Arts: Japan

Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 October 2011

Air Voltage: Maxell Japan Announces Wireless Charger For iPad 2

Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... ? Learn More

Hitachi Maxell, in cooperation with Murata, has announced [JP] the so-called Air Voltage for the Japanese market today, a combination of a wireless charging pad (dubbed “Energy Stand”) and jacket (“Energy Cover”) specifically for use with the iPad 2. According to Maxell, the device is the first of its kind (mass-produced).

The way it works is that users put their iPad 2 into the jacket, place it on the pad and let the Air Voltage system charge the tablet – no cables required. Maxell says that the wireless power transmission of 10W takes about 3 hours for a full charge, as long as charging the iPad the conventional way (AC adapter).

Owners can place the iPad 2 on the pad/stand either horizontally or vertically and keep using the tablet while it’s being charged, too.

Maxell plans to start selling the Air Voltage in Japan on November 25 for $196. Murata, the maker of the wireless power transmission module that’s built into the Air Voltage, has set up a detailed web page that explains the product in English (here‘s a video).

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Saturday, 1 October 2011

TEEWave AR1: Japan Gets New Electric Sports Car

Tesla is getting some competition from Japan: Tokyo-based chemicals giant Toray has taken the wraps off Teewave AR1 (short for “Toray Eco Efficient Advanced Roadstar 1?), a two-seat sports car over the weekend.

The company invested a total of US$3.8 million in the development of the electric vehicle whose main selling point is its low weight: Toray used carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the floor, frame and other parts of the car to make it as light as possible.

The prototype weighs just 846kg (including the battery), which is about one third less than similar vehicles and leads to less energy consumption (11.6km/kWh), according to the company. It reaches a top speed of 147km/h and offers a travel range of 185km.

Toray cooperated with UK-based car design agency Gordon Murray in the development of the Teewave AR1. The plan is to commercialize car parts using carbon fiber reinforced plastic by 2015.

Via Sankei News [JP]

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Friday, 30 September 2011

Japan Game Awards 2011 At The Tokyo Game Show: Here Are The 10 Winners

The Tokyo Game Show 2011 closed yesterday with not too many spectacular announcements, but several interesting games were on display. Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) asked the 222.668 attendees of the show this year what their favorite titles were.

And here’s the complete list [JP, PDF] (no ranking) of Japan’s most loyal gaming geeks for the 10 best new (yet unpublished) titles of the Tokyo Game Show 2011:

Asura’s Wrath (PS3/Xbox 360, Capcom)Eiyuu Densetsu: Ao no Kiseki (PSP, Falcom)Kidou Senshi Gundam: Extreme VS (PS3, Bandai-Namco)Dragon’s Dogma (PS3/Xbox 360, Capcom)Binary Domain (PS3/Xbox 360, Sega)Battlefield 3 (PS3/Xbox 360, Electronic Arts)Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3/Xbox 360, Square-Enix)Final Fantasy Type-0 (PSP, Square-Enix)Phantasy Star Online 2 (PC, Sega)Monster Hunter 3G (3DS, Capcom)Dragon Collection (a Japan-only Konami title available on mobile social network GREE received a special award)

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Sunday, 18 September 2011

Sony’s Playstation Vita To Hit Japan On December 17

Sony is currently holding a press conference in Tokyo where the company said that the Playstation Vita, its new handheld console, will hit stores in Japan on December 17, just in time for the holidays (this decision was kind of announced last month actually). For the 3G connection, Sony partnered up with Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo and laid out 3G pricing plans for the first time, too.

Japanese Vita owners going for the 3G model will be charged 980 yen (US$13) for 20 hours of pre-paid or 4,980 yen (US$65). In the US, AT&T will be handling the 3G service for the Vita.

Unfortunately, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano didn’t go into details about the Vita’s launch outside Japan, so we’re still stuck with “sometime in 2012?.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Apple Pushes To Block Samsung Galaxy Products In Japan

Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space. Prior to joining TechCrunch, Crook dabbled in mobile marketing and mobile apps as well as doing device reviews for MobileMarketer and MobileBurn. Crook is fascinated with alternative energy production and greentech. She is now a writer for CrunchGear. ? Learn More

Apple has hit Samsung here in the U.S., Australia, the entirety of Europe, and even on its home turf in South Korea. But that’s not enough, apparently. Japan is our latest battlefield, with Apple again going for the jugular on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

The complaint seems to vary a bit from continent to continent, but this time Apple’s calling out the Galaxy S and S II smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Tab 7. Apple claims these products “slavishly copy” the iPhone and iPad, and seeks to temporarily halt sales. Along with this preliminary injunction request filed with the Tokyo District Court, Apple also wants 100 million yen (which translates to $1.3 million USD) as an award for damages, according to Reuters.

