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CEATEC 2013 wrap-up: self-driving cars, moon-walking simulators and DoCoMo's 'Intelligent Glass'
This year's CEATEC was a bit quieter than previous years, perhaps due to the lack of brand new consumer products. Fortunately, the show managed to substitute in plenty of future tech demos, while Nissan made more progress on the promise of a self-driving car and Japanese carrier DoCoMo offered up its vision for a wearable future through a handful of real-world demos. Dragon Quest smartphones, moon walking simulators and new solid-state hydrogen fuel cells rounded out the week's discoveries. Check out all the coverage after the break. Mata rainen!
Honda UNI-CUB vs. Toyota Winglet: the battle of human transporters at CEATEC (video)
For the first time, this year's CEATEC in Tokyo dedicated one big hall to demo some electric vehicles, which include Nissan's autonomous Leaf and a couple of human transporters: Honda's UNI-CUB and Toyota's Winglet. While neither mobilizer is totally new, we just couldn't pass up this opportunity to give them a test drive, especially when they are still not yet street legal -- not even in Japan. The good news is we survived to tell the tale, so do read on to find out what it feels like to burn these tiny wheels at 6km/h.
Huawei's UltraStick is a 3G SD card with no storage, has slot for a nano-SIM
To start, it's not another Eye-Fi card competitor. Nope, this wireless-capable SD card spotted at CEATEC has no memory of its own. Instead, Huawei's scooped out the gigabytes and replaced them with a 3G radio, capable of up to 21Mbps (HSPA+) download speeds. It's easier to think of it as a super-petite MiFi dongle, but one that could be ideal for any slender laptop owners who are looking to free up a USB port. Huawei's apparently still hunting down carrier partners to work with, but if we hear anything about a price or where we might eventually find it, we'll let you know.
Moon walker demo lets wannabe astronauts feel 0.17G (video)
When we saw a guy strapped to a crane, bounced between colored spots on the floor, we had to have a go find out more. Within CEATEC, there are halls filled with companies you've not yet heard of. TE Connectivity is probably one of them, regardless of the fact that it's a huge producer of data connectors, power protectors and other things that mass producers like. Now, exactly why it's got this moon gravity simulator at the front of its stand is harder to explain, but it has a lot to do with promoting TE's other products. The simulator includes a high-speed USB connector right above the harness, floor sensors that detect your landing, some other NASA-authorized parts and dynamic sensors within the balance motor that ensure that any hobbyist astronauts in training (like ourselves) don't spin out of control while bounding around at 0.6G. A computer behind the scenes continuously calculates and adjusts exactly how much lift it gives your body once you're strapped in. Then the aim to this demo is to hop between specific colored spots on the ground, which was a little harder than it sounds. We strap ourselves in after the break.
Toshiba bakes TransferJet file transfer and wireless charging into touchscreen kiosk, charges phones and credit cards
In an effort to make Toshiba's TransferJet more... business, the company revealed a touchscreen kiosk that allows you to buy (and immediately download) music, videos and more. Just in case that alone wasn't enough, the kiosk, which is adorably petite, also uses NFC to pair the device and (if you have the appropriate account or software) pay for downloadable content. The kiosk even throws in Qi wireless charging for your handset as you select, buy and download that new anime episode. Of course, if you don't have wireless charging (or TransferJet to grab the downloads in the first place), you might not get the most out of what Toshiba's offering here, but the idea is to place the device in places like airports and convenience stores, where people are likely to have time to kill and want something to watch or listen to right away. Darren Murph contributed to this report.
Rohm showcases colorful solid hydrogen-source fuel cell chargers at CEATEC
You know what makes a fuel cell charger in your pocket a little less frightening? Colors! CEATEC mainstay Rohm has arrived back in Japan with a new set of hydrogen-source fuel cell chargers, with the latest prototype lot boasting a litany of new hues that may very well match up with that iPhone 5c you're (presumably) picking up soon. The actual technology used within hasn't changed from last year, but the company is evidently considering the release of such portable chargers for those who'd prefer something a bit less drab. We're told that a fully-fueled pack can keep the average smartphone alive for twice as long as it would otherwise last, but as has become the norm at this show, there's nary a hint of a price / release date. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
We're live from CEATEC 2013!
It's been just over a week since we roamed the halls of the Makuhari Messe in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, and we're already back to take a broader look at tech coming from Japan, from the Sonys and the Panasonics down to the Companies You've Never Of. There's going to be a particular focus on car makers this year, with both Nissan and Toyota promising us some interesting new things and you be able to find everything we discover at our dedicated CEATEC 2013 page.
