Archive for the ‘japan’ Category

Japanese Voice Recorder Toy Plays Back Everything You Say In Reverse [Toys]

It’s simple. Takara Tomy’s Sakasa Master Japan records anything you say and spits it out backwards. If you’re needing gift ideas for random relatives, this $15 toy should get a week’s use before it’s tossed aside. [Strapya via TokyoMango]

Posted: October 28th, 2009
at 1:40am by Adrian Covert

Topics: Sakasa Master Japan, Takara Tomy, Toys, japan

Nissan and AIST partner up to make foot-sized Segway shoes, enable first tracks all year

For the northern half of the world it’s almost ski season, and thus a curious time to debut a pair of devices that allow skiing in the summertime. Nevertheless Nissan and Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology are introducing this pair of two-wheeled, self-balancing devices. Lace up your fresh New Balance kicks, grab onto the handlebars, then hop on to go for a ride. Each one detects weight shifts and motors itself in the direction you want to go — or at least the direction you’re leaning. They don’t look particularly stable nor safe, but they could enable some sweet concrete hot doggin’ in the summertime — and some sick splits if you don’t have your snowplow perfected.

[Via Plastic Pals]

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

Nissan and AIST partner up to make foot-sized Segway shoes, enable first tracks all year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted: October 27th, 2009
at 8:20am by Tim Stevens

Topics: AdvancedIndustrialScienceAndTechnology, Segway, SkiShoes, advanced industrial science and technology, aist, japan, nissan, self-balancing, ski, ski shoes, skiing

NEC’s Aterm WM3300R is like a souped-up WiMAX version of the MiFi

Not every company has the design chops to make it in modern consumer electronics. Case in point: NEC’s Aterm WM3300R. While it looks like a thermostat you’d wall-mount at the local health center, it packs enough technological appeal to make up for that clinical dowdiness. See, it’s a pocketable WiMAX router with integrated 802.11b/g WiFi — think MiFi only with the relatively blazing speeds of 40Mbps (downstream) / 10Mbps (upstream) WiMAX instead of EV-DO or HSPA and a battery capable of about 2.5 hours of shared usage. The WM3300R can also be USB-attached to a PC as a WiMAX modem. Drop another ¥5,000 (about $54) and you’ve got a spare battery to keep the mobile action going. Expect it to be released in early November in Japan for an estimated ¥25,000 or right around $272. You seeing this Sprint, Clearwire?

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

NEC’s Aterm WM3300R is like a souped-up WiMAX version of the MiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted: October 27th, 2009
at 5:26am by Thomas Ricker

Topics: PortableRouter, WiFi, WimaxRouter, aterm, atermwm3300r, japan, nec, portable router, router, wimax, wimax router, wm3300r

Another Windows 7 launch party in Japan, another touchscreen failure

Judging from this video, the Windows 7 launch in Japan was certainly more, shall we say, flamboyant then the launch here in the US. But the really amusing part is the fact that the host couldn’t get the touchscreen to work.

The video is strangely disturbing, and I’m not sure exactly who the costumed heroes are (Ballmer? Gates?) but that’s not the really funny part. You’d think that someone being on stage demo’ing a technology would have looked at the thing first. Had he done that, he would have learned that using your fingernail doesn’t work, and not looked like an chump.

To be fair, crashes happen during demos. It happens to everyone, you’re showing off your shiny new thing and oops, there it goes. This was user error and shouldn’t be blamed on Win7.

Posted: October 26th, 2009
at 9:00pm by Dave Freeman

Topics: Headline, fail, japan, video, windows 7

Pentax’s limited edition Korejanai K-x DSLR reminds us of Harlequin VW Golf

You Yanks won’t be getting your paws around this without a buddy in Japan ready and willing to ship it your way, but those camped out in the Land of the Rising Sun can soon jockey for an opportunity to grab the most colorful Pentax K-x DSLR of all time. The Korejanai K-x — which was engineered by the same folks behind the ‘Self Destruct Button‘ USB hub — looks as if it had all of its panels painted a different hue, and as diehard lovers of the iconic 1996 Volkswagen Harlequin Golf, we can’t help but drool here. Only 100 of these will be sold, and it’ll be bundled with a matching Korejanai Robot Model. Of course, the camera itself is identical to the standard version save for the paint job, but somehow we’re guessing you’ll appreciate this one just a wee bit more. It’s set to sell for ¥79,800 (around $880), with orders being accepted starting at 10AM JST on November 2nd. Best set your alarms, kids!

[Via Image-Acquire]

Gallery: Pentax’s limited edition Korejanai K-x DSLR reminds us of Harlequin VW Golf