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</a><br><br>The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>Issue No. 272<br>Thursday, September 6, 2007<br>Subscribers: 9467<br>SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO GADGET WATCH:
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<br>Name: Casio EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-V8<br> Category: Digital still camera<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 45,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: September 14, 2007<br> <br>The Gist: The latest from Casio in their Exilim line of digital
<br>cameras is the 'Hi-ZOOM EX-V8.' It's the successor to the EX-V7, <br>released back in February, featuring an upgraded CCD, new face <br>recognition technology, and a special 'YouTube Recording Mode.'
<br><br>While the EX-V7 offered plenty with its 7x optical zoom, H.264 <br>video recording, and CCD-shifting anti-shake features, the EX-V8 <br>takes things a step further. The new CCD offers 8.1 megapixels <br>instead of
7.2. The V8 takes a cue from Casio's Exilim EX-Z1200 <br>as well, with the inclusion of Oki's 'Face Sensing Engine' image <br>processor. The processor enables the camera to keep subjects' <br>faces in focus even if they move after focus lock has already
<br>been obtained.<br><br>The most curious feature of the EX-V8 is the 'YouTube Recording <br>Mode,' and Casio has even gone through the trouble of getting <br>YouTube's permission to use their name and logo within the camera
<br>itself. While YouTube already offers the capability to <br>appropriately rescale/reformat videos so they play properly, this<br>new mode makes uploading videos from the camera directly to <br>YouTube possible in only two steps.
<br><br>If you find yourself needing higher quality video, the camera can<br>record videos as large as 848x480. Not to mention the fact that <br>the camera records the video in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264. So whether <br>you're looking at the recording resolution or the video codec,
<br>the EX-V8 can actually do better than DVD, as the standard for <br>DVD-Video is 720x480 in MPEG-2. <br><br>Other features include a maximum sensitivity of ISO1600 in High <br>Sensitivity Mode, support for SDHC cards,
11.8MB of internal <br>memory, 2.5-inch LCD monitor, auto focus, various 'Best Shot' <br>configurations for images and video, and about 240 shots per <br>battery charge. <br><br>More info: <a href="http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_v8/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_v8/</a><br>=================================================================<br>=================================================================<br>Name: Sanyo Xacti DMX-HD1000<br> Category: Digital video camera
<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 120,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: Mid-September 2007<br> <br>The Gist: The first Xacti to offer Full HD recording has been <br>announced by Sanyo, the DMX-HD1000. While previous Xacti models
<br>have offered recording high-definition video as high as 720p, the <br>HD1000 is the first of the series that can handle 'Full HD' <br>1080p.<br><br>It's worth noting that the HD1000 records videos in MPEG-4
<br>AVC/H.264 and AAC audio rather than AVCHD video and AC-3 audio. <br>The latter is what's used on similar Full HD video camera's <br>we've seen recently come from Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. A minor<br>discrepancy, to say the least; even AVCHD itself uses MPEG-4
<br>AVC/H.264 as its video codec. The difference will probably be <br>found in audio, AVCHD requires audio be stored as uncompressed <br>PCM for 7.1ch or AC-3 for 5.1ch. This is just a hypothesis, but <br>Sanyo may have chosen not conform to the AVCHD standard because
<br>of licensing fees that have to be paid to AVCHD's developers: <br>Sony and Matsushita. From the customer's perspective, though, <br>there shouldn't be any huge differences between the two in terms <br>of quality or compatibility.
<br><br>With a new 'Platinum Sigma Engine,' Sanyo was able to offer Full <br>HD on the HD1000 through development of a new MPEG-4 AVC codec. <br>This helped them reduce the previous dual-chip setup to a single
<br>
chip, thereby making the unit both smaller and conserve less <br>power. With the included battery, you can record about 2 hours of<br>video, which is certainly nice considering even an 8GB SDHC card <br>can only fit about and hour and a half of Full HD content.
<br><br>The HD1000 offers video modes ranging from the 1920x1080, 60fps, <br>12Mbps 'Full-HD' to the 320x240, 30fps 'Web-SHQ.' If you elect <br>for a cheaper 4GB SDHC card rather than the 8GB card, you can
<br>record about 43 minutes of Full HD video. Neither card is <br>included with the unit, though, so be prepared to shell out a bit<br>more if you don't have such an SDHC card already. <br><br>The lens has a 10x zoom, which when combined with the new face
<br>recognition technology, should make focusing on subjects' faces <br>significantly easier than with previous Xactis. The monitor is a <br>2.7-inch LCD.<br><br>Included with the HD1000 is a nice cradle that offers a
<br>significant number of features. While it of course serves the <br>standard 'cradle purposes' like connecting to a TV via its HDMI, <br>D4, S-Video, or Composite outputs, it also acts as a USB Host. <br>This enables you to connect USB devices such as external hard
<br>drives directly to the cradle itself, thereby allowing videos to <br>be transferred to such devices without the use of a PC. 'Xacti <br>Library' also allows playlist creation and even simple editing <br>without using a PC.
