GW-191

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G A D G E T W A T C H
The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan
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Issue No. 191
Thursday May 12

1. NHJ VHD-5500 Digital Music Box
2. Pioneer X-HA7DV DVD
3. Sanyo NV-HD800

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Easy Cash-flow Management for Small Businesses and Personal Finances

Do you have control of your finances? Do you know how much
money is coming in and going out of your business?
Are you worried that your business cannot survive with such
ad hoc money management? Are you looking for a simple way to
get control over your business or your personal finances?
If so, then this workshop is for you.
You'll find the answers to these common dilemmas and more,
in the Easy Cash-Flow Management Workshop.

Thurs. May 19th - 6:30-9:00 pm
Tatsuya Wani, President of Wani Management Consulting
Cost: 5,250 JPY (Incl. Tax)
Location: Chiyoda Platform Square - Room 503
Directions: 5 min from Takebashi Station (Tozai Line) - Exit 3b
To register or for more info, email: info@ea-tokyo.com
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AMT Group's Exclusive Seminar

"Leadership Awareness Seminar" (in Japanese) at AMT Group's
Development Den in Yotsuya. 10:00 - 15:00, May 17 & 19
In a small group (maximum 6 participants):
* Learn and apply new leadership & coaching tools
* Access 100+ ways to motivate yourself and others
* Practice presenting before a group of peers and professional
coaches
Total investment: JPY97,000.
E-mail seminars@amt-group.com for details and to register.
And...for a FREE subscription to Andrew's Ax Leadership
Development newsletter, e-mail Ax@amt-group.com

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Name: NHJ VHD-5500 Digital Music Box

Category: Notebook Computer
Price: Open Price (250,000 yen expected)
Release date in Japan: May 13, 2005

The Gist: Sharp's upcoming PC-XG70J AV notebook is
packed to the gills with enough features to satisfy
any hard-core TV buff. A MPEG2 hardware-encoding TV
tuner with 3D Y/C circuitry and ghost reduction, Radeon
Xpress 200M video chip and technology developed for
Sharp's AQUOS TV line make sure that the finest pictures
possible are delivered to the notebook's 15" XGA ASV
Black-TFT LCD screen while a Yamaha digital amp-powered
speaker/woofer combo provides a quality sound experience.
Did I mention the LCD screen also has an industry-leading
brightness of 630cd/m2? Wow!

Of course, if you ever get tired of using the PC-XG70J as
your own portable media center, you can always use it as
a normal PC! The Athlon 64 2800+ CPU, 512MB RAM and
160GB (2x80GB) of HDD space provide plenty of grunt
for almost any application. A DVD+R DL Super-Multi DVD
drive rounds out the package.

All this power comes at a price, of course - the PC-XG70J's
standard battery is only good for 1.6 hours of continous usage.
The system also weighs in at a hefty 3.9kg. No pain, no gain
as they say.

More info: http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/050510-a.html
TV Tuner, high contrast 15" screen

More info: http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/050331-a.html

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Web usability testing with eye tracking technology

Your web site should be as easy to use and as accessible as
possible for your visitors. In order to provide our clients
with the most accurate information in regards to web usability
Ashley Associates has invested into eye tracking technology
which yields measurable results. Increase return visits,
increase online sales and decrease abandoned shopping carts
through our consulting services.

Ashley Associates Ltd. (http://www.ashleyassociates.co.jp)
is a leading provider of web consulting, information
architecture, web maintenance and web hosting solutions.
For more information, or to request an initial consultation
please contact info@ashleyassociates.co.jp.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name: Pioneer X-HA7DV DVD

Category: Mini-component stereo system
Price: Approx. 55,000 yen
Release date in Japan: Early June, 2005

The Gist: Pioneer has announced a new "all-in-one"
mini-component stereo system that isn't bad looking and
has a couple of nice features. But, first, the specs.
The X-HA7DV comes with a DVD player, MD recorder,
FM/AM tuner and amplifier. The DVD player supports
playback of progressive DVD video (480p) and PCM, DivX,
WMA or MP3 audio. Playback of music files stored on a
PC is also possible using the included USB connection.

In addition to this multitude of audio and video playback
options, a "BGM" mode also allows the simultaneous
playback of JPEG CD images and MD audio. Nice for when
you're entertaining some guests. An auto-switching audio
input on the front panel also makes it easy to connect your
portable audio player or game console to the system.

The X-HA7DV will be available in two colors sure to match
any home interior - white and black. The main unit is
170mm x 252mm x 321.4mm in size and weighs 5.7kg.

More info: http://www.pioneer.co.jp/press/release484-j.html

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Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo
2 Year Anniversary Panel Discussion

"Raising Capital For Your Business"

The panelists will include Hitoshi Suga, Vice Chairman and
Board Member - Tully's Coffee Japan/FoodX Globe Co. LTD. and
Mike Alfant, President of Building 2. Our moderator will be
Michael Korver, Daiwa Securities Group Chaired Visiting
Associate Professor International Business Strategy for the
MBA program at Hitotsubashi University.

Date/Time: Tuesday, June 7th 7:00 pm
Location: City Club of Tokyo - Maple Room
(Canadian Embassy Complex)
Language: English
Website: http://www.ea-tokyo.com
Email: info@ea-tokyo.com
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Name: Sanyo NV-HD800

Category: Car navigation
Price: 197,400 yen
Release date in Japan: June 20, 2005

The Gist: To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their entry
into the portable car navigation system market, Sanyo will
release the "HD Gorilla" NV-HD800, a car navigation
system equipped with an industry-leading 8" wide LCD
display. Although the screen of the unit is 1.3 times larger
than the previous model, Sanyo has managed to keep the
overall dimensions of the unit approximately the same.

The NV-HD800 utilizes a 20GB HDD to store navigation
data and comes equipped with an impressive 860 3D
intersections and 339 3D highway entrance guides. Using
the internal DVD drive, map updates can also be performed.
Of course, the DVD drive, in conjunction with the internal
TV tuner and stereo speakers, can also be used for
entertainment on long trips. Sanyo also plans to sell
digital TV tuner and rear-seat LCD monitor options
in the future.

The system can be controlled using the touch-panel
LCD screen or the included joystick-equipped remote
control. An optional ETC unit will also be available to
allow for automatic payment of highway tolls.

More info: http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0505news-j/0524-1.html

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ICA EVENT

Special Joint Round Table Discussion on Mobile Technology
TOPIC: "Telematics: Consumer Applications Take-off with 3G
Mobile"

RSVP required complete event details at
http://www.icajapan.jp/
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2005
Time: 6:30 Doors open, buffet dinner included
Cost: 3,000 yen (members), 5,500 yen (non-members),
Open to all - Location is Foreign Correspondents'
Club http://www.fccj.or.jp/static/aboutus/map.php
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SUBSCRIBERS: 7,808 as of May 12, 2005

STAFF
Written by: Liam McNulty
Edited by: Burritt Sabin (editors2@japaninc.com)

(C) Copyright 2005 Japan Inc Communications KK. All Rights Reserved.