<div dir="ltr"><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. 311 Friday August 29, 2008<br>
Subscribers: 9467<br>
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO GADGET WATCH:<br>
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<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>Reference380 renews TEAC's home audio line in Japan</p>
<p>Name: TEAC Reference380</p>
<p>Category: home audio system </p>
<p>Price: see below </p>
<p>Release date in Japan: August 25, 2008</p>
<p>Tokyo-based TEAC, a maker of professional and high-end consumer</p>
<p>audio equipment, is renewing its presence in the consumer</p>
<p>component stereo system market in Japan with a new 'hi-component</p>
<p>system', the Reference380. TEAC says the Reference series,</p>
<p>already available overseas, incorporates the expertise of top</p>
<p>European sound designers, and marks the first new TEAC consumer</p>
<p>brand sold in Japan since the 10-year-old high-end ESOTERIC</p>
<p>consumer line.</p>
<p>The black aluminum-paneled system has four main components: </p>
<p>* Analog amplifier (A-H380): 45W+45W, Signal-Noise Ratio 100dB</p>
<p>(IHF-A), frequency response 10Hz-65kHz, Total Harmonic</p>
<p>Distortion (THD) 0.1%. JPY47,250.</p>
<p>* CD player (PD-H380): Also plays MP3 and WMA files on CD/CD-RW</p>
<p>discs or USB drive. JPY42,000.</p>
<p>* Digital AM/FM tuner (TH-380): 30 AM/FM presets. JPY26,250.</p>
<p>* 2-way speakers (LS-H250): 2.5-cm silk dome tweeters, 13-cm</p>
<p>carbon cone woofers, 50W. JPY31,500.</p>
<p>Included with the amp component are an iPod docking station to</p>
<p>play your Pod tunes through the system, and a remote to control</p>
<p>the amp, CD player, and docked iPod. </p>
<p>The Reference line will appear at general electronics retailers</p>
<p>and specialty audio shops. TEAC plans to introduce additional</p>
<p>higher- and lower-end Reference branded components by the end of</p>
<p>the year.</p>
<p>More info: <a href="http://www.teac.co.jp/audio/teac/ref380/" title="http://www.teac.co.jp/audio/teac/ref380/">http://www.teac.co.jp/audio/teac/ref380/</a> (Japanese)</p>
<p>---------- Metropolis and eigoTown.com Party --------------</p>
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<p>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
========================================================</p>
<p>CASIO EXILIM cameras fix flawed faces</p>
<p>Name: CASIO EXILIM EX-Z300 and EX-Z250 </p>
<p>Category: digital still camera </p>
<p>Price: About JPY40,000 (EX-Z300), JPY35,000 (EX-Z250)</p>
<p>Release date in Japan: August 29, 2008</p>
<p>Every week there's a new twist in what face-recognition software</p>
<p>offers to do for us. This time it's the 'Make-up Function' in</p>
<p>the new CASIO EXILIM EX-series 'kondeji' (compact digital cams).</p>
<p>Cameras that automatically detect and flatter faces with ideal</p>
<p>focus and exposure are old news already, as is smile-recognition</p>
<p>that snaps grins only. The EXILIM models further add the ability</p>
<p>to analyze and smooth out variations in skin tone, hiding flaws</p>
<p>from winkles to moles to harsh sunlight shadows. You choose the</p>
<p>degree of 'make-up' to apply, from among 12 levels of</p>
<p>processing. It's like Photoshop fakery without the hassle!</p>
<p>Another trick of the EXILIMs' face-recognition engine is the</p>
<p>ability to register the mugs of family and friends. Take a group</p>
<p>shot, and the EXILIM will place priority on showing those</p>
<p>favored faces in the best light.</p>
<p>Want one more trick? All right: Say you want a 'two-shot' of you</p>
<p>and your date, but there's no stranger around to bother with the</p>
<p>request. So you resort to one of those self-portraits with the</p>
<p>camera at arm's length, right? But it's hard to hold the cam</p>
<p>still, and your spotty aim can leave out half a face. Here the</p>
<p>EXILIM will play the role of the missing stranger, waiting for</p>
<p>both faces to come solidly into view and then firing</p>
<p>automatically. Hai, po-zu!</p>
<p>Other 'do all the work for you' features include heavy digital</p>