<br><br>More info: <a href="http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/products/lineup/dmx_hd1000/index.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.sanyo-dsc.com/products/lineup/dmx_hd1000/index.html
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<br>=================================================================<br>Name: Panasonic D-snap Audio SV-SD950N<br> Category: Portable digital audio player<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 25,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: September 21, 2007
<br> <br>The Gist: Companies are finally beginning to introduce Bluetooth <br>into their portable audio players. We've already seen <br>Bluetooth-compatible offerings from Sony and Samsung. Now <br>Matsushita joins the party with their new SC-SD950N of the D-snap
<br>Audio line in their Panasonic brand. <br><br>Slated to be available in both white and black color variations, <br>the player is estimated to cost 25,000 yen when it hits later <br>this month. That's a bit steep considering it includes only a 1GB
<br>SD card, but you're paying a premium for the Bluetooth functionality.<br><br>One of the glories of including Bluetooth on a portable audio <br>player is that it eliminates the only cable you may need: the <br>cable between your player and your headphones. It's nice,
<br>especially in the crowded subways of Tokyo, to not deal with <br>cables at all yet still be able to enjoy your music. As the <br>player supports A2DP, AVRCP, and HFP profiles of Bluetooth 2.0, <br>you should be able to connect it to your Bluetooth headphones,
<br>Bluetooth audio/video equipment, and even your <br>Bluetooth-supporting car. Specifically, Matsushita is also <br>releasing a new 'D-dock' desktop stereo system with Bluetooth, <br>so you'll be able to wirelessly connect it with the SD950N,
<br>allowing you to enjoy music on your portable audio player on the <br>system's speakers. What's more, the reverse is also possible; <br>connect the player to your car audio system with Bluetooth, for <br>example, and your passenger can enjoy music from your system on
<br>the SD950N while you drive in silence. While this particular <br>player doesn't offer the feature, 'simultaneous pairing' is a <br>technique that allows a single Bluetooth device to connect to two<br>devices at once. Your audio player automatically pauses your
<br>music when a call comes into your phone, then uses your <br>headphones as a speaker and audio player as a microphone.<br><br>Bluetooth is staged not only to eliminate many of the hassles we <br>have with wires, but change our listening habits as well. That's
<br>why we're particularly excited to see its adoption in digital <br>audio players. Perhaps you're wondering why it has taken so long.<br>While Bluetooth itself has been around since 1994, it was only <br>with the finalization of Bluetooth
2.0 in 2004 that there was <br>enough bandwidth for high quality audio data. The technology is <br>still in its infancy; your options for Bluetooth 2.0 compatible <br>headphones can be counted on two hands. <br><br>The SD950N offers an output of
2.5mW, yielding a range of about <br>10 meters. But from firsthand experience, I can tell you that <br>this range drops down drastically when human bodies get between <br>the transmitter and the receiver. Say, for example, the human
<br>bodies on the Ginza Line at 8:30AM? If you're using the player in<br>such situations, you may want to consider putting it in a shirt <br>or jacket pocket rather than a pants pocket or in your bag.<br><br>Although only a 1GB card is included with the player, it does
<br>support SDHC cards, bringing your potential capacity on a single <br>card up to 4GB. The 4-line organic EL display should make your <br>track and artist information quite visible.<br><br>The player itself also has a noise canceling function via the
<br>included headphones, but this will likely go unused if you end <br>up purchasing the unit because of its Bluetooth capabilities. <br>MP3, WMA, and SD-Audio/AAC files can be played, as can files from<br>Nifty's 'MOOCS' audio distribution service. Some additional
<br>features include direct MP3 encoding and a USB 2.0 connection <br>that can also be used for recharging.<br><br>The player has an internal lithium-ion battery, and in the <br>Panasonic tradition, features a smashing 60 hours of playback
<br>time when the noise canceling function isn't being used. The time<br>drops to 40 hours when the function is being used. If you're <br>making use of Bluetooth, the playback times unfortunately drop to<br>12 hours if the 950N is sending a signal, and 10 hours if it's
<br>receiving a signal.<br><br>More info: <a href="http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/</a>
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