10 Cool Gadgets You Can't Get Here

molex333 writes "PC World has an article about 10 gadgets that are available in Asia but not here. It is a review of some quirky toys that the Japanese have and we don't!" Unfortunately it's one of those obnoxious stories that you have to click like 30x to read the whole thing, but there's some neat stuff.

Comments

But....

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it have iphone?

Re:But....

[damn_registrars]

Does it have iphone?
Wrong. The question is "does it run Linux".

Sheesh, you must be new here...

Re:But....

[capnkr]

As far as running Linux, it looks like the NEC LUI is a poor, proprietary cousin of LinuxMCE , which you *can* get in the States, and just about everywhere, for that matter...

Re:But....

[mstahl]

On the contrary. Anonymous Coward is the oldest and most prolific member of the slashdot community.

Re:But....

[Jac_no_k]

<troll mode="feed">
Japan does not have the iPhone, yet.
</troll>

Re:But....

[dmizer]

Actually, the P905i does indeed run linux (LiMo). Bought one a couple weeks ago, and it's a fantastic phone. Menu is a pain to navigate through in English, but the camera takes great pics.

Way better than the stinkin' iPhone if you ask me.

Face Bank ?

[ijustam]

Everything was a phone or computer... then that thing. Asia can keep that one.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

That was really the only gadget I found kinda cool in the list...

Re:Face Bank ?

[CastrTroy]

You forgot the robot, but I guess you could categorize that as a computer. Anyway. None of this seems at all interesting. In the end, a phone is a phone, I don't really car if it's waterproof. It's a nice feature, but I wouldn't pay a premium for that. Some of the computers are just stuff you could build at home if you took your time. Like a silent computer you hook up to the TV. Or a home server that hooks up to your other computers via WiFi to be a media server. Not exciting in the least. It's nice that companies are finally starting to build these products, and release them to the masses already configured (if only in other countries). But I don't think I saw anything there I would fly to Asia just to obtain.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Rob T Firefly]

Can't sleep, bank'll eat me.. can't sleep, bank'll eat me..

Re:Face Bank ?

[cecille]

I would care if it's waterproof, even if I do have to pay a premium for it. Water death seems to claim most of my phones, and paying more for a waterproof one just means that I won't be paying for a different phone when I drop mine in the lake or leave it too close to the sink.

What actually surprises me though is not that they have waterproof phones in Japan, but that we DON'T have waterproof phones yet here. I mean, we can make waterproof cameras that can actually be USED under water, but we don't yet have a phone that can land in a puddle and come out alive? Come on now. Of course, if the phone was waterproof then they would probably sell fewer phones. Water death is probably a good source of phone-company income. I mean, if your camera isn't waterproof and gets fried, it's feasible to just let it slide and not buy another one. Not really the same thing with a phone since you're probably stuck paying the contract anyway.

Re:Face Bank ?

[FSWKU]

Can't sleep, bank'll eat me.. can't sleep, bank'll eat me..

One too many sub-prime loans for you, eh?

Re:Face Bank ?

[bbk]

Then again, some phones are built better than others. I accidentally ran an old Samsung phone (Sprint network) through the washing machine, and other than needing a new battery and the OLED on the outside of the cover being all messed up it continued to work fine after I dried it out.

Many electronics can survive being immersed unless they're on when it happens. My old cell phone was particularly lucky.

Re:Face Bank ?

[mgblst]

I don't see the point. All the times that I think of that I have been wet, I have never wanted to make a phone call. Even in Australia where the money is plastic so can be washed, I haven't found the need. I guess the need isn't that great. I have seen water-proof phones before, but they were pretty chunky.

Re:Face Bank ?

[pthor1231]

It's not so much that they make cameras that are waterproof, as they put cameras that aren't waterproof inside of a huge chunky case that looks retarded in any other situation outside of you being near vast quantities of water. I'm willing to bet that a majority of people wouldn't buy a phone that was retardedly huge just because it was waterproof. Form over function for most Americans. Look at how many people bought the RAZR, and that thing was a piece of crap, functionality wise.

Re:Face Bank ?

[BaldGhoti]

Verizon's had a waterproof phone for a while (article dated 10/2/06), called the G'zOne--my dad's got one and he's dropped it in the ocean a few times. It's the real deal.

Re:Face Bank ?

[j_166]

"But I don't think I saw anything there I would fly to Asia just to obtain."

Why would you fly to Asia to obtain anything? That is what the little known invention of "ordering things over the internet" is for. Now I realize the readers of this site might not be that technically savvy, but there are ways, however magical and arcane, to get things out of Asia that don't involve physically flying there. Its not like the Asians are well known as a people for their utter refusal to sell things over the internet to Westerners.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

was retardedly huge just because it was waterproof.

Yeah, I gave up on having a waterproof watch, it was so big and heavy my left arm was twice the size of my right one, and I jack off with my right hand.

Newsflash: you can waterproof things without putting them in a giant box! :O

They don't make phones waterproof because A) someone dropping their phone in a puddle = more $ for the phone maker and/or B) someone dropping their phone in a puddle = contract extension and more $ for the telco. Also C) people whining about not being able to change the battery in the sealed phone, but that's just if you're going to waterproof it the cheap way and dip the whole thing in plastic.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Drewmeister]

Is it just me, or does that bank look like the Necronomicon from Evil Dead?

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

About two weeks ago, I was out at a bar. A white guy and a black guy were arguing about the Iraq war. Somehow, the white guy managed to drop his phone in the black guys drink, who then plucked it out, threw it across the bar, and then more hilarity ensued.

The white guy, whose phone it was, was not concerned about damage caused from the recent bath, because the phone was apparently water resistant -- so apparently there are such devices here.

Then again, I am from an area where everyone who isn't an engineer/scientist at [Jefferson Lab(CEBAF)/NASA Langley/Northrup Grumman] or in the military is pretty much a fisherman of some sort, and so those are quite handy to have for them.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Robaato]

Did you see the picture of the waterproof phone? These phones are not "retardedly huge" but are in fact comparable in size to all the other flip phones in the NTT DoCoMo line.

Incidentally, NTT DoCoMo actually sells Motorola RAZRs here, as the M702iS. It's on the low end of the phones they sell, but its major selling point is World Wing capability.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Rob T Firefly]

Is it just me, or does that bank look like the Necronomicon from Evil Dead? Yes! That's it!! I couldn't place what creepy mental switch it was flipping for me. You're my hero fo the morning.

Happy Monday, brain. Have some caffeine.

Re:Face Bank ?

[yuriyg]

How did he manage to fish it out of the ocean?

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think people intend to use them when they are wet. I think the problem is when people have them when they get caught in the rain or their bag gets wet or they leave it in a pocket that goes through the wash.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Detritus]

It doesn't have to be huge and clunky. Many hand-held amateur radio VHF/UHF transceivers meet the mil-specs for dust, water, etc. and are not very large.

Yaesu VX-7R hand-held VHF/UHF transceiver.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Verizon has one, with the idiotic name of "G'zOne".

Re:Face Bank ?

[pintpusher]

And to be more specific, they are all different ways of shoving TV, and thus advertising, at you. Excepting the Robot, which is for remote-controlling your TV... after consideration, the only one that's not about somehow getting TV to you is the Face Bank. I'm pretty sure my kids would like the face bank, but would be disappointed that it didn't also provide TV.

Is this the limit of cool gadgetry now, more ways to show you TV (typically on absurdly small screens)? I just don't get it.

Oh, and get off my lawn!

Re:Face Bank ?

[Masami Eiri]

That they do, they're tough buggers, but ugly and huge. Reception isn't the greatest on them either.

Re:Face Bank ?

[somersault]

I live in Asia, you insensitive article and other clods!

Re:Face Bank ?

[contrapunctus]

I wonder if somebody has come up with waterproof wristwatches...

Re:Face Bank ?

[CastrTroy]

I only said that because the title of the article in question is "Start Saving for Air Fare".

Re:Face Bank ?

[OverlordsShadow]

Was the phone a Samsung A900? I left mine open (flip phone) in a rainstorm one night for a good twenty minutes before I realised that it was lost. This is the same rainstorm that ended up hydrolocking my brothers Cavalier engine. The speaker didn't work quite right for the next few days and it was a tad big glitchy for a week but all seems to be good now except for a stuck volume button once and awhile and random shutoffs once every month or so.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Some of the computers are just stuff you could build at home if you took your time. Like a silent computer you hook up to the TV. Or a home server that hooks up to your other computers via WiFi to be a media server.

Heh. I have both of these. Actually, they're the same machine. With some software I wrote myself. I've often thought of making that into a product that I build for people who couldn't make one on their own... But it requires capital, it's risky, etc., and a lot of people have told me they wouldn't be interested in buying one. Notice how iTV tried to do the same thing. Didn't catch on.

Re:Face Bank ?

[ATL_gadget_grrl]

That thing is CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPY!!! Talk about the wrong message! I want my kids to learn to save, not be terrified by the bank!!

Re:Face Bank ?

[ATL_gadget_grrl]

I can only wish we had an American carrier as forward-thinking as DoCoMo.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Zephyr14z]

Actually, every nokia phone I've owned has survived some pretty extreme water damage. I just let it dry out for a day or so and it keeps working. They certainly aren't waterproof, but they do seem to be self-resurrecting after drops in the lake, etc. I'm not even talking about just the basic Nokia brick either. Their flip phones have also held up remarkably well.

Re:Face Bank ?

