Slashdot Mirror
Domain: impress.co.jp
Stories and comments across the archive that link to impress.co.jp.
Stories · 50
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NTT, Japan's Largest Fixed Telecom Provider, Begins Phasing Out ADSL
AmiMoJo writes: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), the third largest telecoms provider in the world, is beginning to phase out ADSL for broadband internet access (Google Translate helps). NTT is no longer accepting new registrations, and no longer manufacturing the equipment required. Instead they recommend users opt for their FLET'S HIKARI fibre optic service. Their "Giga Mansion Smart Type" services offers 1Gb/sec for around $40/month. -
Nvidia Fakes Fermi Boards At GPU Tech Conference
fragMasterFlash writes with this excerpt from SemiAccurate: 'In a really pathetic display, Nvidia actually faked the introduction of its latest video card, because it simply doesn't have boards to show. Why? Because it didn't get enough parts to properly bring them up, much less make demo boards. ... Notice that the three screws that hold the end plate on are, well, generic wood screws. Large flat -head Phillips screws. Home Depot-grade screws that don't even sit flush. If a card is real, you hold it on with the bolts on either side of the DVI connector. Go look at any GPU you have; do you see wood screws that don't mount flush or DVI flanking bolts? ... If you look at the back of the fake Fermi, [from this PC Watch picture], you can see that the expected DVI connector wires are not there, just solder-filled holes. No stubs, no tool marks from where they would be cut out. Basically, the DVI port isn't connected to anything with solder, so they had to use screws on the plate." -
Nvidia Fakes Fermi Boards At GPU Tech Conference
fragMasterFlash writes with this excerpt from SemiAccurate: 'In a really pathetic display, Nvidia actually faked the introduction of its latest video card, because it simply doesn't have boards to show. Why? Because it didn't get enough parts to properly bring them up, much less make demo boards. ... Notice that the three screws that hold the end plate on are, well, generic wood screws. Large flat -head Phillips screws. Home Depot-grade screws that don't even sit flush. If a card is real, you hold it on with the bolts on either side of the DVI connector. Go look at any GPU you have; do you see wood screws that don't mount flush or DVI flanking bolts? ... If you look at the back of the fake Fermi, [from this PC Watch picture], you can see that the expected DVI connector wires are not there, just solder-filled holes. No stubs, no tool marks from where they would be cut out. Basically, the DVI port isn't connected to anything with solder, so they had to use screws on the plate." -
Humanoid Robot Serves Beer
ls129 writes "Humanoid robots are known for their rope-swinging ability and their martial-arts fighting capabilities. However, one humanoid robotics fan trained his robot to do something really useful. His Robotis based humanoid robot can actually pour a bottle of beer into a pint glass." -
No Region Codes for HD-DVD?
MBCook writes "According to Engadget something interesting has come out of the DVD Forum Conference 2005 in Japan. Here is the line from the post we've all been waiting for: 'But one statement from Toshiba Digital Media Networks' Hisashi Yamada was particularly intriguing: "We've gotten a variety of opinions about region controls. Even in the Steering Committee, they are extremely unpopular; we decided to not put them in. HD DVD probably won't contain any region playback controls."' Source: Japanese, English (via Google's Language Tools)." -
Bipedal Dinosaur Robot
News for nerds writes "AIST and NEDO announced they have developed 2 bipedal dinosaur robots for the EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan(Mar.25-Sep.25). PC Watch has an article with pics/movies and TBS News has a movie. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Parasaurolophus are modeled as 3.5m/80kg robots, and cost $1.8 million to build. They can roar and walk with an artificial pounding sound, but not as fearsome as Mechagodzilla. The external skin is designed by Kokoro Co., Ltd. and the endoskelton is developed by Kawada Industries, Inc. which is the manufacturer of the HRP-2 Humanoid Robot." -
Prospects For the CELL Microprocessor Beyond Games
News for nerds writes "The ISSCC 2005, the "Chip Olympics", is over and David T. Wang at Real World Technologies put a very objective review of the CELL processor (the slides for the briefing are also available), covering all the aspects disclosed at the conference. Besides the much touted 256 GFlops single-precision floating point performance the CELL processor has 25-30 GFlops in double-precision, which is useful enough for scientific computation. Linus seems interested in CELL, too." -