<p>processing to best expose both subject and backgrounds in those</p>
<p>difficult night shots and backlit shots; automatic selection of</p>
<p>ideal shooting mode; vibration reduction coupled with automatic</p>
<p>ISO selection; and automatic focus adjustment for moving</p>
<p>subjects. The EXILIM even knows when you're using a tripod, and</p>
<p>adjusts its automatic settings accordingly.</p>
<p>Other specs: 10 megapixels (EX-Z300) / 9 megapixels (EX-Z250);</p>
<p>4x optical zoom (28-112mm); 3.0-inch display; H.264 video</p>
<p>(1280x720); 38MB internal memory; SD/SDHC and MultiMedia memory</p>
<p>card slot.</p>
<p>More info: <a href="http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z300/" title="http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z300/">http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z300/</a> (Japanese)</p>
<p><a href="http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z250/" title="http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z250/">http://dc.casio.jp/product/exilim/ex_z250/</a> (Japanese)</p>
<p>========================================================</p>
<p>SCE PSP-3000 game machine coming this October</p>
<p>Name: SONY PSP-3000 </p>
<p>Category: portable game machine </p>
<p>Price: Not yet announced </p>
<p>Release date in Japan: October, 2008</p>
<p>Here's one for the gamers: Sony Computer Entertainment's</p>
<p>announcement of its latest PlayStation Portable game machine,</p>
<p>the PSP-3000. First, a really short background on the PSP:</p>
<p>The PlayStation Portable hit shops in Japan at the end of 2004,</p>
<p>and North America in March 2005. It's sold over 40 million units</p>
<p>worldwide since. The PSP is a slab-shaped game machine with</p>
<p>optical drive, a good-sized screen, WiFi, Internet and</p>
<p>multimedia capabilities, and the ability to connect with other</p>
<p>PSPs and the PlayStation 3 console. It received a 'Slim and</p>
<p>Light' redesign (PSP-2000) about a year ago, shedding weight and</p>
<p>bulk while gaining USB charging, composite TV output, a brighter</p>
<p>screen, and 64MB of onboard memory (up from 32MB). </p>
<p>What's new in the PSP-3000? Two things, mainly: a better screen</p>
<p>and a microphone. </p>
<p>The new screen offers 'the highest-level contrast ratio,</p>
<p>response time, and wider color gamut possible on a portable LCD</p>
<p>screen', says SCE, as well as anti-glare coating to improve</p>
<p>outdoor viewing. The unit's video-out port also receives an</p>
<p>uprade, with the ability to output gameplay in interlace format</p>
<p>for non-progressive TV screens. </p>
<p>While that all sounds nice, the microphone is what will enable</p>
<p>new types of gameplay and usage. Expect to see upcoming games</p>
<p>gain voice-based controls and network play chat capabilities.</p>
<p>SCE is already promoting Skype capability as a selling point,</p>
<p>making the PSP-3000 into an Internet phone. </p>
<p>That still makes for a pretty modest refresh; other than the</p>
<p>screen and microphone upgrades, the PSP-3000 is little changed</p>
<p>from the current model. Available colors will be Piano Black,</p>
<p>Mystic Silver, and Pearl White. SCE promises a worldwide launch</p>
<p>in October 2008.</p>
<p>More info: <a href="http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/080821ae.html" title="http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/080821ae.html">http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/080821ae.html</a></p>
<p>(English)</p>
<p>========================================================</p>
<p>Short items</p>
<p>Spotted elsewhere in the news:</p>
<p>1) This sounds good in a world ever-more concerned about energy</p>
<p>costs and electronic waste: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology</p>
<p>(TMD) and Idemitsu Kosan have announced a new small-molecule</p>
<p>organic electroluminescent (EL) display panel that reportedly</p>
<p>lasts 30 times as long as current TMD screens while sipping a</p>
<p>scant 1/10 the electricity. The 2.2-inch QVGA screen for mobile</p>
