Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
smartphone (Page 7)
Fujitsu Labs recently announced it is finalizing technology which lets you check and monitor your pulse just by pointing a camera at your face. The company claims results can be achieved in as little as five seconds and doesn’t require complicated procedures or extra equipment.
The technology is compatible with ordinary smartphones as well as tablets, laptops, or desktops as long as they’re equipped with a camera.
Someone finally “went there.”
Presenting SmartPants, a pair of underpants that covers up your iPhone’s home button. I guess if your iPhone were to have private parts, they would be located on the home button…
Remember way back when Japan was the land of mobile milk and honey. Tales of cell phones with built-it TVs and cameras were the envy of the world. Then Apple stepped in and brought the whole thing crashing down.
Now, as I stand on the train surrounded by people poking at little plastic rectangles I conceal my once luxurious Panasonic P706ie in shame.
To support these once mighty phones, an extensive infrastructure was set up across the country. However, this entire network couldn’t be exported easily and was confined to the islands which made them. They were garapagosu-ka (Galapagos-ized).
The idea of “smart appliances” has been around for a while now, but has yet to really infiltrate the average household. Even having moderately priced smart machines running your home would add up considering you’d have to replace all of your old stuff.
The young developers of “Pluto” offer a simple solution which would allow you to smartify all of your currently existing home electronics for the reasonable price of 12,800yen (US$140).
Salty tears roll down your cheeks as you spend yet another night alone eating instant ramen. You despondently stare at the ripples formed as you continue to sob into your noodles. The broth takes on a miserable taste you are all too familiar with.
Singles rejoice! Your nights of eating alone will be made a little less lonely thanks to this new invention: the anti-loneliness ramen bowl!
We’re sure that there are plenty of people out there who enjoyed just a smidgen too much alcohol or Christmas pudding over holidays and ended up glued to the toilet as a result. Or, if you’re situated in this writer’s native UK, perhaps you’ve recently become acquainted with the chuckle-fest that is Noro virus as it sweeps through the nation like a modern-day diarrhoea and vomit-sponsored Beatlemania.
Well now you can relive that episode of gastric hell on earth with these cute earphone jack stoppers featuring tiny black and white plastic figures clinging to the toilet for dear life while appealing to the gods to “let it stop, oh please let it stop!”
The holidays are over, you’ve gained a few extra pounds, but you’re finding it difficult to start a workout routine after so many peaceful days spent lounging around. What you need is a workout buddy to help you stay motivated. Preferably a cute girl.
For those of you who don’t know any cute girls willing to get sweaty with you, Japanese indie developer Creative Freaks has you covered with Burn your fat with me!!, a fitness app/dating simulation game where players must workout in real life to impress a 2D anime love interest.
Recently a lot of Asian Americans are getting their pantsu in a bunch about an Android app called “Make Me Asian” that allows users to slant their eyes, yellow their skin and add other stereotypical Asian features to their photos.
Critics say the app uses dated and racist stereotypes that marginalize and humiliate Asian Americans. There is even an online petition asking Google to remove the app, which has nearly 3,000 signatures as of December 28.
Alright, so the Asian American community is clearly offended, but what do Asian Asians think of this app?
Well, they think it’s pretty fun, actually.
A lucky Twitter user came across a pamphlet the other day outlining some great deals on smartphone services. These people will go through the painstaking task of installing your smartphone apps for you at the low low price of 1,000 yen (US$12) an app!
In fact, they offer a wide range of useful services, such as installing Facebook, Twitter, or Skype— also for 1,000 yen each! And I always thought those were apps too. Boy, is my face red. I’m going to leave it to the professionals from now on.
As great as touchscreen-operated mobile devices are, they’re a real pain in the neck when it comes to winter and you have to pull off your gloves to operate them.
It’s fine if you stop in a cafe or restaurant where you can slip your gloves off and type a quick message or check an email, but when an unexpected phonecall comes in and you’re left swiping at the unlock screen like a cat pawing at the TV during a nature show, you soon grow to hate using a smartphone in winter.
Gloves with special metal fibres in the tips have been on the market for a couple of years now, but they’re not always of the greatest quality. And even if you do find a decent pair, what if you already have a pair of gloves that you’re attached to and would rather use instead?
Japanese company Onsight might just have the perfect solution…
As smartphone usage continues to grow in Japan, more Japanese developers are tinkering with the devices to make apps of their own. And since developer tools and information are made available for free online, just about anyone can break into app development so long as they have an idea and the willingness to learn.
In fact, making a smartphone app is so easy, even a grade-schooler could do it— just look at 12-year-old Gaiya Ohara, Japan’s youngest smartphone developer and sole creator of the award-winning iOS app, Math RPG.
With all the constant updates to smartphones and other portable devices, you would think it would be easy to maintain decent battery power by now. But no matter how smart Siri seems to get, most people still have to charge her up on a daily basis.
