Posts tagged Japan at Switched

Posts with tag japan

Japanese iPhone Has Upskirt-Preventing Shutter Sounds

by Tim Stevens, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 2:17PM

One of the things that many camera phone users do is disable that annoying faux-shutter sound that is emitted whenever a picture is taken. In Japan, though, disabling that sound is often not possible -- not because Japanese mobile companies like to annoy their customers, says Japanese tech reporter Nobuyuki Hayashi, but because silent camera phones are all too often used to take pictures up the skirts of women. For this reason, the Japanese release of the iPhone 3G has also lost the option to disable the shutter sound.

Whereas owners in other countries can turn off sounds when taking pictures, customers in Japan are stuck with that fake shutter sound, though they can choose to have it say "cheese" instead. This is a change of policy from that of Apple, which let Japanese owners of the original iPhone turn off the noise. It's always a drag when a few bad apples ruin things for everyone else, but at least girls are now safe from pevs toting Japanese iPhones. [Source: Nobiblog, via Cult Of Mac]

Tmsuk Shows Off Shopping Robot

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 13th 2008 at 3:26PM

Tmsuk is back with even more crazy humanoid antics, this time demonstrating a shopping robot that can be controlled from far, far away. The modified TMSUK-4 humanoid showcased in Kitakyushu, Japan was actually being controlled by an elderly lady in her home via an NTT DoCoMo video-capable cell phone.

Essentially, the technology enabled her to see through the eyes of the robot and presumably control its movements via the keypad. We are told that she was able to successfully browse the hat section and finally make a purchase, but who knows how many innocent bystanders were unknowingly mauled in the process. [Source: Data-Max Via Pink Tentacle]

Nintendo DS Comes to School in Japan, Teaches English

by Christine Whitney, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 6:06PM

As we recall, our early school years were not that fun. We got in trouble for asking to go to the bathroom and were made to do timed math problems next to the kid who always got nosebleeds. Sometimes we feigned illness so we could stay home and watch 'Treasure Island' and play 'Ninja Turtles' on Super Nintendo.

Nintendo has come a long way since then. And so has school!? Maybe...

The Japanese have again proven their coolness by incorporating Nintendo DS into the classroom. At least in one Tokyo girls' school, the portable gaming device is now doubling as an educational tool! Seventh-graders at Joshi Gakuen Junior High play with DS as a part of their English curriculum, using a talking software program replete with spelling exercises and language drills.

The program is part of a larger course intended to emphasize English conversation and communications skills, and to break away from traditional techniques of rote memorization and boring grammar exercises. Though some dissidents are not yet convinced of the DS' value as an educator, the girls at Joshi Gakuen are into it. One student claimed the English software was her favorite game, trumping even 'Mario Kart' and 'Animal Crossing'. [Source: AOL News/AP]

Kazuharu Sakura's Leather Keyboard: Only Touch Typists Need Apply

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 3:11PM

Alright, so we suppose a labeled version could be created upon request, but the beauty of Kazuharu Sakura's handmade leather keyboard is really in its simplicity. Just imagine: Your delicate fingertips frolicking endlessly on the soft, supple skin covering the abnormally large Enter / atypically small Space bar, not to mention every key in between. Our knees get weak just thinking about it. [Source: Akihabara News]

Otokinoko Microphone Aims for a More Authentic Stereo Recording

by Paul Miller, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 9:10AM

Look, we get what they're trying to do here. The two "ears" are meant to capture sound in stereo in the same way a human does, therefore producing a better sound picture in playback. The only problem is that your subject, be they human, inanimate or a strange hybrid, is going to be so busy being freaked out by this set of blue ears that they'll forget to make any sort of "natural sounding" noise.

Oh, and there's the little problem of the price: the Binaural Recording Mic from Otokinoko retails for $3,900 -- quite a bit to spend on a blue gimmick. We want. [Source: Japan Trend Shop]

Security Cameras, Mobile Phone Help Man Track Down Mysterious House Guest

by Paul Miller, posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 3:05PM

Look, we're just as down on crazy Japanese stereotypes as the next guy. We watched 'Lost in Translation.' We're with it. We know it's not all cosplay and weird game shows (but seriously, that human Tetris one? Awesome) and people dressing up as vending machines (pictured). That said, this story isn't doing Japan any favors. A homeless woman was recently arrested in Tokyo after living undetected in a man's closet for a year and sneaking food out of his kitchen. It was the missing food that tipped him off, so he installed some security cameras in his home to transmit images to his phone. Some motion was detected, so he called the police, and soon enough they spotted her in the closet -- where she had planted a mattress. Moral of the story? Move to Japan. Better cellphones and bigger closets. You can't lose.

