<p>---------------------------------------------------------------<br>
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G A D G E T W A T C H</p>
<p>READ GADGETWATCH ONLINE AT:<br>
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The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan<br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
Issue No. 300 Friday May 30, 2008<br>
Subscribers: 9467<br>
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<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>NTT DoCoMo releases 19 new 906i and 706i phones</p>
<p>Name: NTT DoCoMo 906i series and 706i series<br>
Category: mobile phone<br>
Price: Open price<br>
Release date in Japan: varies (beginning June 1, 2008)</p>
<p>NTT DoCoMo recently announced 8 new 906i series and 11 new 706i<br>
series mobile phones, slated for release over the next few<br>
months. There are too many interesting models in the mix to<br>
cover in depth, so instead of the usual detailed study of one or<br>
two phones, let's take the grand tour of what's most noteworthy<br>
in the bunch.</p>
<p>The P906i (release day: June 1) sports what's called 'W Open<br>
Style' operation: the top flips open lengthwise for your typical<br>
vertical screen, or sideways for a horizontal screen. (It's like<br>
those nifty refrigerator doors that open either left or right,<br>
but even trickier.) The horizontal orientation is good for<br>
One-seg TV or the built-in games. </p>
<p>The F906i (June 5) grabs attention with its 90-degree rotating<br>
'Yokomotion' screen, but its real attraction is on the back of<br>
its battery pack. There's a finger sensor there that acts as<br>
both a trackpad-like 'Finger Pointer' navigation device and a<br>
fingerprint-detection biometric security scanner. </p>
<p>The N906i (later in June) plays up the camera credentials: 5.2<br>
megapixels, six-axis image stabilization, face recognition with<br>
'Smile Face Shutter' smile-detection timing, and one-touch<br>
uploading of pics to your blog. (You'd almost think the 'N' was<br>
for Nikon, not NEC.) </p>
<p>The N906iL replaces the fancier camera features with wireless<br>
LAN functionality, a first for NEC in a consumer-oriented phone.<br>
It's good to go with IEEE802.11a/b/g, VoIP, and WEP, WPA, or<br>
WPA2-PSK security. </p>
<p>The SH906i (June 3) takes hints from the iPhone, with a display<br>
that rotates with the phone's orientation. The SH906i is all<br>
about touch, too, with the nice addition of vibration-based<br>
feedback - but the touch display has a split personality.<br>
Screen-touch functions mostly work in horizontal display mode<br>
only, while vertical display mode unlocks the 'Hikari TOUCH<br>
CRUISER' that lets you control the cursor by gliding a finger<br>
over an optical sensor on the central 'kettei' key. </p>
<p>The SO906i (June 2) also boasts screen rotation based on phone<br>
orientation, and puts the internal motion sensor to further use.<br>
A tap on the camera, followed by tilting the unit this way and<br>
that, replaces menus and buttons for actions like changing<br>
channels and sound volume, or scrolling web pages. Oh, and if<br>
you snap a photo with the camera upside-down, the SO906i will<br>
turn the shot right-side up. </p>
<p>706i-series models lack the same level of 'wow' features, but a<br>
couple items of note include:</p>
<p>The SH706iw (September) is your 'Wellness Keitai'. Derived from<br>
a Mitsubishi Electric health-themed concept model shown off at<br>
CEATEC JAPAN last year, the phone packs a pedometer and pulse<br>
monitor, counting your steps and calculating calories burned. It<br>
has a number of health-related iAppli links readied for easy<br>
access, and exchanges menu data with SHARP Healsio ovens. </p>
<p>Finally, let's note the N706ie (August or September), whose 'e'<br>
stands for 'easy' and 'enjoy'. It's pretty pedestrian overall,<br>
but as of today it boasts the longest standby-mode battery time<br>
of any FOMA terminal: 650 hours. That is indeed impressive -<br>
though if your phone sits silent for almost four weeks with no<br>
calls, your social life may be 'egregious' and 'embarassing'.</p>
<p>And that's a quick look at some of the latest developments in<br>
mobile phones. Search out the individual phones' product pages,<br>
or hit a DoCoMo shop, to get all the detailed rundown on each. </p>
<p>More info:<br>
