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CEATEC posts

Hitachi exhibits 10-inch glasses-free 3D display

by Darren Murph posted Oct 16th 2009 at 8:19PM

Hitachi's face-recognizing, power-saving plasma may have been the outfit's show-stopper at CEATEC, but this little bugger here showed some pretty fantastic potential as well. The 10-inch 3D display, more formally known as the Full Parallax 3D TV, one-upped most every other 3D display at the show thanks to its ability to showcase dimensions sans any glasses. Unfortunately, the native resolution is just 640 x 480, and yes, it really is just 10-inches in size. In due time, the outfit hopes to scale up to screen sizes that may actually be appealing to end users by utilizing multiple projectors (each of which with a 800 x 600 resolution), though a 4K x 2K 3D display (of the glasses-free variety) is still probably a couple of trade shows out. At least.

[Via 3D-Display-Info]

Engadget Japan meetup wrap-up and farewell Japan!

by Joshua Fruhlinger posted Oct 15th 2009 at 11:41PM

So there are ways to wrap up trips and there are ways to wrap... up... trips. After four weeks of Engadget souls roaming the trains of Tokyo for TGS and CEATEC, we finally closed things out with a massive reader meetup with Engadget Japan. About 500 rabid (but very friendly) Engadget Japan fans lined up in Roppongi to meet the editors and see some mind-boggling, sometimes hysterical, and always interesting presentations. Thanks to Maywa Denki for his artistic impressions of Engadget readers (and the amazing Otamatone musical...thing). Also big ups to Samo Dengi (composer of music for Tekken), Cerevo, Acer, Microsoft, and Sony. But most of all, thanks to our amazing readers world-round, and thank you Japan! We are humbled, honored, and oh, so tired. See you next year! Rainen mata oaishimashooo! Video of the event after the break (taken on a 3G Android device, btw!).

Gallery: Engadget Japan meetup 2009

Continue reading Engadget Japan meetup wrap-up and farewell Japan!

Finger Piano Share plays your Disklavier via WiFi (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 12th 2009 at 1:37PM

Developers at Yamaha seem to be having plenty of fun with their iPhones -- at least, that's the impression they've made this year at CEATEC. Not only have we seen an app that lets you boss around a robotic chanteuse, but they've also put together a little something called Finger Piano Share. Don't let the video fool you, folks -- this is more than just a MIDI controller. Supporting up to ten users at once, this guy not only lets you remotely play your MIDI-enabled Disklavier via Wi-Fi, but you can record your little jam sessions (using the location-aware augmented reality app Sekai Camera) for playback whenever someone goes to the site of the original performance. Sounds like a recipe for a disastrous conceptual art piece if we ever heard one! Video after the break.

Continue reading Finger Piano Share plays your Disklavier via WiFi (video)

Hitachi's face-recognizing display turns off, saves power when you look away (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 10th 2009 at 12:31AM

CEATEC is a breeding ground for new innovations, and Hitachi made sure to get its name on the A-list with a simple face-recognizing television that seeks to save power whenever you glance away. Essentially, the prototype plasma on display packs an inbuilt camera that notices when your face is peering at it, and whenever you glance away, a power-saving mode goes into action. Unfortunately, that means that the panel goes black, and while we understand the point here, we can envision such a feature causing all sorts of rage around the house, particularly if you've got a handful of viewers trying to keep watch from a few feet further away than yourself. Hit the read link to have a look at how things work in practice -- here's hoping you can opt for the sound to stay on throughout the blackout, at least.

Continue reading Hitachi's face-recognizing display turns off, saves power when you look away (video)

Mitsubishi's modular, scalable OLED display goes 155-inches at CEATEC, could go way bigger (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 9th 2009 at 10:24PM

Something tells us that whenever we do round two of our Time Square signage Engadget Show, Mitsubishi's modular OLED display will be amongst the highlights. Aimed at outdoor applications (but obviously ready for your living room), the scalable prototype shown here at CEATEC was 155-inches in size. The wild part, however, is that it could grow infinitely larger -- at least in theory. The whole panel that you notice from afar is crafted from smaller OLED blocks that snap together like a puzzle; the more you add, the larger your screen can be. Unfortunately, resolution is still relatively low and longevity is a definite concern, but if you can manage to stand a few feet back, the result is simply stunning. Hop on past the break for a new take on "immersive."

