GW-203

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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.203
Thursday August 25, 2005

1. Chara-Ani "Neon Genesis Evangelion" HD20GA7
2. Sony Cybershot DSC-T5
3. Nintendo Gameboy Micro

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Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo-September 6th Seminar

This coming September EA-Tokyo's featured speaker will be
Gordon Thom, Chairman of Dyson. Don't miss this great
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Date/Time: Tuesday, September 6th 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: Chara-Ani "Neon Genesis Evangelion" HD20GA7

Category: Portable audio
Price: 59,640 yen
Release date in Japan: Orders being taken until December 31, 2005

The Gist: Back in Issue 174 of Gadget Watch, we took a look at the
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Edition iPod" from Bandai. Chara-Ani is
continuing the tradition of Eva-themed electronics by announcing the
release of a "Neon Genesis Evangelion Edition" of Kenwood's new
"HD20GA7" portable audio player.

Marking the 10-year anniversary of the broadcast of Evangelion, the
HD20GA7 Eva Edition is a limited edition unit. The company didn't
specify HOW limited the product will be, and though you have until
December 31st to make up your mind, the company also said that
they'll stop taking preorders as soon as the maximum quantity has
been reached. In other words, if you can't afford to preorder one
right now, you're probably hosed.

Looking at specifications alone, the HD20GA7 Eva Edition is the
same as the normal HD20GA7. It features the same 20GB hard drive,
the same 2.2" 240 x 320 dot color LCD, the same 24-hour battery life,
and the same everything else.

But hey, this is a special edition! There has to be something special.
Chara-Ani is loading the entirety of the Evangelion soundtrack on each
player before it goes out the door; it's a total of 112 songs. Also, the
two-color variations of the Eva Edition are colored to resemble the "plug
suits" worn by Asuka and Rei in the TV series. You'll also find each
player preloaded with three Evangelion wallpapers, perhaps so you can
show off that nice LCD you forked out so much for.

More info: http://www.chara-ani.com/list.asp?keyword=k52508033

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Name: Sony Cybershot DSC-T5

Category: Digital camera
Price: Open Price; estimated around 40,000 yen
Release date in Japan: September 9, 2005

The Gist: This past week, Sony introduced the latest in their "T" series
of digital cameras in Japan: the DSC-T5. Set to be available next month
(though already available in the USA...some sort of glitch in the
system?), the T5 offers a 5MP CCD, 3x optical zoom, 2.5" LCD, and
compact size for roughly 40,000 yen.

Like the rest of the T series, the T5 records still images and video to
Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. Of course, if you
have a PSP, we're already talking business in this department.

At its thinnest point, the camera is 15.3mm, or just over half an inch.
Four body colors will be available: silver, black, red, and gold.

On the imaging side of things, you'll find a maximum recording resolution
of 2592 x 1944 dots for still images, and for video, 640 x 480 at 30
frames per second.

More info: http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200508/05-0818/

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Name: Nintendo Gameboy Micro

Category: Portable gaming
Price: 12,000 yen
Release date in Japan: September 13, 2005

The Gist: Nintendo has announced the price and release date for their new
handheld gaming device, the Gameboy Micro.

The Gameboy Micro is the successor to the Gameboy Advance and Gameboy
Advance SP. You may have also heard of the Nintendo DS, but this is a
different product line for Nintendo; the Gameboy Micro is unable to play
games made for the Nintendo DS, and it certainly can't play any made for
the pre-Advance Gameboys. But it can play all games made for the Gameboy
Advance. If that makes sense.

There are a number of other limitations you'll want to be aware of, such
as how you can't use the currently available Link Cable or wireless
adapters for playing games against your friends. You'll need to wait until
Nintendo comes out with something that is compatible before doing that.

But the strength of the Gameboy Micro, as you've probably guessed by now,
is its size. The screen is about 2 inches, and the entire handheld itself
measures only 50 x 101 x 17.2mm (2 x 4 x .67 in). It also weighs only 80
grams; Nintendo has certainly shown themselves up this round in the
portability department.

Like the Gameboy Advance SP, the Gameboy Micro features an internal
lithium ion battery. Expect a battery life of 6 to 10 hours with the
unit, where charging will take about 2.5 hours.

Five color variations will be available: silver, black, purple, blue, and
"famicon." Replaceable faceplates are also scheduled to be available,
though we have yet to see what designs will be available or how much
they'll set us back.

More info: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/news/050818a.html

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

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