Amazon Japan Offers Barcode Purchases via Camera Phone
Zode writes "Jesse James Garrett reports that Amazon Mobile Japan customers can purchase a item with their camera phones. "Snap a photo of a product bar code using your cell phone, and Amazon Japan will give you a price check," according to Garrett, relaying from this article in Ketai Watch (Wireless Watch). Here's the English translation from Babelfish." -
PSP Pricing, Battery Life Announced
zmcnulty writes "The day has finally come: Over at TechJapan, we've got a translation of a Japanese BB Watch article stating that Sony has announced the Playstation Portable will cost 20,790 yen (about $195 USD) and is to be released on December 12th. Also, the battery life is quoted as being 4 to 6 hours. Not exactly what I'd call fantastic, but at this price, looks like Nintendo is in for some serious competition. Free your doubts about software too, as Sony has announced 21 titles will be released in December as well. Here's the official Japanese PDF press release regarding the PSP's release." -
PSP Developer Interview
zmcnulty writes "Over at TechJapan, we've finished our three part translation of Game Watch's interview of Mr. Izumi Kawanishi, one of the PSP's lead designers. New details revealed include a few about the USB interfacing (with both PS2 and PC), a small hint about the elusive battery life, and best of all, that game saves can indeed be copied from Memory Stick to PC by using the PSP's USB interface. Here's part one, part two, part three, and the original Japanese interview." -
Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs
Gridle writes "In a complete reversal of their policy and on the heels of Avex's partial cessation of copy protected CDs (translation), Sony Music Entertainment in Japan has announced that it will abolish its Label Gate CCCD format (translation) beginning in November 2004 and move back to normal CD-audio format discs for all future releases. Reasons cited are music users' increased consciousness about copyrights and maintenance of legality (conformity to the CD-audio format specification). In related news, Sony also released a slightly updated HD walkman (translation) due to pressure from the iPod, but because of hardware limitations the device still does not support MP3 playback." -
Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs
Gridle writes "In a complete reversal of their policy and on the heels of Avex's partial cessation of copy protected CDs (translation), Sony Music Entertainment in Japan has announced that it will abolish its Label Gate CCCD format (translation) beginning in November 2004 and move back to normal CD-audio format discs for all future releases. Reasons cited are music users' increased consciousness about copyrights and maintenance of legality (conformity to the CD-audio format specification). In related news, Sony also released a slightly updated HD walkman (translation) due to pressure from the iPod, but because of hardware limitations the device still does not support MP3 playback." -
Humanoid Robot Combat in Japan
theluckyleper writes "New Scientist reports that the semi-annual Robo-One contest took place last week in Kawasaki, Japan. Humanoid robots (2 arms, 2 legs) battled it out one-on-one and in multi-robot brawls. The goal is to knock opponents over, or off of the combat platform. If a prone robot cannot stand back up in 10 seconds, it is eliminated. PC Watch (Japanese only) has more images and videos of the event." -
PS3 Production Starts In 2005 With XDR DRAM
News for nerds writes "According to Mr. Goto @ Impress PC Watch (Japanese article), Rambus Developers Forum Japan 2004 was held this week in Tokyo to show the roadmap of XDR DRAM, the memory chip in the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and SCEI did the keynote speech; the next-gen interactive console will be able to render in real-time, unlike current pre-rendered content playback machines. XDR DRAM production start deadline is still set at mid-2005 by Toshiba, Elpida and Samsung, which means that production of PS3 itself starts in 2005 and the console will be shipped in late 2005 or early 2006, as Cell is already sampled. Mr. Goto has revealed another insider news; single XDR DRAM chip in PS3 was changed to 256Mbit from expected 512Mbit. It means either of the 2 scenarios - (1) Total memory in PS3 was reduced from 256MB to 128MB (2) Memory bandwidth in PS3 was raised from 25.6GB/sec to 51.2GB/sec (RADEON X800 XT has 35.8GB/sec). Since Toshiba put the same potential market forecast per bits at RDFJ 2004 as in 2003, (2) is likely." -
PS3 Production Starts In 2005 With XDR DRAM
News for nerds writes "According to Mr. Goto @ Impress PC Watch (Japanese article), Rambus Developers Forum Japan 2004 was held this week in Tokyo to show the roadmap of XDR DRAM, the memory chip in the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and SCEI did the keynote speech; the next-gen interactive console will be able to render in real-time, unlike current pre-rendered content playback machines. XDR DRAM production start deadline is still set at mid-2005 by Toshiba, Elpida and Samsung, which means that production of PS3 itself starts in 2005 and the console will be shipped in late 2005 or early 2006, as Cell is already sampled. Mr. Goto has revealed another insider news; single XDR DRAM chip in PS3 was changed to 256Mbit from expected 512Mbit. It means either of the 2 scenarios - (1) Total memory in PS3 was reduced from 256MB to 128MB (2) Memory bandwidth in PS3 was raised from 25.6GB/sec to 51.2GB/sec (RADEON X800 XT has 35.8GB/sec). Since Toshiba put the same potential market forecast per bits at RDFJ 2004 as in 2003, (2) is likely." -
PS3 Production Starts In 2005 With XDR DRAM
News for nerds writes "According to Mr. Goto @ Impress PC Watch (Japanese article), Rambus Developers Forum Japan 2004 was held this week in Tokyo to show the roadmap of XDR DRAM, the memory chip in the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and SCEI did the keynote speech; the next-gen interactive console will be able to render in real-time, unlike current pre-rendered content playback machines. XDR DRAM production start deadline is still set at mid-2005 by Toshiba, Elpida and Samsung, which means that production of PS3 itself starts in 2005 and the console will be shipped in late 2005 or early 2006, as Cell is already sampled. Mr. Goto has revealed another insider news; single XDR DRAM chip in PS3 was changed to 256Mbit from expected 512Mbit. It means either of the 2 scenarios - (1) Total memory in PS3 was reduced from 256MB to 128MB (2) Memory bandwidth in PS3 was raised from 25.6GB/sec to 51.2GB/sec (RADEON X800 XT has 35.8GB/sec). Since Toshiba put the same potential market forecast per bits at RDFJ 2004 as in 2003, (2) is likely." -
PS3 Production Starts In 2005 With XDR DRAM
News for nerds writes "According to Mr. Goto @ Impress PC Watch (Japanese article), Rambus Developers Forum Japan 2004 was held this week in Tokyo to show the roadmap of XDR DRAM, the memory chip in the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and SCEI did the keynote speech; the next-gen interactive console will be able to render in real-time, unlike current pre-rendered content playback machines. XDR DRAM production start deadline is still set at mid-2005 by Toshiba, Elpida and Samsung, which means that production of PS3 itself starts in 2005 and the console will be shipped in late 2005 or early 2006, as Cell is already sampled. Mr. Goto has revealed another insider news; single XDR DRAM chip in PS3 was changed to 256Mbit from expected 512Mbit. It means either of the 2 scenarios - (1) Total memory in PS3 was reduced from 256MB to 128MB (2) Memory bandwidth in PS3 was raised from 25.6GB/sec to 51.2GB/sec (RADEON X800 XT has 35.8GB/sec). Since Toshiba put the same potential market forecast per bits at RDFJ 2004 as in 2003, (2) is likely." -
PS3 Production Starts In 2005 With XDR DRAM
News for nerds writes "According to Mr. Goto @ Impress PC Watch (Japanese article), Rambus Developers Forum Japan 2004 was held this week in Tokyo to show the roadmap of XDR DRAM, the memory chip in the Sony PlayStation 3 console, and SCEI did the keynote speech; the next-gen interactive console will be able to render in real-time, unlike current pre-rendered content playback machines. XDR DRAM production start deadline is still set at mid-2005 by Toshiba, Elpida and Samsung, which means that production of PS3 itself starts in 2005 and the console will be shipped in late 2005 or early 2006, as Cell is already sampled. Mr. Goto has revealed another insider news; single XDR DRAM chip in PS3 was changed to 256Mbit from expected 512Mbit. It means either of the 2 scenarios - (1) Total memory in PS3 was reduced from 256MB to 128MB (2) Memory bandwidth in PS3 was raised from 25.6GB/sec to 51.2GB/sec (RADEON X800 XT has 35.8GB/sec). Since Toshiba put the same potential market forecast per bits at RDFJ 2004 as in 2003, (2) is likely." -
XTango Takes The Xbox Sports Dancing
