Digital World Tokyo

Classic DS title Dr Kawashima Brain Training hits the iPhone

2009-06-09T06:18:32Z

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.

An iPhone/iPod touch port of the original Nintendo DS Japanese version of Dr K’s Brain Exercise/Training is now available for $6 on the App Store. Apparently, the range of mini games on offer is “scientifically proven to test and enhance the performance of different areas of the brain.” A bit like studying, in other words.

(Via Press release)

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Gadgets of the month – six of the best in Japan tech

2009-06-09T06:03:29Z

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

Issue 794 of Tokyo’s English-language free paper is out next Friday, but you lucky readers can click the image below for a PDF of my latest Tech Know gadget (vaguely sometimes, I know) column and here to check out the rest of their fine site.

(Thanks Steve)

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Tokyo Zakka gadget store summer clearance sale!

2009-06-03T04:06:52Z

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

We’re clearing out all the old stock to make room for plenty of cool, new gadgets from some exciting new suppliers. Here’s a taster of the bargains:

2GB Firefly Squid USB Drive just $38!

Gold Ingot USB Hub for $55!

Full kennel of Three USB Humping Dogs $25 and lots more at Tokyo Zakka!

Get clicky and snap up a bargain ASAP

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Sony Bravia TVs now send and receive email postcards

2009-05-25T02:12:35Z

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.

Clearly an effort to encourage non-emailing elderly folk to get more out of their expensive hardware, the Postcard service is free and allows recipients at home to reply to friends or family mailing in snaps and text using the Bravia remote handset.

So far, only four Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot and Walkman phones are compatible with the Japan-only service, with all Bravia TVs from March 2008 on working on the other side of the equation.

In operation, things seem pretty simple - the TV needs to be connected to a LAN, then set up to get a service-specific @tv.life-x.jp email address to which phone users send their snaps. After that, the oldsters back home just sit back and wait for a popup notification indicating the arrival of the latest postcard showing where they might have gone had the family seen fit to invite them along too.

(Via Sony Japan)

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Can gadgets and gene engineering kill swine flu?

2009-05-20T04:21:03Z

It’s official - Japan is in the grip of the swine flu pandemic. Or at least its media is.

The fact that my own trip to Kansai with Panasonic for what would have been a very cool story on LCD TV recycling was canceled yesterday because of H1N1 made me wonder what happened a while back when bird flu was all the rage.

Looking through the archives, I see we have a home air-con unit from the self-same Panasonic that claims to kill 99.999% of flu viruses, which is all right. However, there’s an even better option.

Tokyo University’s genetically modified rice can cause mice to develop antibodies in the same way a vaccine might. Flu, cholera and cancer are all in the sights of the new rice strain.

If eating yourself healthy isn’t preferable to expensive gadgets, masks and paranoia, then I don’t know what is.

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Shiny shiny - DWT logo all dressed up in rhinestones

2009-05-19T03:40:59Z

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.

Inspired by the surprisingly shiny lid on my new Eee 1000HE, my wife insisted on knocking together this tribute to the little orange guy up there at the top of the page. As the owner of a beauty salon, it seems she has plenty of shiny baubles to hand, so who am I to say no? At least, that’s my excuse

More pics here on Flickr and feel free to get in touch if you want some sparkly rhinestone action for your own logo or, indeed, if you need a haircut!

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Gadgets of the month – six of the best in Japan tech

2009-05-08T04:25:49Z

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

Issue 790 of Tokyo’s English-language free paper is out next Friday, but you lucky (err…) readers can click the image below for a PDF of my latest Tech Know gadget (vaguely sometimes, I know) column and here to check out the rest of their fine site.

(Thanks Steve)

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Shuffling wannabe Terminator robot learns the two-step

2009-05-07T07:32:00Z

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.

Well, Koeda - an Associate Professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University - has improved his previous model and given it the ability to shuffle not just one peg, but both feet simultaneously.

The result is a far smoother locomotion that brings realistic bipedal robotic walking closer than ever before. You can see the results for yourself in the short videos on Prof. Koeda’s research page right here.

