GW-127

=====================================================================
J@pan Inc Magazine Presents:
G A D G E T W A T C H
The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan
=====================================================================

Issue No. 127

Thursday, December 18, 2003
(Long URLs may break across two lines, so copy to your browser.)

Editor's note: This will be the last Gadget Watch for 2003. Happy
holidays to our readers! We'll be back after New Year's with more
gadget guidance from our faithful guru, Max.

========================= READY FOR 2004? ============================
At J@pan Inc, we bring you far more than just THIS newsletter.

CHECK OUT:
>> Award-winning journalists each month in our flagship print
publication: J@pan Inc magazine
>> Daily updates on our comprehensive, Japan-specific News, Business,
Entertainment, Travel and Culture Web Portal: http://www.Japan.com
>> Up-to-the-minute announcements, analyses and market insights --
plus prodigious article archives! -- on our massive user-friendly
homepage: http://www.JapanInc.com
>> 6 ADDITIONAL newsletters, with the very latest on Business,
Wireless Entertainment, Currencies and Markets, Politics -- and next
week's Hottest Gadgets.

WE ARE ready for 2004. Are you?

* Custom-made packages available for mid-sized businesses. HURRY and
GET yours before the December 19 deadline! *

For more information, please call Fabien Brogard Cipriani
- Sales Manager at J@pan Inc:
TEL: 03-3499-2175 ext. 1709
======================================================================

Name: Sony QUALIA 016
Category: Digital camera
Price: 380,000 yen
Release date in Japan: out now (but going back to the store pretty
sharpish)

The Gist: Kicking off with a bit of a screw up this week -- apparently
the breathtakingly small and cute "microminiature" Qualia 016 digital
camera from style gurus Sony, er, well, doesn't work. At least, the
flash doesn't. The flash malfunctioning is concentrated in three
areas: It doesn't pop up properly; it doesn't display correctly on the
LCD; and there's a fading noticeable on the logo on the front. This is
rather like Toyota saying they've noticed a problem with one of their
cars: The headlights don't come on; they don't show up as working on
the dashboard; and the Toyota badge has fallen off the car. Not sure
about that last bit but, basically, this is not the camera you're
looking for if you like a bit of night-time snapping -- badger
spotting, for instance. But if you own one of these, you've shelled
out a pretty fantastic sum of money for the privilege. This isn't
really good enough, is it? Let's stage a revolt!

More info: http://www.sony.co.jp/QUALIA/

-=-=-=-=-= Your Hotel for the Holidays =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This season, stay at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
Located in the trendy area of Shibuya, right in the middle of TOKYO
And pay 50% of the regular price!!

This limited offer is only available on Japan.com
http://www.japan.com/special
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
============================ IT PROGRAM ==============================
Temple University Japan presents "The Temple IT Program".
Certification in two key IT areas: Computer Programming and Software
Systems Development.
Study to get a great job in IT, retrain to improve your career in IT,
assess and raise IT staff technical skills. Courses based on
leading-edge course content from iCarnegie (Carnegie Mellon
University).
More info: http://www.tuj.ac.jp/itp/newsad.html
======================================================================

Name: Evergreen EG-DVDP2000C
Category: AV
Price: Open (but approx. 7,000 yen)
Release date in Japan: December 12, 2003

The Gist: Another great choice for a budget Christmas present for a
relative this year is the EG-DVDP2000C. It's a progressive-scan-
capable DVD player set to retail at an astonishing 6,980 yen! For such
a low-priced model, the Evergreen machine has an impressive array of
inputs round the back, including Component, Composite, S-Video, Coax,
VGA PC and analog audio connections, and it'll also cope with CD-R/RW,
DVDRW (plus and minus varieties) and discs with MP3 toons on them.
There's a maximum playback speed of 32x (for viewers with really fast
eyes) and it can play back in slo-mo, too (for the scanningly
challenged). It's a lithe little machine, at only 22.3cm thick, and
its compact dimensions of 223x242x56mm mean it won't look like a big
fat ol' Christmas turkey sitting under your TV.

More info: http://www.everg.co.jp/

======================================================================
The International Secondary School
with the Small School Philosophy(ISS)

ISS provides middle and high school education with an emphasis on
personal attention in a supportive and caring classroom environment.
Classes are small and focused on explicit instruction, organized
programs and well-planned lessons that enable teachers to interact
one-on-one with students and address their individual needs. ISS
offers ESL intensive and ESL academic programs for speakers of
languages other than English.

http://www.isstokyo.com
http://homepage.mac.com/intsecschool/
======================================================================

Name: Kyocera Finecam SL300R
Category: Digital camera
Price: Open (but approx 45,000 yen)
Release date in Japan: December 13, 2003

The Gist: This is a limited-edition model of the company痴 incredibly
slimline rotating-lens digital camera. Nothing痴 changed in the specs:
It still has a 3,170,000-pixel CCD and 3-times digital zoom and is a
miniscule 15mm thick. So, what痴 special about it, I hear you cry? Well,
the body of the camera is now pearl white and ・ try and contain your
excitement here, folks ・ the front is four shades of pink! Yes! Four
shades of pink. Which, in some universe somewhere, I suppose, is arguably
better than the silver, red and blue versions of the original, non-
limited edition. The color on the front starts from the bottom with a
strip of a kind of dark metallic pink, then a slightly lighter metallic
pink, then an even lighter one, then one that痴 almost silver. And, even
though this next piece of extra news is probably almost too much for you
to bear, the camera also comes with a shimmery neck strap that, in the
right light or held at the right angle, gives off the colors of the
rainbow. Happy Christmas, everyone!

More info: http://www.kyocera.co.jp/news/2003/1202.html

======================================================================
Subscribers: 4,805 as of December 18, 2003

STAFF
Written by: Max Everingham (max@everingham.net)
Edited by: J@pan Inc editors (editors@japaninc.com)

READ PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS
Gadget Watch online archive:
http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/index.html?list=gw

Check out our other Japan-specific newsletters:
http://www.japaninc.com/subscribe_news.html

To UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, click here:
http://www.japaninc.com/unsubscribe_news.html

ADVERTISING INFORMATION
To advertise in this newsletter, contact: ads@japaninc.com

GET THE MAGAZINE
Subscribe at: http://www.japaninc.net/mag/subs.html

FEEDBACK AND PROBLEMS
We welcome your viewpoint: editors@japaninc.com
NB Please do not reply to this newsletter -- it's outgoing only, so we
won't get it!

Technical problems: webmaster@japaninc.com

Copyright (C) 2003 Japan Inc Communications KK. All Rights Reserved.