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<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>The Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG9 digital movie camera and the Karada <br>Trainer 'Walking and Jogging Navi' from Sega are the focus of <br>this week's Gadget Watch plus a round up of gadget news.<br>
<br>========================================================<br><br>Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG9 digital movie camera<br><br>Name: Sanyo Xacti DMX-CG9 <br>Category: digital still and video camera<br>Price: Open price (about JPY40,000) <br>
Release date in Japan: April 18, 2008<br><br>As digital movie cameras become ever cheaper and simpler, Sanyo<br>Electric updates its Xacti line with the DMX-CG9. The new Xacti<br>boasts easier operation than its predecessors, an easy-to-like<br>
price, and improved still image capabilities. <br><br>Xacti cameras sport an ergonomic 'pistol-grip' body; 'shooting'<br>video becomes an apt term. A 2.5-inch LCD screen folds out from<br>the side. With this update, Sanyo points to a more comfortable<br>
rounder form, larger buttons, and simplified on-screen menus as<br>support for the 'easier' claim.<br><br>There's also no fiddling with tapes on a Xacti. The DMX-CG9 has<br>about 40MB of internal memory, and takes SD memory cards up to<br>
32GB. Movies are saved in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, at up to 60<br>frames per second in the highest-quality TV-HR mode (640x480<br>pixels - sorry, nothing higher). For less-demanding web use,<br>there's a 320x240-pixel mode. <br>
<br>How much video can you shoot? Using internal memory only, under<br>10 minutes using 15 fps web mode, and less than a minute using<br>TV-HR. With an 8GB SD card, those become 30 hours and a bit<br>under 3 hours, respectively. <br>
<br>In still camera mode, the CMOS image sensor yields 9.1 million<br>pixels, about 50% more than the earlier DMX-CG65's 6 million.<br>You can set your image size from as low as 640x480 pixels to<br>3456x2592, with an option to go beyond the physical pixel limit<br>
to a digitally-processed 12 million pixel-equivalent<br>(4000x3000). Super macro mode allows shots from as close as 1cm,<br>and rapid shooting will record up to 10 shots at 5 shots per<br>second (at 1600x1200 pixels). You can also shoot photos (though<br>
only 2 megapixels) while recording video. <br><br>Additional features include 5x optical zoom (with another 12x<br>digital zoom), flash, shake reduction, face recognition, voice<br>prompts for warnings and navigation feedback, wind noise<br>
reduction, composite video output, NTSC/PAL compatibility, voice<br>recorder mode, and USB 2.0 connection. Operation menus are<br>Japanese only. Weight is 180g (200 with battery and card);<br>colors are white, red, or black. <br>
<br>A tangent on marketing: While easier operation is a laudable<br>feature, Sanyo repeatedly touts it via that charming phrase<br>still beloved of many marketers here: 'Easy even for beginners<br>or women.' A portion of the product text specifically mentions<br>
the camera's new, larger buttons as being easier to operate for<br>'women with long fingernails,' so maybe gender-related nail<br>configuration is all that's implied. Then again, the 'easy for<br>women' phrase gets repeated again following mention of the<br>
simplified on-screen menu. Sanyo might wish to move its<br>marketing into the same century as its technology.<br><br>More info:<br><a href="http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0803news-j/0319-1.html">http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0803news-j/0319-1.html</a><br>
(Japanese)<br><br>========================================================<br><br>SEGA TOYS Karada Trainer 'Walking and Jogging Navi' <br><br>Name: SEGA TOYS Karada Trainer<br>Category: health-related electronics <br>
Price: JPY5775<br>Release date in Japan: May 24, 2008<br><br>If your 'get fit' New Year's resolution got sidelined to 'get<br>fit when spring rolls around,' now's the time to get moving with<br>the Karada (Body) Trainer. It's a 45-gram headset that pings you<br>
with reminders to keep up the pace - or in the maker's words, a<br>'walking and jogging navi' that will 'support your aerobic<br>exercise' to the tune of a '20% boost in workout effectiveness.'<br>
