GW-157

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J@pan Inc Magazine Presents:
G A D G E T W A T C H
The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan
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Issue No. 157
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
(Long URLs may break across two lines, so copy to your browser.)

[*This week, we warmly welcome our latest contributor to Gadget Watch,
Liam McNulty.]
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Name: Sony WEGA KLV-20WS
Category: Wireless LCD TV
Price: Open Price; estimated at 200,000 yen
Release date in Japan: September 20th, 2004

The Gist: Sony's new "KLV-20WS2" in the WEGA line of LCD TVs has the
unique feature of being able to operate wirelessly. "Duh, it's called
an antenna," you may retort, but in fact, you would be sorely mistaken.

Rather, this new line operates on the IEEE 802.11a and g wireless LAN
standards. Users connect the receiver to their video inputs, the
"beam antenna" to the receiver, and bammo, they can then use the TV
within 20 to 30 meters. To prevent interference with other electronics,
Sony has also employed the "Dual Band Autoscan Function," meaning you
don't have to clown around with finding a wireless channel that doesn't
mess up your microwave. There are plenty of other features this set has,
but one I found particularly forward-thinking was the "AV Mouse Thru"
function, which allows you to still point your remote control at the
TV itself (rather than the receiver, as you would think); it will then
send the remote's signal to the receiver via infrared.

More info:
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200408/08-0816/

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Name: muFR-II
Category: Flying Robot
Price: N/A
Release date in Japan: N/A

The Gist: Seiko Epson this week held a trial flight for the world's
smallest and lightest flying robot, the "muFR-II." This isn't really a
product that you can go out and purchase, nor is it planned to be, but
hey, it's still pretty cool. Not only does the little helicopter weigh
a mere 12.3g (meaning, the AC in the demonstration room had to be cut
off), it can fly for about 3 minutes. Using Bluetooth, it can even take
pictures with a CMOS camera and send them back to base camp.

Being that the flyer can also function autonomously, some planned
applications are search and rescue (Seiko Epson gives the example of
carrying a cellular phone to someone who's stuck elsewhere),
entertainment -- and even Mars missions.

More info:
http://www.epson.co.jp/osirase/2004/040818.htm

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Name: Canon EOS 20D
Category: Digital Camera
Price: Open Price; estimated at 190,000 yen (sans lens)
Release date in Japan: Back part of September, 2004

The Gist: The new "EOS 20D" from Canon is an 8.2MP camera that will set
you back around 210,000 or 260,000 yen, if you want a lens included.

Seems you get what you pay for -- Canon has loaded down this model with
high-end specs and features that ought to improve your pictures
drastically. With a maximum recording resolution of 3,504 x 2,336 pixels,
this camera appears to be everything the Canon EOS 10D was -- and more.
Although there have been improvements all across the board for this
camera, some newly developed technologies of note are the shutter, which
allows for a max speed of 1/8,0000th of a second, as well as the
"Multi Controller," which uses a joystick-like intuitive controlling
system for the range finder.

More info:
http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/20d/index.html

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STAFF
Written by: Liam McNulty
Edited by: J@pan Inc editors (editors@japaninc.com)

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