Sega Toys brings fireworks to your home

On sale this month from Sega Toys is a toy that projects fireworks to walls and ceilings at your own home. You can choose and sequence the type of fireworks as well as being able to create your own original fireworks. Neat! It's available in Japan for around 12,00 yen ($120 USD) on Amazon Japan.

Source: Uchiagehanabi

CTU 24 GPS Navigational Unit - Only in Japan

Came across this the other day in a magazine. In Japan, they have a 24 CTU themed car navigational unit. The dubbed voices of Chloe and Jack Bauer will provide the directions to help you reach your destination. It'll even count down as your approach the destination with the 24 hour clock style.

Source - 24 Radar Detection (Japanese)

Japan Only: Herb flavored Pepsi

So last time I tried out Shiso-flavored Pepsi, and recently, I had the chance of trying out Green Tea Coke. I prefer this over the Pepsi as it really do take like Coke.

Chumby on sales in Japan at Bic Camera

Spotted this at the Japanese electronics store, Bic Camera in Shinjuku. I wouldn't mind having one of these = )

iPhone 3G Free in Japan

The iPhone 3G 8GB model is now free with a 2 year contract in Japan.  The 16GB model will cost 11520 yen, which is about $120.  This offer will be valid up to May 31.  

SoftBank is definitely aggressively pushing out the iPhone in Japan.  It might also be a sign that they are cleaning out the inventory to prepare for the next version of iPhone this summer.  Maybe.

So the bottom line for Japanese consumers, one can get an iPhone 3G 8GB paying as little as 2,324 yen (24 dollars) every month.  

Source:

SoftBank (Japanese)

Tiny tiny miscro SD card reader from Buffalo

I'm not sure how small these card readers can get.  But Buffalo's BSCRMSDC micro SD card readers are pretty small.

They are available in Japan for around $9.  Photos below.

Link:

Buffalo (Japanese)

a stylish desk light that also works as a USB hub and charging station

The USB link light CU62D from Conof is a pretty cool desk light.  Here's why:

• In addition to being a light, tt serves as a 2 port USB hub.  
  
• These USB ports can also charge devices for you when your computer is not connected.  (Though it seems like you need a special adapter for iPods)
  
• The back side contains an extra power outlet

It comes in white, mocha, and yellow-green.  In Japan you can find it for around $160.  

Source:

Conof (Japanese)

Barouche - BR-03

A simple alarm clock from Barouche.  Its features include:

• clock
  
• alarm clock
  
• world clock
  
• thermometer
  
• snooze
  
• backlight LCD
  

Looks like the simplicity of this clock will cost you around $100 to $130.

Source (Japanese):

• barouche
  
• Openers.jp
  

Measure 2.0: GA Electronic Measure

Although it's not shiny and white, but it's a cool gadget.  Just press the "measure" button, and it'll tell you instantly the distance between you and where you pointed at.  

Saw this on Amazon Japan.

Now they just need to put some design on this thing.

Sony Type P transit ads and display photos

On my way to buying a new hard drive for my Mac Mini, I saw some transit ads and a little booth demoing and promoting the Sony Type P.   Positioned as a "Pocket Style PC,"  it's supposed to fit in your pocket.  I still have to say, you need some big pockets.  

I did fiddle with it.  It's small compact and light.  The keyboard seems like a reasonable size to type on.  I think the screen size is still to small to do computing personally.  I say, drop the keyboard and make the screen multi-touch.  Kinda like a super-sized iPod touch.  Cough... Apple.  

Photos below:

Woo, the white one!

It's supposed to fit in your pocket.  If it does, you sure don't want to sit on it.

The ads.

They had a TV there playing some ads and stuff.

A portable speaker with a strap

Saw these while shopping the other day. It’s called the I-Dear Stone Speaker. It’s a portable rectangular shaped speaker with a strap so you can attach it to your cell phone or use it as a key chain.

Features:

• It comes in white and black
  
• It’ll take a 3.5 mm audio cable as input
  
• It’s rechargeable and comes with a USB adapter to recharge the speaker
  
• one charge lasts about 5 hours

You can find it at NVshop, a Japanese online gadget shop for 5,750 yen (around $60).