Chief among the improvements are the ability to account for friction between the feet and rough floors and still turn smoothly, as well as better load distribution.

Expect lasers and accompanying ‘pew-pew’ noises to reach the Koeda labs sometime next year, then.

(Thanks Masanao-san!)

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Swine flu-fighting face masks From Japan’s master makers

2009-05-03T11:37:20Z

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 fabric wash-and-wear masks, the most fashionable, technologically advanced flu face masks are in Japan. Click here to see all the photos,including the green tea mask and the nose-wire mask.

(via Lets Japan)

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Golden Week in Japan: Showers predicted…

2009-04-29T04:59:40Z

Today 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.’ Naturally, we can’t help ourselves and will be doing the same, as will most of this fair land.

We can’t make up the news (can we?), so hang on in there and normal service will be resumed sometime next week. Weather permitting, of course. Thanks for being there… \(^_^)/

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Sexy policewomen talked tough: singer’s jail transcript exposed

2009-04-27T10:19:49Z

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 shouting in a park near his Tokyo apartment. When cops caught up, Kusanagi resisted arrest, and even fought off attempts to wrap him in a blue trapaulin. Kusunagi was released from jail April 24, and later issued an apology. The supposed transcript is revealing.

Click here to read the questioning and see what else is exposed.

(via Lets Japan)

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Celeb Hard Gay stoops to new low on own show

2009-04-24T08:22:17Z

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 adult video performers, and the cast includes an HG look-alike, three bikini-wearing co-hosts, and a large woman in a Superman t-shirt, all presented by the finest love hotels.

Click here to read more about the ‘A Lot of Sex’ TV program, and see video clips and photos of classic programs of the past, including the infamous no-panty musical chairs game.

(via Lets Japan)

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FindTokyo app brings pop-up maps and more to iPhone

2009-04-22T05:20:08Z

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.

Find!TOKYO (we’ll allow you that daft orthography just this once, ok guys?) costs ¥600 or $4.99 at this handy iTunes link and delivers a pretty sophisticated mapping service in English and Japanese to the Apple handset or iPod touch.

It’s packed with pop-up maps from Gmap, links to detailed info and photos of the most popular areas. Best of all, it needs no network connection, so will work in the subway or one of Tokyo’s soulless underground shopping malls.

Here’s a quick summary from the creators, should you need persuading:

* Full scalable Tokyo train and subway map
* Maps of inside the largest stations (ever get lost inside Tokyo Station?)
* Maps of major areas around the city
* Directory with maps of hotels, cinemas, parks, cafes, bars, embassies, etc.
* Navigate to and from the main airports
* All maps are original artwork and designed specifically for this application
* No internet connection required
* External links for additional information regarding specific venues where appropriate

Go get it (iTunes link), kids.

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Japanese SMS and mail on Western phones? No problem…

2009-04-22T05:00:32Z

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.

Using MVNO a2n’s berry mobile service, owners of certain Nokia phones can get all Nihongo with it through SMS, e-mail and selected websites.

If you don’t have any need for Japanese, this means nothing, but as a former UK resident sick of typing out paragraphs of Japanese in Romaji, it would be a definite deal-maker in choosing a phone if I lived there again.

Prices start at £25 ($36) for the Nokia 6630 on a two-year contract that will set you back a minimum of £35 ($50) a month.

As a nice plus, a deal with DoCoMo means there’s plenty of Japanese content and customer support in Japanese. Oh, and it’s all available in Belgium, Germany and Thailand too.

Incidentally, European and US residents in the market for a new phone might want to check out TestFreaks’ phone site for their handy price comparison engine, reviews and all-round handset goodness. Makes a nice alternative to kelkoo and PriceGrabber in our book.

(Via berry mobile)

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Gadgets of the month – six of the best in Japan tech

2009-04-13T05:15:26Z

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.

Issue 786 of Tokyo’s English-language free paper is out this Friday, but you lucky (err…) readers can click the image below for a PDF of my latest Tech Know gadget (vaguely sometimes, I know) column and here to check out the rest of their fine site.

(Thanks Steve)

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