Hasta La Gadget!

Everywhere you go in Japan there are vending machines. Whether you’re in a Buddhist monastery or a botanical garden you’re never far from a cold bottle of Pocari Sweat or Gokuri Apple. Soon Japanese drivers will never be far from a place to charge their EV, either. Forking Company, which oversees 1.2 million vending machines across Japan, is going to start working with Panasonic to deploy chargers for electric vehicles along with those machines. It’s a potentially perfect solution, since these stations already having power and, often, connectivity. Over the next 12 months the plan is to deploy 10,000 such chargers — and probably just as many menacing looking posters of Tommy Lee Jones hawking his particular blend of coffee.

Continue reading Japanese vending machines to get EV chargers, will quench both thirst and range anxiety

Japanese vending machines to get EV chargers, will quench both thirst and range anxiety originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Japan, you’ll soon be able to graba bottle of soda and charge your car at the same time.

10 Japanese vending machine manufacturers have agreed to a plan that would see them install electric vehicle charging stations in their machines. Forking, one of the larger manufacturers, will be installing 10,000 charging stations in the first year of the project alone.

The new charging stations will be installed both in new vending machines, as well as in new installations. Japan has the highest percentage of vending machines per person in the world, with one machine for every 23 residents.

The project will kick-off at the end of the month.

Via PhysOrg

Wait, this isn’t a crapgadget, although you couldn’t be blamed for thinking as much about this three megapixel Necono digital camera from Japan’s Superheadz. Hell, that’s what we thought before digging into the feature list a bit. Based on a design from Lisa Larson, the cat features magnetic feet and a self-timer for creating whimsical self-portraits. A mic and CMOS sensor combine to record VGA videos or 3 megapixel JPEG images to microSDHC cards. The camera is available now for a tax inclusive price of ¥15,750 — converted, we’re talking a whopping $192, a price that doesn’t even include the dedicated LCD dock which won’t ship until May at the earliest. Sure, it won’t be the best digital camera for your money but there’s no denying its pure, unadulterated gadget appeal to kitty fetishists or any demographic that hops in place while clapping. See it in action after the break.

Continue reading Superheadz Necono 3 megapixel kitty camera might tolerate you (video)

Superheadz Necono 3 megapixel kitty camera might tolerate you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been promised portable fuel cells for ages, now. Ages! Finally one is only months away from release — but its performance seems so limited we’re not sure we care anymore. It’s the Aquafairy AF-M3000 and, despite its name, it’s powered not by water but by ethanol metal hydride fuel packs. Here’s where the bad news comes in: a single fuel pack only provides enough current to get an iPhone up to a 50 percent charge, and it’ll take 90 minutes at that. So, you’ll need two cartridges and three hours of your time just to bring a dead mobile back to life, and given each pack costs around $6 (it’s 2,625 yen, about $32 for a pack of five), the entire proposition is rather expensive. That doesn’t even factor in the cost of the unit itself: 26,250 yen or about $320. It’s set to ship in Japan in April, so get ready to finally enter the future. Nobody said it’d necessarily be a great place to be.

Update: We heard from Aquafairy, who confirmed that the solution is not ethanol, but is actual a solution of water and metal hydride. Also, the price is just for what are termed “test sales” and there are discounts if you buy a bunch. Maybe the future looks better if you buy in bulk.

Continue reading Aquafairy AF-M3000 might finally make consumer fuel cell charging a disappointing reality (video)

Aquafairy AF-M3000 might finally make consumer fuel cell charging a disappointing reality (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conductive fibers, yo, they’re the future. Japan’s AIST is back with yet another quirky idea, this time integrating capacitive touch sensors into 1-micron thick nylon fibers. The results is a big old cloth that can sense your loving touch and inform nearby computers of what you’re up to. Initial uses envisioned by the research outfit include implementation in hospitals to monitor bedridden patients, but the ultimate goal is to make this extra-sensitive array a wearable accoutrement. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Continue reading Japanese researchers weave capacitive touch into large-area textiles, want to make them wearable (video)

Japanese researchers weave capacitive touch into large-area textiles, want to make them wearable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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