Japan Archives - Page 4 of 4

Asia Pacific (APAC), Event, Global Politics, IFA 2014, Japan

Japanese launch date for SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk revealed

Sony (TYO: 6758) had enthralled us with its unveiling of the newest SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk wearables last IFA 2014. However, despite the announcement of its availability this fall, we were still left wondering as to when exactly we’ll get our hands on one. Well, the wait is finally over, at least for Japan. Sony finally announces that both wearables are going to be available around the end of November in the country. There are no exact prices revealed yet, but it is estimated that the SmartWatch 3 and the SmartBand Talk will be available in Japan with an equivalent price of about $230.00 and

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan

Assistant Robot Knows What Grandma Will Do

Assistant robots are very important tech assets in Japan today. In fact, its development industry is still growing to be the primary backbone of the country’s elderly healthcare system. Panasonic, in response to this evolving industry develops its own, one that tries to see what your grandma will do next. The Autonomous Stand and Walk Assistant Robot is, as suggested, an assistant robot that aids elderly people in going about their daily lives. It may not look as charming or advanced as Asimo, but what is unique about this robot is its automatic position assist system. Whenever the person it assists tries to do something,

Apple, Asia Pacific (APAC), Companies, Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Japanese School to Provide iPad Mini to Students

Tablet implementation on schools is certainly not a new concept. However, it is always fascinating to see its implementation, as it shows the tablet’s significant impact on education in developed countries worldwide. Japan is no different, and soon, another school in this country is about to distribute tablets to students in the name of education. Starting September 26, the Asahikawa Fuji Girls High School in Hokkaido prefecture will be distributing iPad mini units to its first and second year senior high school students. This is part of the school’s curriculum shift to include updated electronic mobile devices and computers. Each student will be provided with

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, Software Programs, VR World

New Smart Eyewear Boosts Japanese Shogi

When it comes to smart eyewear, we usually think of floating interfaces, navigation guides, and augmented reality. Board games certainly weren’t on top of the list, but this idea from Japan takes the traditional game of Shogi and pushes it into the next generation with a new smart eyewear unit. The Shogi smart eyewear unit is the product of the collaborative effort between software developers and prominent Shogi players in Japan. The unit has no official name, and it is probably best to tell you early on that this particular model won’t be commercially available soon. The primary function of the Shogi smart eyewear is

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

PlayGirls Lets You Frolic With Ladies On A VR Beach

Immersion is undoubtedly the most important aspect of VR. Who can deny the wonderful sensation of seeing and hearing inside a virtual fantasy world? But you know what’s even more fantastic? Bringing the ‘R’ in VR closer to us, and there’s no other better example of this than this upcoming VR game that lets you play with bikini-clad ladies at the beach. PlayGirls is the brainchild of PG Production and Japanese game company Illusion that combines VR and lovely AV actresses. Why are actresses involved you say? Well, the concept is described as the “Sexy Actress Perfect Simulation Project”, which, as suggested, recreates an actress

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, Virtual Reality (VR), VR World

Need a Quick VR? Slap Your Phone Into This Device

The VR boom that Oculus Rift has made created a lot of new innovations and ideas, but it has also spawned many creations that try to emulate the concept in a much simpler form. Take this new VR headset in Japan for example. If you need some quick and cheap VR experience, then this simple gadget might be the thing you need. Called the Smartphone Virtual 3D Goggles, this VR headset has the same concept of slapping your own smartphone into your face a la Google Cardboard. There’s not much tech specs to be introduced here, but it is advertised to be able to use most

Analysis, Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, Opinion

Japanese Research Takes Another Look At Violent Video Games

Does violence in games really have an effect on gamers after all? A recent study at the University of Tokyo reopens this long time issue in video games, albeit with a little twist. If you’re a gamer, don’t worry. This won’t be about reflected behaviors and supposed killer instinct issues, though some of it may sound a little bit familiar. The research’s primary objective is to find out some of the long term neurological effects of violent video games. In order to learn more about this, the researchers sampled a small group of adult men and women, and gave them one popular, mainstream violent and

Asia Pacific (APAC), Gaming, Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Microsoft’s Xbox One launch flops in Japan

