<p>---------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Japan Inc Magazine Presents:<br>
G A D G E T W A T C H</p>
<p>READ GADGETWATCH ONLINE AT:<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/" title="www.japaninc.com">www.japaninc.com</a><br>
The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan<br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
Issue No. 301 Friday June 6, 2008<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><br>
---------------- PBXL IS BUSINESS MOBILITY ----------------</p>
<p>Do you need to make business calls from home or overseas?</p>
<p>USE PBXL'S CISCO SOFTPHONE SOFTWARE:</p>
<p>*PC-based software turns your computer into a 03 Tokyo phone<br>
*Same features as PBXL's other Cisco IP phones<br>
*Reduces cell phone and long-distance charges</p>
<p>Come see a demo at our monthly events:<br>
<a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt" title="http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt">http://www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt</a></p>
<p>CALL NOW: 03-4550-2557<br>
<a href="mailto:info@pbxl.jp">info@pbxl.jp</a></p>
<p>Get your new phone system in three simple steps:<br>
<a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/plans" title="http://www.pbxl.jp/plans">http://www.pbxl.jp/plans</a></p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>PLANEX Communications Bluetooth adapter takes any headphones<br>
wireless</p>
<p>Name: PLANEX BT-HP01AD<br>
Category: audio peripheral<br>
Price: JPY6980<br>
Release date in Japan: Early June, 2008</p>
<p>Wireless headsets are nifty, but can be pricey. Here's a<br>
solution just about any Bluetooth-equipped audio player owner<br>
would find handy: PLANEX Communications' new stereo audio<br>
Bluetooth adapter for any normal headphones, the BT-HP01AD. </p>
<p>Plug your favorite 'phones into the little lozenge-shaped BT and<br>
slip it into a pocket. Play audio from your Bluetooth gadget,<br>
whether mobile phone or PC, and enjoy the sound without the<br>
annoying tether. With a range of up to 10m, it's perfect for<br>
someone who wants to use headphones while roaming about the<br>
room.</p>
<p>While most PCs these days sport Bluetooth, not all audio players<br>
do; iPods are notably 'toothless. PLANEX fixes this with the<br>
BT-DockT (JPY6980), which transmits iPod audio over Bluetooth to<br>
your new BT. </p>
<p>The BT also sports a built-in microphone, letting it handle<br>
hands-free voice chats while you pace the floor. Yet another<br>
trick: the BT acts as a wireless remote control for your player,<br>
with play, pause, forward/reverse, and volume control. </p>
<p>As most readers will know, you have to 'pair' Bluetooth devices<br>
to each other (otherwise, you'd get a mess of promiscuous<br>
devices trying to interoperate with every other device in<br>
range). The BT will 'pair' with up to two devices, such as an<br>
audio player and a mobile phone. If you're listening to the<br>
player's audio when a call comes in, the BT will switch to the<br>
paired phone, letting you take up the conversation from there. </p>
<p>PLANEX is throwing in one more incentive for buyers: a free<br>
download of 'Keitai Bannou Lite' software for backing up,<br>
editing, and managing mobile phone address book data on a PC. </p>
<p>Other specs: Class 2 Bluetooth. Up to 6 hours operation (or 200<br>
hours standby) on 2-hour recharge. Size 4.4 x 2 x 1.8 cm; weight<br>
14 grams, or half an ounce. </p>
<p>More info:<br>
<a href="http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-hp01ad/index.shtml" title="http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-hp01ad/index.shtml">http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-hp01ad/index.shtml</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
<a href="http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-dockt/" title="http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-dockt/">http://www.planex.co.jp/product/bluetooth/bt-dockt/</a> (BT DockT<br>
iPod adapter, Japanese)<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>RISO Print Gocco kits take a final bow </p>
<p>Name: Print Gocco PG-11, Print Gocco PG-5, Print Gocco Arts<br>
Category: printing kit<br>
Price: varies (JPY6825 for PG-5 Basic Set)<br>
RIP: September 1977 - June 30, 2008</p>
<p>You'd be hard pressed to find an adult in Japan who doesn't know<br>
Print Gocco, even if youngsters think of it as that odd toy the<br>
older folks play with. In 1977, Tokyo-based printing machinery<br>
maker RISO Kagaku Corp. began selling the little self-contained<br>
printing press for consumers. The 'household communication<br>
tool', as the company calls it, uses a flash unit to thermally<br>