NTT Docomo, one of Japan’s largest wireless carriers, today launched the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for its LTE network. To refresh your memory, this is the same Galaxy Tab 10.1 that Apple has locked up in Australia and made a fuss over all across Europe. It’s unclear why Apple didn’t include the 10-incher in this filing, but NTT Docomo seems unfazed. “We have heard from Samsung that it’s all right,” said NTT Docomo President Ryuhi Yamada. “At this point we don’t think it will harm our sales.”

Good luck with that, Yamada. Apple is out for blood, and shows no signs of being satisfied anytime soon. Especially since Japanese consumers seem to favor Samsung, at least in the period between January and March when the Galaxy S outsold the iPhone in Japan. As far as Japanese front is concerned, Samsung started it. Samsung filed a suit against Apple back in April in Japan, and Apple counter-sued in late August.

There’s no telling how this will end up, but Samsung is certainly hurting. Both Galaxy Tabs pose a great threat to Apple’s iPad, and the Galaxy S II was meant to be the company’s solid iPhone 5 rival. Without those products on the global market, sans drama, Apple takes a ridiculous competitive advantage.

Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...

Learn more

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Fujitsu’s Waterproof LTE F-01D Android Tablet To Land In Japan Next Month

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo is stepping up its efforts to bring Xi, its LTE service, to the masses: today, the company announced two tablets that are compatible with the standard for the Japanese market, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a new device from Fujitsu, the so-called ARROWS Tab LTE F-01D.

Both tablets will be released next month, come with Android Honeycomb, and have the Japanese versions of Hulu and Qik pre-installed. While the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is largely the same that’s sold elsewhere (just with LTE support), the Fujitsu tablet is more interesting.

It has a waterproof body (so you can take it to the bathtub with you – a selling point, especially in Japan) and features a special gesture control function that allows you to slide its screen without touching it with your finger (important when you’re cooking, for example).

Here are the main specs of the Fujitsu Arrows:

Android 3.2 HoneycombLTE and FOMA 3G support10.1-inch screen with 1,280 x 800 resolution (LCD)5.1MP CMOS camera (inner camera: 1.3MP)microSDHC slotGPS moduleBluetooth 3.0Wi-Fidigital TV tuner1GB RAM16GM memorydual core 1 GHz OMAP 4 CPUsize: 181 x 262 x 11.3 mm, weight: 597g

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Over iPhone And iPad Patents: Apple Sues Samsung In Japan

Image (1) ipad_japan1.jpg for post 161767

The patent war between Apple and Samsung is continuing, and this time the battlefield is Japan: Japanese news agency Kyodo is reporting that Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung with the Tokyo District Court. According to big A, Samsung is infringing on (unspecified) patents on the iPhone and iPad with the Galaxy S Android phone (that carrier Docomo started selling in Japan last year).

If the report is to be believed (neither Apple Japan nor Samsung Japan have confirmed the news), Apple is seeking 100 million yen (US$1.3 million) in damages. A first hearing took place yesterday, and apparently, Samsung’s Japanese unit is ready for a long-term legal battle.

What’s interesting to note is that in Japan, the Galaxy S is a best-selling handset for carrier Docomo, while Apple chose competitor SoftBank as the exclusive distributor for the iPhone and iPad.

And not unlike Apple, Samsung currently sees fantastic sales in Japan, especially with the S II: Docomo sold 100,000 Galaxy S II in the first three days after release of the handset in July, making it the carrier’s fastest-selling phone ever. Today, Docomo announced the Galaxy Tab (LTE-compatible) for the Japanese market.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

Sony’s 3D Display For Gamers To Arrive In Japan In November

Do you remember the 3D HD display specifically designed for gaming that Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled back in June at E3? It took them a while, but now big S in Japan announced [JP] the final release date for the device in its home market: November 2. For the equivalent of US$582, buyers will get the 24-inch monitor itself, an HDMI cable, and a set of 3D glasses.

