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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.

18 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Winner: Roboremote turtle. Loser: Bank with face by andphi · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

  2. In brief by wombatmobile · · Score: 5, Informative

    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?

    1. Re:In brief by IBBoard · · Score: 5, Informative

      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?

    2. Re:In brief by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

      --
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    3. Re:In brief by ccguy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or, with product names:
      The things one has to do to get a +5...
  3. Re:Face Bank ? by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  4. TV on mobile phones in Japan by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    --
    - These characters were randomly selected.
  5. Re:Face Bank ? by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  6. In all fairness... by THESuperShawn · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

    --
    Repant. Thy end is sheer.
  7. e-Cigarette by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  8. Videos... by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 4, Informative

    A few videos courtesy of YouTube:

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

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    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  9. Re:Face Bank ? by cecille · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    --
    ...no two people are not on fire.
  10. Re:Face Bank ? by FSWKU · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    One too many sub-prime loans for you, eh?
    --
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  11. Re:But.... by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Funny

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

    Sheesh, you must be new here...
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    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  12. I Got One Of Those Face Banks by Skeetskeetskeet · · Score: 5, Funny

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

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  13. Re:Click 30 Times? by gnick · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  14. Re:Face Bank ? by Drewmeister · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

  15. Printer Friendly Link by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

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