GW-60

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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. 60

Thursday, 06 June 2002
(Long URLs may break across two lines, so copy to your
browser.)

===========================ADVERTISEMENT==============================
Amici International Preschool

Having just opened at the end of last year, Amici is expanding with
places available now! Together with half and full day classes, Amici
offers a variety of flexible timetables and extended day programmes to
suit parents' busy schedules. Holiday programmes are also being run
with summer school classes running through until the beginning of
August.

Now expanding! Places available now! So get in quick! To learn more,
visit the Web site at http://amicischool.com or to discuss your
individual requirements, please contact Yukari Takahashi at
info@amicischool.com or phone +81-3-5454-9066.
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Name: Toshiba Match Highlights Movies
Category: Mobile Service
Price: Data billed per packet
Release date in Japan: Now

The Gist: Just in case there are any sports fans out there in our
geeky gadget community ・ you know, real life sporting activities that
actually involve going outside the house and engaging in physical
exercise (gasp!) -- who can稚 stand the thought of having one of those
late work meetings and missing a World Cup match, Toshiba is here to
help.
In collaboration with Yahoo Japan, and of course those fine,
breathtakingly wealthy people over at FIFA, owners of NTT FOMA phones
will be able to access a service called the Match Highlight Movie from
the FIFA official partner Web site, FIFAworldcup.com.
Thanks to i-Motion over the high-bandwidth phone service, they値l be
able to view moving images of the all the best bits of the matches
they池e following, as well as information on their favorite players,
classic and current players and lots more. With the glorious Japanese
draw with Belgium and, no doubt, impending glorious victories [Sure?
-- Editor], why would FOMA owners NOT want to use it?!
More info: http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2002_05/pr_j3101.htm

===========================ADVERTISEMENT==============================
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Sleeping Disorders et cetera

Acupuncture is used throughout the world as an effective means of
treating several ailments. At ACURA, we bring you four generations of
tradition, commitment, and clinical experience passed on to us
through our masters.

If you have a question regarding your specific health problem, please
give us a call at 03-5469-0810 or check out our Web site at
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Rebates are offered by many insurance plans.
Member, Japan Acupuncture Association
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Name: Aiwa Whizz HP-ECO7
Category: AV
Price: 1,800 yen
Release date in Japan: June 10, 2002

The Gist: Having just spent a total of 44 hours in the air, flying
pretty much all over the world, in 10 days, I致e learned that you
can稚 beat having a decent pair of earphones to take with you onto the
plane.
Or even a cool, weird-looking pair. And thanks to Aiwa, you shall have
that weird looking pair of headphones, in the shape of the Whizz
clip-style headphones, capable of highly-responsive, accurate sonic
reproduction. It says here. Available in silver, blue, red and
metallic finishes, the Whizz 叢hones house 28mm driver units and can
handle 20 to 100 mW into 20 Ohms. They have a 0.5m cord and are
designed to be comfortable for long periods of time.
Aimed at teens and twenty-somethings, the Whizz open ear stereo
headphones provide a superior alternative to those you get handed on
the plane; and even to the freebies packaged in with personal CD,
MiniDisc and MP3 players.
More info: http://www.aiwa.co.jp/corporate/report/2002/hp-ec07.html

===============================NOTE===================================
The latest issue of J@pan Inc magazine is now available online!
Click here for the lowdown:
http://www.japaninc.com/contents.php?issueID=37

Subscribers can access our hot-off-the-press features, including:

-- Doctor in the House
As ever greater numbers of non-Japanese investors move in to take over
more and more distressed assets, we take a look at exactly who's got
money to spend and why they're directing their efforts eastward.
Are they in for a quick buck or looking to heal an ailing economy?

-- Walls Come Tumbling Down in Japanese Banking
Kansai Sawayaka Bank was the first acquisition target for all-American
takeover guru Wilbur Ross when its predecessor foundered in the
aftermath of Japan's 1999 financial 'Big Bang.' KSB's fate has been
seen as anything from foreign interference to an intriguing
experiment. Alex Stewart surveys the lie of the land.

