Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

We really hate going back on stuff that we reported on just days ago, but that’s how things go in this business sometimes. So, first it was a maybe, then a definite yes, but now we’re very sorry to tell you that it appears Nintendo will not be confirming DVD playback for the US and Europe — at least for the time being. Our sister blog, Wii Fanboy, has the story, and reports that only Japan will be getting a Wii with DVD playback sometime in 2007. However, don’t lose hope just yet DVD player-free Wii fans (seriously? you’re out there?), because GamesIndustry.biz also reports that Sonic Solution, the company that’s providing Nintendo with the appropriate DVD playback software, said that it signed a “worldwide agreement” for its new software to be included on the Wii, and that the software would be released in the “latter half of 2007.” So, that could mean American and European Wii zealots will get what you’ve been yearning for — or it could just mean that Nintendo and Sonic Solution are conspiring to tease you.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

If you’re someone who can easily read other people’s emotions, then you probably won’t be getting a SHOJI (Symbiotic Hosting Online Jog Instrument) anytime soon. For the rest of us, we’ll have to rely on this latest invention from our friends at the University of Tokyo and GS Yuasa. The SHOJI apparently can sense the “mood” of a room by monitoring light levels, temperature, humidity, infrared, ultrasonic waves, the “presence and movement of people,” (not unlike that Mitsubishi air conditioner we saw recently) body temperature, and “the nature of activity in the room,” whatever that is. All of that data is then compiled and computed to output to an LED flask sort of thing which displays red for anger, blue for sadness, yellow for happiness and green for peace. Apparently Japanese managers and hospitals are willing to pay a hefty price for this privilege, given that it’ll cost between ¥300,000 and ¥400,000 ($2,500 to $3,300) when its released in April 2007. Still, the SHOJI is no KotoHana flower, that’s for sure.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

We’re not really sure which is worse, that the future has already reached Japan, or that Japan has already out-designed everyone. Apparently yesterday there was a “spacewear fashion show” at the University of Tokyo’s Hongo campus. A joint venture between Rocketplane Kistler, an American space tour company, and a group of Japanese fashion designers came together to create the “Hyper Space Couture Design Contest.” The clothes selected will be used for Rocketplane’s flights, which are slated to begin in 2008. While we don’t exactly know what “spacewear” means, apparently one of the requirements is to be able to pack form and function into a zero-g outfit, “such as ruffles that expand under weightless conditions or small air-jet propulsions systems in the sleeves to help you change direction while floating.” We still think that any of these outfits could be improved with a little Engadget logo stitched somewhere on there, but hey, we’ll still take some small air-jet propulsion systems on our terrestrial outfits.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Japan’s PBJ (not to be confused with the American sandwich of the same name) has enlisted British designer Crispin Jones to add some flair to its line of UMPCs. Taking inspiration from the Japanese writing boxes (suzuribako), Jones writes that his design is meant to “inspire the user in their work,” through the use of bright colors, geometric shapes and raised surfaces. Jones’ UMPCs will be on display at the 100% Design Tokyo exhibition beginning today through November 5. We’d still like these UMPCs more if they came with a side of peanut butter and strawberry jelly, though (but please, no grape).

[Via Core77]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Transportation

Wouldn’t it be great if your car could actually read information to you? We’re not just talking about reciting driving directions (that’s so 2001), but rather an audio version of RSS feeds, specifically Yahoo Japan, Sony’s So-net “lifestyle blog” and Nissan‘s travel guide blog. (C’mon Nissan, no love for Engadget Japanese?) It appears that this new addition to the Carwings system, which already provides ho-hum GPS navigation will also pack a 30GB hard drive so you can rock out to Pizzicato Five if you get bored of that mechanical voice. If you attend the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (October 3 – 7) to be held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, you can check out the updated Carwings system — if you do, be sure to let us know how distracting the synthetic voice is while zooming down the road.

