Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, it’s possible to get remote access to home theater devices through raw methods like a Slingbox, but KDDI has a slightly more elegant solution for those living in Japan. Its tiny Remote TV box puts a Blu-ray DVR on the local WiFi network to both schedule recordings while away and stream the video itself. Locals can watch from a Mac, Windows PC or Android device, although they’ll be limited to 480p when they’re outside of the home. iOS support is coming soon, the carrier says. KDDI ships the device on February 23rd for an estimated ¥19,800 ($213) and is keen to note that it doesn’t require a subscription — it sees Remote TV more as an incentive to splurge on smartphone data, which just might work for commuters wanting to catch up on their shows.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: Engadget Japanese (translated)

Source: KDDI (translated)

KDDI’s funky au Infobar is back! Once again designed by the famed Naoto Fukasawa, this A02 — co-developed by HTC — brings the series up to date with Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 (but with just 1GB of RAM), 4.7-inch 720p display, 16GB of storage, microSD slot, 2,100mAh battery, LTE radio (800/1500) and Android 4.1. Better yet, this phone also supports both CDMA2000 800/2100 and WCDMA 850/1900/2100, making it a great global phone. Judging by one of the demo clips after the break, it seems that this Infobar’s 8-megapixel main imager (with F2.0 lens) and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera take advantage of HTC’s ImageSense chip for speedy burst shots. Likewise, you’ll find Beats Audio built into the system. As per typical Japanese mobile phone, the usual NFC (with Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet), 1seg TV tuner and infrared are also packed inside the 9.7mm-thick, 147g-heavy waterproof (IPX5 and IPX7) and dustproof (IP5X) body.

We’re already fans of the iconic nishikigoi (meaning “brocaded carp”) color scheme as pictured above, but what really caught our attention this time are the fluid animations and uniqueness of the “iida UI” 2.0 (iida stands for “innovation,” “imagination,” “design” and “art”) by interactive designer Yugo Nakamura. As you’ll see in the video clips after the break, the home screen here shares some similarities with Windows Phone 8’s counterpart — in the way items snap to grid and resize, even though the former is enhanced by plenty of bouncy animation, more colors and funny sounds (designed by Japanese musician Cornelius). Expect this A02 — which is also available in blue or gray — to hit the Japanese market in mid-February.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Via: Engadget Japanese

Source: KDDI (Japanese)

It is now official, Sharp gorgeous Aquos PAS SHT21, a 7″ (1280×800) Android 4.0 LTE Waterproof Smartphone featuring Sharp stunning IGZO screen and a 1.5GHZ Dual Core CPU will ne put on sell this Friday 7th December in Japan through any KDDI Store

What a difference a display makes: in the case of KDDI’s AQUOS PAD SHT21, announced yesterday, it’s the promise of more than double the runtime simply by switching to Sharp’s IGZO panel technology. The new LCD screen system – which plays with chemistry to make pixels smaller and thus reduce backlighting demands – has shown up on its second device for the Japanese market, so we wasted no time in checking out the new 7-inch Android tablet. Check out our hands-on video and some first impressions after the cut.

In terms of basic specifications, the AQUOS TAB SHT21 doesn’t stray too far from the Android crowd. Running Ice Cream Sandwich on Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dualcore MSM8960 processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, the Sharp-made tablet includes 4G LTE, WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, and 1-Seg digital TV – exactly what you’d expect for a new slate in the Japanese market.

However, it’s the IGZO screen that’s the real talking point here. Most of the time, it looks just like a regular LCD IPS panel, only it’s sipping roughly half the power. Crank up the brightness, however, and it’s significantly brighter at its maximum than a traditional tablet; we weren’t able to take the SHT21 outdoors, but from what we’ve seen we’ve little doubt that you could comfortably use it without having to shade the screen in strong sunlight.

In the hand, it’s easier to hold than our other Japanese Android tablet of preference, the NEC Medias Tab UL, and the digital stylus works well for navigation and sketching. Android 4.0 runs smoothly, even with KDDI’s customizations, and overall it’s slim and lightweight. KDDI is yet to confirm pricing, though we know the SHT21 will hit shelves in December.

With battery technology proving to be the laggard in today’s digital arms race, technologies like IGZO are becoming increasingly important to squeeze runtime out of devices without weighing them down. So far nobody at Sharp is saying when IGZO panels will show up on devices outside of Japan, but we’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later.

Sharp AQUOS TAB SHT21 with IGZO screen hands-on is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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We were intrigued by Sony’s Xperia V back at IFA, but deals with specific carriers haven’t been very forthcoming. Japan’s KDDI is covering that gap by pledging to carry Sony’s mid-size Android 4.0 phone as the Xperia VL. Everything we know and (mostly) love about the dust- and water-resistant phone is intact, including that thin sensor-on-lens 720p display, the 13-megapixel camera, the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, NFC and LTE-based 4G. The one question remaining is a definitive release date: Sony will only promise an Xperia VL launch before the end of the year, although there’s talk at Impress Watch of a release on November 2nd for ¥30,000 ($381) after carrier discounts. Let’s hope for the company’s sake that other carriers sign up for the V and VL sooner rather than later.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

Sony Xperia VL brings dash of toughened-up LTE to Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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