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If we ever needed proof that the iPhone is becoming a serious gaming platform, then look no further than Namco Bandai and its introduction of the classic Dr Kawashima mental-agility games for the Apple hardware.

Read the full story Gaming | Wireless 03:18 PM J Mark Lytle • Permalink •
Tagged with: iphone kawashima nintendo

Everything from flexible robot skin to exploding laptop hard drives – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

After a massive Twitter-only clearance sale last week, the doors are open to everyone and prices have been slashed, so get moving!

Sony‘s new Bravia Postcard service for cellphones pretty much does what it says on the pack - sends virtual message cards from compatible phones to net-connected Bravia TV sets.

It’s official - Japan is in the grip of the swine flu pandemic. Or, at least, its media is, but what about possible ways to tackle the disease?

Wow - we’re really getting into the hard tech news now, eh? Completely ignoring the 18 insanely dull new phones DoCoMo just announced, I bring you our famous Pikarin-kun logo done up in finest colored glass beads instead.

Everything from 3D cameras to hardworking dung beetles – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

Remember the delightful bipedal ‘bot from Masanao Koeda that we saw 18 months ago? The research platform was all about teaching robots to move more like humans and turn around on the spot easily.

You’ve seen the pictures of people wearing face masks to prevent catching the H1N1 swine flu. If you’re going to wear a mask, why choose plain blue? People in Japan wear masks out in public all the time, for colds, the flu, and hay fever. Japanese mask-wearing citizens demand the finest quality, menthol cool wet-filtered, nonstick lipstick-ok face masks. From single-use to 7-day to designer…

This weekend sees the sticky old Golden Week public holiday period begin in Japan, with a mad rush to do exactly the same thing as everyone else and sit in traffic jams or visit incredibly crowded ‘attractions.’

What seems to be a transcript of police questioning of Tsuyoshi Kusanagi has been published on a blog. Kusanagi of the singing group SMAP, and star of dozens of TV commercials and the weekly SMAP SMAP TV program, was arrested April 23 at 3 a.m. The singer/actor had been prancing naked and…

Masaki Sumitani, the leather-clad performer known as Hard Gay, who was ubiquitous on TV a few years ago then dropped off the flat screens, has been hosting his own sex-talk TV show for the past year. Broadcast after midnight, pinup model Linying of Joytoy joins HG in candid sex conversations with…

In spite of general ill-informed nay-saying about the hardware’s prospects in Japan, the Tokyo-specific iPhone apps keep rolling in thick, fast and creamy, with the latest being a gem from Enfour and Gmap.

This one flew well under the radar when it was launched a few weeks ago, but the news that Japanese-speaking residents of the UK can finally get their phones speaking fluent kanji, hiragana and katakana is worth revisiting.

Everything from personal wind turbines to magic underwear that actually burns body fat – that’s what you’ll find in this month’s selection from Metropolis magazine.

In the spirit of the amazing Kowa anti-pee pills, we bring news of another product helping Japan move toward ending the need for people to urinate entirely.

So, NEC – you’re saying you don’t need us anymore? I’m hurt and know it’s no April Fool, so will just have to learn to live with it…

The world and his dog know how space-age Japanese toilets can be (well, not this one), so it’s no great surprise to see the latest model add a little something extra to the mix in the shape of personalised RSS feeds from the throne.

Teachers at a high school in Japan want school girls to pull down their skirts. The group of teacher-guidance counselors commissioned, published, put up, and distributed three posters advising girls to lower the hemlines of their school-uniform skirts. News outlets reported on the ‘Proper dress all at once together campaign’…

Anyone traveling in Tokyo knows how confusing the subway can be even if you can read Japanese, which is why we’re eternally grateful for Presselite’s new Tokyo Metro iPhone or iPod touch app. Best of all, we’ve got ten copies to give away.

Sales of Blu-ray disks and hardware may not be quite as perky as manufacturers had hoped, but at least one firm is reminding us that the technology is good for more than just high-def copies of bad action movies.