Nothing to do with gadgets really - unless you count the bidet, deodorizer, auto-open and drier functions - but ain’t these some purty potties?
The Passo Colors washlet series from Inax comes in 11 fetching shades, each retailing for a hemorrhoid-popping (sorry) ¥156,450 ($1,368). And that’s on top of whatever your toilet cost in the first place.
(Via Inax)
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written by CoolGadget
Uber nerdy Nissan fans in Japan are probably in moistest ecstasy right now after NEC announced that it is to sell a special edition laptop there done up to match the local equivalent of the car company’s Micra model.
The Nissan March (as the Micra is known in its homeland) PC goes on sale on Wednesday and is ugly enough to fit right in with the Halloween trick-or-treaters. For ¥120,498 ($1,020), eager shoppers will get a stripy laptop that looks rather less Paul Smith and more garish mistake.
Aside from the case of the PC sporting special-edition March colors, there’s a Nissan logo above the keyboard and it comes with a slipcase made out of - get this - the same material Nissan uses in the March’s seats. We’re not making this up - you’ll just have to trust our Japanese translation on this one.
If you haven’t turned away in disgust by now, we may as well tell you that the computer is actually a standard LaVie G model with a 1.8GHz Sempron 3400+ CPU, 512MB of RAM, DVD-ROM drive, a 15.4in widescreen and Windows Vista Home Basic.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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written by CoolGadget
Next time you go shopping for a second television set for the spare room or bedroom, chances are it might be one of a new breed of smaller full high-definition TVs, such as the new models introduced today by Sharp.
The latest Aquos LCDs from the Japanese company will go on sale at the end of November and include the world’s smallest full HD TV, which has a diagonal screen measurement of just 22in; far smaller than the 40in-plus displays common in the HD marketplace now.
Two other sets – 26 and 32in models – were also announced, with all three of the 1920 x 1080 TVs sporting dual HDMI ports and capable of displaying full 1080p video. Aside from size, the main difference between the sets is the contrast ratio dropping from 2,000:1 on the 32-inch model to 1,200:1 on the smallest Aquos.
Sharp has also made all three televisions suitable for hooking up to a PC by including a range of analog and digital connectors and a keyboard-stowage area on the base of the stand.
Although the prices - ¥180,000 ($1,540) for the 22in, ¥200,000 ($1,700) for the 26in and ¥240,000 ($2,050) for the 32in – are still in the realm of what most people would spend for a main TV set, competition in the small HD TV market is sure to drive them down quickly and hasten the high-definition spread.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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written by CoolGadget
Despite China’s promise to have a 3G phone network in place by the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a bluster-filled announcement made yesterday only served to underline that commercial services will not be ready in time.
The National Development and Reform Commission used a telecoms expo to attempt to reassure doubters by saying that a 3G network using the home-grown TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) standard would be up and running during the Olympics after all.
However, the fact that the network will simply be a trial designed to showcase TD-SCDMA and that there are still no plans to issue essential 3G spectrum licenses to commercial operators merely underlines that the so-called ‘high-tech’ Olympics are looking decidedly old fashioned.
The deployment of TD-SCDMA has been delayed by technical uncertainties and bureaucratic hold-ups, meaning that there is still a slim possibility that China will eat humble pie for the duration of the games and offer a limited 3G service based on US or European standards, such as CDMA 2000 and W-CDMA.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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written by CoolGadget
Currently a Japan-only project, Yahoo Videocast launched here today with a strong emphasis on allowing users to upload and watch videos from their mobile phones.
The company says any phone that can handle video should be compatible with the new service – failing that, the site can also be accessed from a PC, giving access to exactly the same features.
These including the usual comments, quick charts rating (for both the user and the community) each clip in different areas, such as how surprising, cool or interesting (why not ‘inane, you troll’?) it is, and downloads that allow for offline viewing at any time. Naturally, downloads are DRM-protected and can’t be forwarded to other computers or phones.
With Yahoo by far the most popular search engine in Japan and the company as a whole even more high-profile than it is in the West, the chances of success for Videocast look good there. Next stop the world.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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written by CoolGadget