Thanks to Watch Impress for its news story covering the novel Korean Xbox game, XTango [Japanese-language link], shown at the Kentia Hall during last week's E3. The official English-language XTango webpage has more information, explaining the "new-concepted sports dance game in which there's fantastic ballroom [dancing], music, and handsome and beautiful characters." The gameplay is also sketched out: "Collaborating 1 or 2 Players fight against computer couples. 1P is the leader in couple dance, he or she inputs next 'step command' for dance motions, like as command input system of fighting games. [The] follower, 2P presses the same 'step command' right after." -
100GB, 9.5mm thick HD from Toshiba
zmcnulty writes "Toshiba has announced their new hard drive today with a 100GB capacity. It's a 2.5 inch drive, is only 9.5mm tall, and supports ATA/100. The (Japanese) Impress Watch article I translated offers a couple more details, though not many. The OEM sample price is about $1,092 USD...but don't ask me what that means for consumers. The previous capacity title was held by IBM with their 80GB Travelstar." -
Capcom's Clover - Viewtiful Conversion, Sequel, Ookami
CuBeFReNZy writes "Game-Science has an article mentioning: 'Capcom held a meeting today to show off their newly formed development team, Clover Studio.' The team showcased their first titles: a Viewtiful Joe conversion ('will include Dante, from Capcom's Devil May Cry series, as a playable character') to the PS2, Viewtiful Joe 2 ('new co-op gameplay') for PS2 and Gamecube, and Ookami ('toon-shading engine... nature adventure') for the PS2." -
USTR Critical Of Japanese TD-CDMA Licensing
News for nerds writes "Yahoo Asia reports that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said in its annual report that the Japanese government has so far refused to issue experimental licenses to certain U.S. companies to test the new TD-CDMA technology. It attacks China and S. Korea along the line. The funny thing is, according to Impress Internet Watch, the Japanese government states that no U.S. companies had actually applied for the license so far. ITmedia also reports the Japanese government didn't deny foreign application, while criticizing the government for too narrow bandwidth of TD-CDMA that can be monopolized easily. Is this the precursor of another wave of pressure onto technology from Japan?" -
Humanoid Robot Conducts Beethoven Symphony
me98411 writes "New Scientist is running a front page article about the Sony's QRIO bot [QRIO= Quest for Curiosity] successfully conducted an entire orchestra at the Tokyo Philharmonic Society. An impressive footage of the four bots performing a dance routine can be seen here [wmv format]" -
NEC Develops Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid
zmcnulty writes "I've translated today's PC Watch article (Japanese) about a new tablet/PDA device from NEC - it has an 8.4" (640x480) touchscreen LCD, and a CD-ROM drive. It's also suprisingly affordable; about $645 USD. However, don't expect to be able to buy one soon, as production is limited to only 4,000 units for the first year. Still, this is an interesting prospect, and it's good to see major Japanese corporations interested in Linux." -
Epson's Female Printer
zmcnulty writes "I finished translating the K-Tai Watch (Japanese) article about a new printer in the Colorio line from Epson. It's not only being marketed at women, it was completely designed by 'Team8' - an all-female project team created within Epson specifically for making a printer 'easy for women to use.' Here is the original Japanese press release." Apparently they've been reading these studies. -
Cell Phone with Camera = Scanner
An anonymous reader writes "TechJapan has posted a translation of an Impress Watch Article regarding a new technology developed by NEC and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, that lets people use their cellular phones with cameras as scanners. It says all you have to do is move your phone over the surface of the piece of paper while recording a movie, and the technology (some sort of software I presume) will construct a high resolution image from the individual frames of the video. Here is the original (Japanese) NEC press release." I'd love to see before and afters to see how well this works. -
Sony Claims First Running Humanoid Robot
News for nerds writes "Sony Corporation announced the new development of Sony's humanoid robot, enabling integrated motion control for walking, jumping and running on feet. By applying this technology Sony has created the world's first running humanoid robot 'QRIO'. Japanese PC watch has an article with pictures and movies of QRIO running at 14 meters per minute, sometimes with both feet leaving the floor (= running)." -
Robotics + Car = Hallucigenia
News for nerds writes "I4U has news about a new transportation concept, called The Hallucigenia 01, which is a working 1/5 scale vehicle prototype, designed by Japanese design firm Leading Edge Design. PC Watch (Japanese) has photos and movies. Its 8 wheels are independent robotic arms controlled by their own satellite CPUs, interconnected to the main CPU by an internal LAN." -
