Hasta La Gadget!

Thermos audio wasn’t the only idea Sony Japan introduced this week; there’s also the company’s glossy new speaker docks, the NAS-V5 and NAS-V7M, whose intense reflection make us remember that time mom told us never to stare at the sun. Unfortunately, NAS doesn’t stand for Network Attached Storage here, but the ¥50,000 (about $535) NAS-V7M does have 16GB of internal memory onto which you can rip audio CDs with a single touch, and both it and the ¥40,000 ($428) NAS-V5 have internal WiFi that’ll have your Japanese counterparts pumping internet radio jingles from Shoutcast, vTuner, your PC and anything else with a compatible wireless audio stream when they hit Akihabara on June 26. They both feature 32-bit DSPs for what we can only guess will be crisp, clean audio quality, have all the standard AM-FM radio features you’ve come to expect, and include an AUX jack and a powered USB port. Oh, and lest we forget amidst all the bedside table aural goodness — they’re also Walkman docks. Hear a deep, soothing Japanese voice explain why you need one, after the break.

Continue reading Stylish Sony Walkman docks sport WiFi radio, ludicrous sheen

Stylish Sony Walkman docks sport WiFi radio, ludicrous sheen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on March 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

With the release of Firefox 3 Beta 4 the other day it is good to see how many extension developers have been providing updates to prepare the launch of the Firefox 3 browser. The extensions that need the most love and care are those that deal with bookmarks, and that’s because the backend of the bookmarking system in Firefox 3 has been significantly changed.

One of the extensions that I’ve been waiting the longest for is Foxmarks (review). It’s useful because it runs in the background of Firefox, and it will synchronize your bookmarks with a remote server. That way you can access your bookmarks from any computer, or sync them with other Firefox installations. And they have a mobile interface for quick access even on your cellphone or PDA.

Foxmarks is currently testing a version of the extension that is compatible with the pre-release versions of the Firefox 3 browser, but there’s a catch. You have to sign up to be part of the Beta program (must be a registered user), and according to them there is a list of people waiting to get in. If you do sign up to be part of the Beta program be prepared to submit any bugs that you find.

And as their blog points out testers may find that there are issues while using the extension:

There hasn’t been a single report of Foxmarks crashing Firefox beta 4 yet; that version was only released yesterday, but we’ve been impressed by how the quality of Firefox keeps marching forward with each release. Beta 4 may well be stable enough for general use with Foxmarks. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

There are also reports of occasional performance problems — sometimes sync under Firefox 3 is really fast, and sometimes it’s quite slow. Surprisingly, this variability occurs on the same computer with the same bookmarks within the same session. We’re not sure what might account for the difference yet, but we’re looking into it.

So if you feel like living on the bleeding edge there’s no better combination than downloading Firefox 3 Beta 4, and then signing up to be part of the Foxmarks Beta program.

Foxmarks Beta
Kudos to Leland for the heads up!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer Compatible with Firefox 3Foxmarks 2.0 – Faster Syncing and Favicon SupportFoxmarks Coming to Internet ExplorerFoxmarks Introduces Sync ProfilesSpace Saving Extension for Firefox Bookmark Toolbar Users

When we were scouting the FABEX 2010 trade show for food and drink developments we came across these new bento boxes (お弁当, or “lunchbox”). Debuted at the fair as part of the “Stylish Eco”, the One-Ori Hard from Acta is an eco product that also pays real lip service to design too.

Although the name might not slip off the tongue in English, the One-Ori Hard (ワン折りハード, “ori” means “fold”) comes in a range of funky colors and have three parts: a silicone lid (fully flexible depending on the model), a fold-up outer box, and a throw-away middle tray.

Once you’re done you just get rid of the tray, collapse the other parts and slip them into your bag. Throwing things away might not sound very eco but actually the materials are 40% lighter than typical bento box plastic.

The Acta staff told me that the company is currently starting negotiations with bento shops to form return systems using the One-Ori Hard. Obviously if you already have your own bento box it will likely be fully re-usable (and thus, totally “eco”). The issue is tackling the mountains of waste generated by the plastic disposable bento boxes from convenience stores and bento shops.

Acta’s attitude is great: rather than just focusing on ecology they created a product that looks fun too. Available in several colors, this is the kind of lifestyle accessory that you could definitely see people in Tokyo liking.

There’s a running joke in the office about my addiction to Calorie Mate. It’s true, I do love it and could happily munch on the biscuit bars all day. Michael and the rest of the team laugh at me, declaring the food to be dry, flavor-less — and just weird.

For those who don’t know, Calorie Mate is one of those bestselling “balance foods”: you eat it to fill a hole but it is also meant to be good for your nutritional intake. The back of the packs piled on my desk state proudly that each contains fiber, minerals (multiple kinds!) and each bar is only 100kcal. There are currently five flavors in the range (potato, cheese, fruit, chocolate and maple chip) and, despite the taunts of my colleagues, I think each has its own unique merits.

Interesting, a very similarly packaged, slightly deceptively named Calorie Plus product has also come onto the market, and I can testify that the cheese flavor is even better than Calorie Mate’s!

We’ve previously highlighted great instances of minimalist packaging in FMCG and Calorie Mate is another strong example. The box is blandly but boldly colored (yellow), and then cluttered yellow, pseudo-Jinglish science speak under a Fifties-style brand logo. Typographers and font-lovers no doubt hate it but it achieves an instant recognition level that is critic-proof. A friend of mine once likened to “space food”. Well, if astronauts are eating this then get me in a shuttle ASAP.

However, the advertising for the product is a different beast. Its makers, Otsuka, have their tongues in their cheeks, especially with the most recent flavor, maple. Since this one was clearly aimed at younger female consumers, in the ads they utilized a beautiful, famous model (Karina), contrasted with a rather round gentleman in a yellow suit (played by Yoshiyoshi Arakawa).

That same “Yellow Man” is now starring in a new online and TV campaign. Users can log onto Yellow Man 2010 and put in their worries in the Rescue Me, Yellow Man (”助けて! イエローマン”) “consultation corner”. The Yellow Man answers back with friendly messages. See below for the jolly, though slightly ambiguous, pick-me-up he gave me when I asked him about fat (”Well, it’s like eating blind, isn’t it?”). You can tweet his messages and the whole site is live until the end of March next year.

iPhone OS 4.0 spotlight lets you directly search web, Wikipedia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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