GW-199

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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.199
Thursday July 21, 2005

1. Kumazaki Aim Bearmax MVS6950T
2. RWC itan-Egoiste Light
3. Sun Denshi AQA026/U

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Name: Kumazaki Aim Bearmax MVS6950T

Category: Minicomponent system
Price: 39,800 yen
Release date in Japan: Already available

The Gist: If you've wanted an additional, not-so-large TV
somewhere in your home (kitchens and bedrooms are popular
places), but also wanted a CD/DVD player in the same place,
you're in luck.

A company called Kumazaki Aim introduced the "Bearmax
MVS6950T" this past week. It is a minicomponent system
offering all of the luxuries you've come to expect of such a
device. However, it also throws a 4.5" LCD TV into the mix,
and thus provides quite an extraordinary amount of
convergence. It packs TV/FM/AM tuners, as well as a DVD
drive that supports the playback of DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW,
CD-R/RW, and even Video CD. Moreover, you can play
MP3/JPEG files from any of the above discs.

The Bearmax MVS6905T offers virtually an entire home theater
system's worth of functionality in a 168 x 255 x 185mm
(6.6 x 10 x 7.25in) package. Now if only they could find a way
to get a mobile phone in there...

More info: http://www.kumazaki-aim.co.jp/

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Name: RWC itan-Egoiste Light

Category: Portable audio
Price: 9,800 yen
Release date in Japan: Late July 2005

The Gist: Let's take a step back from all that functionality for
a moment, and look at RWC's new "itan-Egoiste Light"
MP3-playing earphones.

I'd like everyone to ask themselves a question: what do I look
for in an MP3 player? If your answer was just "music," you'll
love the itan-Egoiste Light.

There is nothing complicated about the itan-Egoiste Light
earphones. In fact, that's what makes them so great. With
512MB of internal memory and support for playback of
MP3/WMA files, your only duty is to load it up via the USB
2.0 connection and go. Once you're out and about, you have
absolutely nothing else to worry about -- no wires, no shuffling
of your music, no remotes, no scroll wheels, no Bluetooth,
and no color LCDs. Sure, the itan-Egoiste Lights offer basic
function buttons (such as skip, previous, play/pause, and so
on), but I can't really see these being used too often.

The simplicity of these earphones is just unbeatable. Unbeatable
for 10 hours, at least; that's how long the internal lithium ion
batteries will last you.

More info: http://www.rwc.co.jp/itan/egoiste-light/index.html

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NetTokyo - Summer Charity Networking Event

The Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo will be replacing their
regular August seminar with this charity event to be held on
July 23rd from 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Hills Bar & Cafe in
Roppongi Hills. NetTokyo Summer 2005 aims to be the largest
gathering of professionals for the international community
in Japan this year. All proceeds will go to charities.

For more information please visit: http://www.nettokyo.jp.
To pre-register and pre-pay please visit:
http://www.nettokyo.jp/signup.html
If you have any questions please contact: info@nettokyo.jp
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Name: Sun Denshi AQA026/U

Category: Bathroom audio
Price: With 32MB flash memory - 10,800 yen, without - 8,980 yen
Release date in Japan: Late July and Early August 2005

The Gist: Bath time in Japan is taken very, very seriously.
You're supposed to just sit a long while in the tub and let the day's
troubles soak away. I say "supposed" because I personally
never got used to the activity during my time in Japan.

Perhaps Sun Denshi's new AQA026/U bathroom MP3 player
could have helped me out. Sure, some of you out there probably
appreciate the peace and quiet of just sitting in a hot tub on a
cold winter night -- but for the rest of us, music can help us relax.
I presume that is part of the idea behind the AQA026/U -- it is a
water-resistant MP3 player intended to be used in the bathroom.

The AQA026/U supports the playback of MP3 files from a USB
memory device. If you already own one, great -- you can certainly
use it with this device. It features a cover on the reverse side, so
you can insert your USB device, then seal things up, making the
entire package water resistant. Electronics and water certainly
don't mix, so it is in your best interest to insert your USB device
with MP3 files BEFORE turning on the shower.

On the AQA026/U, you'll find two 0.5W speakers; certainly enough
power for an area the size of the average Japanese bathroom.
Three AA batteries will provide roughly 9 hours of playback on the
device, and though it does support an AC adapter, you'll need to
remove the back cover (thus making it no longer water resistant).

More info: http://suntac.jp/news/050714/Release_AQA026.html

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SUBSCRIBERS: 8,113 as of July 21, 2005

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

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