[j_166]

Right, I meant you as in 'someone', not you personally.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

But cellphone vendors aren't interested in providing them. See, Nokia doesn't produce solid phones like the 5110 any more; they produce much flasher things that aren't as solid, causing you to upgrade earlier.

They don't want to sell you a waterproofed phone for another $100 because they'd rather you dropped your current phone in the drink and bought another one from them.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Radon360]

I'll offer one better: Marine VHF hand-helds. Many today are built to be submersible...and they're just as small as the VX-7R. Icom even has one that has a "rumble" feature which is supposed to detect when there is water on the speaker and will vibrate it to expel the water. If it works, it would be a great feature as I've noticed that the audio output level on my submersible hand-helds drops significantly when the speaker has water on it.

That said, the Yaesus are nice, tough little units.

Re:Face Bank ?

[ceoyoyo]

Hm? I've got a Razer. Makes phone calls and fits comfortably in a jean or slacks pocket. Which function am I missing? Once you remap the keys to useful things like the address book rather than stupid ones like the phone, it even has a decent interface.

Re:Face Bank ?

[hairyfeet]

That wasn't as freaky as the damned pokemon bot. How would you like to have that freaky big eyed robo squirtle waking you up in the morning? And I thought that Japan was always the hotbed of robotics? The best they can do is a robot squirtle? I want my robot Alyson Hannigan damnit! If I am going to be woken up by a robot in the morning, I would much rather it be a hot robot redhead saying "Say my name bitch!" than a freaky big eyed robo squirtle. But that is just me,YMMV. And if you would rather the robo squirtle do that, please don't share. Thanks.

Re:Face Bank ?

[blackest_k]

ahem the razr had one bit of functionality. you don't accidentally dial out on a razr. even keylocked phones had the ability to call the emergency services whilst locked.

forget any other feature, this one feature made it worth while.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

yah, and despite that, people would still purchase much of this stuff, that is, if they weren't being nationally being discriminated against

due to this issue and the quality issue, personally, I've stopped buying Asian products whenever possible

for instance, I'm already less than impressed by my new made in china seagate HDD

Re:Face Bank ?

[petermgreen]

It's less a case of wanting to make a phone call while you are wet (though I can see situations where that would be usefull) and more a case of happening to have your phone with you when you happen to get soaked.

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Casio sells waterproof phones in the US: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2034585,00.asp

Re:Face Bank ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it made of wood?

Does it weigh more, or less, than a duck?

Re:Face Bank ?

[pthor1231]

I know this is a bit dead, but all clamshell phones that I have seen are just as impossible to dial the emergency services number as on the razr, and the razr was by far not the first clamshell.

hmm HDTV to go... on not to go

[Anonymous Coward]

the HDTV receiver is a nice idea... don't know if we loaned the same brand/model (looks like it from memory) but when using it in built up areas we expected, and got, massive dropouts using the dinky antenna supplied.

Re:hmm HDTV to go... on not to go

[hedwards]

Hmm, that one puzzled me, because I've got a similar unit that I bought from bestbuy on black friday. It works well, and just needs to be plugged into a computer and antenna. I'm not sure why this particular one is that special. I got mine for $70, and it includes analog tuner, digital and HD tuners.

My only complaint is that I presently have to boot into windows to use it. The only thing I don't know about it is if AMD is providing documentation for these like they are doing for the rest of their gear. ATI Tv Wonder 600 usb, if any body's wondering. And they're not that hard to track down in the US either.

Re:hmm HDTV to go... on not to go

[nsayer]

For those using Macs, Elgato has the EyeTV Hybrid, which is probably the exact same thing but bundled with their EyeTV software.

Winner: Roboremote turtle. Loser: Bank with face

[andphi]

We have impossibly kawaii (moe?) set side by side with "Takeitaway! Takeitaway! DearHeavensNo!" It's official. Japanese designers just don't know when to quit.

Click 30 Times?

[Serenissima]

You mean click 10 times to see the top 10 gadgets?

Re:Click 30 Times?

[rock217]

You mean click 10 times to see the top 10 gadgets?
To be fair, there are 11 pages counting the intro "slide."

So we have about 19 missing clicks to account for.

Ok, well everytime you click to the next page you have to scroll down again to see the navigation, at least I do at 1280x1024. So that's 3 down mouse wheel "clicks" per page, so 11x3+11=44 clicks, shit too many!

Ok I guess I can just hit Page Down instead of mouse wheeling, for the sake of argument we'll count that as a click as it is replacing a click function. That yields us 11+11=22 clicks...still short!

Fine I relent, there aren't 30 logical clicks in there, taco was lying. Unless taco is one of those people who has to select their browser text to read it, as if it might come flying off if it weren't held down by your highlight color. In that case you could easily fill up 30 clicks!

Re:Click 30 Times?

[gnick]

You're neglecting the word 'like' in his description. The debate should be "Are 30 clicks like 10 clicks?" I think that it's fair to say that they are - And furthermore, the approximation is appropriate. pcworld.com is an ad-supported site. I don't know about you, but I feel that it's my duty to keep ad-supported sites alive by encouraging advertisers. I always click on two links per page and purchase an item from one of the two vendors (doesn't everybody?) So...

2 ads apiece from intro-slide + 10 gadget slides: 22 clicks
Clicks to proceed through gadgets: 10 clicks
Total: 32 clicks

Of course, that neglects the clicks it took me to make 11 purchases while browsing the article, but I'd still say that 32 clicks are like 30 clicks and the approximation will help compensate for those readers that steal pcworld's content by reading it without purchasing anything advertised.

Re:Click 30 Times?

[dwater]

If you're accessing from a mobile phone, it doesn't give you even one link to click.

Of course, it doesn't tell you what the 10 cool gadgets are either.

When are people going to realise there are many mobile devices that can display web pages just fine, and stop trying to filter them? Do us a favour and just stop it, please.

Re:Click 30 Times?

[Anonymous Coward]

PCWorld gives Slashdot kickbacks for posting their shit here. Taco tries to sympathize with us for the shit and ads we have to wade through to read this "story". Great editing guys!

Re:Click 30 Times?

[Firehed]

Or just scroll to the right in the thumbnail window, see that nothing looks interesting, and deny them 10 pages worth of ad revenue. Only two clicks, and one was to close the tab in my browser.

Re:Click 30 Times?

[Hal_Porter]

You must be a hit with the valley girls.

Re:Click 30 Times?

[Darinbob]

Looked at all ten, and none were "cool gadgets". The Vaio could be useful perhaps. All of these look like typical Japanese and Korean designs, meant for a domestic market that makes American consumers seem prudent.

Raon Everun

[Zerth]

The Everun looked tempting with almost twice the battery life of the eeepc at roughly similar specs, until I caught the sticker price. I'd rather just buy a second battery.

Re:Raon Everun

[hitmark]

the interesting bit about that one is that while it says korea only (more correctly south korea, but then i guess usa do not acknowledge the existence of north korea, except in its axis of evil list), i know if at least one place in europe that sells it.

and i also know of one european that swears by its portability.

In brief

[wombatmobile]

There's a phone,
a small pc,
another phone,
a vista pc,
a voice controlled robot,
a laptop,
a water resistant phone,
a hdtv usb dongle,
a media server + handheld pc + notebook,
and a piggy bank.
OK?

Re:In brief

[IBBoard]

Or, with product names:

Panasonic Viera P905i (Think of it as the world's smallest "big-screen" TV)
Raon Everun UMPC (Ultra-mobile PC - a micro laptop)
Samsung 'Soul' SGH U900
NEC ValueStar W (Vista Media Centre that's extra quiet)
Toshiba ApriPoko Robot (This 11-inch-tall robot--which looks like the love child of a bird Pokemon and the Pillsbury Doughboy--is actually a voice-activated remote control)
Sony VAIO G2 (super-light laptop with all the normal features)
Fujitsu F705i
Aigo USB Dongle (HD receiver)
NEC LUI (LUI stands for "Life with Ubiquitous Integrated Solutions - basically a combination of media server and PDA or laptop)
Face Bank (Wave a coin in front of the bank's eyes (actually light sensors), and it opens wide to swallow your loose change. Afterward, it looks so pleased that you half expect it to emit a contented belch)

So, how many of those are actually things we're really missing, as opposed to just not having?

Re:In brief

[MadUndergrad]

Yeah, I'm convinced that Japan is the world's "Sharper Image". That whole list seems to be the sort of "that's neat, kind of...." overpriced stuff you see there. Until they can make robots that can beat me in hand to hand combat after finishing a triathalon while running on batteries or a phone with a good projector in it, I remain unimpressed.

Re:In brief

[megaditto]

Until they can make robots that can beat me in hand to hand combat after finishing a triathalon while running on batteries What's with the double standard? Would YOU be running on batteries during triathlon? At the very least you should be required to haul your own oxygen tank if you are to demand that a robot's PSU be self-contained...

Re:In brief

[sm62704]

Unfortunately it's one of those obnoxious stories that you have to click like 30x to read the whole thing

My thanks to CmdrTaco and molex333 for that warning. Thank you, kind sirs. I only get ten minutes an hour with my head not down, so again my wholehearted thanks.

There's a phone, a small pc, another phone, a vista pc, a voice controlled robot, a laptop, a water resistant phone, a hdtv usb dongle, a media server + handheld pc + notebook,
and a piggy bank.

None of which I'm salivating to have. My thanks to wombatmobile as well!

-mcgrew

(when they let me lift my head in a week or so I'll journal.)

