ceatec

DoCoMo phone cases detect radiation, bad breath

MAKUHARI, Japan--Want to add functionality to your smartphone? NTT DoCoMo is showing off phone cases at Ceatec 2011 here that can detect ultraviolet and gamma radiation, bad breath, and even how fat you are.

On the opening day of the trade show outside Tokyo, visitors flocked to see the phone jackets, which are larger than regular cases due to the sensors they incorporate. They were on display with a DoCoMo Medias smartphone, and don't have a release date yet.

"You blow into these sensors to measure how much alcohol you have consumed, or whether you have bad breath," says Masanori Ishida of DoCoMo's Advanced Technology Group, pointing out a breath sensor on one of the prototypes. "Data from this UV sensor, meanwhile, can be quickly posted to an online map of your area."

Another case has four metallic sensors that you press with your fingers to get a reading of your body fat. After inputting your height, age, and weight, an associated app will tell you whether you're carrying around a few too many pounds. … Read more

Toshiba ultra-thin AT700 tablet wows Ceatec crowds

MAKUHARI, Japan--Toshiba has underlined its commitment to boosting its tablet business with a 10.1-inch Android slate it calls the thinnest and lightest in the world.

People are lining up here at Ceatec 2011 outside of Tokyo to check out the Regza AT700, which runs on Android 3.2, is 7.7mm (0.3 inches) thick, and weighs 558 grams (1.23 pounds).

Toshiba also announced a 7-inch version, the AT3S0, at 12.1mm thick and weighing 379 grams (0.83 pound).

Like the company's Thrive tabs, the AT700 and AT3S0 run version 3.2 of Android, have 1GB of memory, 1,280x800-pixel resolution, and Resolution+ upscaling technology to improve low-resolution video. … Read more

DoCoMo battery phone case recharges in 10 min

MAKUHARI, Japan--If you forget to charge your phone overnight, NTT DoCoMo has a prototype case that can do the job.

The prototype super-fast rechargeable battery case, being shown off here at Ceatec 2011 takes only 10 minutes for a full charge. When your phone battery dies, just slip it into the case for a recharge.

You still have to charge your phone at the regular speed, of course, but you have a portable source of power that's fully juiced in minutes.

That could be handy if you're not near a power source.

The case uses a lithium-titanate (LTO) battery that's much faster on a recharge than lithium ion.

It's similar to Toshiba's Super Charge Ion Battery, which can recharge in 5 minutes and lasts for 6,000 charge-discharge cycles.

DoCoMo hasn't said when the battery case could hit the market, or a possible price. … Read more

Japan's HRP robot flexes muscles at Obama

President Obama stood his ground in an encounter with an advanced humanoid robot in Japan over the weekend, shrugging off its threatening body language and obvious desire to destroy humanity.

Obama came face to face with HRP-4C, notorious for her attempts to beguile complacent humans with a cute song and dance routine. Developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the infamous fembot was cunningly designed with a human face to fool members of our species.

Meeting the droid on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Yokohama, however, Obama merely smiled when she defiantly … Read more

Japan's (Freakily) Realistic Singing Humanoid Robot

Rate this one freaky but nonetheless intriguing. During the just-concluded CEATC tech exposition, show goers got a look at a singing robot that mimicks a human singer with startling accuracy.

Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the country's biggest public research organization with around 3,200 employees, has shown off a variety of robots at previous CEATC shows. But the body and facial movements of this latest incarnation, called the HRP-4, or the "diva-bot," are a notch higher than earlier versions.

Although still a bit on the stiff side, she can belt out … Read more

Pioneer's prototype HUD mixes lasers, Android

We've seen head-up displays (HUDs) before in production vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvette and the BMW 5-Series. However, these displays are often small, monochromatic, and use technology that's nearly a decade old. Pioneer aims to change this with a new laser-based prototype HUD, unveiled and demonstrated at Ceatec 2010 in Japan.

Pioneer's HUD uses lasers to project full-color animated maps and images onto a transparent panel, but Pioneer predicts that one day the system could be used to throw maps and turn-by-turn directions onto your vehicle's windshield. The prototype system connects to an Android OS smartphone … Read more

Week in review: Google TV, gadgets galore

Gadget news took the spotlight this week, perhaps shining most brightly on the launch of Google TV. But devices were also being touted from stages across the globe, from the fall CTIA wireless trade show in San Francisco to the futuristic Ceatec gadget trade show in Japan.

The Google TV launch party kicked off this week with a bicoastal unveiling of Logitech's Revue set-top box, the first to arrive with the Google TV software.

Google TV is designed to blend the Web experience with the television experience, something tech companies have been trying to do for at least a … Read more

Vending machine watches you, offers drink advice

TOKYO--Japan has vending machines that can talk to you, sell you everything from bags of rice to porn magazines to bouquets of flowers, and recharge your phone. But a new breed of automated seller has smarts, too--these machines can detect your age and gender and offer drink suggestions accordingly.

The new machines under the Acure brand were recently installed in Tokyo's Shinagawa Station and they're about the size of two refrigerators.

Run by a company under the JR East railway group, the "next-generation drink machines" are imposing enough, but fortunately they don't talk to you. … Read more

Friday Poll: Which Ceatec sight caught your eye?

In case you missed it, this week was Ceatec, which is basically the Japanese equivalent of CES. Asian tech companies show off lots of technology there. Some is coming soon to Japan. And some is conceptual and may never hit shelves anywhere but gets gadget lovers worked up into a lather nonetheless.

Going through our coverage of the geek fest, I saw many things that would look good in my gadgets drawer, in my pocket, or in my hands. You're Crave readers, so I'm sure that there's some gear that makes you drool, too.

Of course, as … Read more

Ceatec's cell phones of tomorrow

CHIBA, Japan--Cell phones in Japan have long been more advanced than what we can get in the U.S. Watching TV, filming video, paying for groceries with a mobile phone--none of that is new here.

But there are still some cell phones that are too futuristic even for here. We scoured the halls of Makuhari Mess here at Ceatec 2010 and found a variety of phones and some accessories that are intended to be prototypes or design concepts.

Some seem more realistic than others, like this dual-pane device from Fujitsu. It's a flip phone with two touch screens that … Read more