GW-248 -- Earphones, Digital video camera, CD/DVD eraser

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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. 248
Friday August 11, 2006

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Name: Elecom EHP-AIN10, AIN20, AIN30
Category: Earphones
Price: AIN10: 2,520 yen, AIN20: 3,150 yen, AIN30: 3,780 yen
Release date in Japan: Mid-August 2006

The Gist: We'll get things started this week with three
new series of earphones from Elecom, for the ladies.

The first series is the "EHP-AIN10." These qualify as
"inner-earphones" and are equipped with rhinestones solely
for decorative purposes. They don't light up, and they
might not instantly turn you into Koda Kumi, but earphones
traditionally haven't exactly been the hottest fashion
accessory. It's nice to see a company such as Elecom try
to do something creative with them. They will be available
in white and black body colors, and with various colors of
rhinestones, making a total of six different models to
choose from. They have a 16mm driver unit and frequency
responses from 20Hz to 20kHz, so as far as earphones go,
these are considered "middle of the road."

The next series is the "EHP-AIN20," which doesn't vary too
much from the AIN10, besides the fact that they qualify as
"canal style" earphones. They, too, will be available in
six different models, and they offer similar specifications.

The final and perhaps most creative series is the
"EHP-AIN30." Three models will be available in the series,
but if you could see an image of these (and you can if you
follow the More info link below), your first reaction will
probably be "kawaii!" The AIN30s are shaped like hearts.
If you take a standard pair of earphones and shape them
like hearts instead of shaping them like circles, and add
some rhinestones for that bling bling, you get the AIN30s.
Given the disturbing lack of consumer electronics products
that are marketed directly to women, it wouldn't be
surprising to hear that these are the world's only
earphones shaped like hearts. As a result, you should expect
to see these on ladies of all ages as they listen to their
iPods on trains throughout the country.

More info: http://www.elecom.co.jp/news/200608/eardrops/index.html

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Name: Canon iVIS HV10
Category: Digital video camera
Price: Open Price; estimated around 150,000 yen
Release date in Japan: Early-mid September 2006

The Gist: Canon launches the "iVIS" series of consumer-
level high-definition digital video cameras, and the
first model is the "HV10" offering a smashing 1440 x 1080
resolution.

With support for the HDV format, the HV10 offers a
technology from Canon called "1920 CMOS Vision," where
1920 x 1080 video that comes from the camera's CMOS is
actually recorded as 1440 x 1080 video to the HDV tape.
HDV itself dictates that video must have a resolution
of 1440 x 1080, but that isn't the same aspect ratio of
true high-definition video. Standard high-definition
formats dictate that video must have a 16:9 aspect ratio.
1920 x 1080 offers an aspect ratio of 16:9 (like a movie
screen), while 1440 x 1080 offers an aspect ratio of 4:3
(like a standard non-HD TV set). In other words, this
camera's CMOS records 1920 x 1080 video as 1440 x 1080
video, essentially "fooling" the HDV tape into recording
standard high-definition video.

With dimensions of 56 x 106 x 104mm and a weight of 440g,
Canon's HV10 is the lightest and smallest HDV camera in the
world. The CMOS sensor is newly developed, called the
"Canon HD CMOS," and was created using the CMOS from
Canon's renowned EOS DIGITAL cameras as a reference.

Other features include optical anti-shake, a 10x optical
zoom with the newly developed "Canon HD Video Lens," an
autofocus improved through the addition of an extra
sensor, a grid overlay for aligning shots, and a miniSD
slot for recording still images as large as 2048 x 1536.
Keep an eye out for Canon's HV10 next month, and be sure
to look for additional models of Canon's iVIS series in
the near future.

More info: http://cweb.canon.jp/newsrelease/2006-08/pr-hv10.html

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Name: Plextor PLEXERASER
Category: CD/DVD eraser
Price: 25,000 yen
Release date in Japan: Mid-September 2006

The Gist: I know more than just a couple people who
seriously thought CD was an acronym for "Can't Destroy,"
which is certainly a testament to their durability. You
probably hear people complain about scratched CDs or DVDs
pretty frequently, but the fact of the matter is that CDs
and DVDs are actually some of the most durable media ever
created. For every story there is about a CD or DVD not
working, there's another story about a CD or DVD still
working after being exposed to absolutely terrible
conditions.

As a result, when companies need to dispose of CDs or
DVDs that might contain confidential information, they are
left with very few options. Simply scratching the disc and
putting it in the trash just isn't enough, because someone
might be able to recover some data from it. Another
solution is a "CD/DVD shredder," which is sort of like a
paper shredder that can also handle CDs and DVDs.

Add another option to that list: Plextor's new PLEXERASER
is a standalone CD/DVD drive created specifically for
getting rid of your discs quickly and efficiently. With its
ability to destroy CDs in as little as three minutes and a
dual-layer DVD in 6 minutes, the PLEXERASER can also save
you or your company from having to deal with chemical
methods of destroying optical discs. The PLEXERASER works
by blasting the organic (recordable) layer of optical discs
with a laser, rendering them completely useless. This one
will set you back around 25,000 yen in September.

More info: http://plextor.jp/product/pxoe100e/

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The Tyler Foundation for Childhood Cancer presents:
Sports Extravaganza 2006, September 29 - October 1.
Cricket and rugby celebrities from the UK, South Africa,
India, Australia and New Zealand will come to Tokyo for
3 days of sport, fun and fundraising! Sports Dinner at the
Grand Hyatt, Golf Day and Celebrity Cricket match.
All proceeds benefit children with cancer in Japan. Shine On!
www.tylershineon.org

For more information on the Sports Extravaganza 2006, please see:
http://www.tylershineon.org/index.php/events/sports_extravaganza
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STAFF
Written by: Liam McNulty
Edited by: Burritt Sabin (editors2@japaninc.com)

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