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When Sharp’s tiny Ubuntu-powered NetWalker hit the streets here in Japan a few weeks ago it was generally priced at the full whack of around ¥40,000 - an eye-watering $462 these days.

Sharp has just announced what we all knew was coming sooner or later – the world’s first TV sets with built-in Blu-ray recorders.

Regular readers will have noticed a fair sprinkling of the odd term ‘1-seg’ in news items over the last year or so, with all referring to Japanese products in some way. From Sony’s PSP and video Walkman to car sat-nav systems and mobile phones, this strangely named digital TV standard is popping up everywhere in the Far East, but what exactly is it?

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.

With the end of CEATEC 2007 looming, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the strongest theme of this year’s show and the implications for what we’ll be finding in our electronics shops over the next months and years.

Apple’s Multi-touch technology, as seen in the iPhone and iPod touch, are pretty good, but don’t you think they’re just a little bit, well, yesterday? If you don’t already, you will when you see what Sharp has in store.

With an increasing emphasis on ecological matters when it comes to both creating and disposing of modern consumer technology, it’s logical to see high-tech firms get involved in education, which is exactly what’s happening with Sharp in Japan.

Never mind that puffed-up gizmo Apple is about to unleash, June 29 also sees the launch of the rather attractive smartphone you see in the photograph, which is about to become one of Japan’s hottest gadgets.

Those of us happy to lead a quiet, perhaps even sedentary, life could be in for a jolt, as gym-going fitness freaks are about to get an even larger stick with which to beat us…