[Via ixplora]

Japanese Government Panel Wants Cell Phone Limits for Kids

by Tim Stevens, posted May 27th 2008 at 2:01PM

Parents have a lot of reasons to worry about their kids talking on the phone too much, but usually they're limited to concerns about exorbitant monthly bills and somewhat uncouth behavior in public places. In Japan, though, some officials have rather more serious concerns, worried that kids are using their phones to access "harmful" websites.

The fears are that today's phones, most of which are powerful enough to enable web surfing (especially in Japan), allow kids to access sites their parents might not approve of, and do so in places where their parents can't keep an eye on them. It's a valid concern, but, like most government officials, they seem to have taken things a bit too far, calling for laws to prevent children from using their phones for anything but making calls.

We can only imagine the horror such a law would cause for the tech-loving Japanese kids, never mind the electronics companies who love to keep their pockets full of gadgets -- and empty of cash. [Source: AFP via Textually]

Japan Asks ISPs For Help In Fight Against Web-Inspired Suicides

by Tim Stevens, posted May 1st 2008 at 4:21PM

Pages providing information about and encouragement for suicide are growing with alarming speed on the Internet. In Wales, 17 people have killed themselves seemingly in the hopes of earning the respect of their friends via online memorial pages. In Australia a man ended his life in his driveway using a robot he built using plans downloaded from the Internet.

In Japan the current trend is to induce death with deadly hydrogen sulphide gas, generated from bath salts and laundry detergent via a process described on many Web sites. In response, the Japanese government is now asking ISPs to take down any pages containing those instructions.

The request is a voluntary one, as the government is being careful to not be accused of censorship, but that just seems to make the request all the more futile. Trying to remove information from the 'Net has proven to be impossible time and again, most recently with one company's failed attempt to take whistle-blowing site Wikileaks offline, an effort that just resulted in more and more copies of the site springing up in countries around the world.

Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, especially those who got support in their acts online. But, that doesn't change the fact that hiding information is the wrong way to prevent it. [Source: Ars Technica]

Video: Japan's Oldest Robot Reanimated -- Writes Poetry, Hits on Your Girlfriend

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 9:45AM

Japan's oldest "modern" robot -- the 10-foot, 6-inch GakuTenSoku -- has been awakened in Japan. Gone are the inflatable rubber tubes of the original 1928 android build by biologist Makoto Nishimura. The bot now tilts its head, moves his eyes, smiles, and puffs out his cheeks thanks to a $200,000, computer-controlled, pneumatic-servo makeover. While nothing compared to his modern offspring, GakuTenSoku still manages to creep us the hell out. On display at the renovated Osaka Science Museum starting July 18th. Video after the break. [Source: Pink Tentacle via Impress]

Continue reading Video: Japan's Oldest Robot Reanimated -- Writes Poetry, Hits on Your Girlfriend

iPod Sleeve Takes fashion to its Logical, Meaty Conclusion

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 7:45AM

What's better than having a nice leather or cloth iPod sleeve to show off to your friends? If you're thinking one made of imitation meat -- you're dead right! Apparently, a company in Japan is under the impression that you want to wrap your music player in a grade A lookalike, undoubtedly to the thrill of your vegetarian friends and family. Of course, don't just get one for the shock value -- this thing oozes pure, sophisticated style. If you've got ¥6,800 (or about $66) and dignity to spare, it can be all yours. [Source Solid Alliance via DVICE]

Robots to Take Over 3.5 Million Jobs in Japan

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 8th 2008 at 5:16PM

Unlike the Koreans, the Japanese are preparing to embrace our new robot overlords. In fact the Japanese are preparing to hand over their jobs to a mechanical work force. The Machine Industry Memorial Foundation, a Japanese think tank, says that by 2025 robots could be filling 3.5 million jobs formerly filled by a human.

This isn't necessarily bad thing for friends across the Pacific. It seems that much of Japan's population is getting older. In fact researchers expect to see a drop in the Japanese work force of about 16 percent by 2030, and filling positions as citizens retire is just part of the problem. The number of elderly people in the country is ballooning, and caring for these citizens may be one of the major industries that robots play an important role in.

The Machine Industry Memorial Foundation doesn't see robots completely replacing humans, but allowing people the time to focus on more important things. Robots could clean house, monitor the health of the elderly, bathe them, read to your kids, and of course, deliver you a beer.

Researchers expect 40 percent of Japan's population to be over 65 by the year 2055, making the robot workforce a pressing concern.