<p>devices uses 100mW of power and lasts up to 60,000 hours, the</p>
<p>best specs recorded yet for the category. TMD provided the TFT</p>
<p>substrate design technology and element design technology, while</p>
<p>Idemitsu chipped in RGB light-emitting materials. The two</p>
<p>companies are now cooperating on commercialization plans. </p>
<p>Info: <a href="http://www.tmdisplay.com/tm_dsp/press/2008/08-08-20_e.html" title="http://www.tmdisplay.com/tm_dsp/press/2008/08-08-20_e.html">http://www.tmdisplay.com/tm_dsp/press/2008/08-08-20_e.html</a></p>
<p>(English)</p>
<p>2) Twice in one month? SoftBank Mobile has again lowered the</p>
<p>minimum price of its all-you-can-eat 'Packet Flat-rate Full'</p>
<p>data plan for the iPhone 3G. The minimum fee for low packet</p>
<p>usage, lowered earlier this month from a flat JPY5985 to</p>
<p>JPY1695, now drops to JPY1029 per month. If you're a light data</p>
<p>sipper, you might pay as little as JPY2324 per month for your</p>
<p>combined White Plan, S! Basic Pack, and Packet Flat-rate Full</p>
<p>data plan (though once you start playing with web sites and the</p>
<p>App Store and other iPhone goodies, you're not likely to stick</p>
<p>to that data diet). </p>
<p>The move is SoftBank's response to competitor DoCoMo recently</p>
<p>dropping its minimum packet plan fee to JPY1029. Keep fightin it</p>
<p>out on price, boys; I've got lots of stuff to download!</p>
<p>Press release:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.softbankmobile.co.jp/ja/news/press/2008/20080826_01/" title="http://www.softbankmobile.co.jp/ja/news/press/2008/20080826_01/">http://www.softbankmobile.co.jp/ja/news/press/2008/20080826_01/</a></p>
<p>(Japanese)</p>
<p>Previous price drop:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tekronomicon.com/stuff/2008/08/" title="http://www.tekronomicon.com/stuff/2008/08/">http://www.tekronomicon.com/stuff/2008/08/</a></p>
<p>iphone_3g_data_plan_just_got_cheaper_for_light_users_in_japan</p>
<p>(English)</p>
<p>3) One feature you won't find on a Macintosh computer is a</p>
<p>television tuner. The fairly recent Apple TV peripheral, for all</p>
<p>its capabilities, still doesn't bring in actual television.</p>
<p>Hence a variety of third-party peripherals for TV-loving Mac</p>
<p>users, including the upcoming GV-MACTV from Kanazawa-based I-O</p>
<p>DATA. An update of the earlier GV-MVP/H for Windows, the small,</p>
<p>slim white box will connect to a Mac's USB port to pull in</p>
<p>Hi-Vision-quality terrestrial digital TV for viewing and</p>
<p>recording to hard drive or DVD. The unit will hold the B-CAS</p>
<p>cards used in Japan to decode digital broadcasts, and will ship</p>
<p>with TV management software that will work with an Apple Remote.</p>
<p>Available by the end of the year; no price yet. (The Windows</p>
<p>device is JPY15,700.)</p>
<p>Press release: <a href="http://www.iodata.jp/news/2008/08/08_pr014.htm" title="http://www.iodata.jp/news/2008/08/08_pr014.htm">http://www.iodata.jp/news/2008/08/08_pr014.htm</a></p>
<p>(Japanese)</p>
<p>GV-MVP/H for Windows:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/07/" title="http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/07/">http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/07/</a></p>
<p>io_data_tuner_s_record_multiple_terrestrial_digital_tv_channels</p>
<p>(English)</p>
<p>----------------------------------------------------------------<br>
STAFF<br>
Written by: Timm Tuttle<br>
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<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><br>
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<p>----------------------------------------------------------------<br>
----------------- ICA Event - Sept 11 ---------------------</p>
<p>Event: SUMMER NETWORKING PARTY!!</p>
<p>Topic: Joint event with ACCJ ICT Committee and the<br>
Indian IT Club</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)</p>
<p>Date: Thursday, Sept 11, 2008<br>
Time: 6:30-8:30pm - includes open bar and buffet<br>
Cost: 6,000 yen (members), 7,000 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></div>