It’s Thanko time again. The Tokyo-based company, famous for gadgets like the USB-powered boob warmer, the USB eye warmer or the USB gloves, is now offering not one [JP] but two [JP] USB-powered, heated slippers – just in time for winter. I can’t decide which one is uglier, but maybe you can.

First, we have the Hot Slippers (pictured above). They are available in brown or grey and get the power they need to keep your feet warm through the USB port of your computer (Windows or Mac OS will work). Price: $23 per pair.

Then there are the Hot Room Shoes. I am not really sure what the difference to the Hot Slippers is function-wise, as these shoes are supposed to keep your feet warm via USB power, too. Price: $23 (available in M or L).

Thanko already sells both versions on their Japanese website. As the company closed their English store recently, you’ll need to contact import specialists such as the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U to get a pair.

It’s been a long time we heard about JVC updating their Everio brand of camcorders (back in July to be more exact). But the company today announced a total of three new models for the Japanese market. Expect all of these to go on sale outside this country sooner or later.

The GZ-MG980 [JP, pictured above] is the most powerful of the three new Everio devices. It features 10.7MP with 1.6″ CCD sensor, produces 720×480 resolution, and comes with an 80GB HDD, an SD/SDHC slot, 39x optical zoom (F1.8〜4.3), a USB port and a 2.7 LCD screen. Japanese street price: $690.

The GZ-MS230 [JP] basically has the same specs, but it features just 8GB of internal memory (price: $515).

And the GZ-MS210 [JP] just has two SD/SDHC slots but no internal memory. But sized at just 52×110×62mm and weighing only 230g (battery included), it’s the smallest version (price: $460).

Victor JVC started selling the new Everios today. The company hasn’t said anything yet about its international sales plans.

It looks like we’ll soon get significantly faster SD cards. Apparently, SD Specification Version 4.00 is expected to be ready by spring next year, meaning the maximum data transfer rate (read/write) will jump from 104 MByte/s to 300 MByte/s. But not too surprisingly, you’ll need to update your hardware to make use of the higher speed.

The data transfer scheme will be changed from parallel to serial, using low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), which is the case in many other serial connections. The number of pins used in both the cards themselves and card readers will have to be higher than the current nine pins in order to make the increase in speed possible.

The new cards will be compatible to existing hardware, but the maximum speed you’ll get will be just 104 MByte/s. More details can be found in the table above.

Via Tech-On

Does anyone remember the Japanese anti-burglar mat for stores and restaurants I blogged a few months ago? Well, there’s another security system from Japan and it clearly raises the bar: It’s a new mechanism, dubbed Capture, for these places and it sprays stinky agent on thieves who won’t be able to get rid of the stench for a week.

The idea is to able for the police to easily identify the bad guys even after they manage to escape from the crime scene. All that store owners need to do is to push a button, and Capture will spray stinky agent from special gas carts onto the thief or burglar. The carts can be placed behind the counter, in the store’s ceiling or at the entrance, for example.

It takes three to five minutes for the agent to begin stinking and trying to wash it away won’t work as it will linger on for a week. And there’s even a reason for this five-minute time lag: It’s supposed to avoid making the bad guys so angry that they physically assault store clerks or restaurant staff who would then suffer from the stench themselves.

The system is the result of joint development by three Japanese chemical companies who plan to offer it for about $1,150, mainly to convenience store operators. (Apologies for the small picture. It’s the only one available at this point.)

Via Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun [JP]

Japanese conglomerates Fuji Heavy Industries, Sumitomo and Subaru are developing a new robot [JP, PDF] that’s able to clean office buildings autonomously. The yet to be named robot (pictured on the left) is sized at just 50×45x80cm, meaning it’s able to maneuver even along narrow paths. Its functions include vacuuming the floors and picking up garbage.

The robot weighs 95kg and is powered by a 24V battery that has a battery life of 2.5 hours. It can travel as fast as 30 meters per minute, avoiding obstacles along the way through built-in sensors and a laser system. The cleaning robot you see on the right of the picture is an earlier model from last year.

The companies plan to commercialize the new robot by the end of next year. It will then likely be priced at between $35,000 and $46,000, with the companies hoping to sell 50 units in the first twelve months.

A research group from Japan’s University of Electro-Communications has developed a mini robot that’s able to move freely inside water and gas pipes with a diameter of 10cm or more. The robot can climb up and down pipes as long as they are made of iron as it uses a magnet for its magic.

It’s equipped with a CCD camera, a LED light and a battery. The robot travels inside the pipe on four wheels, shines light into it and sends images it captures, for example of a crack, back to the user through a cable.

The developers say their prototype can be remote-controlled and is equipped with a magnet that moves like a pendulum. The vibrations it creates keep the robot stuck to the iron pipe at all times. The magnet and the pipe pull against each other, making it possible for the robot to smoothly travel inside the pipe.

According to the developers, the current prototype is just 11cm long and 8×8cm wide and tall, meaning it’s suitable for most water and gas pipes and eliminates the need to dig them up for inspection.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

A pico projector with Windows CE OS 5.0 on board? Yes, there are devices like that. Japan-based Lancerlink announced [JP] one of these today, the MPJ-104WCE. What you get is basically an LCOS (3M) projector with a mini computer built into it (the Windows CE is an English version).

The projector produces 10-30 inch pictures with 640×480 resolution and 10 lumens brightness. There are also two 0.5W speakers built into the body. But sized at just 138.5×58.5×25mm, the device also sports a Samsung ARM 9 processor at 400MHz, 64MB of internal memory (up to 4GB with an SD card), a USB port, an SD card interface and native support for MS Powerpoint, Excel and Word files.

It’s also possible to view PDFs directly from the projector. Video formats supported are WMV/MPEG-4, music can be played as MP3/WMA/WAV files and pictures can be viewed as JPEGs or BMPs. Lancerlink says the battery will work for 120 minutes continuously.

The MPJ-104WCE will go on sale in Japan from the middle of next month for $580. If you’re interested but live outside this country, you might want to contact the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U if they can buy one for you.

TransferJet is a close-proximity wireless transfer technology that was introduced by Sony in 2008. Toshiba announced during IFA in Berlin this year they are planning to use the technology in their products soon. The idea is to let two electronic devices quickly exchange data, theoretically at up to 560 Mbps, just by bringing them close together (touch is possible, too).

And today, Sony announced in Tokyo [press release in English] that the first LSIs supporting the standard will be shipped to manufacturers before December starts. The “CXD3267AGG” (pictured on the left) and  the “CXD3268AGW” will cost $17.45 each. Sony says they managed to optimize the technology so that TransferJet can now be integrated into smaller electronic devices, too. The LSIs can be used by makers of cell phones, digital cameras, computers and HDDs.

Toshiba and Sony are just two of the 19 companies of the so-called TransferJet Consortium Promoters. Other members include powerhouses such as Panasonic, Sharp or Samsung so it’s possible we’ll get to see a slew of new TransferJet-compatible electronic devices next year.

Official plot:
The last surviving descendants of three legendary clans are continuously transported to other dimensions to test their martial arts skills against an evil force that seeks to invade and infect the real world.

The movie (whose official site doesn’t work for me) is scheduled for release next year in the US and this is a one-minute promo trailer that features the music from Dark Knight of all movies. Maggie Q (the evil woman in Die Hard 4) plays Mai Shiranui.

Via Worst Previews

Maybe it’s just me, but this dual-screen notebook Kojinsha started selling in Japan today [JP] looks very futuristic (and very cool) to me. The main selling point is that you get not one but two 10.1-inch LCD screens in a compact body (size: 280×210×19〜42mm, weight: 1.84kg). And you can even buy the DZ6KH16E, which looks like a normal notebook when you use just one of the screens, if you live outside Japan.

The two sliding LCDs feature 1,024×600 resolution and LED backlights each. The notebook also has an Athlon Neo MV-40 (1.6GHz) with a RS780MN chipset and an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 4GB), a 160GB HDD, WiFi, three USB ports, a 1.3MP web camera, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, slots for SD/microSD/MMC/memory sticks and a digital TV tuner (which will work only in Japan and parts of South America) on board. Kojinsha says buyers can expect around 4.5 hours of battery life.