Robotics + Car = Hallucigenia
News for nerds writes "I4U has news about a new transportation concept, called The Hallucigenia 01, which is a working 1/5 scale vehicle prototype, designed by Japanese design firm Leading Edge Design. PC Watch (Japanese) has photos and movies. Its 8 wheels are independent robotic arms controlled by their own satellite CPUs, interconnected to the main CPU by an internal LAN." -
Robotics + Car = Hallucigenia
News for nerds writes "I4U has news about a new transportation concept, called The Hallucigenia 01, which is a working 1/5 scale vehicle prototype, designed by Japanese design firm Leading Edge Design. PC Watch (Japanese) has photos and movies. Its 8 wheels are independent robotic arms controlled by their own satellite CPUs, interconnected to the main CPU by an internal LAN." -
Hands-On With Sony's PSX Operating System
MMaestro writes "GameSpot has a hands-on report after using the OS for Sony's new PSX 'digital media hub'. They report that the OS is actually easy to use, although the real test will probably come when Joe Average tries one out himself. On a side note, for those who would like to use the built-in DVD-R drive, GameSpot reports: 'Not only does the console lack the ability to record MP3s, but it's not compatible with AVI or VCD formats either.' So for all you console hackers out there, here is one more thing to look forward to cracking." GameSpot has a screenshot of the new menu system, and Watch Impress' earlier pictures included two others, for the curious. -
Hands-On With Sony's PSX Operating System
MMaestro writes "GameSpot has a hands-on report after using the OS for Sony's new PSX 'digital media hub'. They report that the OS is actually easy to use, although the real test will probably come when Joe Average tries one out himself. On a side note, for those who would like to use the built-in DVD-R drive, GameSpot reports: 'Not only does the console lack the ability to record MP3s, but it's not compatible with AVI or VCD formats either.' So for all you console hackers out there, here is one more thing to look forward to cracking." GameSpot has a screenshot of the new menu system, and Watch Impress' earlier pictures included two others, for the curious. -
Sony Unveils PSX Details, Pricing
kevinvee writes "Following an earlier Slashdot article, Yahoo is now reporting on the actual unveiling of Sony's PSX, with in-depth details on features and Japanese-specific prices for the 'hybrid gaming machine with digital media hub', which will start at $720 for the 160-gigabyte hard disk version." Japanese site Watch Impress has more pictures from the unveiling, including close-ups of the machine, and Digit Magazine explains specific features of this "hard disk, DVD digital video recorder and PlayStation 2 rolled into one", most notably that "...recording at 24 times normal speed is possible when copying previously recorded video... to a DVD-R optical disc", while GameSpot provides further analysis. -
Sony Unveils PSX Details, Pricing
kevinvee writes "Following an earlier Slashdot article, Yahoo is now reporting on the actual unveiling of Sony's PSX, with in-depth details on features and Japanese-specific prices for the 'hybrid gaming machine with digital media hub', which will start at $720 for the 160-gigabyte hard disk version." Japanese site Watch Impress has more pictures from the unveiling, including close-ups of the machine, and Digit Magazine explains specific features of this "hard disk, DVD digital video recorder and PlayStation 2 rolled into one", most notably that "...recording at 24 times normal speed is possible when copying previously recorded video... to a DVD-R optical disc", while GameSpot provides further analysis. -
SquareEnix Talk PlayOnline Games, FFXII
Thanks to RPGFan for their coverage of SquareEnix's new product announcements at the Tokyo Game Show, which include two new PlayStation 2 PlayOnline MMORPG titles - Ambrosia Odyssey, which has "environments [that] will be inspired by Medieval Europe", and "seems to be a lot like Phantasy Star Online" (in terms of more arcade-style gameplay?), according to IGN, and Front Mission Online, a "a drab looking mech game that is part action and part simulation. The gameplay looks a lot like MechAssault, except that as well as piloting mechs, you'll also be able to take control of tanks." Unfortunately, the only news on Final Fantasy XII was 'wait and see', as "the company will reveal new information on the next game on November 19th" in Tokyo. New promo art for the earlier mentioned Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children CG movie and for the Kingdom Hearts PS2 and GBA titles has also surfaced. -
