Hasta La Gadget!

The Land of the Rising Sun has had its first taste of the Amazon Appstore for Android, which means that its customers based in Japanese (and who are able to read Japanese in that part of the world, of course) are now able to gain access to a slew of apps as well as games on their Android-powered device – be it smartphones or tablets. Today’s announcement would deliver features such as localized content and a localized mobile store, the hugely popular Amazon Appstore features like the “Free App of the Day”, and the ability to purchase an app or game just once, followed by enjoying it across a variety of Android-powered devices including Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets.

Not only that, Amazon marches onward, developing a valuable marketplace so that developers are able to build, market and monetize apps and games, while offering access to the Amazon Web Service platform, in addition to new audience engagement features alongside GameCircle APIs, awareness-building programs like Free App of the Day, and In-App Purchasing and Subscriptions.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus 4 Backorder Stretches To 2013, Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Available For Purchase From November 29 Onward,

The fastest train in America, the Amtrak Acela line running from Boston and DC tops out at 110MPH. Sure, that’s way faster than taking a Greyhound, but pathetically pokey compared to the 311MPH bullet of the Mag-Lev train currently being developed by Japan’s JR Tokai. More »

We’ve seen our fair share of out-there Japan TV programming — and that looks likely to increase. YouTube has struck a deal with 13 companies that will add original shows and videos to the constantly-growing Japanese library, new videos promised daily. There’s a pretty broad array of partners, with a slight focus on comedy and pop-culture, which should mean a shorter language hurdle for us occasional global viewers. Into high-speed trains? There’s a whole channel dedicated to the Land of the Rising Sun’s unsung tech export. We’ve got Catherine The Thirteenth (computer-generated chat show host, obviously) discussing the convenience of iPads after the break, but if we had a say in future channels, it’d throw in more mechanized beetle tanks and robot hotplate chefs.

Continue reading YouTube Japan adds new ‘original content’ channels: trains, horror and drawing on faces

Filed under: Internet, HD, Google

Comments

Source: YouTube Japan Blog (translated)

One thing’s for sure – nuclear power plants are not exactly the safest place in the world to be, never mind that it delivers far more energy to the world compared to traditional methods, although there is the issue of disposing of nuclear waste in a clean and efficient manner. After all, all of that garbage will still need to go somewhere, right? Well, the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March last year still lingers on in the memories of many, where entire towns were leveled, and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc. was crippled, resulting in it being a radiation hazard to the general public. It was rather ironic that Japan had to enlist the help of robots from the US in order to help in the clean up, which is why the Japanese decided it would be best to come up with home grown robots just in case something similar (keep your fingers crossed that it doesn’t) happens sometime down the road. Toshiba has come up with a version of a four-legged robot that will help out in nuclear plants.

This particular Toshiba robot will see action for surveillance as well as recovery operations in areas where it is not deemed safe for humans to work. Boasting a camera and a dosemeter among other hardware specifications, this Toshiba robot can be remotely controlled in order to check on the state of power plant’s innards, especially in areas where the radiation levels are way too high for a human to venture into safely, lest he or she turns into a green rage monster – or something.

Sporting an algorithm which Toshiba came up with in order to control the robot so that it can walk on an irregular ground or steps alongside its multi-jointed structure, this particular puppy is capable of getting up and about on all four legs, all the while avoiding obstacles in addition to navigating through stairs without missing a beat – in both directions. This would allow it to operate in areas where wheeled and crawler-type robots are unable to work in.

Toshiba is also kind enough to throw in a tiny vehicle which can be hooked up to the four legged robot with a cable, where this add-on will be tasked with snapping photos of the facilities around, various equipment and pipes that are located at the ends of narrow paths and behind structures. Toshiba intends to continue developmental work of the robot so that it can be more utilitarian, installing shields, stopping water leakage, as well as taking out obstacles.

Source
[ Toshiba 4-legged robot to venture into nuclear power plants copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

As manic as LTE adoption has been in the US, it could be triggering a full-fledged generational rift in Japan. NTT is cutting prices for fiber-to-the-home internet access by as much as 34 percent in the midst of falling landline subscriptions, and Australia’s Delimiter hears from unofficial sources at the provider that the cuts may be in response to youth being enamored with 4G on their phones. The tipsters believe that many of the younger set are picking one expensive LTE plan, even with data caps, instead of paying for two services; a price drop would be an attempt to keep at least a few of these wireless rebels onboard. Take the assertions with a grain of salt when there’s no official statements to match, but there’s no doubt that 4G demand is booming when NTT’s own DoCoMo just landed its 7 millionth Xi contract. We only wish American wired and wireless carriers would be so accommodating of our temptation to cut the cord.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Networking, Internet, Mobile

Comments

Via: GigaOM

Source: NTT West (translated), Delimiter