A quick glance at the Casio EX-G1 doesn’t revel that the camera is a rugged-type model. It’s just too good looking. But then you might start to notice that the dials are recessed and reinforced and the case seems like it could work underwater. (it can) It’s just that Casio managed to out a 12.1 MP ruggedized camera that’s actually a looker.

OLED can still pretty much be considered a thing of the future, but we’re getting closer to use the technology in our homes every month. Today, Casio Computer announced [JP] it has teamed up with Tokyo-based technology company Toppan Printing to develop and produce OLED panels. The new joint venture will start operations from April 2010, with both companies involved saying they’ll focus on manufacturing OLED panels sized ten inches and smaller first (like the one you see in the picture).

It may not do much – it’s basically a feature watch with stopwatch, alarm, and 24-hour time – but it’s nicely designed. This Casio, called the Poptone Cubic Puzzle Watch, comes in blue or black and has buttons stacked up, Tetris-style, on the bottom.

The first rumors started spreading about two weeks ago, and it was officially announced yesterday: Major Japanese cell phone makers Hitachi, NEC and Casio are merging their mobile phone operations to become Japan’s No. 2 maker (following Sharp). The name of the new venture will be “NEC Casio Mobile Communications”.

Big news from Japan’s mobile phone industry today (Friday afternoon Japanese time). Various Japanese media are reporting that NEC, Hitachi and Casio are in talks to merge their cell phone operations to become Japan’s second biggest manufacturer, following Sharp.

Reportedly, NEC plans to integrate its cell phone business into a tie-up that already exists between Hitachi and Casio. According to rumors, NEC wants to take a majority stake in the new entity, which would then control about 20% of the Japanese cell phone market.

InfoComm is this week and all the AV geeks are burning their pasty skin down in beautiful Orlando, Florida. Today, Casio announced the latest Super Slim projector with a native resolution of 1280×800 (WXVGA).

Casio Japan announced a new point-and-shoot camera today [JP], the EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-H10. The 12.1MP camera is a follow up to the EX-V7 and EX-V8 the company released in 2007. It features an impressive 10xoptical zoom (wide-angle starting at 24mm) and can shoot 1,000 images on a single battery charge. According to Casio, this is three times more than other cameras in this class have to offer.

Casio announced several new additions to their Baby-G line recently, including some eye-catchingly bright pink models. Despite the questionable style choices, the new additions are solid watches.

Inspired by the 44th President of the United States of America, Casio and LRG have once again come together to collaborate on the LRG X G-Shock.

“This watch was inspired by Obama blue. This is a color that symbolizes hope. L-R-G, G-Shock and Obama are all a sign of the times, pun intended,” said Jonas Bevacqua, Co-Founder and Creative Director, L-R-G.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Surfrider Foundation and to celebrate they’ve teamed up with Casio for a limited edition G-Shock that’s dropping this summer. The G5500SRF-1 aka X Surfrider Foundation collaboration watch looks like the standard G-Shock model, but it’s a Tough Solar variant with the Surfrider logo in the background. Look for it in July with a #130 price tag. A portion of the proceeds goes towards the foundation to help them protect our oceans and coastlines.

Casio showcased its EX-FS10 first during the CES in January and today said [JP] that Japanese buyers will get the high-speed point and shoot on March 27 for $510, which is considerably higher than the US price (the EX-FS10 can be pre-ordered for $349 at Amazon, for example).

Back in January, Casio announced that in the US, the camera will be available in March without specifying a concrete date (Casio America already lists the EX-FS10).

We’ve got one of Casio’s Exilim FC-100s for review right now, and of course the first thing we had to do was test out its vaunted super slow motion functionality. I was going to save this little reel for the review, but it was too fun not to share.

Hey, ladies, guess what? Casio just dropped their first-ever Solar Atomic Baby-Gs just for you! The BGR3000J aka Solar Atomic Slim Marine is the first in the Baby-G line to adopt the solar tech that’s been in the men’s G-Shock line for quite a while. That’s a bit surprising, no?

Update: Turns out the picture Casio sent us wasn’t the correct one. We’ve updated with the correct image.

Casio is adding to its Z-series of EXILIM cameras with the EX-Z29, due out in April for $149. The new model will improve over the currently-available Z9 by bumping the megapixel count from eight to ten and by slightly increasing the LCD size from 2.6 to 2.7 inches.

This ain’t your daddy’s Casio. The Cachalot, the latest solar radio watch from Casio’s high-end brand, Oceanus, is inching into high end territory and I’m pleased to report that you get quite a bit of watch for the $1,200 ($900 retail, from what I’ve seen) or so you’ll spend on this beast.

First off, the Cachalot looks great. I’ve seen a few Casios in my day and they’ve finally nailed it on this version. The outer timing bezel clicks with a satisfying majesty and the face is readable – except in certain situations, which I’ll describe below. This model is also made of titanium making it the lightest man-watch I’ve seen in a while. It’s water resistant to 20 BAR and features 5 band radio auto-setting, solar powered batteries, world time settings, as well as a countdown timer and stopwatch.