Continue reading Mitsubishi's modular, scalable OLED display goes 155-inches at CEATEC, could go way bigger (video)

Elektrobit and Wistron MIDs pop up under lock and key at CEATEC: hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Oct 9th 2009 at 9:13PM

Remember that new and improved reference MID that Elektrobit (better known as EB) announced back at IDF? Yeah, that very device was on hand at Intel's booth at CEATEC, though not a soul was allowed to touch it. The unit was neatly planted beneath freshly Windexed glass alongside three others, two of which certainly put an impressive label on Wistron. We did learn that the EB slate would boast a 3.97-inch capacitive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, though further details on the lot were scant. Have a peek below to see if EB's take on the niche MID might actually cause you to take notice.

Gallery: Elektrobit and Wistron MIDs pop up under lock and key at CEATEC

Yamaha's 1mm-thick prototype speaker is made from cloth, highly directional (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 9th 2009 at 8:16PM

We've already heard first-hand how Yamaha can make surround sound emerge from a single soundbar, and now the outfit's wowing again here at CEATEC. It's latest aural innovation was tucked quietly away within its booth, disguised as an advertorial for the show itself. Essentially, the banner you're peering at above is a one millimeter thick speaker that's made from cloth, and it definitely has the potential to revolution billboards and possibly even portable media devices. As you can clearly hear in the video just past the break, the flat sound waves emitted from the cloth cannot be heard unless you're standing directly in front of it; even separate audio files playing back just a few feet away didn't overlap with what we heard coming directly at us. There's no telling if Yamaha will ever take this public, but if it does, there are about forty billion ad agencies in the greater New York area that would like to speak to it.

Continue reading Yamaha's 1mm-thick prototype speaker is made from cloth, highly directional (video)

gCubik shows off its good side, and every other while it's at it (video)

by Ross Miller posted Oct 9th 2009 at 6:46AM

Remember gCubik? It's been a few months, but to recap, it's a cube developed by researchers from NICT that features textured surfaces that present you a different view on the "internal" image based on viewing angle, giving the illusion something is physically in the box. Theoretically, at least -- it's pretty low-resolution and in the early stages of development. We stumbled upon the device at the CEATEC showfloor this week and decided to snap some video while there. There were moments when the effect was lost, and getting too close completely blurred what we saw to the point of incomprehension, but again, this shows a whole heap of potential that's fascinating to us. See it for yourself after the break.

Continue reading gCubik shows off its good side, and every other while it's at it (video)

ALPS Electric Field Communication model finds logical purpose in tactile human interaction (video)

by Ross Miller posted Oct 9th 2009 at 3:33AM

Let's face, most technology these days focus on enhancing our ability to converse without having to physically be near any one another in any way, shape, or form. So it's a bit refreshing to see ALPS try to bring back the personal with its Electric Field Communication model, which essentially takes the TransferJet idea one step further by using the human body as a transference medium between two devices. In the example we saw on the CEATEC floor, one person held a mockup cellphone displaying one of three images. The user held the phone in one hand, picked one of those images, and then placed his or her other hand against a computer panel, whereby that image was displayed on an overhead machine. The use we're really excited for, and one that was proposed in video form only, was two people having devices pocketed and sharing data between the two via hand touching, E.T. style. There isn't any direct product that's reaching consumers with the technology yet, giving us plenty of time to ponder if cybercriminals will figure out a way to hack your mobile simply by bumping into you at the subway, an interesting new spin on the idea of catching a computer virus. A bit confused by what we're talking about? There's a helpful video for you just past the break.

Gallery: ALPS Electric Field Communication Model

Continue reading ALPS Electric Field Communication model finds logical purpose in tactile human interaction (video)

iTwin fileshares over CEATEC showfloor, Mac firmware coming early 2010 (video)

by Ross Miller posted Oct 8th 2009 at 8:41AM

Since we last saw iTwin back in September, not much has changed -- two physically synced USB dongles create a AES-256 encrypted connection between two Windows machines for transferring files from anywhere in the world (provided both are connected to the internet, of course). We had a chance to see a controlled demonstration up close at CEATEC, and while it worked as well as expected it to, we're not quite sure the $99 price tag is low enough to pique our interests. We do appreciate the ability to "reverse" the flow of file sharing, but from what we gather it takes both parties to initiate the change -- clearly there's more flexibility in just setting up your own file server, but we're probably not the target audience here. If you're still interested but choose a lifestyle centered around a Mac, we were told an OS X firmware update would be available in early 2010, would apply to all existing models, and would allow both Mac-to-Mac and Mac-to-Windows transferring. Video after the break.