Re:In brief

[jellomizer]

Which is why they are not available in the US. There really isn't a market for Gadgets.
I can see two factors for this reason.

Factor 1. The 0th commandment above all other. Thow shal not waste money.
This is even shown on slashdot. Why buy a nice Apple Mac Book Pro where you can Build a Desktop that is 3 times more prowerful (5x if dont bother with the luxeries like insolated wires), it may look like it came from the wreck of the titanic, but I got a bargin out of it.

Factor 2. Only spend extra if you can show it off. Who cares if that phone as more features and cost less then the iPhone. the iPhone looks so much cooler, when you whip it out in front of others and imeadeatly a conversation starts. You technically superior phone no one will notice. Why do you think we get the Big Screen HD TVS and no Small ones. We don't want small HD TVs we wont big ones so when people enter their house they are like wow that is a big TV.

We tend to buy Crap Stuff for ourselfs and Nice stuff for others. If we don't attempt to impress someone else with your purchase you will get the cheapest possible, if you do attend to impress someone else then you are willing to pay a premium.

Look at our big purchases. Homes, Cars, Clothing. We are willing to pay for things at huge markup prices just to show it off. But for things you don't show off you get what you need.

Why is the Wii so popular (Technically weak compared to the other systems), it is designed to play with other (diverse group) people vs. the PS III which is designed for a bunch of Gammers in a basement to play with blank expressions on their face for hours.

Re:In brief

[bcmm]

After reading the article, I've tagged this post !cool. I suggest you all do this.

Re:In brief

[tepples]

Why do you think we get the Big Screen HD TVS and no Small ones. So more than one person can see the high-definition detail at once. It's the same reason that party video games have been developed for consoles rather than PCs: until HTPCs take off, consoles are more likely to be connected to a screen that four human bodies can fit around.

Re:In brief

[ccguy]

Or, with product names:

The things one has to do to get a +5...

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

Same with some links and a few extra comments (in []):

Panasonic Viera P905i ([A phone with 854 x 480 display] Think of it as the world's smallest "big-screen" TV)
Raon Everun UMPC (Ultra-mobile PC - a micro laptop)
Samsung 'Soul' SGH U900 [another phone]
NEC ValueStar W (Vista Media Centre that's extra quiet)
Toshiba ApriPoko Robot ([only a prototype?] This 11-inch-tall robot--which looks like the love child of a bird Pokemon and the Pillsbury Doughboy--is actually a voice-activated remote control)
Sony VAIO G2 [Google translation (super-light laptop with all the normal features)
Fujitsu F705i [thin waterproof cell phone]
Aigo USB Dongle (HD receiver [very small -- e.g., for laptops])
NEC LUI (LUI stands for "Life with Ubiquitous Integrated Solutions - basically a combination of media server and PDA or laptop)
Face Bank (Wave a coin in front of the bank's eyes (actually light sensors), and it opens wide to swallow your loose change. Afterward, it looks so pleased that you half expect it to emit a contented belch [okay -- this thing is REALLY weird])

Re:In brief

[Jutranjo]

The fact that you can't get them here _makes_ them cool.

Re:In brief

[Saint Fnordius]

Um... your commandments only make sense if you can quantify "use" and "waste" properly. Some of these gadgets have added value in entertainment, you do realise, or like the MacBook Pro bring enough to the table so that the investment in money beats the investment in time building your own.

As for your second statement, well, I just haven't seen it in the real world. People really do buy nice stuff for themselves without intending to show off. We call those people "connoisseurs". Those people who really do look for the best experience in X, be it wine, or cars, or computers or whatever.

It is folly and insulting to denigrate how others spend their money, really. We all get enjoyment from different things, and from different aspects of those things. To look down at someone as "wasting" their money merely because you personally don't see the benefit is silly.

Re:In brief

[Kenshin]

Why buy a nice Apple Mac Book Pro where you can Build a Desktop that is 3 times more prowerful

Yes. Why buy a small, lightweight computer that you can bring everywhere with you when you can build a gigantic beast of a computer that sits at home? I suppose this reasoning only makes sense if you never leave your house.

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, you certainly explained why no one is buying MacBook Pros. Thanks for clearing that up.

Re:In brief

[__aailob1448]

Thank you for pointing the obvious to the GP.

I bought my car because it's fun to drive.
I bought my 30" LCD monitor because it's better for my eyes. I can put it farther, use higher resolution with bigger fonts and icons.

And on and on.

Re:In brief

[Vellmont]

Why is the Wii so popular (Technically weak compared to the other systems), it is designed to play with other (diverse group) people vs. the PS III which is designed for a bunch of Gammers in a basement to play with blank expressions on their face for hours

I largely agree with your post, but this is one thing I don't.

I always find it strange when someone mentions the "why is the wii popular, the technology isn't as good!" argument. No one cares about technology except people who think technology is a giant pissing contest.

The Wii is very popular because someone figured out that games are ALSO about the UI people use to play the game, and not just about the graphics. I'd bet someone at NES looked at the sales of games like DDR, and realized that was a whole new market of gamers that played these games who just weren't into the game because they didn't like the traditional button+direction-pad that's been prevalent for 25 years. Give those people a UI where they get to interact in a more natural way, and they'll buy it like mad. Hell, it may even go down to a basic brain level where many people can't extend "themselves" through the button+direction pad, but can through motion.

Come to think of it, the Wii actually IS technically superior to the PS3, it's just superior in a different way. (Accelerometers + IR Bar + Software vs. raw computing power). Judging technical merit on one aspect of the system alone is just misleading.

Re:In brief

[Hal_Porter]

Or, with product names:

The things one has to do to get a +5... You could do this

Re:In brief

[fm6]

The "Sharper Image" (glossy, overpriced, not particularly original) theme doesn't come from Japan. It comes from the poor PCWorld writer, tasked to create yet another "top 10" list, and straining to find stuff to fit on it.

The big name web sites seem to be on a "top 10 binge" lately. I guess it's an easy way to fill up space and provoke reader interest. It's getting old, though.

Re:In brief

[MadUndergrad]

The thing could kill me in 3 seconds if it didn't have to worry about stamina and could carry whatever it wanted. If it had to run a triathalon first it would need to be able to move around well and not be loaded down with all sorts of kill toys, and able to run for more than 5 minutes.

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

I live in an RV, you insensitive clod!

That means that gigantic beast is still portable!

Re:In brief

[jellomizer]

Oh the section about the non-insolated wires didn't explain the fact that this was an exageration to prove a point without having to debate details. We are talking about the United States as a single market not as individuals. There are always exceptions to the rule. But when dealing with markets you need to understand the general actions of most people. Not what every once in a while people will consider.

Re:In brief

[Actually, I do RTFA]

a voice controlled robot,

Technically, a voice controlled universal remote. But what's brilliant about it is, unlike other universal remotes, you train it not by inputting a model number, but by saying, the TV power code is *hit it with IR from TV remote*. The voice activation is also pretty nice. If I had IR remotes hooked up to my lights already, I can see using it as a little 'intelligent house' type gizmo.

Re:In brief

[jellomizer]

Well lets take the the general steriotype of "connoisseurs". People who study and appreate different values in things and then talk about them at great detail to others. For these cases they still purchase the products (yes they might like them) but as a mechnism to impress other people. Lets say Computers and Slashdot. A few years ago Gentoo was in a buzz and people talked about getting a Stage 0 of gentoo installed on their system as kinda a badge of honor saying "I am not a Linux Wimp". For most of those people the performance tradeoff gained would takes years to account for the Hours/Days/Weeks it took to get the system installed. But they were willing to put the time and effort into it just to make themselfs look good in the eyes of other geeks. Vs. say when I need an OS to get a computer up and running without having to Pay for it. Downloading a Ubentu or Debian Image getting it installed on the system, in a few minutes. And Optimizing what I need when I need it.

You may want to talk about how noble you are for doing these things and it is for only your enjoyment. But in reality you do it to impress others at some level, and you get the greatest satisifaction when people complent you on your product you buy, or at least it is a conversation starter. From having the guy installing the Cable Modem ask questions about my Sun Workstation with Solaris on it or people saying how cool my Mac looks. And I get disapointed if I get something which I think is cool and no one even bothers batting an eye.

Re:In brief

[somersault]

Help, I'm stuck and I can't get out! :(

Re:In brief

[somersault]

More like you should be required to eat breakfast first.

Re:In brief

[kisrael]

Yeah, on a recent 2 week vacation in Japan I was dismayed that there weren't a ton of awesome cool stuff to buy and bring back as gifts or whatever.

The bank caught my attention, but was a bit pricey.

Instead I got virtual bubble wrap toys for everyone, and some Mario "sounddrops".

Re:In brief

[somersault]

That little robot dude is cool though. It's just like being on the Enterprise D. You could say "on screen" to the robot and it'll turn on your TV! :D Then "Number 1, make it so" to change to channel 1. Unfortunately I only have one device that requires infra red input, but it's a nice idea..