Make your desk smell nice with Aroma USB DX

There are a lot of odd USB devices these days such as fans and cup warmers.  Here's one that caught my attention - an USB powered aroma diffuser.  

It's called the Ultra Sonic Aroma USB DX, and it's made by a Japanese company called Elaice.  Fill in your preferred aroma oil and plug it in your computer.  

The portable aroma diffuser is available in pink, black, and white. Elaice is selling it for 2,200 yen ($24)  on their website (Japanese).

Turn your bathroom into a planetarium with "Bath Planetarium"

Turn off the lights in your bathroom, and let the "Bath Planetarium" illuminate your bathroom with stars. This gadget comes in white and black and is available for 3,990 yen (about 43 dollars) in Japan.  It's powered by 4 AA batteries, which are sold separately.  

It's available at Amazon in Japan.  Link (Japanese) is here.

Inside Apple's Lucky Bag @ Shibuya Apple Store, Japan

Lucky bags of all sorts go on sale on Japan on the day after New Year Day's.  The traditional lucky bags are concealed with the items inside undisclosed.  These lucky bags gives you a chance to test your luck for the year.  Wikipedia has a informative entry on lucky bags if you want to learn more.  

In keeping the Japanese tradition, Apple also offers limited quantities of Lucky Bags in Japan every year online as well at its retail stores.  Most stores open at 10 am and the bags are usually sold out by 8 am.  

This year the lucky bags of Apple cost 35,000 yen (about $384).  I decided to test out my luck and set out to buy one of these lucky bags.  Here we go!

Getting Ready

I decided to go to the store around 5 am.  The stores would open at 10 am, so there would be a 5 hour wait.  I rented two movies (X-Files and Hancock) from iTunes and loaded it to my iPod touch.  That should keep me company.

Getting to the store

I arrived at the store about 5:20 am where there was already a short line of 30 some people.  Here's a picture:

Waiting...

I started watching X-Files: I Want to Believe.  And Hancock subsequently.  After finishing the two movies, my iPod touch ran out of batteries.  

Starbucks - courtesy of Apple

At around 8 am, Apple employees passed out coffee from Starbucks to the customers in the line.  

Finally 10:00 am!

Did some web surfing on my iPhone, and it's finally 10!  The store opened, and the line started to move.  I paid with my credit card, and got my lucky bag.  It is said that a few lucky ones have a special card in the bags that will let them exchange a MacBook!

I quickly went to a corner, opened my bag, and checked out what's inside.  Unfortunately, I did not get a MacBook.  

So what's inside

Pics first, and the list of items below.

Woo hoo!  The Lucky Bag!

The contents

The original Apple calendar

List of  items inside the lucky bag

• iPod touch 2G (8GB) 
  
• USB Power Adapter
  
• Nike + iPod Sensor
  
• Nike Skylon (Adjustable sport headphones)
  
• Belkin FastFit Armband with Cable Capsule
  
• avenue--d Leather Sleeve for iPod touch 2G (Lucky bag special 2009 edition)
  
• Pure-Fi Anywhere 2
  
• Power Support anti-glare film set for iPod touch 2G
• Apple original calendar
  
• Apple original t-shirt
  
• The lucky bag itself - an original Apple carrying bag

Comments:

The Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 costs $100 and iPod touch 2G (8GB) costs $250 on Amazon respectively, those two items already cover the bulk of the $380 price tag of the lucky bag.  Though I have an iPhone and iPod touch 1G, overall, I still think it's a nice deal.  It's like an iPod touch that comes with speakers, cases, and protective films.  Although I'm not a big fan of using the touch as a sports device, they surely included all the stuff (armband, Nike earphones, Nike + iPod sensor) I need to use the touch as a gadget to run and jog with.  Oh yeah, except a pair of Nike shoes.  

Considering the iPhone was released last year in Japan, I was expecting some iPhone stuff, but this is good as well!  

Get your own WALL-E Roomba!