Gallery: iTwin hands-on

Continue reading iTwin fileshares over CEATEC showfloor, Mac firmware coming early 2010 (video)

Funai Eco Scan projector adds multitouch capabilities to your bedroom wall (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 6:11AM

Here's hoping every pico projector outfit on the planet is paying attention to what's going down at CEATEC, otherwise they can pretty much forget about competing with what Funai is boasting. Seen here in Japan, this prototype projector utilized a Nippon Signal MEMS scanner and a great deal of top-secret technology in order to actually add multitouch capabilities to whatever surface is lucky enough to receive the projected image. You read right -- if you use this PJ to beam up an image on your bathroom wall, school whiteboard or any other surface, you can count on that surface having multitouch capabilities while the image is live. Once projected, users simply twist and turn the image in order to have it modified in real-time, and while there are obviously far more enterprise-based uses for this than consumer-based uses, there's no denying the awesomeness. Have a peek of the beamer in action after the break, and expect it to go commercial sometime in 2010 (if we're lucky).

[Via Tech-On!]

Gallery: Funai Eco Scan projector adds multitouch capabilities to your bedroom wall

Continue reading Funai Eco Scan projector adds multitouch capabilities to your bedroom wall (video)

Sony and Toshiba demo TransferJet short-range sharing at CEATEC (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 5:08AM

TransferJet is still solidly in the "fledgling" stage, but it looks as if a few big time industry players have faith that consumers have a desire -- nay, a need -- for short-range, high-speed sharing. Here at CEATEC in Japan, both Sony and Toshiba were on hand with independent TransferJet demonstrations, and while the actual protocol has been in place for awhile now, it's the supporting cast (read: hardware) that has remained elusive. Toshiba was utilizing a snazzy TG01 and Qosmio laptop in order to showcase just how quickly the two could share information over the air, while Sony had us believing that pretty much everything it'll make for the rest of eternity could support device-to-device sharing. Head on past the break for a peek at the demos, but try not to get your hopes up for seeing this stuff in shipping products anytime in the immediate future, okay?

Continue reading Sony and Toshiba demo TransferJet short-range sharing at CEATEC (video)

Murata Seiko unicycling robot stays upright, wows onlookers at CEATEC (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 4:27AM

Murata Seiko, the newly improved unicycling robot that we peeked a few weeks ago, was proudly on stage with her bicycling sibling at CEATEC, and we couldn't resist the urge to swing by and see exactly how amazing her balancing skills were. Sure enough, the bot never once teetering or tottered, and while it didn't scoot around for very long, we were still impressed to see it hold itself up with no human intervention. 'Course, we won't really be wowed until she successfully navigates down a few slops on the way to San Francisco's Pier 39, but based on what we saw in Japan, we'd say that she's well on her way. Check the vid after the break if you're scouting a performance.

Gallery: Murata Seiko unicycling robot stays upright, wows onlookers at CEATEC

Continue reading Murata Seiko unicycling robot stays upright, wows onlookers at CEATEC (video)

Yamaha's singing robot quietly trolls, slyly frightens at CEATEC (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 3:19AM

As with most robots that sing, Yamaha's demonstration at CEATEC was nothing short of terrifying. Oh sure, it's sort of impressive that the modified HRP-4C could take requests from a pre-selected list of jams on an iPhone, but after witnessing actual artists perform at Club Quattro in Shibuya, we'd say this chick has aways to go before she's accepted into the blossoming Japan music circuit. Judge for yourself after the break, Simon.

Continue reading Yamaha's singing robot quietly trolls, slyly frightens at CEATEC (video)

Toshiba shows off slate of smartphone prototypes at CEATEC (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 7th 2009 at 11:47PM

The admittedly powerful TG01 has been carrying the flagship banner for awhile at Toshiba's smartphone division, but if a brief look at CEATEC gives us any indication of what's to come, we'd say you can look forward to hearing an awful lot more from Tosh in this here sector. Behind a small glass case, a smattering of smartphone prototypes were quietly sitting pretty in effort to be photographed. Naturally, we took 'em all up on the offer, snapping the K01, K02 and L01 and hosting them in the gallery below. We're told that the lot is actually nearing production, with the K01 packing a 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, the K02 a 3.5-inch resistive panel (with an 800 x 480 resolution) and the L01 a 7-inch screen within a MID-like form factor. Each of the three are to be powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, though we wouldn't argue if WinMo 7 ended up being the OS of choice. Video's after the break.

[Via Electronista]