A game isn’t included in the Japanese package – a separate set of (active shutter) 3D glasses will cost $78,. PSP games are displayed in full screen, while a system called SimulView allows 2 users to play 3D games on one display but to see full-screen images each.

The display produces images in 1,920×1,080 resolution, comes with LED backlight, offers 5,000:1 contrast ratio, 3W×2ch+5W speakers and two HDMI interfaces.

We’ll let you know when Sony announces the 3D display for markets outside Japan.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Hulu Now Live In Japan With Subscription-Only Service

Erick Schonfeld currently works at TechCrunch as Co-Editor. He joined in 2007 and is based in New York. Schonfeld oversees the editorial content of the site, selects and edits guest posts, helps to program the Disrupt conferences and CrunchUps, produces some TCTV shows, and writes daily for the blog. He is also the father of three... ? Learn More

In what marks its first expansion abroad, Hulu is now available in Japan. As expected, the video streaming service will offer both TV shows and movies across various devices for a subscription of about $20 a month (1,480 Yen).

Unlike in the U.S., where there are both free and premium versions, in Japan the service will be subscription-only. And it will cost more than twice as much as Hulu Plus does in the U.S (which is only $8 a month). Is Hulu charging so much because it thinks it can get away with a higher subscription fee in Japan or did it have to pay through the nose for international licensing rights and has no other choice?

Hulu will stream American shows in both English and Japanese from CBS, NBC, and ABC, as well as movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon, Men in Black, and Troy. Hulu plans to add Japanese-produced shows and moveis as well. (It is rather surprising they are not launching with any Japanese content partners, but those are supposedly coming).

Along with the launch, Hulu is also announcing an exclusive mobile partnership with NTT Docomo, the largest mobile carrier in Japan. The subscription covers viewing on smartphones and tablets, as well as computers, connected TVs, and through videogame consoles.

Founded in March 2007, Hulu is operated independently by a dedicated management team with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Seattle and Beijing. NBC Universal, News Corporation, as...

Learn more

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Saturday, 27 August 2011

HP Starts Making Notebooks – In Japan

HP caused a major splash (not only) in the technology world when the world’s biggest computer maker last week announced it plans to spin off its PC business. But one country, which has always been a unique market for many companies, is apparently getting a special treatment: Japan.

We reported back in June that HP will move over part of the production for notebooks from China to Japan, and it looks like the company’s decision from last week didn’t affect the plan. Today, HP actually started manufacturing these devices in its plant in Akishima, Tokyo.

During a press conference, Takafumi Oka, VP at HP Japan, said that he thinks pulling the plug on the computer business would be a mistake on his company’s part and that HP should look into other options instead.

So far, the plant has been used for the production of desktop PCs. The notebooks are initially intended for sale to domestic businesses, followed by models for the general consumer market to be produced by the end of this year. The aim is to slash delivery time by about 50% to five days.

At the moment, HP is producing most of its computers and related products in China.

Via PC Watch [JP]

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Fujitsu’s IS12T Windows Phone Mango Launched In Japan Today (Quick Hands-On)

Last month, Fujitsu in Japan unveiled the IS12T, announced as the world’s first cell phone running on Windows Phone 7.5 aka Mango. And the country’s second biggest mobile carrier (and exclusive provider of the handset) KDDI au, didn’t lose much time: the IS12T became available today over here (here‘s Fujitsu’s official press release in English from today).

As we reported previously, the Mango handset comes with a 3.7-inch LCD with 800×480 resolution, a 13.2MP CMOS camera, a water- and shock-proof body, 32GB internal memory, a microUSB port, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (no tethering), DLNA support, GSM/CDMA, etc.

There are nine languages for the UI, and the IS12T is available in three “neon” colors (citrus, black, magenta).

I went to the only cell phone store in my neighborhood to have a look at the handset today, but unfortunately, I got to take just a few pictures (see above) and play around with it for a few minutes before I had to leave (no pictures-no videos policy).

My initial impression was that the phone itself felt light and thin, but also extremely cheap and plasticky (I couldn’t give Xbox Live, the Internet Explorer and other apps a spin because Wi-Fi and 3G were turned off – in the few minutes I played with it, the UI felt great).

Price-wise, the IS12T is positioned on the higher end of the spectrum for phones in Japan: the store (and every other retailer, for that matter) sells the phone for up to $955 (but with drastic discounts under certain circumstances). So if Fujitsu really starts selling the handset outside Japan (they do have international plans), don’t expect this to be a budget model.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.