In Japan, right now you can get a limited WALL-E model of iRobot Roomba 53082. Basically it’s a Roomba with a paint job of WALL-E.

With the extra WALL-E paint job, you can get one of these limited models in Japan for about 800 dollars. You can check it out in Amazon Japan.


This has got to be the closest thing to a WALL-E that cleans your room.  Of course, you can always buy a low end model for about 300 dollars and  create your own sticker or paint job to save some money =)

VAIO type L – Sony VAIO’s answer to iMac

The VAIO type L is a shiny white all-in-one computer currently on sale in Japan. There are two models – 20.1 inch and 24 inch.

What’s special?

• Built-in TV tuner that supports HDTV – It’s capable of recording two channels simultaneously and comes with basic DVR features. 
  
• Comes with a Blu-ray Disc Recorder 
  
• You can connect a PS3 to it with an HDMI cable
  

In a nutshell, with this VAIO type L, you can:

• Watch and record TV (comes with a remote)
  
• Use the monitor to play with your PS3
  
• Watch and record Blu-ray discs
  
• And of course, use it as a PC
  

Take that iMac!

The 24 inch starts at around 180,000 yen (around 1,800 dollars) in Japan.


Source: Sony type L (24 inch wide / 20 inch wide models)

Sony S-Frame – A white digital photo frame

I saw this yesterday while shopping in Kichijyo-ji in Tokyo. The Sony S-Frame is a digital photo frame.

There are 3 lines:

• V900 – The top of the line. Nine-inch screen with a bunch of functions.
  
• V700 - Has a smaller seven-inch screen and basically shared the same functions as V900.
  
• D70 – The low end of the line. Seven-inch screen with less memory and functions. 
  

I’m going to focus on the V900 for this post. Here are the basics:

• The V900 is available in black and white.
  
• It comes with 512 MB of internal storage. 
  
• Supports a wide variety of memory cards, which is a nice touch by Sony. This means you’re not confined to Sony’s memory stick. 
  

What’s cool?

• It has an auto orientation sensor and will always display your photo in the correct orientation. 
  
• HDMI output – Though I have personally never showed or shared photos on TV, but I guess it could be nice for some. 
  
• In addition to displaying photos and slide shows, this frame can show calendars and display the time. It also allows you to show photos with a clock or calendar. 
  
  
  
  

What other functions does it have?

• You can connect a separate sold Bluetooh USB adapter and transfer photos to the frame via Bluetooth. This should really be built in.
  

What’s missing?

• The ability to connect to wi-fi and send photos over wifi or subscribe to photo fees from a photo sharing sites like Flickr.
  

How much does it cost to have in on for a month?
They estimate about 58 yen (around 60 cents) of electricity costs to have the frame on for an entire month.


Pricing and Availability

The top of the line V900 can be found in Tokyo from around $250. It’s also available in the US at Sony Style for $299.99.

It’s stylish and elegant, but ff you ask me, I’d still prefer a Chumby.

Source:

Sony Japan - S-Frame (Japanese)

Gadget Ad: new line up of au mobile phones

This ad features some of the new phones for au in Japan: Sharp's W64SH, Toshiba's W65T, Casio's W63CA, Sony Ericsson's re, and Hitachi's W63H.

NEC’s N-03A Vanilla White– The cell phone for vanilla lovers

NEC has gotten together with Pierre Hermé, who is often referred to as the Picasso of pastry, to produce their new model N-03A, which is to be released in on the 20th of this month in Japan.

Lots of different colors!
The photo above is the Vanilla White version of the phone. It is also available in Macaron Pink, Apricot Orange, Chocolate Brown, and Cassis Blue.

What’s special?
In addition to the regular slate of cell phone features in Japan such as 1seg TV and e-wallet, the N-03A comes with pastry themes and wallpapers to satisfy sweets lovers.  See below for a sample of the themes.


The N-03A will be available on November 20th in Japan.  Please visit its website for more photos.  Thanks for reading!


Source:
NEC Mobile

Another new iPhone commerical in Japan from SoftBank and Apple

See for yourself below: