We heard back in January that Sony was looking to reface itself somewhat by introducing a minty fresh retail look that takes a note or two from the Apple and Microsoft shops already in existence, and for those lucky enough to find themselves in Nagoya this weekend, you can check it out in person. March 13th marked the opening of the all new Sony Store Nagoya, and with an ample of amount of glass, white demo stands and black overhead signs, it’s... 

Ever wanted to drink without really drinking? Well, participants at the International Collegiate Virtual Reality Contest in Japan were recently treated to a seemingly completely bizarre experience: drinking from a virtual straw . Masahiko Inami , founder of Inami Laboratory, developed the straw-like user interface (SUI) as part of a game called ‘Conspiratio.’ Showcased at the conference, the game asks players to catch virtual animal... 

Face it, folks — the days of windows being just windows are behind us. Before long, our panes will double as widget displays or makeshift televisions, and AIST has the prototype to prove it. The demonstration seems to utilize technology that’s far different than that seen in Samsung’s iceTouch PMP , but it’s certainly no less exciting. According to DigInfo , AIST is developing florescent glass suitable for excitation... 

It’s pretty much common knowledge these days that we’re big fans of Micro Four Thirds cameras, and while Olympus may already be shipping its second generation hardware, Panasonic is holding firm with the still highly desirable GF1 . Tweaking up the formula just a tad, the company is throwing its Japanese audience a bone with a pair of frankly stupendous color options, led by the silver (looks more like gunmetal to us) number above.... 

It lost the top spot in 2008, but in 2009, Panasonic submitted the most international patent applications (according to a preliminary report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization on Monday). Panasonic filed a total of 1,891 applications, topping the 1,847 of major Chinese telecommunications equipment producer Huawei Technologies (which was the No. 1 in 2008). After having acquired Sanyo , maintaining the top spot in the next... 

The rest of the world is catching on rapidly but overall, Japan is still the world’s most advanced society mobile society . That being said, you’d assume that the first 4G (LTE) device to get an official certification from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications must be coming from one of the many mobile companies over here, but it was South Korea’s LG who  Read More →

Puyocon is an innovative pointing device developed by the Entertainment Computing Laboratory of Japan’s Tsukuba University. We’re not sure, though, whether that innovation represents an evolution or just a bizarre mutation. As opposed to a standard mouse, which relies on a 2-D plane to interact with your computer’s similarly 2-D interface, Puyocon moves in three dimensions. Incorporating 14 pressure sensors and a three-way... 

We can’t say that we’ve ever heard of PaPaLaB, but all it takes to get on the consumer electronics radar is doing something that no one has ever done before. It’s one of those “easier said than done” things, we’re guessing. Anywho, the Japanese outfit has just rolled out a camera system that has been proven to see the same colors …  Read More →

Alright, you already have a robot dancer , some robot houscats , and you even acquired a Roomba to protect your child from poisonous snakes — what’s next for your futuristic replicant menagerie? Starting in January 2010, the Japanese department store Sogo & Seibu will accept pre-orders for Actroid life-sized, animatronic female robots. Unlike some available models, these ones can’t walk (or to a two-step, for that matter)... 

There’s a decent chance you North Americans in attendance won’t ever see the likes of AOpen ’s XC Mini GP7A-HD, but for those in places where having a say on what innards are shoved into their next nettop (we’re lookin’ at you, Japan), this mini PC is apposite to fill quite the void. Boasting only a small frame, NVIDIA’s Ion graphics technology and space for a multicard reader, it’s up to the buyer to... 

Looks like the wait for a real HD PMP is finally over: Hallods of Japan has just released their F43 MP4 player featuring a 4.3-inch 1280×720 screen, easily beating other sub-5-inch, 480p screens found on big names like the Archos 5 and Viewsonic’s VPD400 . Under that sharp screen is 8GB of internal storage and a hot-swappable microSD slot, along with a battery life of about four hours and ten hours for video and music, respectively.... 

I am currently in Miyazaki /Japan, attending the Infinity Ventures Summit (IVS), one of Asia’s most prestigious web industry events. Organizing VC company Infinity Venture Partners reserved some hours of the program to give a total of twelve 12 Japanese start-ups the chance to present their services onstage to a panel of judges and an international crowd of over 300 people. A speech recognition and transcribing service called Moji Moji... 

You know Microsoft, when you setup a big Windows 7 booth across the street from the Japan Linux Symposium you’re just asking for trouble. [Thanks, Mitch W.] Filed under: Software Linus Torvalds gives Windows 7 a big thumbs up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  Read More →

Anyone who has tried their hand at overclocking recognizes just how evil waste heat is, and we’re guessing that one Wataru Kobayashi at Waseda University in Japan understands explicitly. He, along with a few colleagues, has recently devised a new diode that allows heat current to travel in one direction but not in the other. The breakthrough essentially paves the way for thermal computing to actually take off, with obvious applications... 

Since Nintendo releases a new DS model every few years or so, I gotta keep mine covered and clean (so I can recycle or donate it later once I upgrade). But really, I just want to add a touch of style to my gaming to show off on the bus, plane, or wherever the need to play strikes. Check out a few of my favorite DS cases,  Read More →