From Reuters

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A Zoom Lens for Your Camera Phone

by Thomas Houston , posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 3:22PM

If you find yourself wishing for a zoom lens for your camera phone, Green House's "Mobile Telescope Lenz" might be exactly what you're looking for. The Green House kit comes with an 8x zoom lens and a small tripod designed to accept most camera phones.

We're not totally sure how the system works, but it appears that you line up your phone's lens with the adapter (connected to the 8x zoom) and then operate the zoom by manually twisting the add-on lens. The quality of your photos probably won't improve, but now you've got "telescope lenz" capabilities.

The Mobile Telescope Lenz retails for $88, though we don't know if it will be available in the States anytime soon. In case you're interested in Green House's other offerings, the company also sell a variety of hamburger and pizza-shaped USB Flash Drives.

From Engadget

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Japanese Scientists Already Moving Beyond HDTV

by Will Safer, posted Jan 25th 2008 at 5:05PM

In the consumer electronics world, all eyes are focused on the upcoming broadcast switch to a digital signal coming early next year. Why, then, is Japan's NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratory working so hard to develop the next video format, a "super" high definition format called Super Hi-Vision? Isn't it enough that we're all going to be viewing programming of startling video quality and clarity on HDTVs soon?

Apparently there's still room for improvement, although don't expect to see Super Hi-Vision TV sets in living rooms anytime soon. The first commercial applications likely won't come about until 2025 -- and even then the first likely use will be in art museums for showing works of art.

According to a report today from the BBC News, the new format has a screen resolution of 7680x4320 pixels, which is 16 times greater than current HD. The smallest diagonal TV size on which Super Hi-Vision can be employed is 50 inches.

This begs the question, then: Can the human eye even tell the difference between resolution of 1080p (the best available within the current high definition format) and this next leap in video technology? That's debatable. The human eye has limitations. After a certain point we're unable to see the difference in ever-increasing image resolutions. So perhaps this latest advance in TV tech is just an exercise in technical achievement. In the meantime we're still trying to decide if we want a new HDTV with 1080i or 1080p resolution.

Still, if we could see an oversized work like Monet's 'Waterlilies' replicated at real size and with almost perfect resolution somewhere besides the Museum of Modern Art, maybe the new standard will be considered worthwhile.

From BBC News.

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Disney Launching Cell Phone Service in Japan

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 23rd 2008 at 3:17PM

Disney is planning on giving the mobile phone market another shot, even though its Disney Mobile service, the result of a deal with Sprint Nextel, failed to garner enough business in the US. This time, though, Disney is taking its wares overseas to Japan and targeting an older audience 00 namely, adult women. Disney stuck a deal with Softbank Mobile, one of the largest mobile service providers in Japan, to provide all of the back-end, including customer service, on-deck content, and sales.

Disney, which is particularly popular among twentysomething females in Japan, will offer three phones at first, all of which will be more sleek and stylish than the plastic, cartoonish offerings that were available in the U.S. Subscribers will be able to customize their phone with Disney-related wallpapers, ringtones, videos, and games.

The service is set to launch March 1, but pricing for equipment and service was not available at press time.

From Wall Street Journal

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New Japanese Phone Offers Earthquake Alerts

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 19th 2007 at 1:29PM

Those mobile mavens over at NTT DoCoMo, a major Japanese cell phone provider, are taking the lid off of a feature called Area Mail.

Area Mail will blast all phones in a predetermined area with a text message. Pairing this location specific messaging service with a special ringtone could lead to a powerful emergency alert system. In the event of an earthquake or Godzilla attack an alert could be sent straight to those in immediate danger with out bothering those outside the danger zone.

From MobileMentalism

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Japanese iPhone Has Upskirt-Preventing Shutter Sounds

Tmsuk Shows Off Shopping Robot

Nintendo DS Comes to School in Japan, Teaches English

Kazuharu Sakura's Leather Keyboard: Only Touch Typists Need Apply

Otokinoko Microphone Aims for a More Authentic Stereo Recording

Security Cameras, Mobile Phone Help Man Track Down Mysterious House Guest

Japanese Government Panel Wants Cell Phone Limits for Kids

Japan Asks ISPs For Help In Fight Against Web-Inspired Suicides

Video: Japan's Oldest Robot Reanimated -- Writes Poetry, Hits on Your Girlfriend

iPod Sleeve Takes fashion to its Logical, Meaty Conclusion

Robots to Take Over 3.5 Million Jobs in Japan

A Zoom Lens for Your Camera Phone

Japanese Scientists Already Moving Beyond HDTV

Disney Launching Cell Phone Service in Japan

New Japanese Phone Offers Earthquake Alerts

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