-- Ross to the Rescue
The deal-making prowess of Wilbur Ross is known far and wide, but how
has he slashed his way through the notorious Japanese red-tape
jungles? And more importantly, why?

-- Open Source Free for All
Why are Japan's mainframe makers, brokerages and other big guns so
interested in open source solutions these days? Sam Joseph takes us
into a geeky world that is getting more attention from moneyed
interests.

J@pan Inc: http://www.japaninc.com
Subscribe at: http://www.japaninc.com/mag/subs.html
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Name: Audio-Technica ATH-EQ8 WH
Category: AV
Price: 2,500 yen
Release date in Japan: June 21, 2002

The Gist: If you like the clip-type headphones but gaudily-colored
stuff just ain稚 your thang, you could always try Audio Technica痴 new
3D Adjust Ear Fit Headphones.
Coming in classic white, the 3D Adjust phones are so called because,
unlike other clip type earphones, these ones have an extra rubbery
soft touch support band that follows beneath the contour of the
regular ear-hanger clip and can be adjusted up or down to better fit
your ear. And no, I'm not making this up. Weighing only 23g (3g
heavier than Aiwa痴 headphones mentioned above), the 3D Adjust has
almost identical tech specs to the more colorful rivals.
More info: http://www.audio-technica.co.jp/products/hp/ath-eq8wh.html

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http://www.advanceserv.com or phone +81-3-3499-2499.
Further info from info@AdvanceServ.com.
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Name: Sony Clie PEG-T650C
Category: PDA
Price: Open, but about 40,000 yen
Release date in Japan: June 8, 2002

The Gist: Sony has announced a new version of its very successful Clie
Palm OS handheld at the same time as a very cool optional extra for
the same.
Music playback (MP3 and ATRAC3 files) is achieved courtesy of the
Audio Player 2.2 software and ・ most useful of all in my opinion
-・is the CLIE Remote Commander function, allowing users to control
their TV, VTR and DVD players via their handheld. Sure beats paying
$400 plus for a specialized remote control with LCD screen. The
PEG-T650C operates on the 4.01 version of the Palm OS with a
Dragonball Super VZ 66MHz CPU under the hood, 16MB of RAM, 8MB of ROM
and a 320x320 dot TFT LCD screen putting out 65,536 colors.
The PEGA-KB20 optional extra is available at the same time, more
easily recognized as a mini keyboard designed specifically for the
Clie. It痴 tiny, looks great in the same satin silver finish and saves
a lot of messing around trying to remember how to write the letter
組・
More info: http://www.sony.jp/products/index/pda.html

Name: Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro
Category: Digital Camera
Price: 310,000 yen
Release date in Japan: June 21, 2002

The Gist: The FinePix range of digital cameras from Fujifilm is among
the best available, so it痴 very good news to hear of the S2 Pro, the
latest professional(obviously) model in the series.
Thanks to the ultra super mega CCD or whatever Fuji calls it, the S2
records extraordinary 12,120,000-pixel images (4256 x 2848 dots).
Fitted with both USB and IEEE1394 interfaces for easy transfer to a
PC, the S2 does five-spot auto focus and can operate at an ISO of
100, 160, 200, 400, 80 and 1600 with shutter speeds of 30 to 1/40,000
seconds. Those images are laid down to either a Smart Media or
CompactFlash cards, also displaying on the 1.8-inch TFT color
monitor/viewfinder. The S2 can accommodate Nikon F-mount lenses as
well as the D and G type AF Nikkor lenses, which should please the pro
snapper community, and the body weighs 760g.
More info: http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/news_r/nrj911.html

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Subscribers: 2,265 as of June 6, 2002

STAFF
Written by: Max Everingham (max@everingham.net)
Edited by: J Mark Lytle (mark@japaninc.com)

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