Re:In brief

[somersault]

Why buy a nice Apple Mac Book Pro where you can Build a Desktop that is 3 times more prowerful Well, 1 because I can't carry my desktop with me to my couch/bed/whatever, 2 because I don't need that much power to surf the web or even play the games I like (GTA IV, Test Drive Unlimited 2, any Half-Life 2 based game..), 3 because I don't have to deal with Windows at home if I can't be bothered waiting 4 minutes for it to startup and login just so I can play some music or check my email.. and 4 because I got it for work so I didn't have to pay for it.. and it has a cool light up keyboard (genuinely useful sometimes, even though I could find most keys on the keyboard with my eyes closed..) and a little remote control (okay, that's just good for showing off tbh) :) \o/ I would very seriously consider one even if I had to spend my own money on it though. I like Mac OS X, it's pretty much how I want Linux to be like - nice GUI, good connectivity (I'm sure WiFi on Linux is better now than when I last tried, but I'm happy with OS X for now). Saying that I do like the configurability of the display manager's on Linux, but apparently you can get Gnome for OS X, etc etc. Anyway, the point is that spending extra doesn't have to be a 'waste' if you have a reason for it, and no I didn't get the Macbook to show off. I didn't go for the highest spec graphics card though because that really would have been a waste for what is primarily a work machine (I justified getting the Pro because I've been using hand-me-down desktops and laptops for 6 years, and I am the IT manager so why not get a decent macine for once..).

Oh and I got a big HDTV to make driving games more realistic alongside my steering wheel and soundrocker chair. Sure I think it's cool, and some others do too, but a lot of people (well, girls mainly) just think it's sad, so how does that endorse your argument? ;)

When it comes to cars though, I do go for power over fancy looking things, so I drive a Skoda. Hehe. Can't accuse me of just wanting to look cool their either, considering most people still have a negative stereotype of Skodas. It is the vRS Fabia, which personally I think looks okay, plus I had it remapped so it's quite nippy :D

Are you annoyed that people just want to show things off, or is this just the way you yourself think about things you purchase?

Re:In brief

[somersault]

Yeah I wish I'd read this comment before I bit the bait :P I should check more often to see if someone's shown a little perspective. I bought a nice HDTV too - I was initially setting out to buy a monitor, but I knew I'd probably get a PS3 or blu-ray player at some point in the future, so I decided I'd be better off just buying a TV that also doubles up as an extremely big ass monitor, and it's worked out nicely :) Something cool about sitting in a comfy chair in your living room and using your PC on a nice big high res screen. Helps with immersion in games too :) Spot on with the cars too. I don't care if my car is ugly as **** as long as it's fun to drive.. thing is that most "driver's" cars tend to look cool anyway..

Re:In brief

[jellomizer]

It looks like I hit a nerv. Hey I have a Mac Book Pro too and I love it. But lets be realistic here.
1. There are laptops that you can get configured that have the specs that you need that are cheaper.
2. If you didn't need the power then you shouldn't have gotten the MacBook Pro, There are a lot of nicer systems that are cheaper that use less power. The MacBook Pro are a powerful line of laptops (not the top of the top) but in the powerful laptop category.
3. There is always Linux. Compared to OS X Linux is argueable sub-par but compared to windows it is fairly darn competitive.
4. So you got it for essencially for free. That complents my argument of not wasting money. If you got it for free then you didn't wast money to get it. However your work may have the motivation of wanting its employees to have nice looking laptops in front of the client to show that business is good to a point that they won't be a fly by night operation.

The lightup keyboard I have turned it off most of the time. Probably because I can see the letters fine running most of my application (white backgrounds) as well I don't want to put extra drain on the battery because I tend to use the laptop battery from full to 30 minutes left until I put it away for the night. So I do my best to save power. It is mostly for show if I am in class during a dark presentation I may turn it on for some effect or whatever. But it is more for show then general usefulnes. As you said you can type with your eyes closed so can most people.

As for the TV and Chair you said some other people think it is cool too. So when people go to your home you will show it off, in one fassion or an other. It may not be good on getting a date, but you get respect amung your peers.

You chose power over fancy looking. But you use power to impress people as well. If you and some friends are driving you can accelerate faster then the other guys or if they are riding with you, and they can feel the Torque they get a feeling it is good car. Muscle cars are not really nice to look it is its performance that is shown off not the looks. As well in many areas people need cars. If they don't want to show it off they get dull cars and save money on them. But if they want to show it off they pay the extra price.

I am neither annoyed about people showing off their better stuff or saying that how I consiously think about my purchases. The topic wasn't about any particular person in general they will always be exceptions. Someone may need that 20 Mile/Gallon truck because they work in landscapping and anything weeker will cause them to get stuck or spend so much money in repairs. Or someone genually wants something for themselfs and really doesn't care what others want and he will normally just put it out of the way when people show up. But I was talking about the American Market overall The average of our purchases are either based on Saving Money or Impressing People.

Re:In brief

[somersault]

Well, I don't need 'serious' graphics power, but I did intend to play games on it, and it's nice to have the power I need to run several apps at once, compile quickly and such. I tried to install Ubuntu on it but it didn't even manage to get into X server on the live CD..

And nah I don't really deal with clients much, though your argument does hold for one of our sales people who wangled a nice Dell XPS laptop from my assistant :P I have just always had a thing for Macs since one of our first computer was a Classic.

I did have the lightup keyboard turned off for months, but I figured I may as well use it since I have it, and I usually use the machine to play music while I go to sleep and sometimes I want to adjust the volume etc (I turned the screen brightness right down in that case).

Anyway yeah I do wonder if Macs are justifiably more expensive a lot of the time, but after using mine for a year, I'd definitely consider buying one with my own money if I ever left this job - though I don't really want to because I enjoy it, and the perks like my laptop, 'smart' phone (no phonebill \o/ ), car (no maintenance costs!).. okay that was showing off a little :)

Re:In brief

[kabocox]

So, how many of those are actually things we're really missing, as opposed to just not having?

Well, the toy robot thingy looked neat. We have other robot thingies though so I guess we aren't missing out on that. Well, nothing else in there even raised my eye brow. It was either boring looking stuff or stuff that looked like it wouldn't sell/uncool/old model crap. How are we missing out by not having any of that crap? I'm not missing anything. I figure if anything in there is actually somewhat popular; then something like it will start selling here sooner or later. Nothing on that website looked like anything that I'd buy. Heck, a few of the items would make me avoid the store that had them on the shelves so I can understand them not being sold here.

Re:In brief

[thephydes]

A decidedly underwhelming list.

Re:In brief

[zebb2000]

How do you half expect something?

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

Same in blockquote, with links removed, but comments left in.

Panasonic Viera P905i ([A phone with 854 x 480 display] Think of it as the world's smallest "big-screen" TV)
Raon Everun UMPC (Ultra-mobile PC - a micro laptop)
Samsung 'Soul' SGH U900 [another phone]
NEC ValueStar W (Vista Media Centre that's extra quiet)
Toshiba ApriPoko Robot ([only a prototype?] This 11-inch-tall robot--which looks like the love child of a bird Pokemon and the Pillsbury Doughboy--is actually a voice-activated remote control)
Sony VAIO G2 [Google translation (super-light laptop with all the normal features)
Fujitsu F705i [thin waterproof cell phone]
Aigo USB Dongle (HD receiver [very small -- e.g., for laptops])
NEC LUI (LUI stands for "Life with Ubiquitous Integrated Solutions - basically a combination of media server and PDA or laptop)
Face Bank (Wave a coin in front of the bank's eyes (actually light sensors), and it opens wide to swallow your loose change. Afterward, it looks so pleased that you half expect it to emit a contented belch [okay -- this thing is REALLY weird])

IOW, I think people have got the picture by now, karma whore.

Re:In brief

[ceoyoyo]

Panasonic Viera P905i: clunky iPhone?

Raon Everun UMPC: eePC?

Some phones. Waterproof might be fun.

AI remote control. In a research lab. Looks like everyone is missing out on that one. Probably because it doesn't work very well. Voice recognition is uh, kinda unreliable.

Aigo HD USB Dongle: Chinese version of the Elgato eyeTV Hybrid, except the hybrid has BOTH a broadcast HD and analog tuner.

The quiet media PC thing: AppleTV? My Mac Mini hooked up to the TV is awfully quiet too. Well, when the movie isn't running off the external 1 TB NAS.

LUI: Media PC + iPhone + notebook.

I think the only one we actually don't HAVE is the face bank. Okay, I'd like to have one of those. Whether you're missing out on it or not is up to you.

Re:In brief

[westlake]

Why buy a nice Apple Mac Book Pro where you can Build a Desktop that is 3 times more prowerful

because the kind of guy who buys the macbook pro thinks in terms of the billable hour.

the time he would spend shopping for parts and doing minimum wage assembly and testing can be better spent with his family - or simply bringing home the bacon.

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a small hdtv (relatively, 42") because it was the appropriate size/distance/resolution for my setup.

I also have a high tech phone thats not the iphone, nokia n82. I bought the n82 because it is a excellent phone. I'm not saying the iphone is not excellent either, but I think it needs more time on the market and revisions before I'll take it seriously as a competitor.

And if anything, the iphone is proof of the demand for gadgets in north america.

Re:In brief

[bigbadunix]

I'm thinking that another reason why the US isn't as gadget-friendly is that the number of people here that use public transportation (especially rail systems) is so much lower than more evolved places.

When I spent a short amount of time in Seoul a few years back, I was amazed at the number of folks, regardless of age or sex, that was using some sort of 'gadgety' device on the subway. And, there, you could use them where ever and when ever and not be afraid that someone was gonna knock you over the head and steal it. At least I never got that feeling.

Re:In brief

[Saint Fnordius]

You really don't understand a connoisseur mentality, do you? It's the search for the perfect sensation, the desire to capture the optimum experience. I do it with whiskey: not to impress others, but my senses when sipping whiskey (not whisky, I prefer Irish) are highly attuned, and the cheap stuff is worse than not sipping at all. The enjoyment is a very personal, almost solitary experience.

There's nothing noble or ignoble about it. I really do not care if you can see my whiskey selection, or if some whiskey guru approves or not. If I hobnob with others, then it is not to show off but to trade experiences, to learn from them ways to improve my own experience.

Now I am not saying there aren't people that act like connoisseurs merely for the status kick, but those people are not by definition connoisseurs.Their mind isn't on the whiskey, but on the status it brings. These people will buy the anniversary blends with the decorative bottles. To them, it is only a vehicle to achieve recognition, to collect the mental trophy, to gain status in the herd/pack/flock. Apparently you are one of them, otherwise you wouldn't be so fixated on this aspect...

Re:In brief

[Vellmont]

Maybe you're just doing it to impress yourself, about how great a connoisseur you are?

Re:In brief

[Anonymous Coward]

I only get ten minutes an hour with my head not down

And yet you still manage a whole bunch of /. comments a day, almost all of which suck.

Re:In brief

[zsau]

Why should wires that have been exposed to the sun be more expensive than ones that haven't been? I wouldn't've thought exposure to the sun would be particularly hard to achieve; and it would cost more to avoid it.

USB HD receiver

[gEvil (beta)]

I'm pretty sure there are plenty of USB HD receivers available here in the States. Maybe not that exact same model, but I've definitely seen some listed online. It seems like the biggest issue with them would be the size of the antenna, though.

Re:USB HD receiver

[Shatrat]

I know you can get an ATSC (digital TV, which I assume is what everyone is trying to say when they say HDTV in this context) USB tuner from Hauppage at any Radioshack for about 60 bucks.

I don't know if the chinese "HDTV broadcasts" are ATSC or some other similar standard but ATSC would be the only one useful here anyway.

Re:USB HD receiver

[chaim79]

http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/hybrid/product1.en.html If you have a Mac this one will do nicely, and for only $150.

Re:USB HD receiver

[Anonymous Coward]

Hm. The PCI Hauppage boards are quite a bit pricier than that, last I checked. Interesting...

Re:USB HD receiver

[nxtw]

The nicer ones should even support unencrypted digital cable (QAM) tuning. My ethernet-connected HDHomeRun does.

Re:USB HD receiver

[Jesus_666]

TFA probably means DMB-T/H, which is the Chinese standard. Everyone outside (North|South) America* and Japan would mean DVB-T, Japan and parts of South America would mean ISDB-T, North America and parts of South America would mean ATSC.

Isn't it nice how well nations can work together on television standards?


* Except for Argentina and Uruguay.

Re:USB HD receiver

[PPH]

Not just the antenna size, but the broadcast protocol. We use one different from China, Japan and Europe. So a gadget on the gray market may end up being a cool looking brick.

As far as size goes, once the obligatory DRM features are built into the USB dongle for the American market, it'll end up being a 2U rack sized box.

Re:USB HD receiver

[slapout]

If RS sells it for 60, then it must be like 40 everywhere else.

Re:USB HD receiver

[slimjim8094]

You are correct sir. I have a Pinnacle PCTV HD-Pro USB stick - slightly bigger than a flash drive, but with a coax connector on the end. Supports QAM and ATSC (up to 1080i broadcast), oh and NTSC.

Best $50 I ever spent - link - 60 with shipping, and on sale...

And I do mean HDTV - full 1280x800 resolution MPEG video files dumped to my disk, and 6-7GB/hr. If that's not HD, I want my disk space back.
Anyways, screw their 'epic gadgetsxxxx0rs that the US sux0rs cuz theys dont haz'. Now shut up and let me watch CSI in HD

How can we trust the article at all when it's wrong? Or am I just a newbie?

Re:USB HD receiver

[slimjim8094]

Loads of HDTV USB tuners - ATSC all of them, but records full HD when it's broadcast.

I think 'everyone' meant HDTV, or at least they should have.

TV on mobile phones in Japan

[Rakshasa Taisab]

What they forgot to mention about TV on those japanese phones is that the programming _sucks_...

Seriously, it's all game/talk-shows, news or sumo. Might as well do something else while sitting on the train in Tokyo, like watching the local girls or reading.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[ephesus]

I often thought the same thing while I was in Japan. It can't possibly be as bad as Korean television though, and I see people on the subways with TV on their phones constantly.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[mgblst]

Surely you can get the news, maybe even business news? The only worthwhile thing I can imagine watching while mobile.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[dwater]

I would assume they wouldn't ship with the same programming.

In any case, I have a similar view of programming in the US (with a couple of notable exceptions).

You have to go to Europe to get anything decent, but really you want vod, IMO.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, and it's better over in the US? ...and now back to crap like the 'The Biggest Loser'

Or the UK? ...and now for a rerun of yet another Stereotypical-Rural-British-Crime-Thriller show.

I may be oversimplifying but so are you.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[Hatta]

To be fair, Japanese game shows, tend to be a bit more awesome than their domestic counterparts.

Re:TV on mobile phones in Japan

[element-o.p.]

sed "s/sumo/reality tv" and you just described TV here in the States. Thank you, no.

Your alternatives to watching TV apply equally well in the U.S., too <grin>

Face Bank Rocks!

[YeeHaW_Jelte]

I really loved the face bank, basically a slab with eyes, nose and a mouth that opens the mouth if you hold a coin over it.

These should be imported into the states, so you Americans can learn your kids to start saving young ( saving = putting your own money in the bank and taking it out later when necessary, as opposed to what you are doing now, spending, which is taking money from the bank and putting it back in when you own it (never!)).

You know you're going to need it now you can't remortage your house anymore and the rest of the world is tired of keeping the dollar floating.

Re:Face Bank Rocks!

[esocid]

That thing was pretty creepy looking and reminded me of something from either the Labyrinth or the Dark Crystal that would bite your hand off for a $1. How many hookers do you know that will do that?

Re:Face Bank Rocks!

[Anonymous Coward]

These should be imported into the states, so you Americans can learn your kids to start saving young ( saving = putting your own money in the bank and taking it out later when necessary, as opposed to what you are doing now, spending, which is taking money from the bank and putting it back in when you own it (never!)).

Yeah, teach them to put their money in a bank savings account so they can get under three percent (savings account rates track fed funds rate) and get taxed on the interest at 25% (for an after-tax yield of 2%), all while inflation is at 4% (but only if you have to do crazy stuff like eat or travel). Meaning the money will buy them less simply by virtue of holding onto it in a bank savings account!

Real smart move there!

Oh, or better idea: put it all in stock index funds in a tax-free or tax-deferred account so you can't touch it until you're too old to enjoy life!

As much as I save, I can't quite justify to myself anymore how this is rational. Borrowing at 5.5% to buy a car that I'll get to pay back at a fixed rate in inflated dollars? Well, that starts to make sense...

Re:Face Bank Rocks!

[maxume]

Of course, somewhere more than half of Americans don't have any unsecured debt, and something like 80% of mortgage holders are doing just fine.

The current financial crisis in the United States is not an epidemic, it is happening at the margins. Since the margin is where most financial profits get made, it is having a big effect on Wall St., and the news is braying about it constantly, but the proper description of the US economy is that it is really good, just not as really good as it was 4 years ago. That means things are sucking for a lot of people, but even for those people, things aren't terrible(I certainly wouldn't want to walk away from a mortgage, but it is entirely survivable).

And if you are really pissed about the dollar, go back to 1995 and make the Chinese float the yuan.

Re:Face Bank Rocks!

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, just smear your hand with $1's worth of crack.

Re:Face Bank Rocks!

[somersault]

Well, putting the money in is easy enough, but you really don't want to know how you get it back..

Nothing impressive...

[PortHaven]

Really, I saw nothing that really stood out or impressed me.

Okay, the bank think was cute...but I think it'd be better if the eyes could also identify a coin and track it. And if it was like "feed me, feed me...oh oh...pretty puh-lease".

But 80% of what I saw, I'd seen equivalents before here in the U.S. (I swear Samsung makes a phone for Verizon that does both the top and side flip.)

The Remote Robot was cute...and somewhat useful.

But I really was disappointed.

Re:Nothing impressive...

[Anonymous Coward]

Verizon does sell a similar phone in design, however in terms of features i doubt it. From what the article said, it seemed like the screen was significantly larger and of better quality. The camera had more megapixels and it probably had faster wireless.

That's not to say what the battery or call clarity is like on either of them, however it does seem to be technically quite superior (though the US phone is about a year old, IIRC)

In verbose

[PlatyPaul]

There's the Panasonic Viera P905i,
the Raon Everun UMPC,
the Samsung 'Soul' SGH U900,
the NEC ValueStar W,
the Toshiba ApriPoko Robot,
the Sony VAIO G2,
the Fujitsu F705i,
the Aigo USB Dongle,
the NEC LUI,
and the Face Bank

(links provided only to direct sale points or official corporate pages)

And (as I'm sure someone else will point out) "not here" only holds for certain values of "here".

In all fairness...

[THESuperShawn]

The "coolest" gadget on the list (also basically the one thats not a phone) isn't "available" in Asia either- unless you work for the lab that is working on it. The IR learning robot "is nesting in Toshiba's research labs, awaiting its first solo flight". Heck, I bet we have some cool stuff nesting in our labs here that you can't buy in Asia yet either.

e-Cigarette

[eldavojohn]

There's a device I wanted my roommates to start using called an e-Cigarette and I tried looking for it here in the states but ended up having to order it from China either due to the fact that they have th patent or that someone here (conspiracy!) has it and choses not to manufacture it.

I'm shocked I hadn't heard of this before but I am really concerned for my roommates' lungs as they smoke almost a pack a day and they get very very upset when they don't have it. Plus they could probably smoke these in the house or in bars as they're just water vapor.

A great gadget that I haven't found here. Actually, I think this could save a lot of people money (cheaper) and improve their health and duration of life.

Re:e-Cigarette

[esocid]

Just look for a vaporizer. I'm sure you can use tobacco in them in addition to its main purpose. Although the ones I've used a a little big and not meant to be portable.

Re:e-Cigarette

[Sockatume]

The generic name for that gadget is a nicotine inhaler. They were reasonably successful over here in the UK in the 1990s (Nicroette still sell theirs) but they don't seem to bother marketing much now. Of course, it never looked much like a cigarette which is a drawback. You could disguise it in a cigar, I guess.

Re:e-Cigarette

[JavaPunk]

You can buy they exact same thing in the States. Its imported from China so it's probably the exact same device. They go by the brand NJoy http://njoy.com/ around here. It goes for about a hundred bucks. The site even has a calculator to find when you'll start saving money.

Re:e-Cigarette

[Joe Snipe]

did you see the link to http://safesmokes.net/ on the wiki page? free shipping in the states, even.

Re:e-Cigarette

[Anonymous Coward]

http://smartfixx.com/

Videos...

[Midnight Thunder]

A few videos courtesy of YouTube:

    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=facebank

Re:Videos...

[Anonymous Coward]

Holy communion, Batman!

Re:Videos...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmmm... I wonder what else I could stick in there.

Re:Videos...

[TheBig1]

That is freaky! Great way to give a kid nightmares, though...

Re:Videos...

[bar-agent]

That is freaky! Great way to give a kid nightmares, though...
Oh yes, it is wonderful how this thing makes saving money a traumatic experience. We all save far too much money anyway, and this is a great solution for kick-starting the ol' economy! :-/

Re:At least one is

[MadJo]

How is this 'informative'?
It's a link to one of this years Think Geek April Fools prank.
Did the moderators even look at the URL?

changed to: 10 Cool Gadgets You Don't Want to Have

[vilaca]

seriously... only that face bank is "kind of cool" but surely nothing i would buy...

Re:Face Bank ?- I had a different reaction

[way2trivial]

I was thinking for my kids- wow...

(then I recalled the cabbage patch kids that ate fingers)
however, it's available for 24.04 USD (not the fifty alluded to in the article)

Big Deal

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? I can't get crappy cell phones, small inconvenient laptops, or useless robot toys in this country? News to me. You know what I can get in this country? Articles that exist on a single page, and don't require ten clicks to read.

Bad submitter! Bad! Bad!

How about...

[Anonymous Coward]

Freedom of speech?

I mean actual, de facto, freedom to voice an opinion or idea and not only be free from government sanction but also from being buried in lawsuits by large multinational corps or PACs.

Re:changed to: 10 Cool Gadgets You Don't Want to H

[molex333]

Are you kidding? Who doesn't want a talking remote control? A robot that changes the channel for me is one of my wet dreams come true! Go Toshiba...make it mass producable!

Amiga 1000

[argent]

Remember the keyboard garage in the Amiga 1000?

USA vs OTHER COUNTRIES

[hlopez]

I find it odd that the US being the worlds largest economy and #1 consumer does not always get the latest products.
Here in Mexico, at least with Nextel PTT phones we are at least 2 years ahead with the offerings having access to semi decent phones while the Nextel USA handles only bricks that look like phones from the 90's.

Am I the only one who couldn't care less?

[Hojima]

Seriously, people are trying to combine as many gadgets as possible into tiny crap and sell them for huge prices. I want a cell phone that makes calls, and a laptop that meets all my business/media needs. I don't want it to double as an electric razor, drill, laser beam, grill, hand grenade etc... If I want to listen to music and play games, I'll do it at home. Who the hell listens to music and plays games 24/7 (i.e. "on the go")? Sounds like they need to get a damn job (at least one that requires more than a pulse to work). It must be the same douche-bags that dance for a living, or spoiled high school students that feel accomplished just owning crap, that buys this shit.

Re:Am I the only one who couldn't care less?

[famebait]

I want a cell phone that makes calls, and a laptop that meets all my business/media needs.

Then shop based on those needs, and leave us others who would prefer to carry only one gadget most of the time alone. Jesus.

Who the hell listens to music and plays games 24/7 (i.e. "on the go")?

Commuters, joggers, all the same people that made the original walkman a success. Yes, you can get
excellent standalone mp3-players. But if you are one of us who carry their phone anyway, the second your phone can do the same job adequately, it makes no sense at all to have another device to carry around and keep cgharged.

It is really very simple: calls are indeed the killer app, and that means the phone is always where you are. Your PC is not (I'm talking about normal people here). It makes all the sense in the world to cram everything you might need outside the office into it.

I Got One Of Those Face Banks

[Skeetskeetskeet]

I waved something else in front of it and now I'm stuck.....get some help please?

Say what?

[shadoelord]

They have a USB HDTV dongle listed as something "you can't have"... seriously, do these people get out to the stores much? There are at least 5 brands of USB HDTV dongles at my local fry's!

Would someone please inform them that these do _not_ "decode" HDTV; they are simply a silicon tuner, [ATSC|DVB|ISDB|] demodulators (qam, qpsk, 8vsb) slapped together with a usb interface. The PC does all the packet filtering, stream reconstruction, and finally video and audio decoding.

Re:Say what?

[faedle]

The Chinese device isn't just a simple tuner for conventional over-the-air broadcasts.

The Chinese government has built a micro-cellular style video distribution system on top of their conventional HDTV broadcast signals specifically designed for mobile reception. While the "receiver" mentioned is probably just a DSP (like you mention), it is not necessarily designed to receive conventional Chinese HDTV, but a special lower-power (and I assume higher frequency) broadcast designed for smaller screens.

Re:Say what?

[shadoelord]

Its still a tuner + demod! It conforms to the DTTB spec; Chinese Digital Television Terrestrial Broadcasting (DTTB) System Standard (GB20600-2006). A quick look at the LegendSilicon website shows that it decodes QAM signals as well as the core TDS-OFDM for DTTB - but no mater what, it outputs a MPEG2 Transport Stream for the "Device" to decode (be that a laptop, pmp, ultra portable, etc).

What ever the case, this device performs _exactly_ the same operations as an ATSC or DVB-H or DVB-S usb dongle; tune & demultiplex. These devices have been ready and on store shelves in the Americas and Europe for a while now, thus refuting the articles claim of "can't have!".

Re:Say what?

[faedle]

I agree that it is sloppy reporting.

However, you are missing the bigger point. It isn't _JUST_ a DTTB standard receiver. There's a whole network that China has installed to make it work.

Have you tried receiving ATSC signals while mobile? It sucks, mostly because the ATSC standard doesn't really handle multipath very well. The Chinese "mobile TV" system supposedly solves that problem by using low-power repeaters in a specific frequency band.

If it works, it is "cool", and something we don't have in the English-speaking world.

Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[lancejjj]

PC World has an article about 10 gadgets that are available in Asia but not here. It is a review of some quirky toys that the Japanese have and we don't! Just because the manufacturers have determined that American's don't want to buy some of their junky products doesn't mean that American's are missing out on "great stuff".

At the same time, the people in Asia don't have a lot of the junk sold in American stores. That's because a lot of American junk wouldn't be attractive to that market.

Remember why Chrysler was complaining that the Japanese were not importing American cars? I wonder if the Japanese thought they were missing out on something awesome, like that 1982 LeBarron.

Re:Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[somersault]

Uh.. does anyone import american cars? Okay you can get that new model Mustang, and I saw a big mahusive cadillac or something on Top Gear a few weeks ago.. but seriously, American cars tend to be like 20-50% bigger than our biggest cars, but you can get away with it because your roads are much wider. A lot of American cars handle like boats too, again because you have big wide roads, and all the intercity roads probably go in straight lines.. over here we have nice 'twisties' to negotiate.. there are motorways but even they don't just go in a straight line. I would probably fall asleep at the wheel if I had to drive across america.. :p

Re:Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[Kotukunui]

In New Zealand we have a few American models available.

Less of the "everyday" sedan types and more of the sporting/muscle models, utility vehicles and SUVs . Dodge Nitro and Jeep Cherokee are in showrooms.

Hummer gets a very small market here. Ford F series "utes" (pickups) can be purchased new.

The Chrysler 300 is on sale here, but I think it has a more of a European ancestry than US despite the name(?)

Some Ford Mustangs and even a few Corvettes.

In short, yes, some countries do import American cars (but all new ones have to be right-hand-drive).

Re:Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[somersault]

Well, I don't know about the roads in New Zealand, but if they're anything like the Australian ones then they will also be pretty wide and straight? You'd probably take up both sides of the road if you tried to drive a hummer in the UK..

Re:Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[geekoid]

You have American cars, there just not labeled as such.

Re:Article title: "Junk that America won't buy"

[somersault]

Well, I did realise afterwards that we have Fords, and you probably have the Focus in America, but I'm not sure about other models such as the Mondeo. What other cars are you referring to, though? I know for a fact that the Peugot, Citroen, BMW, Skoda, Seat, Volswagen, Vauxhaull, Fiat, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Aston Martin, etc cars that I see around here are not designed or built in America (though some of the companies may be owned by GM or whatever). If you drove on the roads here you'd really see a difference - I was quite shocked at the size of the roads when I went to Canada. And I basically didn't recognise any of the cars apart from a Pontiac GTO - it was a real shock to my system!