[Via TechNews]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Late last month, we regaled you with a story about Toyota’s advanced collision detection technology that uses sensory data to trigger an automatic slowdown in cars. Clearly, one of the research teams at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology is paying attention to what their countrymen in Toyota are doing — for they’ve just come up with a similar system in wheelchairs. Recently developed with the collaboration of the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities in Japan, the new “intelligent wheelchair” has a set of cameras pointed in all directions mounted above the head of the rider to provide a complete 360-degree field of view. If the cameras detect potential hazards nearby, the wheelchair will slow down or come to a complete stop. Beyond that, the new ‘chair also is decked out with WiFi, eventually being able to transmit the amalgam of video feeds to a cell phone, while also providing a means of remote control. In addition, the wheelchair will look for signs of unusual posture (we’re not sure how this message is conveyed in a polite, Japanese way) and will also feature a way for the rider to direct movement of the chair simply by gesturing — you know, so you can get your moment of glory by striking your best Washington crossing the Delaware River pose. Be sure and catch a bigger pic of the camera orb on the flip side…

[Via Slashgear]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Household

Here you go folks, a computerized mattress for your computer bed from none other than that Japanese consumer electronics powerhouse, Panasonic. While it’s the not the strangest thing to come from Japan, it ranks. To protect your nightly crash, the EU3002 delivers eight programable airbags which change in size and shape as you snooze through the different phases of sleep. The airbags around your waist and shoulders begin to inflate when it’s time to awake, hopefully before you slide out the other end like a flacid burrito expulsion. And yeah, the mattress can be heated at the feet or along its entirety if that’s your issue. Still, for $2,200, you’d think they could integrate a wireless remote, right? Then again, maybe that top-center graphic is a clue to the value-add. Dropping 10th October in fulfillment of all your sick inflatable fantasies.

[Via The Raw Feed]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Displays

In a world full of LCD TVs that treat PCs as second rate, I-O Data is taking a stand for those who’d like just a dash of television with their PC monitor. The LCD-TV241 rocks a 24.1-inch screen, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, Japanese D4 input (which supports Hi-Vision), HDCP compatible DVI-D input, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and 8ms response time. You’ll also find a built-in analog (sorry, no ISDB-T love) TV tuner with integrated PIP, a rather uninspiring remote, and a sleek array of touch-sensitive controls gracing the frame of the black (or white) panel. While that analog tuner won’t do you much good past 2011, this LCD knows your PC is your first love anyway, and can be picked up in Japan later this month for ¥133,000 ($1,130).

[Via Akihabara News]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Robots

Sony, after your futile attempt to scorch the Earth of our beloved robot dog, prepare to meet thy maker. MI RAI-RT, from AIBO’s creator Tomoaki Kasugi now of Speecys Corp, is the latest all singing, all dancing robot, all growed-up and ready for release upon Japan. In addition to reading you the news downloaded over its 802.11g WiFi module, MI RAI-RT (which presumably translates to “future judgement” in Japanese) will teach your family English and deliver “3D messages” via RTML — yes, that’d be Robot Transaction Markup Language — which entails reading emails or other message types with appropriately intimidating body language. Weighing in at just 13-inches and 3.3-pounds, he won’t be grinding execs into a human sausage all on his own, but he’s apparently capable of terrorizing the shiznit out of your kids right from the box. Expect critical density to build starting October 31st when these drop for a ¥294,000 or about $2,495.

[Via Robot Gossip]

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Filed under: Robots

Ok folks, the future is officially upon us: Japan has just built a robot with a frickin’ laser embedded in its head. Yes, we were thinking Cylons too, but it turns out that their intentions are not quite as devious. The new Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existance as Workmate bot (EMIEW) — who last had a gig as a hotel clerk — has now been equipped with a sensory laser, giving it the ability to navigate a crowd without bumping into people. Hitachi will demo the new-and-improved EMIEW at the 2006 World Automotive Congress beginning October 23 in Yokohama, Japan — we just hope that its laser is also able to identify shorter folks, because injured toddlers are really bad PR.

[Via The Raw Feed]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

In a nice change of pace from all the laptop recalls involving exploding Sony-made batteries, Canon has announced that over 1.8 million of its personal copiers sold between 1987 and 1997 are at risk of catching fire due to faulty wiring, although the company estimates that only 270,000 of these relics are still in use (thank you, planned obsolescence). Apparently there have only been several reported instances of copiers overheating, but disturbingly, all but one of them occurred overseas several years ago, and it was only the latest fire in Canon’s home country of Japan that prompted the recall. Affected units include the PC6, PC7, PC8, and PC11 home copiers, along with the larger NP1010, NP1020, and NP6010 models, all of which qualify for free inspections and replacement parts — but again, Japanese owners gets first crack at the fix while Canon figures out how to service devices sold in the rest of the world. So, until Canon comes up with a game plan for repairing the remaining machines, owners of these fire hazards are probably best off copying their documents, middle fingers, and rear ends down at the local Kinko’s.