The AI Plate is a floating touchscreen interface (hands-on)
It wouldn't be a CEATEC show without a new, left-field interface. This year, it's Asukanet's turn, with its Aerial Imaging Plate (AI Plate). "The one aerial imaging device that will change the future" is how the company's selling it, and although we can't quite vouch for that, the interactive concepts we played with were impressive enough. The plate combines reflective surfaces with a tablet interface, although the magic is how the touch display is projected into midair. Like 3D TVs, there's a specific sweet spot you'll need to stand in to use it, but Asukanet reckons that's part of the appeal, with one of its concept ideas involving a touchpad interface for entering PIN codes -- if only the user can see it, that's pretty secure, right? Other benefits include hygiene: with no physical surface to interact with, there's less chances of picking up any bugs the previous user might have had. The first demo entailed a shopping mall menu, with a requisite anime hostess to help get us where we needed to go. There's a motion sensor built into the unit to track your hand and the character's eyes trailed our finger as it went around the ethereal display. We had to actually poke our finger through the projection to register a hit and get further into the system. To return to the home screen, we simply swiped back across the screen -- it's all very tablet user-friendly. However, it's a little trickier to describe how the projection looked: our photo above suggests that the image is resting on the flat surface, but in the flesh it floats above that, at a 45-degree angle to the user with no 3D effect or flicker. It's a single two-dimensional pane, making it easy (once you've got the knack) to navigate through. We had no issues ordering plenty of fictional sushi plates on the second restaurant-esque demonstration. The company is still reaching out to businesses looking to adopt the tech, so there's nothing approaching a release date, or even a place where you could test the tech for yourself... unless, of course, you can scrape a trip to Japan before Saturday.
Nissan's autonomous Leaf shows its smarts on Japanese test track
Now that Nissan's partially automated Leaf has the proverbial green light to traverse some of Japan's roadways, we figured we'd place our lives in the hands of various computer systems in order to have one whisk us around a test track at CEATEC. This year's autonomous Leaf demo was a step up from last year, with our test vehicle trained to not only stay between the lines, but also pause and evaluate the situation when faced with a fellow car. An on-site representative informed us that off-the-shelf PC components are being used to calculate its motions at the moment, and yes, it's a Windows-based system underneath (for now, anyway). A suite of prohibitively expensive lasers keep the car from veering outside of its lane, while onboard processing determines whether a stopped or slowed vehicle is passable or not. The company has tested the automated Leaf at speeds as high as 70 kilometers per hour, but we barely broke 15 on the track. Speaking of which, you can catch a bit of footage from our ride just after the break. Mat Smith and Richard Lai contributed to this report.
Toshiba's concept REGZA 40V and 50V 4K HDTVs double as pro-grade reference monitors
Toshiba's overall TV division may be ailing, but it's innovations like this that'll keep it from completely decaying. Displayed at the company's CEATEC booth here in Japan are two new 4K HDTV displays -- the 40-inch 40V and 50-inch 50V. Outside of devilishly-thin bezels and native 4K resolutions, the company's not talking specifications. What it's focusing on instead is the concept: it's dreaming of an Ultra HD range of displays that can operate as televisions and as pro-grade reference monitors. After all, budding editors who are being tasked with cutting together 4K footage certainly deserve a monitor that won't cut corners, right? A company representative informed us that while the displays weren't perfectly color accurate, they were far superior to rivals. Plus, the ability to easily toggle between reference mode and various other living room-accepted modes will enable a level of A/B testing that's pretty tough to get right now. Naturally, both monitors looked stunning up close, and if we're being candid, we're fallen in love with Photoshop all over again after seeing it displayed on these guys. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Elliptic Labs releases ultrasound gesturing SDK for Android, will soon integrate into smartphones
Elliptic Labs has already spruced up a number of tablets by adding the ability to gesture instead of make contact with a touchpanel, and starting this week, it'll bring a similar source of wizardry to Android. The 20-member team is demoing a prototype here at CEATEC in Japan, showcasing the benefits of its ultrasound gesturing technology over the conventional camera-based magic that already ships in smartphones far and wide. In a nutshell, you need one or two inexpensive (under $1 a pop) chips from Murata baked into the phone; from there, Elliptic Labs' software handles the rest. It allows users to gesture in various directions with multiple hands without having to keep their hands in front of the camera... or atop the phone at all, actually. (To be clear, that box around the phone is only there for the demo; consumer-friendly versions will have the hardware bolted right onto the PCB within.) The goal here is to make it easy for consumers to flip through slideshows and craft a new high score in Fruit Ninja without having to grease up their display. Company representatives told us that existing prototypes were already operating at sub-100ms latency, and for a bit of perspective, most touchscreens can only claim ~120ms response times. It's hoping to get its tech integrated into future phones from the major Android players (you can bet that Samsung, LG, HTC and the whole lot have at least heard the pitch), and while it won't ever be added to existing phones, devs with games that could benefit from a newfangled kind of gesturing can look for an Android SDK to land in the very near future. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Toshiba's TransferJet adapter does high-speed video transfer from micro-USB, smartphone chip coming next year
Toshiba's TransferJet has kept relatively quiet since we got the full explanation (spoilers: high-speed data transfer over very short distances) on stage at CES 2013. Finally, several Toshiba products are now ready for launch. Alongside a compatible SDHC card, there's also has a new micro-USB adapter that plugs into your (Android-only, although Toshiba are in discussions with Apple) smartphone, enabling those much-faster-than-Bluetooth data speeds over a distance of a few centimeters. It worked without a hitch on the show floor here at CEATEC, and the TransferJet duo is set to go on sale this December. Toshiba's spokesperson added that pricing for the pair of adapters will come in at around 10,000 yen (around $100), although it was the tiny chip sat next to it that really piqued our interest. Toshiba is planning to get its TransferJet tech embedded within smartphones and other products in the future, which could make a far more convincing argument for the file transfer technique. One module chip has been given a December production date, although the company wouldn't spill the beans on exactly which devices we'll see it in. Darren Murph contributed to this report.
