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Yamaha's EC-f electric motorcycle has two wheels and one plug

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 8:46AM

Motorcycles are light, small, and easily able to ride up on sidewalks in search of hidden power plugs. They're the perfect electric vehicle but, despite a few notable exceptions, they're still powered by dino juice. Yamaha, makers of the raucous crossplane crank R1 sportbike, has decided to go a little bit cuter for its vision of the rechargeable future, the EC-f. It features an aluminum frame, a lithium ion battery, and styling cues that will have riders worrying about that green ring turning red. That, of course, assumes this will ever actually have riders, which is doubtful given the fate of most fanciful Tokyo Motor Show concepts like this.

Yamaha's PDX-60 wireless iPod / iPhone dock adds yAired to the lexicon

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2009 at 9:13AM

Sony's got its S-AIR, Yamaha has its yAired -- so, what of it? The outfit famous for making just about everything from ATVs to wicked soundbars has today introduced a classy addition to the oversaturated iPod / iPhone sound system market: the PDX-60. Apple loyalists simply dock their media player in the wireless base and watch as the tunes are streamed effortlessly into the magical box on the other side. There's also remote control capability for keeping tabs on that playlist whilst planted on the sofa, and the dock can even power on and off automatically with "yAired-enabled iPhones / iPods." The music maker itself boasts a pair of 3.25-inch speakers and a digital amplifier of undisclosed wattage, and it's available in black, gray, blue or pink for $299.95. So, any takers, or are you stickin' with Bose?

Continue reading Yamaha's PDX-60 wireless iPod / iPhone dock adds yAired to the lexicon

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)

Yamaha kicks out TSX-W80, TSX-70 iPod docks / clock radios

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 8th 2009 at 12:39PM

It may not go to eleven, but Yamaha's new TSX-W80 iPod dock at least pack some knobs that you'll no doubt be tempted to turn all the way up, and just the right blend of retro good looks and newfangled technology to stand out in a crowded field. That includes a so-called AirWired cradle that'll let you use your iPod or iPhone as a remote, a dock on the main unit itself to charge your iPod, and a choice of three different colors (with matching LED displays) to suit your style. Those looking for something a bit more simple and less eye-catching can also opt for Yamaha's new TSX-70 model (pictured after the break), which drops the AirWired controller but hangs onto the standard iPod dock and all the basic clock radio functionality you'd expect. No word on a release over here just yet, but it looks like both should be available in Japan shortly.

[Via Akihabara News]

Continue reading Yamaha kicks out TSX-W80, TSX-70 iPod docks / clock radios

Yamaha combines receivers with subwoofers and soundbars for trio of HTIB offerings

by Tim Stevens posted Sep 18th 2009 at 7:26AM

Receivers keep growing more channels, but few people have developed an affinity for running more speakers and their tethers 'round the living room. Yamaha's doing its part with a series of products that integrate things together -- soundbars, HTIBs, and the like. On the lower end are the YHT-S350 and YHT-S400, pictured after the break. Both offer a receiver with an integrated subwoofer, through which your various devices can be connected and the output end of their HDMI cables tickled with bass. The two differ only in how they get their highs out, with the S350 including a pair of squat stereo speakers and the S400 offering a three-channel "air surround xtreme" soundbar. On the higher end is the updated YSP-4100, above, a rather tall but only 9cm deep soundbar with the receiver integrated that can be mounted on the wall right beneath your giant HDTV and then paired with a selection of wireless transmitters for iPods and the like. It includes a whopping 40 4cm speakers arrayed within, with a further two 11cm woofers, delivering what Yamaha calls 2.5.1 channel sound -- though it looks as if it can power two additional speakers at the sides if you want something a little closer to 7.1. The YHT-S350 and -S400 are due to hit Japan in time for a Halloween marathon, while the YSP-4100 should release in time for the holiday specials on TV. No prices just yet.

[Via AV Watch]

Read - YHT-S350 and YHT-S400
Read - YSP-4100

Continue reading Yamaha combines receivers with subwoofers and soundbars for trio of HTIB offerings

Yamaha's PSG-01S is the speakerphone version of a mullet

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 18th 2009 at 4:22AM

Following in ASUS' hot sweaty footsteps today comes Yamaha with a pair of Skype-certified USB speakerphones. The PSG-01S 'SoundGadget' (pictured) aspires to be everything to everyone, by automagically switching between an all-party speaker mode and dressed-up speakerphone duty, depending on its vertical orientation. The PJP-25URS, on the other hand, seems pretty well identical to its predecessor, the PJP-25UR, but for its support for Vista (and presumably Windows 7) machines. That means you still get a crazy twelve mic array and those fetching swing-out mic arms that corporate types must be simply in love with, given the distinct lack of changes. Both are powered via the USB connector, sport dedicated Skype controls, echo cancellation, and noise reduction, and are expected in Europe and the US this month.

Gallery: Yamaha PSG-01S

Video: Cacophonic typewriter doubles as piano

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2009 at 1:22AM

See, we knew those check writers in NYC had something brilliant in mind when dropping a cool million on typewriters this week! As the tale goes, they've contracted one Fabien Cappello to modify each and every one into a 'Typing The Sound' concept, which bangs away at letters whilst making all sorts of racket. Unfortunately, there aren't any how-to details to be found (nor any real proof that a pianist isn't behind this guy fooling us all... nor any truth to the aforesaid tale), but the video past the break is still worth a gander. Honest.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Video: Cacophonic typewriter doubles as piano

Yamaha's MusicCAST2 wireless distributed music system gets one better

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 19th 2009 at 6:59AM

Sonos has been sitting pretty at the top of the wireless audio distribution space for quite awhile now. Today Yamaha is fighting back with a totally refreshed (and very Sonos-like) Musiccast2 system that supports up to 32 rooms of WiFi-based distributed audio from sources such as Rhapsody, Internet radio, or tracks stored on your Mac, PC, USB sticks, Bluetooth devices, or networked shares. iTunes support is enabled via a bundled TwonkyMedia Server in the $500 MCX-RC100 Network Music Commander remote control (above) with 3.5-inch LCD, touch-sensitive trackpad, and GUI that displays details such as album art and song information from all your MP3, WMA (no lossless or PRO), AAC (no Apple lossless or FairPlay DRM), FLAC and WAV audio files. To distribute the audio, you'll need a $400 MCX-A300 (amplified, just add speakers) or $400 MCX-P200 (non-amplified for AV connection) Network Music Player placed in each room where audio is desired. The MCX-P200 can also function as a universal IR remote with multiple IR outs to control other devices in the AV rack via IR flashers or the MCX-RC100 remote control. So yeah, it gets expensive, but it's easy and quick and won't require a sledgehammer, wiring, or sheetrocking skills. Our only reservation is with Yamaha's choice of straight-up 2.4GHz 802.11b/g to link the audio compared to the rock-solid, customized-802.11n mesh created by Sonos -- nobody wants a microwave to harsh their mellow, dig? More component pics after the break.

Continue reading Yamaha's MusicCAST2 wireless distributed music system gets one better

Yamaha's "hybrid" Avant Grand piano replicates the real thing, still ain't cheap

by Darren Murph posted Feb 25th 2009 at 6:29PM

Yamaha's forthcoming "hybrid" Avant Grand may not set you back quite as far as, say, a Hamburg Steinway Model D-274, but it still ain't priced for amateur budgets. The piece was engineered to be around half the size and a third of the weight of a real-deal nine foot acoustic grand piano, all while maintaining the same heralded feel and sound. Dubbed a "hybrid" grand, this thing not only has four speakers that envelope the player in audio, but even the keys trigger a hammer that strikes a bar in order to replicate the feel of slamming a chord on one of the world's most prized instruments. The good news is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for just $20,000. The bad news, coincidentally enough, is that you can get 99 percent of a grand in your home for a staggering $20,000. A video demonstration is in the read link.

[Via CNET]

Yamaha's BODiBEAT reviewed: 'part DJ, part heart monitor, and part trainer'

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 14th 2008 at 8:37AM

Like DAPs with oodles of cheap storage, luscious screens, non-proprietary headphone jacks, and "so skinny I keep losing the damn thing" form-factors? Yamaha's BODiBEAT is not for you -- unless you're willing to look past all that in order to be the hippest sprinter on the trails. It's a chunky, blocky, $299 thing with a monochrome display and a measly 512MB of (non-expandable) memory, existing to serve only one purpose: amping up runners. According to a review at Yanko Design, it delivers on that at least, dynamically selecting from your tracks so beats suit your heart rate and pace, filling in with "built-in circa 1990 techno songs" when your collection fails to match your tempo. Its jogging-friendly "pinch" buttons got high marks, as did the accuracy in picking tracks to tweak workouts, but the overall value here seems awfully limited for all but the hardest of hardcore marathoners.

