Jean Snow [.net]

Category: Technology

  • INFOBAR2

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    Today I stopped by the KDDI Designing Studio to see the new INFOBAR2 mobile phone from the AU Design Project, designed by Naoto Fukasawa. It’s still officially a prototype, but you just know that this thing will go retail. I didn’t manage to take many pictures of the different models because my camera batteries died…

  • INFOBAR2

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    In the latest message from the KDDI Design Studio mailing list, they announce that October 31 will not only mark 3 years since the release of the INFOBAR, the Naoto Fukasawa design that was the first official release from the AU Design Project, but that they’ll also be presenting the INFOBAR2 concept model, again designed…

  • Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting in Japan

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    I’m going to post something before the end of the week on my thoughts about the new TV — quick preview: sweeeeeet — but I have a quick question I’m wondering if someone could answer. I have everything hooked up to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting (there’s a plug to my building’s antenna in the wall),…

  • 45 Inches of Goodness

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    Well, after wanting one for ages, today we went out and got a 45-inch HDTV set (Sharp Aquos LC-45BE2W, info in English here). Yes, I do expect all productivity to go out the window when it gets delivered on Tuesday, especially when I hook up my Xbox 360 to it. Oh man, this is gonna…

  • Murata Boy

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    Who says robots in Japan are dead? A robot rides a bicycle at the headquarters of electronics equipment maker Murata Manufacturing Co. The “Murata Boy” can ride up a 25-degree slope and stop without losing its balance. It can also make an S-curve without falling off the bicycle. The new robots will be shown at…

  • New Mobile Phones from Softbank

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    Softbank will be launching 13 new mobile phone models in October (as they officially make the change from the Vodafone brand name), but they already have info on all of them on their website. Some of them are looking quite nice! Oh, and let me go on record as saying that I’m one of the…

  • Big Mac Tag

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    Core77 reports that “in Japan, McDonald’s is tagging food packaging with QRCodes, so that appropriately-enabled camera phones can pull up nutritional info on the spot.”

  • Softbank + iPod Nano

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    This is a disappointing development — I was expecting much more from Softbank and Apple’s partnership. Vodafone KK under Softbank Corp on Wednesday started selling cell phones in packages with Apple Computer Inc’s popular iPod music players. Vodafone, the former Japanese unit of British mobile phone giant Vodafone Group Plc acquired by Softbank in April,…