Japan Business

Many announcements about flexible OLED displays were made at SID 2013. Some companies began to improve the resolutions of their displays to, for example, full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), and increase their sizes. Also, the InGaZnO (IGZO) TFT was employed for all the panels announced this time.

Audio Technica’s new audio speaker will be out on June 20. It features the “360° Sound Reflector System” and a conical shape that allows the speaker to deliver sounds to 360 degrees. Play music saved in the smartphone or tablet by connecting the 3.5mm stereo mini plug. You can plug-in a tablet in front of the speaker and enjoy watching a movie with 360 degree sounds as well. It has a 53mm large diameter speaker unit. Also, a condenser microphone is built-in, so you can use it for handsfree phone conversations. Estimate price: 6,000 yen Dimensions: 117(H) × 180(W) × 180(D) mm Weight: 400g Colors: Black, White Battery: size AA alkaline battery x 3, size AA nickel hydride battery x 3

Today, Yahoo! Japan official blog published the follow-up announcement [J] of the possible 22 million account name leaks on 17th. According to it, further investigation reached the conclusion that more data beyond account name could be brought out for 1.486 million accounts. The data are non-decrypt-able password (password hash, I guess) and information used when you reset password. To protect those users account, Yahoo! Japan temporarily turned off the password reset feature, which asks user’s secret questions, 19 p.m. tonight. The relevant users will get their password and secret questions reset in early morning 24th. Yahoo! Japan Hacked Accounts: 1.5 Million Users Might Be More Unsecure

CCP Co Ltd, a Tokyo-based subsidiary of Bandai Co Ltd, will release what it claims is the world's smallest IRC (infrared remote control) helicopter toy June 8, 2013.

CCP Co., Ltd., is releasing the world’s smallest helicopter – “NANO-FALCON” – on June 8. It is certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest helicopter controlled by infrared light. Parts used for small-sized precision machinery and devices such as smartphones are used for “NANO-FALCON”. The helicopter weighs only 11g and is 65mm long. Even though it’s a tiny helicopter, it’s able to fly stably because of a high performance gyrosensor and contra-rotating propellers. You can make the helicopter go up, go down, turn, circle, go forward and go backward. Price: 4,704 yen (including tax) Size: 65mm long, 11g Controlling distance: 5m indoor Battery for the helicopter: Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery (built-in) Battery for the controller: Alkaline size AA batteries x 4 (sold separately) Continuous flying time: About 5 minutes Charging time: 30 minutes Includes: Helicopter, controller, spare tail propellers x 2, propeller remover

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL) Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Advanced Film Device (AFD) Inc announced that they have prototyped a 3.4-inch flexible OLED display panel and explained its manufacturing method at SID 2013 (lecture number: 18.2).

Japanese Robot Art – It’s Good, Man! Illustration, product packaging, statues & sculpture, and even some transhumanist pin-ups; for decades Japan’s been pounding out the robot art like nobody’s business. Last week’s robotics piece examined the artistic legacy influence of giant Japanese robots on the upcoming film Pacific Rim, but this week it’s just cool robot art for the sake of looking at cool robot art. Some readers might just see the shiny, and that’s cool – some might find a new robo-wallpaper or screensaver, and that’s fun – or, as happens more than one might suspect, the exploration and enjoyment of sci-fi imagery and entertainment can result in actual factual inspiration. Art Can Make Science, The -Fi Drives the Sci- A guy named Martin Cooper, inspired by the communicators from the original Star Trek series (60s), went on to lead the Motorola team that invented the first mobile phone (70s). The Panasonic/ActiveLink exoskeletal Power Loader & Power Loader Light looks a whole lot like the safety-yellow power loader from Aliens. The 1959 novel Starship Troopers has been cited as a major inspiration for those working on real-life badass robot suits. Sikorsky’s helicopters & Lake’s early submarines were heavily inspired by Jules Verne. It goes on. Art & The Contemporary Robotics Revolution The social and economic significance of the ongoing explosion in practical robotics shows a lot of parallels to the communications boom and media upheaval centered around the rise of the internet – in all likelihood, it’s not going to slow down. At all. And one has to wonder how many Gen-X roboticists fell in love with their field as children playing, watching, reading the Transformers, Voltron, Gundam, Star Wars, etc. Certainly went that way with at least one dorky keyboard pounder, as well. Whatever the result, humans need art – and those of use with deep-seated robo-geekery proclivities, we need robot art. And so, enjoy the four forms below, and see the links at the bottom if you need a little more enjoyment, something that’ll look cool on your laptop or phone, and if the imagery below inspires you to invent, kindly link here when you go public, yeah?! Form #1 – Illustration Because Illustration: Doesn’t have to be a whole lot of practicality to robot art, just looking good is good enough. The main image above and the first work below is that of Toshiaki Takayama, who goes all kinds of robo-cyborgy on humans and dragons and other imaginary stuff: Another great illustration is this Gundam going all robo-rage on… something, via Concept Robots, artist unfindable: Form #2 – Transformers Box Art: Now, this is also illustration, but for marketing and product packaging, of course. These images, perhaps modern vintage, were included on the 80s Transformers packaging. With plastic & metal toy in hand, these were the mind’s landscape. In Japan it was this: And across the Pacific: Form #3 – Statues & Sculpture: The most well-known and pun-intended visible robot statue is the life-size, 1:1-scale Gundam that pun-intended pops up from time to time around Tokyo. Ironically, this is Gundam Suit is, well, Mobile. The attention to detail is fantastic: And just how big is the 1:1-scale Gundam? Could ask this dude: Form #4 – Japanese Robot Art for Big Boys & Girls (CAUTION – the link below will deliver some NSFW): For those who’d like a little more, ummm… nudity and sexuality in their robot art, a good place to begin is the work of nasty robot airbrush wizard Hajime Sorayama. His iconic and widely recognizable work was transhuman before transhumanism was cool, but his name isn’t exactly household. Below is a pretty mild sample, but if you’re like, you know, into that sorta thing, jump through the link down there – but not at work or in front of grandma: Thanks for viewing – if you’ve got

Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox One, which the company is hoping will be the system in the center of all home entertainment for people everywhere. It was unveiled in Redmond with a full press release distributed by the company. Here in Japan, we also received a Japanese version of the official company press release, and we are looking forward to the chance to get a closer look soon. It combines gaming, viewing, sports, online functionality, photos, videos, etc., and is an aggressive roll-out by Microsoft in an area where many competitors are trying to gain dominance – being the control console for all household entertainment and digital activity. Official Press Release: REDMOND, Wash. — May 21, 2013 — A new vision for the future comes to life today as Microsoft Corp. unveils Xbox One , the all-in-one gaming and entertainment system created for today and the next generation. At Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., the company showcased how Xbox One puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype. “Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Don Mattrick, president, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Our unique, modern architecture brings simplicity to the living room and, for the first time ever, the ability to instantly switch across your games and entertainment.” Introducing Xbox One With Xbox One, games push the boundaries of realism, and TV obeys your commands.[1] Say “Xbox On” to launch your personalized Xbox One Home screen, discover what is popular on TV or see friends’ latest gaming achievements all using the most natural interface — your voice. The more you interact with Xbox One, the more it gets to know you and learns what you like. Some of the breakthrough Xbox One features that put you at the center of your living room entertainment include the following: • TV on Xbox One.[1] Navigate and watch live TV from your cable, telco or satellite set-top box through your Xbox One. Microsoft is committed to bringing live TV through various solutions to all the markets where Xbox One will be available.[3] • Home. Turn on your entertainment system with two powerful words, “Xbox On,” and a custom-tailored Home dashboard welcomes you with your favorite games, TV and entertainment. • Snap. Do two things at once on the biggest screen in your home. Use Snap to jump into a multiplayer battle while watching your favorite movie, talk with friends on Skype while watching live TV, or track your fantasy team on TV as you watch the big game and more. • Skype for Xbox One. Specially designed for Xbox One, talk with friends on your TV in stunning HD, or for the first time ever, hold group Skype calls on your TV. • Trending.[1] Stay on top of what is hot on TV by discovering the entertainment that is popular among your friends, and see what is trending within the Xbox community. • OneGuide.[1], [2] Find your favorite entertainment easily, searching by network or name, all with the sound of your voice and presented in a tailored program guide. To create the most advanced Xbox system ever designed for games, TV and entertainment, Microsoft created a state-of-the-art gaming operating system and fused it with an equally amazing entertainment platform, so you will not have to switch inputs to watch TV or play a game. An eight-core, x86 processor and more than 5 billion transistors helps make lag and load times a thing of the past, so you can instantly jump between a game and your entertainment at lightning speed or run a host of apps right alongside your game with no loss in performance.Introducing Xbox One titles and exclusives Gaming on Xbox One immerses gamers in cinematic worlds that look like real life, with characters that feel more human than ever before. AAA blockbuster titles unveiled for Xbox One include the following: • “Forza Motorsport 5” from Turn 10 Studios is the latest edit

From Takara Tomy comes the must have accessory for summer fun – The Dancing Face-Stand for iPhone – it is an iPhone stand that looks like a robot. It will dance with the music you play from your iPhone. Download the dedicated app “Face sing” to your iPhone and you will be able to display your friends or family member and watch as they enjoy the dancing and singing. The Dancing Face-Stand was seen previously at toy shows but will finally be available on June 27. Check out the video on Takara Tomy’s site. You can mount an iPhone with a charging cord on the stand. It is self-powered through batteries, not through the mounted iPhone. Price: 3,465 yen (including tax) Colors: White, Red, Blue Compatible with: iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation or later) Size: 170 x 130 x 105mm Weight: 280g Battery: 2 x size AA battery (sold separately)

If you are like a lot of guys, not only might your computer or touch panel need some cleaning, but your stuff may not be smelling as fresh as it could. Now, there may be something for you. Elecom is releasing a touch panel cleaner with fragrance in late May. There are 2 kinds: - “Spray type” (P-FCS) - “Tissue type” (P-FCT5P) These cleaners remove finger prints, dirt, etc. from screens, tablets, smart phones, etc. and also add some refreshing scent to your screen. 10 kinds of scents are available. Fragrance types: rose, lavender, grapefruit, lemongrass, fresh fruit, musk, fruity vanilla, green tea, wood, soap Spray type (P-FCS series) Price: ¥1,323 (including tax) Tissue type (P-FCT5P series) Price: ¥640 (including tax)