Featured Stories
-
DOMK Receives Confirmation That 1st “SolaPad” Units Are Being Prepared for Shipment
25 May 2012 12:30 PM | No Commentsvar AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=2053203&zs=3436385f3630&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62)); LONGWOOD, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DoMark International Inc. (OTCBB: DOMK) announced today that management of its wholly-owned subsidiary, SolaWerks, has...
Read More -
New Autodesk SketchBook Ink App Delivers Stunning Creative Tools for iPad
24 May 2012 12:59 PM | No CommentsSAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) launched Autodesk SketchBook Ink for iPad paint and drawing app, the latest release from the company’s popular SketchBook...
Read More -
Vegas Tech Start Up Questionable LLC Launches Questionable Friends iPhone App
23 May 2012 4:53 PM | No CommentsLAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Questionable™ today introduced Questionable Friends™ for iPhone®. Questionable Friends lets you send questions to your contacts and provides instant feedback as questions are answered. Answers can be ...
Read More -
Sidecar Revolutionizes Phone Calls by Bringing “Smart Calling” to Smartphones
22 May 2012 12:00 PM | No CommentsSAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Launching today, Sidecar (www.sidecar.me) is a new mobile app that brings Smart Calling to smartphones. Smart Calling allows people to share live See What I See video, brilliant ...
Read More -
TransCore Launches Mobile iPad App for TransSuite Traffic Management System
21 May 2012 12:00 PM | No CommentsWASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Intelligent Transportation Society of America Annual Meeting – TransCore brings the ease of mobile computing to its TransSuite® advanced traffic management system (ATMS), launching its iPad® ...
Read More
-
Rinkya Archive
-
Tube amplifier-shaped USB speaker
Posted on December 31, 2009 | No Comments
Tube or valve amplifiers are electronic amplifiers that make use of vacuum tubes to boost the power of a signal. They've been around for decades, and some audio freaks still love the sound they help to produce. And they look kind of pretty, too. Reason enough for Hanwha Japan to come up with the US-0498 [JP], a PC speaker that looks like a tube amplifier (but isn't one).
-
Thanko sells USB-powered “Hot Cat Gloves”
Posted on December 28, 2009 | No Comments
Back in August, I blogged about Thanko's Catgirl Earphones, which were shaped like cat ears. And today, the notorious Tokyo-based USB gadget maker started selling the so-called Hot Cat Gloves [JP]. A big day for the Cosplay crowd, especially those with a penchant for dressing up as a catgirl.
These things may appear totally silly, but Thanko says that the Catgirl Earphones from the summer are still their No. 1 selling item. And the company has to make money to keep their three (!) brick-and-mortar stores in Tokyo going somehow.
-
Japan gets another set of those “Crazy Earphones”
Posted on December 28, 2009 | No Comments
Do you remember the so-called Crazy Earphones Tokyo-based gadget maker Solid Alliance released back in October? Apparently the silly things sold well, otherwise the company probably wouldn't have updated [JP] the series, which consisted of sushi, bananas, cat paws and bolts.
-
PyramidTalk: Seiko updates their cult clocks from the 1980s
Posted on December 23, 2009 | No CommentsSome of the older CrunchGear readers will surely remember the Pyramidtalk, a clock that verbally announced the time and other information. Seiko started selling the clock in 1984, and it turned out to be a big worldwide hit, with sales ballooning to 200,000 units per year at its peak. And now, just in time for Christmas, consumers (in Japan, at least) can lay their hands on an updated version [JP].
-
GR DIGITAL III × STUSSY: Ricoh unveils limited edition point-and-shoot camera
Posted on December 21, 2009 | No Comments
It's Stussy's 30th birthday next year, and for some strange reason the fashion company collaborated with Japanese electronics maker Ricoh to celebrate the occasion in the form of a Stussy-branded digital camera [JP]. Technically, Ricoh didn't change anything in the GR DIGITAL III the Stussy camera is based on (and which was released in August this year), meaning the new exterior design will most likely attract hardcore Stussy fans or camera collectors only.
-
Lockface: USB drive that uses face recognition to verify users
Posted on December 16, 2009 | No Comments
A Japanese company called Futen (they don't have a website) is selling a USB flash drive that uses face recognition technology to check the identity of users. Needless to say, the so-called Lockface only works with your computer's web cam.
