Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re still waiting on your Nissan Leaf pre-order slip to bear fruit, you’re not alone. But, know that you might be able to finally go and rent one of the things — if you live in Japan (or have the appropriate international drivers license and willingness to travel). Nissan just delivered 190 of the hotly-desired hatches to rental companies across its home country and, while Hertz is planning to offer the things up around these parts, we don’t see any available for reservations yet. There are some lovely mid-sized alternatives available, though, if you don’t mind white paint, Velour interiors, and gas-powered engines.

Nissan delivers 190 Leaf EVs to rental companies in Japan, pre-orderers still get none originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic’s found time to show off its latest series of HDTVs in Japan, including the new top 3D-capable VT3, GT3 and ST3 generation plasmas, and DT3 LCDs, . As one might expect, the feature list is predictably similar to the US models with the next iteration of 3D panel technology, including a few Japan-specific features like VOD services and recording TV to USB drives.According to AV watch it looks like the starting prices have gone down slightly YoY as well, with the new 50-inch VT3 predicted to arrive March 18 for 380,000 yen ($4,654) down from 430,000 yen ($5,267) last year. The lower end GT3 series and new DT3 3D LCDs should arrive a week earlier on March 11, though we’ll probably have to wait until much closer to launch again to find out precisely what the predictably lower US pricing will be this time around. Click on through for all the details you can stand in the meantime.

Panasonic’s 2011 HDTVs shown off in Japan with prices, March release dates originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not white, titanium blue, or even the traditional black — this PS3 is Satin Silver (or is it Silver Satin?) and headed to Japan on March 10th. No specs have changed as far as we can tell with the 160GB model CECH-2500A SS selling for ¥29,980 (about $366) while the 320GB CECH-2500B SS weighs in at ¥34,980 (about $427). There’s even a matching vertical stand for ¥2,000 (about $24) because Sony knows how important it is to coordinate your game center with the finish on your Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Satin Silver PS3 Rolls into Japan on March 10th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Superconductors pass electricity with zero resistance and make stuff float. Superfluids have zero viscosity and can climb vertical walls to escape containers. Supercapacitors? Well, they don’t do anything quite so dramatic, but they could result in batteries that charge faster and hold more charge than ever. Capacitors in general have to run a balance between capacity and fast charging, but these fancy ones with diamond-shaped nanopores in zeolite-templated carbon, developed at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, are said to offer the best of both worlds. How good? Cellphones that charge in minutes, electric cars with longer lasting batteries, and free Superman Underoos for all. Naturally there’s no word on when these things might actually escape the lab and show up in real batteries, but you already knew that, didn’t you.

Diamond shaped supercapacitors could result in faster-charging, higher capacity batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you looking for a smaller, less conspicuous means to listen to your jams and a way to record your freestyle battles? JVC has you covered with its new RD-R1 and RD-R2 compact boomboxes that weigh a scant 450 grams (one pound, for those using Americanized measurements). The devices come equipped with dual omni-directional mics and a microSD slot (with an included 2GB card) to record your rhymes at bitrates up to 192Kbps. Both models also have five-second countdown and clapper-style start functionality — so you have time to get your ‘Vogue’ on and strike a pose before the music starts. Additionally, the RD-R2 adds a metronome feature and a 6.3mm mono jack for those who want to add an electric guitar to the mix. JVC hasn’t released the price for the RD-R1, but with the higher-end R2 model retailing for ¥37,800 ($460) when it goes on sale in February, it ain’t cheap. However, it seems a paltry sum to pay for creative freedom. Say word, son!

JVC’s RD-R1 and RD-R2 boomboxes bring stereo recording capabilities, the studio to the streets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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