Items tagged with Japan
We're pretty sure the executives at RIM, er, BlackBerry, have nothing personal against Japan. It's a fine country, and we're pretty sure the top brass there have given it a visit in recent years. But that said, Japanese citizens patiently awaiting BlackBerry 10 are going to have to swallow some bad news this week. Despite shipping in the company's...
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When machine finally decides to rise against man, the human race is going to have its hands full. For one, it's a well known fact that robots have super human strength and pose a particular problem for senior citizens (we're not making this up, but Old Glory Insurance might be). They're also cheaters, so don't go hoping for a fair fight. Maybe...
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Looks like there will be one less player in the semiconductor market meant to shape up 4G LTE chips. With LTE becoming more and more important from a global perspective, companies that craft LTE radio chips will undoubtedly make loads of money if they can land deals with phone OEMs. But it sounds like one that was destined to work at the end...
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Fujitsu is chasing after business users living in Japan with its new and weirdly named Stylistic M350/CA2 Android tablet. It's a 7-inch slate Fujitsu recommends for a variety of enterprise applications, such as a portable tablet for pitching business presentations to clients, a digital display terminal for retail...
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When Starbucks and McDonald's announced that they'd be bringing free Wi-Fi to many of their stores, geeks everywhere were elated. And these days, it's not tough to spot the campers. Those folks who buy a drink, bust out the AC adapter + notebook, and sit down for hours on end sucking up the free Internet. Can't blame...
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A new feature has shown up in the still-to-be-released iOS 5: an early warning system for earthquakes tied to Japan's earthquake-early-detection service. Japan has the most advanced earthquake early-warning system in the world. Just a week after the Sendai earthquake and tsunami, which the country is still recovering from, Time Magazine profiled...
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Colonoscopies are somewhat shunned for the obvious reason: no one looks forward to a doctor snaking a camera on a flexible tube (an endoscope) through their colon (via the obvious entry point) to look for polyps or worse. A new self-propelled device known as a "Mermaid" might make the procedure less invasive, and less frightening. The Mermaid...
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A lot of things are said to taste like chicken. Snake, for example, is often said to taste like chicken, although we can tell you from experience that its reptile cousin African crocodile does not taste like chicken, and is extremely tough and chewy. What, therefore, would human excrement taste like? A Japanese scientist claims to be able...
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It's typically atypical, which is something that might be expected from a Japanese firm like Fujitsu. Although this phone isn't even a smartphone, and doesn't appear to have Android on it, but one thing's for sure: it doesn't stink. That's right, despite what you might think from the description, this "gorgeously designed" flip phone doesn't...
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Apple is offering those customers with Apple hardware directly damaged as a result of the Japan earthquake and tsunami chance to possibly receive free repairs. The offer was posted on the company's Japanese website. It only applies to customers living in areas covered by Japan's Ministry of Health's Disaster Relief Act. It excludes...
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The CD is said to be dying. On Saturday, April 23, the man many credit as the "father of the CD," Norio Ohga, died as well, at the age of 81. Former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sony, Norio Ohga has been credited with leading the effort to develop the CD, or compact disc. He was president and chairman of Sony from 1982 to 1995. He stepped...
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The massive earthquake, and resulting tsunami, that struck Japan in March is still fresh in the minds of those who populate the island nation, and the after-effects will be felt for months and months to come. But one of the most beautiful things about technology is how it enables one to lend a hand to another. Maybe it's a comforting e-mail....
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We're continually surprised at how low online scammers will go to make a quick buck. We suppose we shouldn't be; after all, these folks are some of the scum of the earth, and if you need any more proof of that, just take a look at how they're exploiting the devastating earthquake in Japan. According to security firm McAfee, within hours after...
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There's nothing pretty about the situation going on in Japan right now, but the good news is that there seems to be plenty of people reaching out to help. It will be a long while before the nation is fully restored, and the massive loss of life will haunt residents forever, but in dire times like these, it's the small things that tend to add...
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3D's big mobile launch happened this weekend. Nintendo's 3DS, which is the 3D version of their now-famous DS handheld gaming console, shipped in Japan over the weekend, and crowds were huge over there as people were anxious to snag one. In fact, some lined up the night before, camping out as if this were a new home console or iPhone launch....
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For better or worse, the late Chris Farley from Saturday Night Live fame is still the great white ninja foretold by ancient legend (and Hollywood), and not Steve Jobs, the Apple CEO who reportedly said he'll never again return to Japan after airport officials wouldn't let him take ninja throwing starts aboard his private jet. That's according...
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Considering the original source is a tabloid, albeit, a Japanese one, we have our doubts on this story. Still, Bloomberg has reported that Steve Jobs was stopped when exiting Japan in July because he had ninja throwing stars (shuriken) in his carry-on baggage. The report came in SPA! magazine, Bloomberg reported. According to the story, Jobs...
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Wireless charging. To some, it's a dream. To others, it's a reality. But no one would argue that it's as advanced as it should be. PowerMat has proven that with accessory cases and a plugged-in mat, one can "wirelessly" charge their cellphone. But it still requires physical contact, and the base station still has to...
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Colored game consoles have been around for years now. It didn't take long for companies to realize that consumers would go crazy over a simple "limited run" of colored consoles, and even as far back as the famed black DreamCast, this tactic has shown to work well. For whatever reason, consumers love color choices. Maybe it fits their mood...
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Speaking at the Digital Landscapes Conference this week, Google vice president of Global Ad Operations, John Herlihy, made a rather surprising prediction regarding the future of desktops and laptops. These two types of devices (including netbooks) may be the Internet access points of choice for an overwhelming majority of people worldwide,...
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So here's a riveting question: what kind of chilled beverage do you reach for when you've just been canned by your employer for using company PCs to allegedly look for life in other universes? Space beer, of course! A Japanese brewing company has just introduced what is likely to be the wildest beer since the...
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Electric vehicles may not be in the exact same playing field as USB drives, mainboards and SSDs, but there's still something whiz-bang-y about 'em that makes us drool. With Chevy's Volt inching towards production and a couple of other all-electric vehicles already leaking out to the wealthy, where are we common folk expected to fulfill our...
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