NTT DoCoMo's vision of '5G' wireless: 100x faster than LTE, but not until 2020
We knew good and well that Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo would be divulging details about its 5G wireless plans at CEATEC, but the claims that we've stumbled upon here in Chiba are nothing short of bananas. Granted, the operator is making clear that its vision isn't intended to reach implementation until 2020, and it confesses that a 5G standard has yet to be ratified. That said, it's dreaming of a world where its network offers "1000 times the capacity and 100 times the speed as the current network." Representatives for the company told us that the challenge is going to be dealing with range limitations in higher frequency spectrum, but it plans to employ "high-frequency bandwidth by transmitting with a large number of antenna elements." The goal for looking so far forward? It's already seeing an insane appetite for video on networks that can barely maintain poise under the load, and the notion of transferring 4K content to the masses is going to require a substantial upgrade. CEATEC's known as a place that allows companies to dream big and aim for the fences, but we'll be honest -- we'd really, really prefer that 2020 arrived sooner rather than later. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Japanese carrier DoCoMo demos 'Intelligent Glass' wearable at CEATEC 2013 (hands-on)
Wearables are coming and DoCoMo wants to be involved from the start. Here at CEATEC, the carrier has dedicated a quadrant of its booth to prototype wearables (at least some of it was Vuzix hardware), with several different demo sessions offering glimpses into how it all might work. First, however, the wearable itself. We saw several different models and many had Vuzix written somewhere on them. It appears that NTT DoCoMo has been working more closely on the software interfaces and real world applications, and so it didn't really push (or even mention) technical specifications. On the "Space Interface" demo, however, the headset paired a camera with an infrared sensor, both in the middle of the device, to gauge where your hands are. You could then interact with characters on screen, poke, push and pick them up and move 'em around. These are very early concepts, but DoCoMO's already working to make these virtual objects shareable, allowing multiple people to manipulate the same thing. Darren embarrasses himself while playing with a virtual bear after the break. Oh, and we've got more on the wearable too.
Dragon Quest Metal Slime smartphone revealed by DoCoMo, looks more metal than slime
Atop a pile of gold coins, in a treasure chest. This is how you present a Dragon Quest collaboration smartphone to the Japanese public.
Sharp's first Windows 8 tablet has 10.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 IGZO display and water resistance (hands-on)
Kicking off this week's CEATEC show in Japan, Sharp has played to its strengths with its new Windows 8 tablet, the Mebius Pad, factoring in a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution display. That puts it pretty far ahead of the current crowd of 1080p Windows 8 tablets, including Microsoft's incoming Surface 2, although we admit, we'd have loved to have seen another incredible 4K tablet. Regardless, that's the highest resolution Windows 8 tablet we've seen yet. Alongside the company's 10.1-inch IGZO panel (known for their low-power credentials), the Mebius Pad runs on a slightly less-exciting Intel's latest Atom Z3370 SoC (codename Bay Trail). The basic Windows 8.1 model will arrive with Office for free, although you'll have to pay extra if you want it for the Pro edition. Also, following Japanese trends for practically any device, the slab is both water and dust-proof (it's in the midst of being certified for IPX5, IPX7, IP5X), while you'll be able to buy it with LTE radios on board, at least for Nippon, as the device is unlikely to leave Japanese shores once it launches in early 2014. Unsurprisingly, in the flesh the screen looked good -- Sharp even provided a magnifying glass so we could get up close to those pixels. The 10.1-inch display is also satisfyingly bright -- if we're honest, it's unusual to see such a capable screen powered by an Atom processor. The tablet is headed towards business use (which explains the optional stylus) and the extra resolution found on Sharp's first Windows 8 tablet means there's more space for your spreadsheets and documents. The hardware itself is suitably thin and light, with the rear of the device bearing a passing resemblance to recent Sony hardware -- possibly due to the understated camera lens in the corner. We'll let you know if Sharp has plans to offer the tablet to global business types. Update: We've corrected our description on the Mebius Pad's processor -- it's Intel's new Atom series.
NTT DoCoMo to demonstrate its version of 5G at CEATEC in October
NTT DoCoMo's LTE-Advanced network may still be in its infancy, but the company's already preparing for when 150 Mbps is considered slow. Many are looking towards the next-generation of mobile broadband, and DoCoMo has said its ready to reveal its very own 5G "concept" at the CEATEC conference in Japan next month. We don't know if the company is referring to the monstrous 10 Gbps link that has competitor KDDI scratching its head, but "incredible speed, high capacity and low latency" are promised features. In addition, DoCoMo will preview its "winter 2013 / spring 2014" handset line-up and show off work it's been doing in the augment-reality and wearable spaces. We'll be around to browse the booth, of course, and dream of a time when streaming native 4K content over 5G to 21-inch smartphones will be standard. [Thanks, Erwan]