imprint images onto a master screen, which can then produce<br>
color prints. It was a huge hit for RISO, with over 10 million<br>
units sold. Gocco has its overseas fans as well, and a Print<br>
Gocco B6 sits in the Edison Museum in the US. </p>
<p>Alas, it's the end of the line for Gocco: RISO shuts down sales<br>
on June 30. The news comes as no surprise, as the company first<br>
warned of a future end in 2005. A 'Save Gocco' Internet campaign<br>
helped spur a resurgence and the resumption of some product<br>
lines in 2007, but at the end of May this year, RISO decided to<br>
finally put Gocco 'out of print' for good. </p>
<p>What caused Print Gocco's demise? Nobody needs a second guess to<br>
finger the culprit: the home personal computer, aided and<br>
abetted by the cheap inkjet printer. Sales of Gocco and its<br>
supplies began diving from the latter half of the 90s, plunging<br>
from JPY15.2 billion in 1994 to under JPY1 billion now. </p>
<p>Expect to see the beloved Gocco remain in continued use by<br>
artists, seniors, and general hobbyists. If you've had a<br>
curiosity, pick one up; you won't find a neater, more compact<br>
screen-printing system. RISO will continue to supply inks and<br>
other disposable supplies - 'for the time being', it says. Uh<br>
oh, sounds ominous. Time to stock the cellars, Gocco fans.<br>
(You'll also need a VCR tape player to watch the instructional<br>
tape that comes with the basic kits. How's that for retro?)</p>
<p>More information: <a href="http://www.riso.co.jp/release/20080530.html" title="http://www.riso.co.jp/release/20080530.html">http://www.riso.co.jp/release/20080530.html</a><br>
(Japanese)</p>
<p>========================================================</p>
<p>I-O DATA CPKB/BT Bluetooth keyboard eases mobile phone work </p>
<p>Name: I-O DATA CPKB/BT Bluetooth keyboard<br>
Category: keyboard<br>
Price: JPY16,485<br>
Release date in Japan: June 11, 2008</p>
<p>Those kids are fast with the thumbs on those mobile phone<br>
keypads; no question there. Give me a good keyboard, though, and<br>
I'll show 'em what typing is. </p>
<p>My weapon has arrived. The CPKB/BT keyboard - that's Cellular<br>
Phone KeyBoard Blue Tooth - talks to your DoCoMo SH906i or<br>
SH906iTV Bluetooth mobile phone, letting you switch from one or<br>
two thumbs to ten fingers. It's perfect for long email messages,<br>
blogging, or address book clean-up. </p>
<p>As you'd expect, I-O DATA plays up the 'use your mobile phone<br>
like a PC' marketing aspect. Increasingly, mobile phones are<br>
powerful enough to take the place of PCs for many a user, yet<br>
for all the thumb dexterity of determined users, a keypad's<br>
physical limitations do slow down input. I-O DATA says the CPKB<br>
brings back true touch typing - though at a scant 15-cm width,<br>
it's definitely a compact 'board. Don't expect full desktop<br>
keyboard speed and comfort. </p>
<p>In addition, how often do you expect you'll be seated at a desk,<br>
wanting to type something long into your mobile? If that's not<br>
often enough to justify purchase, here's one more feature that<br>
may tempt you: add the I-O DATA USB-BT20 Bluetooth adapter<br>
(JPY4200) to your PC, and you can use the CPKB as a wireless PC<br>
keyboard. </p>
<p>Caveats: The CPKB works with phones using HID1.0 profiles, and<br>
so far is limited to the two SH phones above (as well as the<br>
PlayStation 3). The company promises that more supported phones<br>
are on the way. Another concern is buried in the small print:<br>
possible interference with IEEE 802.11g/b communications, i.e.,<br>
your WiFi network setup.</p>
<p>Specs: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, aluminum body, 15.2 x 9.2 x 1.4cm,<br>
170 grams. Runs on two AAA alkaline batteries, from which you<br>
can expect 30 to 60 hours of use. Pairs with up to 5 devices.<br>
59-key; based on the 109A Japanese keyboard layout, though<br>
without hiragana printed on the keys. Comes with plastic<br>
keyboard cover. </p>
<p>More info: <a href="http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2008/cpkbbt/" title="http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2008/cpkbbt/">http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2008/cpkbbt/</a><br>
(Japanese)<br>
<a href="http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2007/usb-bt20/index.htm" title="http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2007/usb-bt20/index.htm">http://www.iodata.jp/prod/mobile/keitai/2007/usb-bt20/index.htm</a><br>
(USB-BT20, Japanese)</p>
<p>========================================================</p>
<p>Short items</p>
<p>Spotted elsewhere in the news:</p>
<p>1) SONY's Sountina concept speaker has been given the green<br>
light for production. The blue, amber, and purple lights,<br>