-
Exemode SQ28m: Cute mini designer digital camera (video)
Posted on December 9, 2009 | No Comments
Japanese camera maker Exemode has developed the SQ28m [JP, the site is currently down], a mini digital camera that's quite nice design-wise. The device is sized at just 53×23×19mm, weighs21g, can be used with your key chain and is available in red or blue.
The SQ28m features 64MB internal SDRAM, but there's also a microSD slot that you can feed with 2GB cards. It sports a 1/2.7" 195MP CMOS sensor that lets you shoot JPEGs in 1,280x1,200 and video as Motion JPEG or AVI in 320×240 resolution and at 8fps. You can transfer all material you shot to your computer via USB 1.1.
-
Hello Kitty Music Player Premium
Posted on December 4, 2009 | No Comments
The Hello Kitty Music Player Crystal, made in cooperation with luxury brand Swarovski, I blogged about in October drew the attention of quite a few (mostly female) CrunchGear readers. One of the problems was the price: $150 for a fairly basic music player isn't cheap. But now Japan-based Mouse Computer, in cooperation with iriver Japan, is offering a similar device. And their so-called Hello Kitty Music Player Premium [JP] is less expensive.
-
Kenko-Tokina’s super-cute Mickey Mouse camera
Posted on December 3, 2009 | No Comments
Tokyo-based Kenko-Tokina, normally known for its camera accessories, has announced a cute Disney-themed digital camera [JP] for the Japanese market today. Spec-wise, this 8MP point-and-shoot camera isn't anything special, but that's what you'd expect from a camera whose case shows Mickey Mouse giving Minnie a bucket of hearts.
-
Now in more colors: Pig-shaped earphones
Posted on November 11, 2009 | No CommentsSome Japanese gadget freaks do have a penchant for weird earphones, that's for sure, meaning these things actually seem to sell. I doubt that otherwise, Tokyo-based accessory maker Greenhouse would have updated the buta (piggy) earphones they gave us in June 2008. It's not a technical update but the same earphones are available in purple and orange now (see the picture above).
-
Japanese company announces Dragon Ball headphones
Posted on November 5, 2009 | No Comments
Even though Dragon Ball is 25 years old, it's still one of the most popular anime and manga series out there. There are tons of Dragon Ball-themed video games and other merchandising stuff all around the world, but Tokyo-based gourmandise [JP] today announced what seems to be relatively rare: Dragon Ball-inspired gadgets. Their so-called DRAGONBALL HEADPHONE will be available in two versions.
-
Remote-controlled, “driving” tissue box case (video)
Posted on October 29, 2009 | No Comments
You know if a given country, in this case Japan, is over-saturated with gadgets when you see stuff like this: A remote-controlled tissue box [JP]. I mean who doesn't know the trouble you go through when you want to wipe your nose and that damn tissue box is like 3 feet away again?
But here's some help. The so-called Running Tissue Box has a maximum range of 8m for the radio signal. It's sized at 250×65×123mm and is available in white, red and black.
-
Japan gets ultra-cute Hello Kitty music player with sparkling Swarovski crystals
Posted on October 26, 2009 | No Comments
Hello Kitty is 35 years old now, and she still continues to be the dream cartoon cat of millions of teenage girls. If you're one of these people and have a penchant for gadgets on top of that, this new and strictly limited music player might be the right thing for you. The so-called Hello Kitty Music Player Crystal [JP] is the result of a cooperation between iriver Japan, Hello Kitty company Sanrio and luxury brand Swarovski Crystal.
-
New mini toy car: Penny Racer Hybrid (video)
Posted on September 23, 2009 | No Comments
Toy maker Takara Tomy's mini vehicles are being sold everywhere in the world. Marketed as Penny Racers in the US and Choro Q in Japan, the series so far includes mini helis, trains and even small UFOs that attack Tokyo. And now the company has announced Choro Q Hybrid mini cars [JP] for the Japanese market.
-
Tokyo’s Gundam statue is history, but you can now buy a 1/60 replica
Posted on September 11, 2009 | No Comments
The giant Gundam statue that has been protecting Tokyo for a couple of months is gone, but now you have the chance to bring back memories in the form of a smaller version you can put in your living room. The original 1/1 statue stood 20m tall, while the replika [JP] is 1/60th of that size (30cm) and weighs 4kg.