other plasma screens currently on the market. Or at least

that's what the number dictates; contrast ratio is somewhat

'open to interpretation,' and marketers often take advantage of

the numbers to make their sets look better. We suggest you

compare these new models to others with your own eyes and make

your decision.

'Intelligent Program Guide' allows as many as 7 hours worth of

programming schedules to be simultaneously displayed on the

screen, so you can be sure you'll never need to dig out that TV

Guide again. Another good feature is the 'Display by Channel,'

where you can display a single channel's schedule as far as 8

days in advance. Finally, for connection to your existing home

theater equipment, these units support 'VIERA Link' that allows

the set to control other connected components.

The 50-inch set has a resolution of 1366x768, the 42-inch set

has 1024x768, and the 37-inch set has 1024x720. Each set also

offers two HDMI jacks, two D4 jacks, two S-video jacks, four

Composite jacks, and a D-Sub 15-pin jack. It would be nice to

see Component in that lineup, but if you have HDMI and D4

perhaps Component isn't really necessary. You'll also find a

SD card slot and Ethernet port on each of the sets.

More info: http://winki.co.uk/~0Xt6

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STAFF

Written by: Liam McNulty

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---Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo - Tuesday, February 5th----

Title:

'Presentation Zen: How to design and deliver

great presentations in today's world'

Speaker: Garr Reynolds

Start off the year learning an essential skill for any

entrepreneur or business person with presentation designer

and internationally acclaimed communications consultant

Garr Reynolds. He will be sharing his experience in a

provocative mix of illumination, education, and guidance

that may change the way you think about making presentations

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Date/Time: Tuesday, February 5, 7:00 pm

Location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan

Language: English

Website: http://www.ea-tokyo.com

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Presentation Zen: A new approach to business presentations

Learn how to make your business presentations

effective and impressive.

Date: January 24th 2008

7:30PM - 9:00PM (doors open 7:00PM)

Location: Mainichi Communications Building, Tokyo

(right next to Takebashi station)

Map: http://www.mycom.co.jp/company/map/01.html

Cost: 5,000 yen including drinks and buffet

(20% off - 4,000 yen to readers of JIN)

For more information: http://www.eiken.or.jp/bulats/event_05.html

To reserve seats please email events/JIN at theforge.co.jp

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