actually. Sountina is a glass tube atop a metal base, looking<br>
for all the world like a 1.84-meter light saber. Its 'vertical<br>
drive technology' sends sound in every direction from the<br>
omnidirectional glass tweeter (as well as a 7-cm mid-range<br>
speaker and 13-cm woofer); SONY says the technology produces<br>
evenness of both sound quality and sound volume over an<br>
unusually long distance. The art-like tube glows in the above<br>
shifting colors to further set the mood. Sountina is ideal for<br>
spacious hotel lobbies, wedding halls, and the like - but if<br>
you've got an extra JPY1,000,000 from June 20, then it's made<br>
for you too.<br>
<a href="http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/AV-HiFi/sountina/" title="http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/AV-HiFi/sountina/">http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/AV-HiFi/sountina/</a><br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xySelsxODjo" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xySelsxODjo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xySelsxODjo</a></p>
<p>2) Since its introduction over a year ago, Microsoft's Windows<br>
Vista has enjoyed a global reception about as warm as<br>
yesterday's roadkill. Amidst consumers' demands that computer<br>
makers keep offering the older Windows XP, and countless web<br>
sites detailing the process for uninstalling Vista, Tokyo-based<br>
Magnolia offers a compromise solution: 'Back to XP', a software<br>
package that leaves Vista lurking inside your PC but disguises<br>
it as XP. Back to XP brings back lost menus, turns off the<br>
reviled UAC feature, restores the old look of the Start menu and<br>
desktop icons, and otherwise takes Vista a step forward. Or<br>
backward. Whichever. Available from July 4 for JPY1980 (package)<br>
or JPY980 (download).<br>
<a href="http://www.magnolia.co.jp/products/utility/back02/index.htm" title="http://www.magnolia.co.jp/products/utility/back02/index.htm">http://www.magnolia.co.jp/products/utility/back02/index.htm</a><br>
(Japanese)</p>
<p>3) The PRADA phone by LG isn't new, having already sold over<br>
800,000 units in 44 countries since last year, but it's new to<br>
DoCoMo and Japan this month. The fashion-conscious black unit<br>
combines LG's mobile phone innards with a shell, interface,<br>
stylus/strap, and leather case by famed Italian brand designers<br>
PRADA. The 3-inch QVGA (240x400) touchpad display works with a<br>
finger or a stylus. In Japan, the phone works with DoCoMo's 3.5G<br>
'FOMA High Speed' service. At 2 megapixels, its camera isn't<br>
raising the bar for resolution, but does feature a Schneider<br>
Kreuznach lens from Germany. Yours for about JPY100,000.<br>
<a href="http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/concept_model/l852i/" title="http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/concept_model/l852i/">http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/concept_model/l852i/</a><br>
(Japanese)</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>
READ PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS<br>
Gadget Watch online archive:<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/gadget_watch" title="http://www.japaninc.com/gadget_watch">http://www.japaninc.com/gadget_watch</a><br>
Check out our other Japan-specific newsletters:<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters_main_page" title="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters_main_page">http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters_main_page</a></p>
<p>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>
<p>ADVERTISING INFORMATION<br>
To advertise in this newsletter, contact: <a href="mailto:ads@japaninc.com">ads@japaninc.com</a></p>
<p>FEEDBACK AND PROBLEMS<br>
We welcome your viewpoint: <a href="mailto:editors@japaninc.com">editors@japaninc.com</a><br>
NB Please do not reply to this newsletter<br>
-- it's outgoing only, so we won't get it!<br>
Technical problems: <a href="mailto:webmaster@japaninc.com">webmaster@japaninc.com</a><br>
Copyright (C) 2008 Japan Inc Communications KK.<br>
All Rights Reserved.</p>
<p>GadgetWatch mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:GadgetWatch@mailman.japaninc.com">GadgetWatch@mailman.japaninc.com</a><br>
<a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/gadgetwatch" title="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/gadgetwatch">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/gadgetwatch</a><br>
--------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>
-------------------- 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>-----------------------------------------------------------</p>