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Japan Inc Magazine Presents:<br>
G A D G E T W A T C H</p>
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<p>The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan<br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
Issue No. 273<br>
Thursday September 13, 2007<br>
Subscribers: 9467<br>
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO GADGET WATCH:<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up" title="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up">http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up</a></p><a href="http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070904/epson1.htm">
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070904/epson1.htm</a><br><a href="http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070905/sony2.htm">http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070905/sony2.htm</a><br><br>================================================================
<br>================================================================<br>Name: Buffalo and Bandai Pasokon Kids Key<br> Category: PC peripheral<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 3,480 yen<br>Release date in Japan: September 14, 2007
<br> <br>The Gist: `Pasokon` being the Japanese shorthand for `Personal<br>Computer`, Buffalo and Bandai have collaborated on a new product<br>aimed to help parents control PC use by their elementary school-<br>aged children. The Kids Key is a USB device which, when
<br>inserted, will automatically convert your regular PC into a<br>child-friendly PC.<br><br>While many modern operating systems offer extensive options for<br>limiting access to certain software, websites and features,<br>
very few parents feel like dealing with all of the associated<br>intricacies. Buffalo and Bandai are offering the Kids Key for <br>the protection of children. Of course, it should also take the<br>burden off parents' hands. Many parents these days want to limit
<br>the access their children have to computers and the internet,<br>but products that actually help parents accomplish this have not<br>really taken off.<br><br>As it should be, the concept behind the Kids Key is simple<br>
enough for a child to understand. When your child inserts their<br>key into the PC's USB port, automatically they will have access<br>to certain programs, games, websites, and nothing else. If a <br>child clicks on `Play`, for example, they will be presented only
<br>with a list of games they can play. If they click on `Look up`,<br>they'll be taken to `Yahoo!Kids` and cannot enter any other URL.<br>Access to certain computer programs and websites must be<br>explicitly defined; by default, children have access only to
<br>Yahoo Kids. The user interface is specifically designed for<br>children, so maybe Buffalo and Bandai have put together a<br>`relatively bulletproof` solution.<br><br>There are a number of other nice features of the Kids Key, such
<br>as how it has no access to files within the PC itself. Children<br>thus cannot accidentally delete files. There is also a time<br>limitation feature, protecting your children from spending as<br>much time in front of the PC as the rest of us. A `Message`
<br>feature also allows parents and children to exchange messages.<br>If necessary, children can also be granted access to the PC's<br>printer. Finally, `Toy Box Mode` is a mode created specifically<br>for children who are not yet of school age - they can play
<br>several games that involve simple mouse movement and clicking.<br><br>Pasokon Kids Key supports Windows XP and Vista.<br><br>More info: <a href="http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/supply/bfg-pkid/">http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/supply/bfg-pkid/
</a><br>================================================================<br>================================================================<br>Name: Epson EMP-TW2000<br> Category: LCD projector<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 350,000 yen
<br>Release date in Japan: Late November 2007<br> <br>The Gist: On a far more technical note, Seiko Epson has <br>announced the release of the `EMP-TW2000`, a new FullHD LCD <br>projector that takes advantage of their fresh D7/C^2 Fine panel.
<br><br>The TW2000's claim to fame is the glorious combination of an<br>improvement to the `OptiFocus` optical engine and the company's<br>own new `DEEPBLACK` phase compensation technology. Specifically,<br>the latter is designed to prevent light from being where it
<br>shouldn't. The result is a stunning contrast ratio of 50,000:1,<br>vastly improved over the 12,000:1 contrast ratio of their<br>previous EMP-TW1000. For those just joining us, `contrast ratio`<br>defines the difference between darkest black and the whitest
<br>white. 50,000:1 is a contrast ratio unheard of for LCD <br>projectors. If you think about how a light bulb's worth of light<br>is being channeled to blast through three 0.74-inch LCD screens<br>(red, green, and blue), adding up to a resolution of 1920x1080
<br>pixels, you can begin to imagine how hard it is to achieve such<br>a high contrast ratio.<br><br>The lens on the unit can zoom as much as 2.1x, resulting in a<br>target projection size between 30 and 300 inches. For those of
<br>us who can't do the calculations, that's a screen as large as<br>100 inches even when the projector is only 3 meters away.<br>Another new inclusion is the `6-axis Color Adjustment`, allowing<br>users to independently adjust the hue, saturation, and
<br>brightness levels of red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow<br>colors.<br><br>Other specs include a brightness of 1600 lumens, two HDMI 1.3<br>inputs, Component input, S-Video input, Composite input, Analog<br>RGB (D-Sub 15-pin) input, and a serial port.