[Via Reuters]

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Filed under: Robots

We’ve certainly seen our fair share of robotic surgeons, nursebots, and robopharmacists around here, but what happens when it’s the robots themselves that need a little medical attention? Why you ship them off to Osaka, Japan’s Akazawa Roboclinic, of course. Although some people might write off the recently-opened clinic– which is run by Systec Akazawa, makers of the skateboarding, Bluetooth-controlled PLEN bot — as little more than a repair shop, the employees apparently conduct themselves in a very professional manner, donning traditional hospital lab coats and dividing the space into examination, operating, and rehabilitation rooms. The hospital is currently staffed by just four “physicians” led by a Dr. Ohno, who says that the most common maladies they encounter are faulty motors, fractured frames, and severed wires. So before sending your malfunctioning Robosapien, decapitated Qrio, or rabid Aibo to that great mechatronic heaven in the sky (a.k.a. your local landfill), spend a few bucks on a long distance call to Akazawa — they may just be able to fix up your beloved robotic companion and return him/her as good as new.

[Via Robot Gossip and Loving the Machine]

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Filed under: Gaming

It’s one of the principles of supply and demand that as supply goes up while demand is down, the great equalizer is lowering the price; well, Microsoft finally has the supply they were after with the Xbox 360, but the demand sure as hell isn’t there in Japan. So what’s Redmond to do? Dump ‘em off for about ¥29,800, or about $255, a solid $86 US off its current retail price and $45 less than in the US. First the UK, now Japan — what’s America got to do to catch a break with the 360, play hard to get and stop buying the damned things?

[Thanks, theburn16]

Update: Well wouldn’t you know it, our Japanese bureau informed us that they aren’t actually slashing the price, but are just introducing the Core system to the Japanese market. Still, it’s at a price far less than that of its US counterparts — and it kind of makes you wonder why they didn’t launch the more affordable version over in the Japanese market to begin with. Japanese 360 buyers: it’s coming your way November 2nd!

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Filed under: Laptops

So it would seem that Korean Air has forbidden all Dell laptops and Apple‘s PowerBook and iBook models from its flights due to the risk that those computers’ batteries might explode, reports The Korea Times. The newspaper also reported that Australian airline Qantas made a similar ban last month for the same reasons. Naturally, the longer it takes Sony, the batteries’ manufacturer, to sort through this exploding battery fiasco, the harder and harder its going to be to get your Dell or Apple on a plane, but we know the pressure’s on. Sony company has already faced the wrath of the Japanese Ministry of Trade, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and apparently the US Federal Aviation Administration is also looking into the problem as well. Damn, it’s hard out there for Sony — maybe it’d do well to quell everyone’s fears by giving out some free PS3s for awhile, whattayasay?

[Via ThinkSecret]

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Filed under: Transportation

Remember that personal helicopter we peeped last year which some of you didn’t think was real? Well, we tracked down the manufacturer and yeah, you guessed it, dug out the price. Ok, it’s not exactly the Bell Rocket Belt we were promised back in the 60′s when Engadget was an upstart think-tank focusing on emerging technology for the US military. Still, the Japanese built GEN H-4 co-axial helicopter features a 125cc, horizontally opposed 2 cylinder engine capable of launching your ass some 1,000-meters (about half a mile) high at a max speed of 90km/hour, or a bit more than a Sammy Hagar. While it would appear to lessen the risk of setting fire to your nether regions, any margin of safety gained is likely offset by the threat from decapitation. For as the machine translation states: the H-4 is not a finished product, yet is “probably” possible to self-assemble. Oh, ok then, can we just PayPal the ¥3,780,000 (about $32,500) or will a personal check suffice? Yet judging by the photo, it’s safe enough for children to operate so let’s not go all pansy just yet.

[Via Impress]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables, Wireless

Full points for effective buzzword usage here: Japanese department chain Mitsokoshi is implementing a new system in their dressing rooms that allows patrons to scan RFID-tagged items and then use a VoIP phone to check inventory and call for other items to be brought. The whole system is tied into Mitsokoshi’s Point Of Sale system to have real-time info on inventory, and since most of the system is based on Cisco phones the installation costs about $700-800, instead of $20,000-25,000 for a similar setup based on touchscreen kiosks. When an RFID-equipped clothing item is scanned, different sizes, colors and similar product show up for selection on the 5.6-inch touchscreen of the phone, and picking up the phone to call for help is a bit more discreet than shouting out your ever expanding waist size over the dressing room wall. The setup is being provided by Litescape, who claims to be already demonstrating to US retailers such as Abercrombie, Home Depot, the Gap and Virgin Mega — so maybe we won’t have to be too far behind Japan in this regard. Go USA.