Kohjinsha started selling the DZ6KH16E in Japan today. People living outside this country can get the notebook over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $1,111.28 (Windows and other extras make it more expensive). But remember this is a Japanese device, meaning you’ll have to live with a keyboard with a Japanese layout.

Sanyo is in the news today, and again it’s about the company’s green tech power. The company today announced [JP] it will do everything to become Japan’s top player in the domestic solar industry by 2012 and eventually one of the top three solar companies on a global level. At the same time, the Nikkei reports [registration required, paid subscription] that Sanyo has succeeded in developing a solar cell that’s thinner than a human hair.

The company says it will benefit greatly from a new feed-in tariff program by the Japanese government introduced this month for green energy firms. Another factor for Sanyo’s self-confidence should be the speed with which it innovates. Their new prototype solar cell is just 58 micrometers thick, about one-fourth of most solar cells currently out there. (Sorry, there’s no picture available yet)

It’s made of two types of silicon whose structure Sanyo optimized to achieve a conversion efficiency of 22%. It’s said to be as bendable as paper, meaning it can be used for a variety of purposes, for example on uneven surfaces.

Sanyo says this technology might help reduce prices by as much as 25% when compared to solar cells available today. The company wants to commercialize the solar cells by 2020.

As a huge conglomerate, NEC is active in a lot of areas. But unknown to many people outside Japan, the company is quite aggressive in the robotics field, too. Their PaPeRo, a cute helper robot, for example, has been around since 1997 already. And now, just in time for a robot exhibition that currently takes place in Tokyo, the company shows an updated version of the little guy.

The new PaPerRo R500 stands 38cm tall and weighs 6.5kg. It can perform about 200 different operations, for example holding simple conversations with humans. NEC equipped the robot with special face recognition software so that PaPeRo can identify up to 30 different people and change his behavior depending on who he’s speaking to.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, PaPeRo can work for around 100 minutes before having to return to the recharging station, which you can see on the picture above (he does this automatically).

NEC plans to lease out the robots to anyone interested for $600 per month soon – but only in Japan.

Via Robot Watch [JP]

USB 3.0 is just around the corner (kind of), and the first computer hardware manufacturers are getting ready to deliver products supporting the new standard (even though there were some backlashes along the way). Last month, Asus announced the world’s first USB 3.0 + SATA 6.0 PCI-E card. In May, NEC said they’re going to release the first USB 3.0 host controller.

And now Japanese computer hardware company Buffalo has announced [JP] the world’s first 12x Blu-ray burner, which supports USB 3.0 on top of that. The BR-X1216U3 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 but will burn your Blu-rays with “just” 7x speed in that case. You can only use it with a Windows machine (XP/Vista/7).

But actually there are no Blu-ray discs which could be used with a 12x burner and no USB 3.0-equipped computers out there at this point, but Japan is known to be a tad quicker than the rest of the tech world sometimes.

Buffalo says they will roll out the burner at the beginning of next month. Japanese street price: $460. The company hasn’t said anything yet about international sales.

Tokyo-based (and globalized) bearing supplier NSK has announced [JP] the development of an autonomous mobile robot that one day will be able to assist people in wheel chairs. The main selling point of the so-called “Human Assist Guidance Robot” is that it can detect obstacles and guide users through them. And uneven surfaces or slopes aren’t a problem either.

The robot uses lasers and virtual repulsive forces to calculate distances to obstacles and their location. It’s able to guide people smoothly through minimizing those repulsive forces.

The way the robot works is that users apply force to a handle inside its body to control the speed and direction of travel. The harder you push, the faster the robot goes. An independent two-wheel drive and a caster mechanism (pictured above) make sure the robot drives smoothly, even on corrugated surfaces.

Via Tech-On

Japanese stationery maker King Jim announced the Pomera DM20 [JP] today, an ultra-compact handheld device that’s based on a “less is more” concept. The so-called digital notebook, which is unfortunately Japan-only at this point, is only made for one purpose: It lets you make notes. No email, no web access, no gaming, nothing but writing texts or quickly jotting down your shopping list.