Yamaha brings the style with A-S700 / CD-S700 audio components

by Darren Murph posted Oct 9th 2008 at 2:04AM

About this time last year, Yamaha treated us to its CD-S2000 SACD player and A-S2000 amplifier, both of which sported that timeless look that was just too dazzling to hide away in some AV cabinet. This year, the outfit is keeping with the trend by introducing the equally stunning (and even more silver) A-S700 amplifier and CD-S700 CD player (pictured after the break). The former features 90-watts x 2 of RMS power and gold-plated RCA inputs, while the latter includes a Burr Brown 192kHz/24bit DAC and a USB port for playing back MP3 / WMA files. Both units are destined to hit Japanese audio shops next month for ¥73,500 ($730) and ¥60,900 ($605), respectively.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Continue reading Yamaha brings the style with A-S700 / CD-S700 audio components

Yamaha introduces four mini audio systems, all with iPod docks

by Darren Murph posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 10:12AM

We sure hope you're an iPod owner if you're looking seriously at any one of Yamaha's latest mini audio systems, 'cause every last one of them packs an inbuilt dock front and center. Kicking things off is the MCS-1330, which features 60-watts of amplification, an integrated CD player, two speakers and a few other inputs for non-Appleites. The MCR-330 and MCR-230 only seem to differ in connection type, with both units packing 40 total watts of power and a USB socket. The CRX-430 finishes things off with 50-watts of RMS juice and a built-in CD player. The whole lot should ship by early December and will range in price from around $300 (CRX-430) to $1,233 (MCS-1330).

[Via TechDigest]

Yamaha starts shipping BODiBEAT, workouts and music magically align

by Darren Murph posted Aug 24th 2008 at 11:09AM

We've stated it before, but this time you really have ran out of excuses to run. Thanks to Yamaha's BODiBEAT, you can expect your tunes to automatically sync with your steps, giving you new reason to get out of the house and get to steppin'. Granted, the $299.99 price tag is pretty steep for just 512MB of space and 12-hours of battery life (marathon, what?), but we're sure there are a few of you out there willing to pay the premium to keep your head nodding perfectly in line with your pace. Oh, and if you completely skipped over the headline, it's shipping now. Right now.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

KDDI's au design project creates cellphones that double as instruments

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 19th 2008 at 1:41PM

KDDI's au design project has churned out plenty of interesting cellphone concepts over the years, and it looks like its latest batch is no exception, with it enlisting the help of Yamaha to develop some cellphones that double as musical instruments. That includes the self-explanatory "Strings for fingers" and "Sticks in the air" concepts pictured above, as well as the "Box to play" synth / scratch pad combo, the "Key to touch" foldable keyboard, the "Trio in your hand" scratch pad / sampler, and the "Band in my pocket" device, which accommodates a number of accessories to create instruments ranging from a harmonica to a trumpet. What's more, unlike some concept devices, KDDI actually had some working prototypes to show off, which you can check out in action in the video after the break (be sure to dig into the links below for some more pics and videos as well).

[Via textually.org, Trends in Japan]

Continue reading KDDI's au design project creates cellphones that double as instruments

Yamaha's PAS Brace electric bike gets smart... maybe too smart

by Darren Murph posted Aug 1st 2008 at 9:22AM

Look, we'll be the first to hand over an adequate amount of kudos each time artificial intelligence is improved, but we won't lie -- we're kind of scared about giving our vehicles too many smarts. Yamaha Motors has just unveiled a comparatively affordable electric bike which looks to continuously monitor your driving behavior and react accordingly. The PAS Brace features the highly touted S.P.E.C.8 mechanism, which keeps a close eye on your speed, acceleration and gear position in order to conserve battery life when possible and provide just the right amount of oomph to get you over that one... last... hill. This one is set to land in Japan on the same day the Olympics begin for ¥125,800 ($1,171), and if you're not feelin' the black, red and white flavors will be available for your pedaling pleasure.

[Via CrunchGear]