[Via RFID in Japan]

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Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

Finding real-time traffic data is becoming less unusual thanks to nav units popping up more frequently in vehicles nowadays, but real-time data about about potential road hazards, pedestrians in the way, and other random tidbits that could prevent a serious headache (or worse) isn’t quite there yet. Japan’s National Police Agency is on the ball, however, and hopes to take the currently installed Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) to the next level (and make sure that more than 10 percent of the population actually takes advantage of it). The Driving Safety Support System (DSSS) is being developed by the Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS), and aside from creating a maze of acronyms to keep track of, it plans on utilizing two-way infrared beacons — installed about 5.5 meters above the street — to analyze real-time information about street conditions, hazards, and pedestrians who aren’t paying attention. The beacons will reportedly beam the data to your in-car navigation system, and depending on your specific location, will be tailored to address intersections and crossroads that you are actually approaching. Approximately 20 types of subsystems could be installed by 2008, with 5 of these currently being tested — the beacons are placed in “accident-prone” areas, and are each designed to help prevent a certain type of mishap, be it a rear-end collision, right-turn fender bender, or flattening of an innocent bystander or two. While this sounds like an excellent way to curb vehicular chaos in a nation where traffic is becoming a serious issue, we can’t exactly envision this taking off like the UTMS probably hopes — it’s going to take quite awhile before a significant amount of drivers can rock navigation systems in their rides, and who’s to say that all this pertinent information demanding the driver’s attention won’t become a hazard in and of itself?

[Via Pink Tentacle]

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Filed under: Robots

If having your own personal life sized Gundam model just isn’t glamorous for you, we’re thinking the Land Walker may just fit the bill. Last year we caught wind of Sakakibara Kikai’s terrorizing mobile robot, but figured it was just another fantastic use of scrap metal and spare time. Apparently Masaaki Nagumo, the machine’s inventor, thought otherwise — the 3.4 meter tall robotic transporter is reportedly now on sale (made-to-order, of course) in Japan for about 36 million yen. For us Americans pondering this investment, that’s over $300,000, and it’s highly unlikely this 1 ton beast would get through customs even if the company were offering shipment outside of Japan. Although it’s not likely to catch any robotic villains (nor bicyclists, actually) at 1.5 km/h, there’s always the dueling guns that are locked and loaded with squishy pellets to show them you mean business. Outrageous though this bot may be, we’re sure a few of you are still thinking over a purchase, so maybe this five minute demonstration can help you pull the trigger.

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Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

We know that it’s a bit of a tease to keep featuring products that will never be available in the US, but we figure that if you’re not down with foreign devices, you probably would have stopped visiting this site long ago (or maybe you just skip over these types of posts). Anyway, the latest look-but-don’t-touch model comes from Japanese manufacturer PC-Koubou — the same company that dropped seven new laptops on us not too long ago — who just announced the impending release of its 15.4-inch Lesance AS520AW-DUO gaming notebook. As you probably guessed from the model number, this Windows XP Home Edition-powered machine sports an Intel Core Duo processor of the 1.83GHz T2400 variety, along with ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics (featuring 256MB of VRAM), a 1,200 x 800 pixel display, 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 RAM, and a 60GB hard drive running at 5,400 RPM. Also along for the ride are an ExpressCard slot (though no PCMCIA), 8x DVD super-duper multi drive, and four USB 2.0 ports, though WiFi and Bluetooth are nowhere to be found. If you happen to be visiting Japan starting next month, you can snatch one of these beauties up for just $1,371.

[Via MobileWhack]

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Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Liquid-based displays are nothing new — in a vertical orientation, at least — but apparently it’s a lot more difficult to coax a standing pool of water into forming recognizable shapes and characters. In fact, before coming up with their current design, researchers at Japan’s Akishima Laboratories were only able to get poorly-formed letters to pop up once every 15 minutes in their first stab at using waves to “print” on the surface of a specially-built pool. Their second attempt, however — developed with Professor Shigeru Naito of Osaka University — addresses both major flaws by using formulas known as Bessel functions to cut the processing time down to between 15 and 30 seconds and form characters with straight lines. The 30-centimeter deep, kiddie pool-sized device employs 50 generators operating in unison to produce cylindrical waves that behave like pixels, giving it the ability to display the entire roman alphabet as well as a number of kanji characters. Eventually this technology could be combined with music and lighting effects to create multimedia attractions at hotels or theme parks, but until they can speed up the letter formation even more (and maybe toss in some video), we don’t see any real practical applications here. Readers?