SquareEnix Talk PlayOnline Games, FFXII
Thanks to RPGFan for their coverage of SquareEnix's new product announcements at the Tokyo Game Show, which include two new PlayStation 2 PlayOnline MMORPG titles - Ambrosia Odyssey, which has "environments [that] will be inspired by Medieval Europe", and "seems to be a lot like Phantasy Star Online" (in terms of more arcade-style gameplay?), according to IGN, and Front Mission Online, a "a drab looking mech game that is part action and part simulation. The gameplay looks a lot like MechAssault, except that as well as piloting mechs, you'll also be able to take control of tanks." Unfortunately, the only news on Final Fantasy XII was 'wait and see', as "the company will reveal new information on the next game on November 19th" in Tokyo. New promo art for the earlier mentioned Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children CG movie and for the Kingdom Hearts PS2 and GBA titles has also surfaced. -
SquareEnix Talk PlayOnline Games, FFXII
Thanks to RPGFan for their coverage of SquareEnix's new product announcements at the Tokyo Game Show, which include two new PlayStation 2 PlayOnline MMORPG titles - Ambrosia Odyssey, which has "environments [that] will be inspired by Medieval Europe", and "seems to be a lot like Phantasy Star Online" (in terms of more arcade-style gameplay?), according to IGN, and Front Mission Online, a "a drab looking mech game that is part action and part simulation. The gameplay looks a lot like MechAssault, except that as well as piloting mechs, you'll also be able to take control of tanks." Unfortunately, the only news on Final Fantasy XII was 'wait and see', as "the company will reveal new information on the next game on November 19th" in Tokyo. New promo art for the earlier mentioned Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children CG movie and for the Kingdom Hearts PS2 and GBA titles has also surfaced. -
Sammy Announces Sammy vs. Capcom, 4 Player Guilty Gear
DeadMeat (TM) writes "According to GameForms, Sammy announced that it will be working with Capcom on arcade versions of a forthcoming Sammy vs. Capcom 2D fighting game, as well as a solo Sammy project, a four-player Guilty Gear fighter sequel. Screenshots of the latter are available from Impress Game Watch, with presumably more information about the announcement for those who speak Japanese." Update: 09/12 04:10 GMT by S : GameSpot has more information on the full line-up at the AMShow arcade exhibition in Tokyo, which is where this news originated from. -
Square Enix Standalone TV Sword Mayhem
Sodakar writes "Square Enix announced today that they will be releasing the latest game in their popular Dragon Quest series in Japan on September 19th, for 6,980 yen (around $50). Not only are you required to swing a sword controller at the screen in order to defeat the enemy, the game doesn't require a console - the sword plugs directly into the TV via A/V cables. Here's some photos of the system, and the official news page. I'll be looking forward to a news blurb about some kid stabbing his TV." -
Sony Announces a Super Playstation 2, the "PSX"
Doctor_No writes "Sony has announced a souped-up Playstation 2 in Japan. The machine, named the "PSX", comes with 120GB hard drive and a DVD+/-RW for recording videos and DVR features much like Sony's Cocoon. The machine will be released sometime in 2003, and come with a service that offers multimedia content such as video and music through internet connectivity. If you live in Japan, it will also come with a BS tuner; which is a Japanese Satellite Broadcast tuner. The new machine also boasts a real-time OS, USB 2.0, Memorystick slot, and a connection with Sony's Portable handheld, the "PSP". UBS Warburg has an article here, but these two Japanese sites offer better information (albeit in Japanese); Watch Impress, ZDnet Japan. Here is a rather large PDF presentation." -
HD DVD Coming Very Soon
x mani x writes "While the DVD Forum continues quibbling over a new blue-laser based HD-DVD standard, it looks like Microsoft has been busy developing a new video compression method that can show high quality HD video at bitrates similar to current DVD's (between 5-8mbps). Proof, you say? Check out some stunning samples of this cutting edge technology. Myself and many others have watched it and most of us feel this is significantly better looking than MPEG-4/DivX HD video of the same bitrate. This technology is causing some excitement, as the T2: Extreme Edition DVD package will include a DVD containing T2 in HD, compressed with this technology. Anyone with a fast PC will be able to watch T2 in high def, no pricey blue laser player required." -
PC in a.... Sphere?