<br><br>After you've primed the simple controls with your age, weight,<br>and desired intensity of workout, you place the earphone cup<br>over your right ear and clip a pulse monitor onto the left<br>earlobe. Measure your pulse and commence movement. Karada<br>
Trainer pumps pace-setting electronic music into the earphone<br>and keeps an eye on your pulse rate. Move out of the pulse rate<br>target zone, and the device picks up or slows down the rhythm to<br>keep you in the zone. Vocal cues too tell you when you're over-<br>
or under-doing things, reminding you to pay attention to the<br>rhythm. Toward the end of the workout you'll get a memo to start<br>cooling down, and when the clock runs out, a warm 'Good job.' <br><br>That's all in one of the three operation modes. A second mode<br>
simply acts as a timer for unpaced workouts, and a third just<br>plays audio from the separate audio player you've brought along.<br>But the Karada Trainer has only one speaker 'for safety<br>reasons,' so forget that last mode; when you tire of your<br>
Muzak-playing virtual coach and want real tunes, put away the<br>Trainer and use your iPod's own (unsafe) stereo 'phones.<br><br>Yes, it's all similar to the Nike + iPod training aid gear, but<br>simpler - no recording or analysis of run data, no fancy<br>
integration with music playlists, no calorie-burn estimates, and<br>so on. But the Nike/Apple kit requires special shoes, and<br>doesn't keep tabs on your ticker.<br><br>The Karada Trainer runs on a single AAA battery and connects to<br>
audio players via a stereo miniplug (sold separately).<br>Recommended user age is an oddly precise 16-79 years old.<br><br>Okay, all ready to jog? Wait - you get an extra month's reprieve<br>from exercise. SEGA originally planned to release Karada Trainer<br>
on April 26, but announced at the end of March that massive<br>pre-orders have forced it to delay launch to May 24. <br><br>More info: <a href="http://www.segatoys.co.jp/karadatrainer/index.html">http://www.segatoys.co.jp/karadatrainer/index.html</a><br>
(Japanese)<br><br>========================================================<br><br>Short items<br><br>Spotted elsewhere in the news:<br><br>1) SoftBank offers a peek at 'Japan Texture' lacquerware-style<br>mobile phone shell designs, coming soon to an 823SH near you. <br>
<a href="http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/special/japan_texture/">http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/special/japan_texture/</a><br><br>2) Porsche fans of Japan: Get your Porsche news, photos, movies,<br>engine sound downloads, etc. on your mobile with the new Daily<br>
Porsche Magazine. KDDI, WILLCOM, or au; JPY315/month.<br><a href="http://www.eole.co.jp">http://www.eole.co.jp</a> <br><br>3) From the end of March, bring your Suica, PASMO, or ICOCA<br>electronic money cards with you when crawling home late at night<br>
on a Nihon Kotsu or Kokusai Jidousha taxi, thanks to the two<br>taxi firms' tie-ups with JR East, JCB, NTT DoCoMo, and Mitsui<br>Sumitomo Card. From fall, add QUICPay and iD cards to the list<br>as well.<br><a href="http://www.computernews.com/DailyNews/2008/03/">http://www.computernews.com/DailyNews/2008/03/</a><br>
2008032805108FBC924A2020.htm<br><br>4) Got a Kyocera W42K mobile phone from au? If so, your battery<br>is under recall for possible shorting, smoking, and rupture.<br>Batteries with lot number 'KY-YDA' are okay; 14 other numbers<br>
are no good. Stop use of the battery and call 0120-600-924 (or<br>157 from an au mobile).<br><a href="http://www.computernews.com/DailyNews/2008/03/">http://www.computernews.com/DailyNews/2008/03/</a><br>20080328201393B9897A2020.htm<br>
<br>5) That iPod touch is so beautiful, you don't even want to - eww<br>- touch it with your grubby fingers. DIATEC Corp. has the<br>answer: a rubber-tipped 'Tap Pen' stylus for the iPod touch or<br>iPhone. It's good for clicks, double-clicks, dragging, and<br>
scrolling/sliding. No two-finger 'pinching,' capability, though,<br>says the maker. (Come on, DIATEC, work the marketing! Tell<br>buyers they need TWO Tap Pens, chopstick-style, for pinch<br>operations.) <br><a href="http://www.diatec.co.jp/products/det.php?prod_c=553">http://www.diatec.co.jp/products/det.php?prod_c=553</a><br>
================================================================<br><br>
STAFF<br>
Written by: Timm Tuttle<br>
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