Hasta La Gadget!

CScout Japan CEO Sven Kilian is featured in the latest edition of JapanMarkt, the magazine of the German Chamber of Commerce. As this is the Consumer Trends 2009 edition, Sven discusses the marketplace and CScout’s concept of Innovation Lab Japan, our view on Japan’s unique talents for creative destruction and innovation.

The interview is available only in German in the print edition, of which we highly suggest getting a subscription if you’re interested in the Japanese marketplace. You can find a 2007 JAPANMARKT interview with Sven here as well.

Check it, OC’ing freaks — ASUS is apparently planning to debut a new concept motherboard at CeBIT, the aptly titled Marine Cool. The high-end mobo is said to be “unlike any other motherboard on the market,” with the all new backplate being the showstopping feature. It’s said that the backplate features a “micro-porous ceramic” technology, which delivers quicker heat dissipation than existing alternatives. If you’re still scratching your head in a seemingly futile attempt to figure out why this matters, the new cooling tech should allow for components to handle even more extreme overclocking without having to hook up some sort of liquid nitrogen rig. One curious aspect was the decision to include dual SO-DIMM slots in place of traditional desktop-grade DIMM slots, though we don’t suspect that’ll be a deal breaker for those willing to accept sacrifices for maximum cooling. As is always the case with ASUS, there’s no indication of a price or eventual commercialization date, but hopefully we’ll get more from the show floor in Hannover.

[Via HotHardware, thanks JC]

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

ASUS to showcase Marine Cool concept motherboard at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a touch early to truly understand what’s going on here, but it looks as if iriver Japan (read: not the same iriver Korea you’re used to) is hoping to make a splash in the burgeoning e-reader market by popping out a device of its own. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much innovation going on, as we’re pretty certain this is simply a rebadged version of the Netronix reader we spotted about this time last year. Word has it that the unit will handle PDFs and feature a simple joystick control scheme, an SD card slot and compatibility with music files. We’ll be keeping a close eye out for any developments, but our gut tells us this thing won’t make it far outside of Japan’s walls, anyway.

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

iriver Japan looking to brand its own e-reader? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not exactly making plans yet, but word on the street is that Apple’s planning a March 24 desktop hardware event. Both World of Apple (which has a decent track record) and a site called My Apple Guide (which we’ve never heard of but apparently has a “rough” prediction history) say the event’s on the books, and considering the age of the iMac and Mac mini and the uptick in rumors lately, it’s certainly plausible. We’ll wait until we get an official invite before we start making bold predictions, but we’re definitely hoping for a mini with at least 25 USB ports housed inside an old Disk ][.

[Thanks, iB3nji]

Read – World of Apple
Read – My Apple Guide

Filed under: Desktops

Apple planning a March 24 event? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cool Hunting: One of the more practical items coming out of the Stockholm Furniture Fair is a new coat hanger and coat hook from Nicola From Bern. The powder-coated steel hanger works with any conventional towel rails and can be used as a hanger or flipped over and turned into a hook. This double function brings along a flexible use of the object—it can be used as a wardrobe even in narrow doorways.

Nicola From Bern: Coat Hanger [Cool Hunting]