Hyundai's new 3-D TV

CNN Reports : Japan debuts 3-D TV

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Badminton matches look so real playing on Hyundai's new 3-D TV that you may reflexively dodge the virtual shuttlecock.


Kim Pyeng-joong, senior manager of Hyundai Japan, wears special glasses to watch Hyundai's new 3-D TV.

A polar bear pawing the glass of his tank may seem to be inside the TV pushing on the screen.

Hyundai is offering -- in Japan only -- the first product for watching the 3-D programs that cable stations in Japan now broadcast about four times a day.

There are a few catches:

The 46-inch liquid-crystal display requires 3-D glasses; it's expensive -- $3,960, including two pairs of glasses, or about 25 percent more than a comparable regular LCD TV; and the only programs available so far include just a few minutes of video from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido -- shots from the zoo, motorcycle races and other short scenes.

Seen on regular TVs, 3D programs split the screen vertically so the same image appears in both the left and right halves. Conversely, wearing the 3-D glasses while watching regular programming on the Hyundai 3-D TV produces a slight 3-D effect.

The TV uses stereoscopic technology called TriDef from DDD Group Plc in Santa Monica, California, which works by sending the same image separately for the left eye and the right eye.

Ryo Saito of BS 11, the cable channel that runs the 3-D shows, says more content is needed for the technology to catch on, and other manufacturers need to start making 3-D televisions.

"People are showing interest in 3-D programs, but most homes don't have the special TVs," he said.

Samsung already sells 3-D rear projection TVs in the U.S., but there are no 3-D TV broadcasts in the United States. The technology is also available on desktop monitors and for video games.

Hyundai IT is hoping to boost its image by gaining a niche audience in Japan, where the TV market is dominated by Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. The South Korean electronics maker's 3-D TV went on sale in April, but unit sales numbers weren't available.

There is no plan to sell the TV overseas, said senior manager Kim Pyeng-joong.

Robot girlfriend for lonely men - from Japan

Reuters reports : Japan makes robot girlfriend for lonely men

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - She is big-busted, petite, very friendly, and she runs on batteries.

A Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.

Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named "EMA" puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its "love mode".

"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.

"She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."

EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualization, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.
Japan, home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots, envisions a $10-billion market for artificial intelligence in a decade.

Car that runs on water -- from Japan

reuters reports : Water-fuel car unveiled in Japan





Article in engadget.com


We've seen plenty of promises about water-powered cars (among other things), but it looks like Japan's Genepax has now made some real progress on that front, with it recently taking the wraps off its Water Energy System fuel cell prototype. The key to that system, it seems, is its membrane electrode assembly (or MEA), which contains a material that's capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction. Not surprisingly, the company isn't getting much more specific than that, with it only saying that it's adopted a "well-known process to produce hydrogen from water to the MEA." Currently, that system costs on the order of ¥2,000,000 (or about $18,700 -- not including the car), but company says that if it can get it into mass production that could be cut to ¥500,000 or less (or just under $5,000). Head on past the break for a video of car in action courtesy of Reuters.

Underwater TV Viewing Mobile Phone

newsline365.com : Fujitsu To Roll Out Underwater TV Viewing Mobile Phone F706i

No more mobile phones are limited with their air-to-air services! Two new tags ‘air-to-water’ and ‘water-to-air’ has been added to the armory of mobile operators recently when Fujitsu, Japan’s leading mobile accessory manufacturer, declared about their first of its kind waterproof mobile phone handset F706i to the world. The sensual phone is likely to be released soon in Japan and then it will be available worldwide, said a recent media report.

Wonder if it would find usage in INDIA!!!

Death of a format - HD DVD

BBC report

Toshiba has dropped out of the high-definition DVD battle, saying that it will stop production of its HD DVD players and recorders.

It means victory for Sony's Blu-ray format but will leave questions for all those who bought into the failed format as well as raising issues about whether anyone can benefit from a format war.