clemens writes "A Japanese manufacturer has come up with this spherical PC." I love the concept of your PC accidentally rolling off your desk. Doesn't that lime green one remind anyone else of Gundam? -
New Linux-based PVR from Sony: Cocoon
jivany writes "Linux based set-top box being offered by Sony that has a broadband internet connection and may offer the option of being programmed from a cell phone." Japan-only for now. There's an article in Japanese with assorted photos and screenshots. -
One Terabyte On a 12-inch^H^H^H^Hcm Disk
News for nerds writes: "At InterOpto'02 - international optoelectronics exhibition hold in Chiba, Japan - OPTWARE Co.Ltd. made up of ex-Sony engineers, demoed(in Japanese) 1-terabyte super-high speed optical disk system "T-VRD." It uses hologram and stores 1 terabyte data in a 12-cm-CD-size disc, with 100Mbps - 1Gbps transfer rate. Available in 2003 as 19-inch rackmount, 2005 for PC." Update: 07/16 18:33 GMT by T : Sorry, that's centimeters, not inches, which is of course even better ;) -
Yamaha CD-RW Drive Writes Images In Substrate
johnny5 writes: "Yamaha has recently demonstrated a new CD-RW drive that can write images into the unused space on a CD-R disc after the data track is written. The technology, called DiscT@2(TM), is due out in Japan in July. The images print on to the CD at approximately 250dpi, making graphics as well as text possible. More info can be found at Yamaha's CD-RW site (in English) as well as at Akiba PC Hotline (in Japanese, with better pictures. Babelfish for suitably akward translation). No word on a timeframe for U.S. availability" -
100Mbit Optical Wireless Network
Sven writes: "Victor will be releasing an optical wireless LAN system for indoor use that achieves 100Mbit/s speed. Being an optical system, a line of sight between stations is required. It will be released in Japan on July 27th. The hub costs 148,000 yen (US$1190), one node costs 49,800 yen ($400). Get more details from their website and from Pricewatch Japan. If you don't grok japanese (gasp!), Cafeglobe.com's babelfish is your friend." We have an older story about building-to-building optical networks, but I think this is first inter-office optical LAN I've seen. Seems like this could be a secure way to do wireless LANs without the leakage of 802.11 - as long as you keep your blinds drawn. -
Saint Song Releases "Linux-Compatible" Mini PC
10 Yogurts writes: "Saint Song Corp. recently announced the release of the Cappuccino G1, successor to their acclaimed pocket PC, the Espresso. Although no longer a "pocket PC," due to the docking bay's features being integrated into the unit, the Cappuccino is a very small (and very, very cool) set-top box--and Saint Song is specifically touting "Linux compatibility." What does the Cappuccino have that the Espresso didn't? How about S-Video and RCA outs, Ethernet, swappable DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, V.90 modem, 16-bit sound, IrDA support, more bus ports, and a new chipset (i810E), to name a few. Impress Watch (Japanese text) has several photos of the box, including two interior shots. Tsukomo, also in Japanese, has even more photos, and is selling the units for ¥84,800 (about US$720)." It looks like a sleek little device - and is cheaper then the iPaq I bought from the shady looking store in NYC. But does anyone have more detailed information? Please post below, if so. -
More Juicy Dual-Processor Goodness
ronmon writes: "I was cruising around bp6.com (I still want one) and happened to see a link to some pics of dual Socket A motherboards. It's in Japanese, so I can't read most of it, but this particular board caught my eye. It's a SuperMicro sporting two sockets and five DIMM slots, plus four drive connectors (IDE RAID?). Yummy!" And credulous reader Jim writes: "This one gave me a start when I woke up this morning. 2CPU.com has a screenshot of sisoft sandra scores from a Dual 1.53GHz (11.5x133)T-bird box. Apparently from an anonymous email. The scores are nothing short of amazing. Check it out." Grain of salt, remember. -
More Juicy Dual-Processor Goodness
ronmon writes: "I was cruising around bp6.com (I still want one) and happened to see a link to some pics of dual Socket A motherboards. It's in Japanese, so I can't read most of it, but this particular board caught my eye. It's a SuperMicro sporting two sockets and five DIMM slots, plus four drive connectors (IDE RAID?). Yummy!" And credulous reader Jim writes: "This one gave me a start when I woke up this morning. 2CPU.com has a screenshot of sisoft sandra scores from a Dual 1.53GHz (11.5x133)T-bird box. Apparently from an anonymous email. The scores are nothing short of amazing. Check it out." Grain of salt, remember. -
Dual Socket 370 Card for a Single Slot 1 MoBo
Vertigo1 writes "This is a dual Socket 370 card that will allow TWO (2) Socket 370 Celerons into a single Slot 1 motherboard. The pic is here.The company is QDI. From what their page say it requires no special motherboard, but I have yet to confirm it. I dunno if this is really on par with what usually is posted but to go along with your overclocking and cooling stuff I thought this was a nice addition! "
