Export Specialist Archive

  • Hello Kitty camcorder

    Hello Kitty camcorder

    Posted on June 10, 2010 | No Comments
    Japanese camera maker Exemode announced [JP] the Hello Kitty DV520KT today, a simple 5MP CMOS camcorder that only has one thing going for it: it features mega-popular cartoon cat Hello Kitty saying "Hi" on the hardware. That's what it probably makes perfect for young girls though.

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  • Pentax Japan unveils K-x in “rainbow colors”

    Pentax Japan unveils K-x in “rainbow colors”

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    It seems Pentax Japan just loves redesigning their K-x digital camera. The company started offering extra-colorful versions of the device last September, followed by another limited edition, a K-x in "robotic colors", one month later. And today, Pentax unveiled [JP] the so-called TOWER RECORDS × PENTAX RAINBOW K-x, designed in collaboration with - you guessed it - Tower Records in Japan.

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  • Thanko’s USB-powered foot switch pedal

    Thanko’s USB-powered foot switch pedal

    Posted on April 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Long time no hear from Tokyo-based USB gadget maker Thanko. The company today announced foot switch pedals [JP] for use with Windows XP, 7 or Vista machines (I am aware this isn't a world's first, but the last Thanko post was too long ago). Just assign any key on your keyboard to one of the pedals, and you won't need your fingers to press that key ever again.

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  • Thanko’s mouse has a built-in speaker

    Thanko’s mouse has a built-in speaker

    Posted on February 26, 2010 | No Comments
    Tokyo-based crap gadget maker Thanko continues to amaze. The company today announced [JP] a mouse with an integrated speaker, believe it or not (Thanko already gave us the "mid-air" mouse, the USB cooler mouse, a heated mouse, and a liquid mouse).

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  • Hot Lunch Bag: Thanko’s USB-powered lunch box warmers

    Hot Lunch Bag: Thanko’s USB-powered lunch box warmers

    Posted on February 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Tokyo-based crazy USB gadget maker Thanko has done it again. The company today announced [JP] not one but two "Hot Lunch Bags", special cases that are supposed to warm up lunch boxes you brought to the office from home via USB. Thanko offered a first version of the "Hot Lunch Bag" back in winter 2008.

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  • Panasonic’s portable neck and leg massagers

    Panasonic’s portable neck and leg massagers

    Posted on February 15, 2010 | No Comments
    Panasonic Japan has announced [JP] two devices of a very different kind today: A massage device for your neck and one for your legs. Both massagers are primarily targeted at women and marketed by Panasonic as "compact and portable".

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  • Thanko’s Motion Sensor Spy Pen records video

    Thanko’s Motion Sensor Spy Pen records video

    Posted on February 3, 2010 | No Comments
    For some reason, Tokyo-based USB accessory maker Thanko has rolled out a slew of spy gadgets in the past weeks and months. About four weeks ago, Thanko gave us a spy pen that shoots video in HD, and today we are getting the Motion Sensor Spy Pen [JP]. The device looks like a regular ballpen, but it detects people moving in its vicinity and starts recording them on video automatically.

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  • The “Potato Chip Hand” lets you eat chips, protects your fingers from getting greasy (video)

    The “Potato Chip Hand” lets you eat chips, protects your fingers from getting greasy (video)

    Posted on January 21, 2010 | No Comments
    I am true believer of the hypothesis that the sillier a given country's gadgets, the fewer problems it has. In the case of Japan, we now have the Potechi No Te, which translates to Potato Chip Hand. It's actually silly and not silly at the same time, as it's meant to protect your fingers from getting greasy every time you eat chips.

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  • Japanese Twilight/New Moon DVD box includes a movie on microSD

    Japanese Twilight/New Moon DVD box includes a movie on microSD

    Posted on January 19, 2010 | No Comments
    Teenage movie sensations Twilight and New Moon have grossed over $1 billion at box offices worldwide so far (New Moon is still in theaters), and both movies have proven to be extremely successful in the world's second biggest movie market, Japan, too. That's perhaps the reason why the second movie (New Moon) gets a special treatment in this country, namely a huge and Japan-only DVD premium box.

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  • Thanko’s Spy Watch with built-in video camera

    Thanko’s Spy Watch with built-in video camera

    Posted on January 18, 2010 | No Comments
    For some reason, Toyko-based USB accessory maker Thanko is selling a wide range of "spy gadgets", with a button camera and an HD video pen as the latest additions to the line-up. Today Thanko gives us a wrist watch [JP], which may look rather unassuming from the outside but actually sports a micro spy camera.

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  • Thanko’s Spy Button Camera gets an upgrade

    Thanko’s Spy Button Camera gets an upgrade

    Posted on January 15, 2010 | No Comments
    Tokyo-based USB gadget maker Thanko gave us a video camera button last July, which was basically a mini camera for your shirt or jacket that could be used for secretly recording video. And today the company started selling the second version [JP] of the Spy Button Camera whose main new feature is the sound recording function.

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  • Awesome Sega Genesis and Space Invaders business card cases

    Awesome Sega Genesis and Space Invaders business card cases

    Posted on January 12, 2010 | No Comments
    If you're an old-school gamer, the Sega Genesis (known as Sega Mega Drive outside North America) sure does have a special place in your heart. And if your current job requires you to give away business cards from time to time, this new business card holder that's shaped like Sega's legendary 16-bit console might be the right thing for you. In case you want to go even more retro, there's also a Space Invaders business card case in red and another one in black now.

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  • AV Bank Dodeka: Thanko’s pretty decent looking 7-inch media player

    AV Bank Dodeka: Thanko’s pretty decent looking 7-inch media player

    Posted on December 16, 2009 | No Comments
    Tokyo-based crap USB gadget vendor Thanko does roll out devices from time to time that are not that crappy. And their so-called AV Bank Dodeka [JP], a media player that boasts a 7-inch screen (iPhone: 3.5 inches), seems to be one of those. It's a major upgrade to the AV Bank Thanko started selling just last month. The Dodeka's LTPS screen has a 800×480 resolution and can double as a digital picture frame. It features 8GB of internal memory but also supports microSD/SDHC cards (up to 16GB). Videos can be viewed in AVI/MPEG/FLV/MP4/MOV/PMP/DAT/VOB/RM/ or RMVB format. The player also plays MP3s and displays JPEG/GIF/ and BMP photo files.

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  • Onkyo’s 7-inch tablet PC with integrated GPS module

    Onkyo’s 7-inch tablet PC with integrated GPS module

    Posted on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
    Onkyo Japan has announced a few notebooks today, all of which are in fact re-branded (but beefed up) models competitor Kohjinsha released earlier on the Japanese market. Perhaps the most interesting new model is the NX707A4 [JP], a 7-inch tablet netbook with an built-in GPS module. The tablet is powered by Atom Z520 processor (1.33 GHz) and has an 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Intel US15W chipset, two USB ports, an ExpressCard/34 slot, SD/SDHC/MMC/Memory Stick Pro slots, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi and two web cams (3MP and 0.3MP) on board. The display is a touch screen with 1,024x600 resolution.

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