<a href="http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/news_release/page/080527_00.html" title="http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/news_release/page/080527_00.html">http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/news_release/page/080527_00.html</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>Nikko Home Electronics Star Wars R2-D2 DVD Projector shipping<br>
again soon</p>
<p>Name: Nikko Home Electronics Star Wars R2-D2 DVD Projector<br>
Category: projector / robot<br>
Price: JPY388,500<br>
Release date in Japan: April, 2008 (next shipment in July)</p>
<p>This is on of the craziest gadgets you'll find, and caused a<br>
stir when announced in 2007. Though it's not new, it's worth<br>
mentioning again for anyone who's missed it so far. Japan sales<br>
began only last month; order online now to nab a unit in July. </p>
<p>What is it? It's a rolling, reclining, chirping 1/2-scale<br>
replica of Star Wars' R2-D2 'droid, and it's come to Earth to<br>
entertain. The key feature of the robot (shared with the movie<br>
character) is a projector: not for Princess Leia holograms, but<br>
for beaming images to your home theater screen. Play movies or<br>
music from the internal DVD/CD player. Beam photo slideshows to<br>
a wall via USB and memory slots. Project your video console<br>
games larger than life via input connectors. There's even a<br>
nifty pop-out dock to accept video, images, or audio from an<br>
iPod. </p>
<p>You don't just unceremoniously plunk this projector down into<br>
place for movie time; this is R2-D2, after all. You'll pick up<br>
the infrared remote control and steer R2 around the living room<br>
to your heart's content. He goes forward and backward, turns<br>
left and right; his head turns, and he can recline backward to a<br>
60$B!<(B angle (good for movies on the ceiling, if that's what you<br>
like). A 7.2V nickel hydride battery keeps him rolling while he<br>
beeps 11 different R2 noises and flashes messages on a display<br>
panel. </p>
<p>The remote control really takes things over the top. Tastefully<br>
designed as a detailed replica of the Millenium Falcon<br>
spaceship, its cockpit and engine lights glow while the voices<br>
of Han Solo and Chewbacca converse over the whine of hyperspace<br>
engines.</p>
<p>It's all terribly expensive for either a projector or a toy<br>
robot, but the list of features (both useful and goofy) and the<br>
level of detail have gizmo lovers and Star Wars fans salivating.<br>
One caveat: some specific product details appear to vary by web<br>
page or user report, and the Nikko America product page shows<br>
even more differences; it's possible that the manufacturer<br>
continues to make changes with each production run. If you're<br>
going to lay down the cash, you might want to contact NHE and<br>
confirm any unclear details. </p>
<p>Some specs from the current Japanese NHE web page: </p>
<p>Projector: 1800-lumen XGA (1024x768) with 1800:1 contrast ratio.<br>
DVD/CD player: DVD, DVD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA,<br>
JPEG, MP4, DivX.<br>
Memory card formats: SD, MMC, MemoryStick, SmartMedia.<br>
iPod compatibility: 5th generation iPod, 1st/2nd generation iPod<br>
nano.<br>
Speakers: Internal 10W stereo speakers; optical connection to<br>
external DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1ch speakers. </p>
<p>More info:<br>
<a href="http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/index.html" title="http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/index.html">http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/index.html</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
<a href="http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/" title="http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/">http://www.nikko-group.com/japan/nhe/r2-d2/projector/</a><br>
projector_movie.html (movie)<br>
Online reservation: <a href="https://www.formlan.net/a/r2d2-proj/" title="https://www.formlan.net/a/r2d2-proj/">https://www.formlan.net/a/r2d2-proj/</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
Nikko America product page:<br>
<a href="http://www.nikkoamerica.com/nhe/projector.html" title="http://www.nikkoamerica.com/nhe/projector.html">http://www.nikkoamerica.com/nhe/projector.html</a> (English)<br>
---------- Metropolis and eigoTown.com Party --------------</p>
<p>Metropolis-Tokyo's favorite lifestyle magazine and<br>
eigoTown.com - Japan's premier English language learning<br>