Re:changed to: 10 Cool Gadgets You Don't Want to H

[vilaca]

erm i don't... but then... i dont watch TV :)

Face bank can be ordered from Japan

[KNicolson]

Try Strapya. Round about US$24 plus $5 postage.

Clatto Verata Nicto

[cab15625]

Facebank needs a creepier face.

Re:Clatto Verata Nicto

[somersault]

I was wondering if they do a Sperm Bank version? Obviously it would sell better if it had a less creepy face..

That little robot dude is a great idea too :)

Where is 'here'?

[arizonagroovejet]

Where is 'here'? Is what you call 'here' where I call 'here'? Probably not. So how do you know what is available where I call 'here'?

Re:Where is 'here'?

[iBod]

Yep. Says it all really.

'Here' is wherever Taco is, presumably - otherwise he would have edited this dumb article intro appropriately.

Re:Where is 'here'?

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point, it's always bothered me all the stories about US politics that don't affect the rest of us (I do appreciate the stories that do), despite the significant international contingent. As for this article, however, there's more than one country that these products are exclusive to (ie, there's some Korea-only ones as well as some Japan-only ones), so no matter where you live, you can't get pick them up with your groceries on the weekend ;).

Re:Where is 'here'?

[somersault]

It's possible that he never passed that stage of mental development where you realise that we aren't all one hive mind collective consciousness type thingy. Self realisation? Something like that :p of course if you spend all your time on /. , maybe you revert to one of the hive

Hell my phone erroneously bills me

[gelfling]

Hundreds of dollars more than Sprint's plan. Every damn month. My phone must have extraterrestrial intelligence. Or a close personal relationship with Sprint's billing computers.

You see, in the US we're too busy fucking up basic customer service and being beholden to phone companies, the FCC and crappy near-Gray Box PC companies like Dell, who's latest and greatest innovation is to send me 2 different catalogs every week in the mail. Plus I bet we kick Japan's ass in the area of 1337 neon tubes inside our Gamerz PC's.

I put a dollar in facebank

[Anonymous Coward]

but it spat it out and was sick over the sideboard

eDictionaries in Europe/US please??

[LLKrisJ]

Does anybody know why those neat electronic translators by Sharp, Casio and some others http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/13/casio-electronic-dictionary-translator-talks-back-recognizes/ are never sold outside of Asia with some European language support??

This always surprised me. I can understand these devices can be useful in Korea and Japan but they are quite powerful, they often have some neat PDA functionality and by God, it would be nice to have a good alternative to the over priced and especially pants devices that companies like Franklin try to flog us...

Re:eDictionaries in Europe/US please??

[mgblst]

Because everybody speaks english, at least enough to get by. Also the reasons that Languages have not been popular in English speaking countries.

Re:eDictionaries in Europe/US please??

[LLKrisJ]

Because everybody speaks english I dare you to go to France, Spain, ... and test that hypothesis :-). This is not meant as an insult to said countries, but in general mastery of English leaves much to be desired in some parts of Europe. And regardless of that, some European languages are just nice to learn so a good alternative to heavy, semi-luggable paper versions of dictionaries might be nice whilst traveling across the old continent. I am Belgian myself btw...

Also the reasons that Languages have not been popular in English speaking countries If we follow that logic, we could just get rit of all languages all together... I honestly don't see a difference between the average Korean or Japanese guy needing a good e-Dictionary (or a westerner in Asia for that matter) and a European needing some help getting buy in another European country.

Re:eDictionaries in Europe/US please??

[mgblst]

I have been to France and Spain, in fact to all the countries of Europe. The French especially speak english, every school kid has 4 years at School. Very similar in Spain.

Now in France, it might help to identify yourself as an Australian (ie, not English). And it always helps to start of the conversation in French, everybody should know a few words.

And I am not talking about mastery, you can't have a fluent conversation with someone, but is that really the point of those dictionaries?

There is still a reason for those dictionaries, in helping people who are trying to learn, but just not that great, due to the dominance of English.

In fact, I have been in Spain, and met two guys talking to each other in English, one from Brazil the other from Germany. Not uncommon.

Re:eDictionaries in Europe/US please??

[LLKrisJ]

Well then you must live in a parallel universe...

It is highly common, even in business, to encounter French and Spanish _natives_ who don't speak English at all.

Being from the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, I'm also fluent in French and thank God for that, because you needn't go further then our capital Brussels to encounter French speakers that don't know Dutch nor English. Move a bit more south to France and it gets even worse.

The problem with these countries is that French, Spanish, ... are languages spoken by a lot more people than say, Dutch. People from these regions therefore often don't need to speak any other language than their own to get by.

Regardless, we're straying from the 'gadget' topic and the fact still remains that if eDictionaries can be useful to Asian people (and they are popular over there) then I still fail to see why other parts of the world don't have them as well.

But then again, the same can be said about high res camera phones, ultraportables, ... Why the hell aren't the same high tech devices we can find in Asia released over here?? Why this constant bias when it comes to gadgets??

It's time

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, welcome our Asian overlords from the future.

Can't get where?

[funkboy]

Where is "here"? Online?

Re:Can't get where?

[somersault]

You mean you're not here too?

Who Cares About the Face Bank....

[penguin_dance]

I used to have a Creepy Hand Bank! :-)

you can also get

[jaimz22]

You can get bird flu in Asia also! it's all the rage!

Printer Friendly Link

[TubeSteak]

Printer friendly: http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,144127/printable.html

Just because they don't show you a printer friendly link doesn't mean it isn't there.

Re:Printer Friendly Link

[Anonymous Coward]

Woah, I looked and looked for the "print" link, but like you said, it wasn't there! Unfortunately I didn't see your post until after I read TFA (serves me right to RTFA).

Did you just take a guess and change the name to printable.html, or did you find it some other way?

Re:Printer Friendly Link

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank You

Re:Printer Friendly Link

[Anonymous Coward]

I went to another article and looked for the print link, then swapped the article ID number in.

http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,144127/printable.html
Change that bold number and you get a different article

For large websites, the printer link is generated on the backend, without any extra effort.
They aren't going to take the time to disable it on an article by article basis, even though they should.

Living in Ireland

[PinkyDead]

There is an alternative list: The 10 Cool Gadgets you can get here (maybe).

I just don't get this shipping restriction nonsense - either you want to sell your products or you don't.

wth is here?

[Anonymous Coward]

What do you mean "not available *here*".. where the hell is *here*. I'm guessing you mean the US/North America... but please: there are other places besides America..... no really... there are... some of the *other places* are where all your technology is made. Some of the *other places* are where most of the readers of slashdot come from. Would it really have taken more effort to write "not available in the US"... just 5 key presses more!

Re:wth is here?

[Anonymous Coward]

And you could recoup those 5 key presses by omitting the word "like" from that last sentence. It looks as though my 13-year old niece was the submitter. Except she is not lazy enough to type "30x" instead of "thirty times".

Slashdot - News for kids. Stuff that, like, matters. Y'know.

Re:wth is here?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a us oriented website so get over it. You guys are so quick to point out that there is more countries out there but forget an american web site when you see one. see the faq.

stupid in-your-face ads

[Tom]

Warning: TFA uses aggressive advertisement including pop-in ads that block your view of the article itself until you close them away. And that's despite both AdBlocker and Fasterfox's flashblocker.

That means I only looked at one page of it, and only very briefly.

What kind of fuckup comes up with the idea of getting in the way of what your audience wants so that you can feed them something they don't?

Re:stupid in-your-face ads

[fotbr]

Someone with a degree in marketing.

That said, I had no problems with ads on the site. (FF2 & Adblock Plus on Vista)

That's strange

[Lumpy]

I better tell my daughter that her U900 does not exist.

I bought her one and had it imported from a ebay seller last month. it works great on AT&T/Cingular/AT&T/Cingular/AT&T/.... as it's a quad band GSM phone and defaulted to english out of the box.

It IS available here in the USA, you just got to find it and buy it. No you will not find one at your local costco or phone store, but then none of the good phones are ever available at a store.

Re:That's strange

[arth1]

Lumpy (12016) wrote:

I better tell my daughter that her U900 does not exist.

I bought her one and had it imported from a ebay seller last month. it works great on AT&T/Cingular/AT&T/Cingular/AT&T/.... as it's a quad band GSM phone and defaulted to english out of the box.

You need to qualify that "U900" with producer, i.e. "Samsung U900", especially now with the new (ptui!) fancy (spit!) interface which prevents people from easily seeing what the parent post said.

This is Slashdot, and the stereotypical reader will assume, upon reading your post about buying a U900 phone, assume you meant the Grundig U900 -- a Linux phone.

Black Black

[evilninjax]

or do we have Caffeinated gum yet? And the commercial is priceless!

http://www.japander.com/japander/vandamme.htm

Re:Black Black

[Jesus_666]

or do we have Caffeinated gum yet?

No, we do not.

Nagilum Bank

[MaWeiTao]

Is it me or does that Face Bank look like Nagilum.

Not available "here"?

[skraps]

Not available "here"? As in "the internet"?

no no no

[commodoresloat]

It should be "I can has iphone?"

30-page click-thrus are not obnoxious

[kindbud]

Unfortunately it's one of those obnoxious stories that you have to click like 30x to read the whole thing...