<br><br>More info: <a href="http://www.epson.jp/osirase/2007/070904.htm">http://www.epson.jp/osirase/2007/070904.htm</a><br>================================================================<br>================================================================
<br>Name: Sony LocationFree Home HD<br> Category: Home Audio/Video<br> Price: Open Price; estimated around 50,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: December 1, 2007<br> <br>The Gist: To get a signal to Seiko Epson's new projector, you
<br>could consider picking up Sony's new `LocationFree Home HD`, the<br>latest iteration of their LocationFree boxes designed for <br>transporting audio/video signals inside and outside the home.<br><br>While previous LocationFree boxes have been designed to send
<br>video signals to wireless TVs or PSPs either via your local<br>network or via the internet, the Home HD is designed only for<br>in-home use. The idea is that you put the transmitter unit<br>where your audio/video signal comes from - perhaps a HD-DVD
<br>player by your home theater or a Playstation 3 in your closet -<br>and you use the receiver where you'll actually enjoy the output<br>of that signal. If you have a HDTV in your bedroom, for example, <br>you could use something like this to wirelessly tap into high
<br>definition content on your recorder's hard drive downstairs.<br><br>It has `HD` in its name for a reason; it's allegedly the<br>industry's first solution for wirelessly delivering a high-<br>definition video signal that uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression.
<br>How high? 1080i. 1080p support is nowhere to be found, so those<br>of you searching for `FullHD` will have to wait until the next<br>iteration. It's important to point out that this unit does not<br>allow streams to be accessed via the internet. Given the high
<br>bandwidth requirements of high-definition video, it's not<br>surprising Sony didn't bother to include this, as a viewable<br>stream demands `industrial strength` connections for both the<br>sender and receiver.
<br><br>Like previous LocationFree models, the Home HD offers an<br>`AV Mouse` feature that allows you to remotely control connected<br>devices. That may sound basic, but it would be a hassle to have<br>to walk downstairs just to push the `off` button on your Blu-ray
<br>player. That's where this feature helps.<br><br>More info: <br><a href="http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/locationfree/home/">http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/locationfree/home/</a><br>================================================================
<br>================================================================<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>Start a Company in Japan<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 6th of October, 2007
<br><br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>find out what it takes to make it successful.<br>Terrie Lloyd, founder of over 13 start-up companies in Japan,<br>will be giving an English-language seminar and Q and A on
<br>starting up a company in Japan.<br>This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved,<br>and to ask specific questions that are not normally answered<br>in business books.<br>All materials are in English and are Japan-focused.
<br><br>For more details: <a href="http://japaninc.com/terrie_lloyd/">http://japaninc.com/terrie_lloyd/</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
<br><br>Japan's First Family Social Network is here! <a href="http://www.piqniq.jp">www.piqniq.jp</a><br><br>Are you raising a family in Japan? Do you speak English?<br>Would you like to meet other English speaking families in
<br>your area? Piqniq is a Social Network Service tailored<br>specifically for you!<br>Our concept is `Families helping Families` and we invite<br>anyone that wants to meet other families, help other families,<br>or discuss family-related issues pertinent to life in Japan
<br>to come and join the Piqniq today!<br><br>For more information: <a href="http://www.piqniq.jp">www.piqniq.jp</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
<br>RidgeRunner Niseko<br>International Cricket Competition 15-17 September 2007<br><br>This is your invitation to three days of fun at an<br>international cricket tournament in Niseko being held to<br>the benefit of the Tyler Foundation for Childhood Cancer.
<br><br>Cricketing legend Dennis Lillee will be attending the event<br>which is being co-hosted by the Higashiyama Prince Hotel and<br>includes two days of cricket, a golf match and charity<br>dinner dance and auction.<br>
For more information, and the chance to win a<br>dinner with Dennis,<br><br>please visit <a href="http://www.ridgerunner.jp/cricket">www.ridgerunner.jp/cricket</a><br>or contact Simon Jackson<br>(<a href="mailto:simon@rad-development.com">
simon@rad-development.com</a>, 011-876-3704)<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>------------------- ICA Event-Sept 20 -------------------<br><br>SPECIAL JOINT EVENT with the AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CHAMBER
<br><br>Speaker: Tim Williams, Founder and Director of Value Commerce<br>Topic: Japan Success Stories - Value Commerce<br><br>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a>
<br>(RSVP Required)<br>Date: Thursday, September 20, 2007<br>Time: 6:30 Doors open<br>(Light buffet, beer, wine, soft drinks included)<br>Cost: 3,500 yen (members), 5,500 yen (non-members)<br><br>Open to all-location is Australian Embassy B2
<br><a href="http://www.australia.or.jp/english/seifu/embassy/map.html">http://www.australia.or.jp/english/seifu/embassy/map.html</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>----------------------------------------------------------
<br>
STAFF<br>
Written by: Liam McNulty<br>
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