website - join together on June 14, 2008 to bring you<br>
The Metropolis and eigoTown.com Party.</p>
<p>Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 500 revelers for an<br>
evening of fun with people from different backgrounds<br>
coming together to eat, drink and make friends!</p>
<p>Tel: Metropolis(Will Thompson) 03-45502759.<br>
Nearest stn: Roppongi. <a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/party" title="www.metropolis.co.jp/party">www.metropolis.co.jp/party</a></p>
<p>CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME</p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>FUJIFILM FinePix Z200fd adds yet more face-recognition tricks</p>
<p>Name: FUJIFILM FinePix Z200fd<br>
Category: digital camera<br>
Price: Open price (about JPY40,000)<br>
Release date in Japan: June 7, 2008</p>
<p>Who knew that face recognition in digital cameras would pull so<br>
many tricks out of its software sleeve? In addition to the basic<br>
function of detecting faces and adjusting camera settings to<br>
best flatter those mugs, recent cameras have evolved niceties<br>
like automatic red-eye fixing, as well as the ability to watch<br>
for smiles or blinks to help you time your shots. Now the<br>
'FinePix Z200fd', the latest in FUJIFILM's well-known compact<br>
camera line, adds another twist: a self-timer that's smart<br>
enough to start its countdown only when all heads are in place.</p>
<p>First there's the 'Minna de (All Together) Timer'. (FUJIFILM<br>
calls it 'Group Timer' in English, but I like my translation.)<br>
Typically, to include yourself in a group shot, you set the<br>
self-timer and then dash into the picture before the timer goes<br>
off. If your jostling knocks someone out of frame, too bad. With<br>
Minna de Timer, you tell the camera how many faces to wait for,<br>
and then leisurely find your place in the group; when all faces<br>
are accounted for, the camera starts the timer countdown. </p>
<p>Another new timer, 'Koi Suru (In Love) Timer', sounds more<br>
exciting. When you want to take a 'two-shot' couple photo, the<br>
traditional procedure is as above: set the timer, and rush into<br>
the frame where your significant other waits. Koi Suru Timer,<br>
like Minna de Timer, helps out by waiting until both faces are<br>
in the frame. But you want to get closer to some faces than to<br>
others, so Koi Suru Timer gets out the measuring stick. Tell the<br>
camera what the relationship is, and it'll wait for the<br>
appropriate distance between the faces: cordially apart for<br>
'friend' setting, a little closer for 'buddy', and<br>
cheek-to-cheek snuggled for 'love'. (The company's English info<br>
makes it all a little dull-sounding, though: there, it's 'Couple<br>
Timer', with settings for 'near', 'close-up', or 'super-close'.<br>
Maybe some marketing wonk told them that boring names would work<br>
better overseas.)</p>
<p>Other features: 10 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch screen,<br>
Dual Image Stabilization for camera shake and subject movement,<br>
52MB internal memory, SD/SDHC and xD-Picture Card memory card<br>
slot, lens cover. I'll also note that the 150g, 2-cm thin, pink,<br>
silver, red or black camera is unusually nice-looking, though<br>
your estimation may differ. </p>
<p>More info:<br>
<a href="http://fujifilm.jp/personal/digitalcamera/finepixz200fd/" title="http://fujifilm.jp/personal/digitalcamera/finepixz200fd/">http://fujifilm.jp/personal/digitalcamera/finepixz200fd/</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
<a href="http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/z/" title="http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/z/">http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/z/</a><br>
finepix_z200fd/index.html (English)</p>
<p>========================================================</p>
<p>Short items</p>
<p>Spotted elsewhere in the news:</p>
<p>1) Want a better web camera than the typical cheapo<br>
bubble-wrapped model? Sanwa Supply has the nice new 1.3<br>
megapixel (1280x1024) '400-CMS003', with auto focus, internal<br>
microphone, and easy setup (just plug it into USB port; no<br>
drivers to install). For Skype, Live Messenger, and Yahoo!<br>
Messenger on Vista/XP. JPY5980, online shop only.<br>
<a href="http://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/400-CMS003" title="http://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/400-CMS003">http://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/400-CMS003</a></p>
