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Sony's crowdfunded e-paper watch is coming to Japanese stores
Sony's one-of-a-kind FES Watch is about to become more than a clever crowdfunded idea. The mostly e-paper timepiece is going on sale in Tokyo at Omotesando's MoMA Design Store on November 21st, when it will cost you a not-completely-unreasonable ¥29,700 ($241). It'll reach the city's Isetan boutique more than a week later, on December 1st. There's no mention of retail launches elsewhere in the world, but something tells us that you'll have to order it online (either through Sony's First Flight or the MoMA store) if you want any hope of strapping on this customizable wristwear outside of Japan.
A closer look at Sony's first crowdfunded products
It could be the start of a new Sony -- a company that's trying to recalibrate its new product compass by throwing nascent ideas and projects to the public... and asking for money. Perhaps Sony's most interesting move might be launching First Flight, its very own crowdfunding platform-slash-online store expressly for its employees' pet projects. These projects have passed auditions in front of senior execs: In fact the Seed Acceleration Project (SAP) has even been granted a fair amount of autonomy from Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai. Even if it still feels a little odd for a firm this size to be asking you to fund its next hit, some of those seeds are now taking root. We visited the company's "Creative Lounge," where employees and outsiders work on pitches as well as prototype products. We got to take a look at three of the most developed projects. Here's what we thought.
Sony has a new crowdfunding website for employee projects
Last year, Sony revealed a business program that encouraged employees to develop the most innovative ideas they can think of in an effort to find new hits. Now, the company has launched a crowdfunding and e-commerce platform called "First Flight" for products that come out of that project. While its main purpose is to raise funds for and sell Sony's experimental creations, the company's hoping it can also help connect it with audiences and gauge the public's interest. For its debut, First Flight is selling two products, which were already crowdfunded through third-party websites in the past: an e-paper smartwatch and a small device called "Mesh" tag that can turn devices into connected gadgets.
eGenius electric plane takes flight with Airbus backing
It's been mere months since we introduced you to Deutschland's PC-Aero Elektra One, and now the Germans are at it again with the maiden flight of a new electric flying machine: eGenius. The aircraft successfully completed a 20-minute flight on May 26th, followed by a two-and-a-half hour trip on Sunday. Where the Elektra one boasted cruising speeds of 160 km/h (about 99 MPH), eGenius is capable of hitting 235 km/h (146 MPH) for up to 400 kilometers (248.5 miles). It sports a 60-kilowatt motor, weighs 850 kilograms (1,874 pounds), and has some big backing from the likes of Airbus. Considering its relatively limited range and equally limited capacity -- it fits two humans with a combined weight of 397 pounds -- we have a feeling it'll be a bit before we're popping pretzels on one of these bad boys.
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner takes flight for the first time
It's not every day a major new aircraft takes the skies for the first time, but today's special: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is currently taking its very first test flight over the skies of Everett, Washington. Over 55 airlines including Continental and Northwest / Delta have already purchased some 840 of the next-gen planes, with All Nippon Airways scheduled to take the first delivery. The test flight is scheduled to land in a couple hours -- we're assuming work to mount Boeing's airborne laser system on the nose in order to defeat hackers will begin shortly thereafter.