Some companies have decided to tackle this problem by making charging more accessible, which is where the desk above comes in: this unassuming piece of office furniture also has a built in wireless battery charger.
Social and mobile games are enjoying a strong presence at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, with social game giants GREE and gloops occupying some of the largest exhibit spaces in the venue.
But it’s not just Japanese companies throwing their weight around on the mobile floorspace: Korean online game developer WeMade Entertainment, known in Asia for their popular MMO series The Legend of Mir, is showing six new Japanese-language titles for iOS and Android devices to build anticipation for their full-scale entrance into the Japanese mobile game market later this year.
Bored of the repetitive tap-based social card games, I decided to spend some time with WeMade to see if the Korean developer was bringing anything new to the table.
We’ve introduced some unique smartphone apps in one of our previous posts, but here’s one more unique app that’s caught our attention and may even be useful, if you believe what the developers say. If you’ve ever been annoyed by mosquitoes in the outdoors, and I believe most of us have at one time or another, then the Mosquito Buster app may be the solution to your pest problem. Yes, those small, buzzing blood-suckers can really be a pain, can’t they? But can a smartphone app really help you avoid mosquitoes? Well, the people at TABROID, a Japanese site that focuses on Android-related news and information, have apparently tested the app out in the field to see if it actually works. Read More
A 19 year-old male university student was arrested on suspicion of violating the Minor Offenses Act for attempting to video tape inside another female university student’s room.
The shocking part was how he came to be arrested. Before starting the story, I would like to emphasize that this criminal was enrolled in an institution of higher learning, which should imply a certain level of intelligence.
I can’t recall how many times mobile phones and mp3 players have slipped out of the front pocket of my shirt. Always ending with that cringe inducing thud as my precious device hits the cold hard ground. There was even one incident involving a turtle pond and now-gone iPod Classic that I can’t bear to go into.
If someone was videotaping all these moments in my life it would have made an excellent opening to a commercial for K-Pocke (pronounced like pokemon), a pocket designed so that nothing slips out.
At first glance, this tech news report seems to be telling us of an intriguing augmented reality app that’s scary good. When you point your camera at an object, it can automatically read your mind about what you’ll want to do next on the internet with respect to that object, like get a coupon for it or research about it on Wikipedia. Which would bring to mind various questions, such as, is it like auto-fill/auto-complete, remembering what you or others have done before, taken a few steps further? Is it selectively taking you to a website that’s ultimately aiming to get your money? Is it inviting you to give up your free will and just be satisfied with the website it saw fit to jump you to? How does it know what you want to do? Read More
Good news for users of smartphones and other portable devices constantly frustrated by batteries that don’t seem to last the day. A new type of energy saving memory has been successfully developed that can extend your battery life from 5 to 10 times.
While attending Wireless Japan 2012 this year, we were able to see some offerings by the best companies of the mobile industry. But many times, it’s the small to mid-sized businesses that really aim to make a name for themselves.
Enter Sun Crest Ltd., who shocked many with their line of shockproof screen film protectors. Although it’s not officially released, we got ahold of a sample and put it to the test with some whacks from a wine bottle.
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Japan’s new “painful sadness” snacks are a deliciously mysterious linguistics lesson【Taste test】
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Tokyo Secret Eats: Shibuya City staff cafeteria serves Hachiko soba to visitors
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
U.K. coffee brand Costa Coffee releases first ever matcha flavor with new Matcha Espresso Latte
New book teaches Japanese people English to help out foreign travelers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
New Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
Japanese black curry “experiment” takes place at an unlikely restaurant branch in Tokyo
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyersForeign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Uniqlo opens its first Furugi Project secondhand clothing pop-up shop in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
Toyota built a life-sized Miraidon Pokémon and are letting people test drive it this weekendNew definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird trainOur Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Tokyo Secret Eats: Shibuya City staff cafeteria serves Hachiko soba to visitors
Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to your favorite restaurant in Tsuruga City!
U.K. coffee brand Costa Coffee releases first ever matcha flavor with new Matcha Espresso Latte
New book teaches Japanese people English to help out foreign travelers
Manga artist raises question online about false perspective in Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro
Japan’s most mysterious vending machine sells fukubako, boxes filled with…something【Photos】
Osaka’s creepy cute mascot speaks for first time, adds more fuel the creepy OR cute debate【Video】
An overnight trip on the Sunrise Izumo, Japan’s awesome Tokyo-Shimane sleeper train【Photos】
Japanese black curry “experiment” takes place at an unlikely restaurant branch in Tokyo
Beautifully off the beaten path in Nara with the Shimo no Negimichi shrine trail【Photos】
Tokyo’s super-secret-location sushi restaurant has a stand-up sister shop that’s open to all
Is Japan’s massive Shizuoka steak sandwich really as delicious as it looks in promo photos?
Japanese chain Bikkuri Donkey’s enormous salad almost beats Mr. Sato, but not because of its size