[Via Pink Tentacle]

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Japan really loves their waterproof gadgets, and it shows yet again with this Sigma APO waterproof keyboard.

The WRKB108 is a 108-key keyboard that has five drain-holes to evacuate any water inadvertently sploshed onto its surface. The keys are “silent”, so as to not wake the wife when you’re busy playing slip-n-slide with this in your home office. Three extra keys—WWW, Search, and Email—makes it Web 3.0-ready.

Pick one up for 2,980 Yen ($25) from Nippon. – Jason Chen

Sigma APO [via Far East Gizmos]

Filed under: Peripherals, NTT DoCoMo, Misc

Countrywide 3G coverage: check. Plethora of gorgeous 3G phones in all shapes, sizes, and platforms: check. 4G development well underway: check. Dismal standby times: check. With battery tech having largely stagnated over the last few years, Japan's NTT DoCoMo has turned their attention to powering all that buttery, broadband goodness via more creative means, showing their direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) recharger last year. The DMFC wasn't a bad first effort, but how about shrinking it by a factor of four, doubling the output, and swapping methanol for water? That's what they've managed to do through a partnership with Aquafairy Co., pumping out a prototype polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) that rocks 800mAh at 3.6V -- enough juice to recharge your average FOMA handset in the same time as a wall wart. The new unit gets shown off this week at Wireless Japan 2006 with production plans slated for next year; availability outside Japan is (as usual) an open question, but with battery life falling to under a day on some modern smartphones, we can only hope manufacturers' hands are going to be forced on this one.

[Via The Raw Feed]

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

You may think that those USB thumb drives with biometric protection are keeping your data on adequate lockdown, but with so many Play-Doh-equipped crooks looking to steal your personal information these days, are you really willing to trust your most secure infoswag to a notoriously unreliable fingerprint reader? Our old friends at “innovative” Japanese manufacturer Thanko certainly aren’t, as evidenced by their new keypad-sporting model called the Morse Code Drive — which, despite its name, has nothing to do with the dash-dot-dashing we’ve seen performed by characters in old war movies. Available in either 512MB or 1GB flavors, this USB 2.0-compatible drive requires the user to input the proper PIN before revealing its precious data on a Mac or Windows machine, although we doubt that a determined hacker would be unable to penetrate its defenses. Still, most consumers will find the $60 and $85 drives acceptable for everyday use, and the fact that they camouflage themselves as a cheap calculator when stored in your pocket protector should only help seal the deal.

[Via Fareastgizmos]

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Filed under: Handsets, Others

If you’re under the age of 12 — or at least possess the mentality of a 12 year old, as some of us here at Engadget do — you’ve gotta be bummed that Japan seems to get all the cool kiddie phones. Sure, we get the Firefly and Migo in these parts, but we don’t have any, you know, frog-themed handsets. Gigabyte’s new limited-issue Keroro phone celebrates Japan’s Keroro Gunso cartoon, better known around here as “Sgt. Frog,” and considering the target demographic, the brightly colored slider doesn’t seem to be a half-bad device. Besides sporting a miniSD slot with a bundled 128MB card, camera, and what appears to be a mammoth speakerphone on its back, you get a boatload of Keroro-themed swag. No word on pricing, but only 2000 units are planned, so Sgt. Frog fans best get on the horn with their importers post-haste.

[Via Mobile Mentalism]

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Filed under: Laptops

China’s Lenovo is giving Japan some love with the new mid-range ThinkPad G50. It’s a bit on the chunky side, and weighs in at a hefty 7.3 pounds, but we suppose that’s to make room for the rather odd inclusion of a built-in floppy drive. The rest of the specs are a bit more standard, like the 15-inch display that ranges in resolution from XGA to SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050), and the Celeron M or low-end Core Duo processor options. The base model is pretty bare on specs, with a mere 256MB of RAM, CD-ROM drive and 40GB HDD. We’re not quite sure how the Core Duo models manage for specs, other than the PC card slot, gigabit Ethernet and four USB 2.0 ports that all the models share, but there’s only room for improvement. The laptop is 2-inches thick at its biggest, and 1-inch thick at its thinnest, making room for a 2 hour battery, that manages 2.5 hours of juice for the Core Duo setups. So bust out that Commander Keen floppy, dig up 135,450 Yen ($1169 USD) and snap this thing up before someone else gets suckered into it.

[Via Impress]

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