<p>2) BUFFALO has released the USB2.0 'SHD-UMES series' of 'silicon<br>
disk' external drives. The silicon disk is flash memory, which<br>
means lower power requirements, small size, and no hard-drive<br>
moving parts - but unlike the tiny USB drives or memory cards<br>
we're used to, BUFFALO's new offerings come in 32GB and 64GB<br>
packages, making them ideal for really big files or even whole<br>
PC backups. The silicon drives are business-card size, should<br>
survive ceiling-height falls, and come with encryption software<br>
to protect data. JPY 21,300 for 32GB, JPY35,400 for 64GB.<br>
<a href="http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/storage/shd-umes/" title="http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/storage/shd-umes/">http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/storage/shd-umes/</a></p>
<p>3) Mouse pad... 10-key pad... USB hub... Peripherals and<br>
accessories littering your workspace? Consolidate with Thanko's<br>
MouseStage, your new mouse pad with 10-key pad, 3-port USB hub,<br>
and hand rest built in. JPY2480.<br>
<a href="http://www.thanko.jp/mousestage/" title="http://www.thanko.jp/mousestage/">http://www.thanko.jp/mousestage/</a> (Japanese)</p>
<p>4) SGI Japan announced the start of a three-month, four-unit<br>
program to evaluate the Segway two-wheeled vehicle for patrol<br>
use in a nationally-managed park in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki.<br>
This marks the second official Segway evaluation program in<br>
Japan, following a patrol program last year at Tokyo Big Sight.<br>
SGI Japan became Japan's official Segway dealer in 2006, and is<br>
pushing to get the stare-inducing vehicle approved for public<br>
use in Japan. (I've ridden Segways twice in Japan, on private<br>
property. Which has nothing to do with the story; I'm just<br>
bragging.)<br>
<a href="http://www.sgi.co.jp/company_info/press_releases/archives/" title="http://www.sgi.co.jp/company_info/press_releases/archives/">http://www.sgi.co.jp/company_info/press_releases/archives/</a><br>
20080521.html (Japanese)</p>
<p>--------NEW GADGET BLOG: TEKRONOMICON.COM------------------</p>
<p>In collaboration with Gadget Watch, Gadget blog Tekronomicon<br>
offers a detailed look at select gadgets - shiny and strange,<br>
from gizmo ground zero in Tokyo.<br>
See the gadgets introduced in Gadget Watch,<br>
with photos and more at: <a href="http://www.tekronomicon.com/" title="www.tekronomicon.com">www.tekronomicon.com</a></p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
More info: <a href="http://aerospacebiz.jaxa.jp/cosmode.html" title="http://aerospacebiz.jaxa.jp/cosmode.html">http://aerospacebiz.jaxa.jp/cosmode.html</a> (Japanese)<br>
Space food pictures: <a href="http://iss.jaxa.jp/spacefood/index.html" title="http://iss.jaxa.jp/spacefood/index.html">http://iss.jaxa.jp/spacefood/index.html</a><br>
STAFF<br>
Written by: Timm Tuttle<br>
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-------------------- ICA Event - June 25 ------------------</p>
<p>Speaker: Henry Ng, Head of Professional Security Services<br>
-Asia, Verizon Business</p>
<p>Topic: Bridging the Security Management Gap:<br>
How to Move from Point Solutions to Process</p>
<p>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/" title="http://www.icajapan.jp/">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>
(RSVP Required)<br>
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2008<br>
Time: 6:30 Doors open includes light buffet<br>
Cost: 4,000 yen (members), 6,000 yen (non-members)<br>
Open to all-venue is The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br>
<a href="http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map" title="http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map">http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map</a></p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
-----------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Start a Company in Japan</p>
<p>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 31st of May, 2008</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>For more details:<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar" title="http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar">http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar</a></p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------------------</p>