They're not obnoxious, nobody on /. gives a shit, they'll click through anyway. They way to get 30-page click-thrus to go away is not to apologize for them, but to stop posting them on fucking Slashdot! Until then, YOUR the obnoxious one for posting the link to it in the first place, jackass!

Re:30-page click-thrus are not obnoxious

[avandesande]

Why are you giving this guy crap? Nothing better than a story with a good excuse to not RTFA.

Water Coma

[dunc78]

You may be surprised with how many of those phones may have only been in a water coma. I mistakenly went swimming with my cell phone in my pocket and after a few days of drying, everything worked fine. The screen stayed a little foggy for a while, but that was just an inconvenience.

Re:Water Coma

[ATMD]

Indeed. In my experience with getting water on electronics, they go a bit funny for a while, but then they go back to normal once they dry out thoroughly. I guess how long that takes depends on how complex they are and how many internal nooks and crannies they have.

Wine on the other hand, or anything else that leaves a sticky residue, will kill things stone dead.

Re:Water Coma

[wanderingknight]

Wine on the other hand, or anything else that leaves a sticky residue, will kill things stone dead. Yep, I remember dropping a glass on my dad's keyboard when I was a kid, and that was the night right before the day he was going to give me money to buy a new one for me.

No new keyboard for me :(

Re:Water Coma

[petermgreen]

Wine on the other hand, or anything else that leaves a sticky residue, will kill things stone dead.
The first thing to do when any water based liquid gets on electronics is remove power (generally by removing the battery).

The second thing to do if the liquid wasn't plain water is to thouroughly rinse with water. Plain tap water (distilled water would be better still but is rarely handy and time is of the essense) is far less damaging than many water based soloutions.

the third thing to do is to thouroughly dry the device. If possible dismantle it. Water stuck in nooks and crannies is bad because it can cause disrpution.

Two NES phones that you can't get in the USA -

[VitrosChemistryAnaly]

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/nes-slider/gionee-nes-phone-lets-you-stomp-goombas-on-the-go-268486.php

http://www.gadgets-weblog.com/50226711/lenovo_phone_sports_nes_emulator.php

Why, oh why can't I get these in the US? I would love a phone that is a *good* NES emulator.

Anyone know the best routes to get this stuff in the US?

Re:Two NES phones that you can't get in the USA -

[Jesus_666]

Still not ideal. Neither phone has a slot for original NES cartridges.

Re:Two NES phones that you can't get in the USA -

[damn_registrars]

Why, oh why can't I get these in the US? I would love a phone that is a *good* NES emulator.
IANAL (of course), but my guess would be that certain other countries - not to name names - tend to exhibit much less concern for copyright protection than here in the US.

Which can mean that those certain other countries will sometimes have access to these nefarious products that we may never see on this side of the pond.

Baltimore Lingo

[dunc78]

You must be from Baltimore, the place where "think" has become the official substitute for "thing".

Waterproof phone

[Anonymous Coward]

Verizon Wireless has waterproof phones. Look for the G'zOne phone. It's not very pretty, and it definitely ain't small, but it's waterproof and very tough to break. We get them for our maintenance people and they haven't managed to break one yet. YET.

Amazing!

[Jesus_666]

A slide-open cellphone! An UMPC! A DVB-T USB dongle! And a set of devices designed to be used together!

Asia truly lives in the future!


Admittedly, the robot remote is somewhat cool, albeit impractical, but the rest of the stuff is pretty weak.

Idea shortage

[Animats]

At the last CES, the general reaction was that there was nothing new and exciting. The combination MP3 player/Taser got some press, but that was about it.

This list looks similar. There's nothing really exciting there. A few new cell phone variants, Sony's answer to the Mac Air, and a piggy bank. (Even the piggy bank isn't original; I've seen cheezy things like that sold for a few dollars in drugstores.)

We're not seeing a laptop that can run for a week on its fuel cell, or a Roomba-like cleaning robot smart enough to deal with corners, or even something as original as the Wii.

girls

[Dr. Cody]

Might as well do something else while sitting on the train in Tokyo, like watching the local girls

Oh, believe me, they've got gadgets for that...

Pink Pink

[Jhan]

Myself, I like porcinated gum.

Big Pink! It's the only gum with the breath-freshening power of ham.

And it pinkens your teeth while you chew!

Most smart phones have NES emulation available

[Anonymous Coward]

Any java-capable phone that's fast enough will do the trick. I currently enjoy perfectly-emulated SMB on my Moto Q, for example . . .

supposed to be phaser bank

[ionymous]

Japanese product manager:
"Aww.. yes. We muss make moes sophisticated item.
Item fwom fewcha!
We make item fwom Sta Twek!
Like faysa bank! Yes! We make faysa bank!"

Japanese-American product engineer:
"Face bank? Hmmm... ok... no problem."

sigh...

[Simulant]

Because it's not like every /. reader doesn't already have about 5 gadget sites bookmarked.

In China..

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a laptop! No, it's an HDTV! Actually, it's both--thanks to Aigo's USB Dongle, which uses Legend Silicon's LGS-8GL5 chip set to receive and decode high-definition TV broadcasts on the go

In China, only old people watch tv on a tv.

Robot accepts commands...

[Anonymous Coward]

User: But I want to watch World Cup Soccer

ApriPoko: I am sorry Dave, I can't let you do that.

media pc - cost effective?

[ArcadeX]

The Vista Media Center PC wraps a liquid-cooled hard drive in sound-absorbing material to produce ambient noise of just 25 to 30 dB--quieter than a nearby human whisper--so you can hear the movie, not the machine. Couldn't you just get a SSD?

Sigh

[jdb2]

For a while I've been looking for a gadget that integrates cell-phone/pda/computer/web/internet/mp3-player functionality. I thought I had found it with the iPhone but not so. The iPhone's idiotic lack of Flash and Java renders it useless to me as almost all the sites I frequent require Flash and my most visited sites require Java. Add to that a closed and proprietary software architecture and you've got yourself an iBrick. I've thought about purchasing a Linux based Nokia n810 but again it suffers from a dismal web browsing experience. So, the only option left is an ultra tiny sub-notebook ala oqo . Unfortunately, not only are these unavailable in the United States but they cost a sh*tload -- we're talking upwards of $3600. Something tells me they don't cost that much in Japan. Man I wish I had one of these:

http://www.dynamism.com/ux/gallery.shtml

Nuke vista and install your favorite Linux distribution and you've got yourself the holy grail of technology convergence.

jdb2

Re:No waterproof phone ?

[zmollusc]

i had one of these http://www.gsmarena.com/ericsson_r310s-200.php a good few years ago. Never submerged it, but i did drop it 12 foot onto concrete with no harm done (by contrast, the nokias i had previously broke the display if dropped 3 feet) . If its water resistance is as good as its shock resistance it should be pretty good.

"Made in the USA" extinct here?!

[Dogtanian]

Uh.. does anyone import american cars? When was the last time you (in the UK) bought or saw a product made in the US? Seriously, you hardly ever see anything marked "Made in the USA" or "Made in the United States" here these days

I remember thinking about this a while back and the only things I owned (that I could think of) physically made in the US were my disposable contact lenses and after shave(!) And now I notice that my latest pack of lenses (exact same brand/type) and the replacement bottle of aftershave (same type) are made in Ireland and Switzerland respectively.

That's not to say that there isn't a lot of American IP- for example, I'm typing this on Windows (inbetween faffing around with ndiswrapper on Linux, mind you!) and most films come from the US?

But actual manufactured goods? Nope. Most of the stuff you see on sale in the UK is either made in the EU or South-East Asia- especially China.

There may be a few US-made cars (as Somersault implies) sold here, but I can't think of any major sellers- possibly some of the "American" SUVs, I don't know, but certainly not the best-selling cars. (Plenty of American-owned companies though, like Ford, Vauxhall (AKA Opel, owned by GM) and Chevrolet (also owned by GM, until recently a niche brand here, now used on the cars which used to be badged as Daewoo(!))

Of course, this isn't necessarily as damning as it sounds- countries within the EU have an advantage when it comes to manufacture for the European market. So I'd assume that US-made goods were- for similar reasons- far more common in (e.g.) NAFTA countries. Also, as Somersault says, the US and European car markets are very different and I couldn't see a European-oriented model being made in the U.S. primarily for export; it's just not practical.

On the other hand, there are plenty of other areas where the EU and US markets are more similar, but we still don't see US-manufactured goods. IP yes, physical stuff no.

MOD PARENT UP

[sys_mast]

correct there are USB HD receivers in the states. perhaps not this model number but there are. Article is lame. most of the items are cell phones but at least they have 1 or 2 features which make them neat.

The Thumb is coming

[Iamthecheese]

You're not looking at the big picture: Sure, now it does stuff you don't care about, but when it links up to your eyeball HUD, does your commerse for you, points out really hot babes you may have missed (and, optionally takes pictures for later review), tells you the name of that guy in Marketing, and helps you with your French, you'll never want to be without it.

Where's here?

[qmaqdk]

I wasn't aware that there were any cool toys on /.

Close...

[PortHaven]

It's amazing, I never had this problem until about 2 yrs ago. You see, I used to live in Connecticut. But then I got married and moved down to York, Pennsylvania area. If you know where that is, you will realize it's like 25 minutes north of the Baltimore area. Ever since moving I've noticed a trend where my "g's" turn into "k's".

It must be somethink in the water that makes one tawk this way. ;)