[Photo: Famitsu] Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One console recently launched in Japan on September 4, and so far the all-in-one system has been met with markedly lukewarm reception in the Japanese market. A lowly 23, 562 consoles were sold in the first week of launch availability, Famitsu reports, making it a considerable flop. In comparison, Japan’s Xbox 360 launch saw more than 60,000 units sold back in 2005. What attributed to this lack of sales? As Kotaku reports, a handful of big-name Japanese retailers resembled vacant ghost-towns during the Xbox One’s midnight launch. So far the Xbox One exclusive Titanfall leads Japanese game sales charts for the console with 22,416 copies sold, followed by the

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan

Smart Chopsticks Check Food Before You Eat

Smart devices are apparently everywhere. In fact, they are now even invading our home food space. Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, had just unveiled what is introduced as a set of “smart” chopsticks, that can help users tell if what they are eating is safe or not. The smart chopsticks set were first unveiled last week during this year’s Baidu World technology conference event. Externally it may look like an ordinary pair of plastic chopsticks, but it is actually infused and buffed with tech inside. To use it, the chopsticks must first connect to a smartphone that uses its special app. As the chopstick touches

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Pico-Falcon Is The Tiniest RC Helicopter Yet

It’s not a handheld, it’s a fingerheld. Quadcopter drones may be the mainstream toy for most flying RC hobbyists, but for more casual enthusiasts, there are simpler and even cheaper options to enjoy that flying RC experience. No we’re not talking about flying rotors, we’re talking about miniature RC helicopters, and this one really takes the word “miniature” quite literally. The Pico-Falcon is a toy developed by CCP, a Japanese subsidiary company owned by Bandai that specializes in home electronics. As you can see from the feature image above, this coaxial rotor miniature RC helicopter is really tiny, having a mere body size of 4.6

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

HaptoMirage Creates ‘Tangible’ Holograms

3D holograms may still look a bit too gimmicky, but the technology is getting better and better, as more and more new concepts for glassless 3D imaging are developed. In fact, this one particular breakthrough developed by a media design team at Keio University may be the closest to being a true hologram yet, as it introduces the idea of ‘tangible’ full-3D images. HaptoMirage is a new display system that uses what its developers call as Active-Shuttered Real Image Autostereoscopy (ARIA). It is described as a 3D imaging technique that creates “seamless interactive multi-user mixed reality” with a full 180-degree rotatable image. Basically, it means

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Oculus Rift Meets Japan: Ideas and Innovations

The Oculus Rift has undeniably spawned so many new ideas and innovations in the way we explore virtual 3D environments. Japan also has its fair share of ideas for this VR headset, and here are a few of the notable ones that might just have the potential to take those current ideas even further. Sidonia Knights Launcher Simulator Coming first on this short list is the realization of the space launch sequence from the Japanese comic series Sidonia Knights (Shidonia no Kishi). The presentation of the concept is part of the Anime Festa event that is currently held in Tokorozawa, Saitama. As for the look and feel

Analysis, Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Japan’s Data Usage Rates Are Very Competitive

A single gigabyte of data may look small, but it is actually the average amount of data consumed by most smartphone users in the United States. This is assuming of course that these users don’t use their phones to download lots of HD media. In Japan, the trend is quite similar. However, this new survey by MMD tells us something a lot more, which looks almost like a fierce competition between average data consumption rates. The survey data shows that at least 18.8% of users within the sample are in the 1GB per month group. This is the highest share in the survey, reflecting the

Asia Pacific (APAC), Global Politics, Japan, VR World

Telephoto Megaphone Snipes Listeners At A Distance

Anyone who is an avid fan of the classic Japanese anime series Doraemon probably still remembers the Telephoto megaphone. Well, a Japanese development team at Fuji Xerox just took it upon themselves to make this gadget a reality, and it’s more than just for looks. The telephoto megaphone (Bouen Megafon, lit. long sight megaphone) made its first appearance in a 1986 comic book issue of Doraemon. The gadget essentially allows the user to speak to a person at a very long distance, just like a megaphone. The catch here is that unlike an ordinary megaphone, only the person you tried to speak to would be

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