And apparently, the general concept did attract enough users, as the DM20 is a major upgrade of the DM10 King Jim started selling last year. The new model has a 5-inch TFT VGA screen (monochrome, 640×480 resolution), a 89MB of internal memory, a microSD and SDHC slot (SD: 2GB max., SDHC: 16GB max.), a USB port and (Japanese) cell phone connectivity. Its foldable Japanese QWERTY keyboard in the 145 x 100 x 33mm body is the main selling point.

King Jim will start selling the Pomera DM20 in Japan on December 11 for $380. You could ask the usual suspects The Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U to get one shipped outside this country but King Jim states the device is only compatible with Japanese Windows (it won’t work with Macs at all).

Watch this video to see how the Pomera DM20 looks in action:

Infamous USB gadget maker Thanko can’t be stopped, it seems. They gave us USB-powered shavers, USB-powered neckties and even USB-powered boob warmers. And today the Tokyo-based company started listing the USB eye warmer [JP] in their online store. As you might expect, it warms your eyes.

Thanko says the thing is the perfect solution for geeks who want to relax their eyes, just like when you put a hot wet towel on them. Users can plug the device directly into their Windows or Mac machine’s USB port (the eye warmer supports USB 1.1 and 2.0) and switch it on or off with a button.

Thanko sells the eye warmer for $22 on their website. As their English online store closed down just recently, you’ll need to contact import specialists like The Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U to have them get one for you.

Space Battleship Yamato is the name of a (rather short-lived) Japanese science fiction anime series that was aired on TV in countries other than Nippon some 20 to 30 years ago (outside Japan the anime and the movie versions are also known as Star Blazers or Space Cruiser Yamato). And now, the series’ very cool, eponymous spaceship gets a very pretty model version [JP].

The 1/350 Battleship Yamato scale model is made by Bandai, coated with silver color and looks just awesome. Users get a remote control with which they can make the ship “shoot” or activate the rear engine (you hear cannon shots and see blinking LEDs). The model itself is sized at 766×220×102mm and weighs 1,950g (including the stand). Bandai throws in a bunch of figures (the heroes of the anime) and a set of mini fighter jets, too.

In Japan, Bandai is already accepting pre-orders and will start shipping the first Battleship models to buyers starting from the end of December. The beauty isn’t cheap though: $850. If you’re interested but live outside Japan, ask the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U if they can buy one for you.

Tokyo-based Cube Works, whose products regularly find their way outside Japan (example: the humping USB dog), has announced a mini Yoda figure (the little green guy from Star Wars) that you connect to your computer’s USB port. The power is needed to make Yoda’s cheeks blush and illuminate his light saber.

The mini Yoda requires Windows (XP or Vista), comes with an installation CD for some reason and runs only on computers with a 1GHZ Intel Pentium processor or better.

The figure is Japan-only, but you can pre-order it over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $65.52 plus shipping (leading time: end of next month).

Via Akihabara News

Japan’s biggest gaming magazine, the Famitsu [JP], has given Nintendo’s newest Mario game New Super Mario Bros. the highest honor in the latest issue. All four editors who tested the game gave 10 points out of 10, resulting in a perfect 40/40 score.

New Super Mario Bros. is already the fourth game in 2009 to get a 40/40 rating, even though until 2007 the magazine was well-known for not giving away this score easily. But the perfect rating isn’t that surprising, as the game seems to be really that good and many reviewers outside Japan gave it the thumbs up already.

Here is a time line for all of Famitsu’s 40/40-games so far:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, for Nintendo 64)
2. Soul Calibur (1999, for Dreamcast)
3. Vagrant Story (2000, for PlayStation)
4. The Legend of Zelda – The Wind Waker (2003, for GameCube)
5. Nintendogs (2005, for the DS)
6. Final Fantasy XII (2006, for PlayStation 2)
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, for the Wii)
8. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008, for PlayStation 3)
9. 428: Fusasareta Shibuya de (2008, for the Wii)
10. Dragon Quest IX (2009, for the DS)
11. Monster Hunter Tri (2009, for the Wii)
12. Bayonetta (2009, for PlayStation 3/XBox 360)
13. New Super Mario Bros.