Wi-Fi Gadgets: Will They Change Your Life?

TOKYO -- Wireless networking certainly looks like it might change home life: Wi-Fi capabilities are popping up in products where you might not expect it.

Some of the more interesting wireless-enabled gadgets are still only prototypes: Sanyo recently built wireless LAN capabilities into a digital still camera, and similar technology is embedded inside a prototype telephone from Mitsubishi.

Sony supports Wi-Fi in several new products shipping, at least initially, only in Japan: a handheld file server and an update to its tablet-like Airboard. Still, they hint of a trend: Wireless LAN capabilities are appearing in diverse devices.

Other recent consumer electronics announcements of note include new digital still cameras--no surprise there--and the first compact camera from Kyocera to carry the Contax name.

Here's an overview of some of the most intriguing electronics introductions in Japan in the past few weeks. For some products, the vendors have not yet determined the overseas sales schedule (although sometimes they can be obtained through other channels).

Sony's Wi-Fi File Server

Sharing files is getting simpler. The Linux-based FSV-PGX1 from Sony is a handheld file server with an internal 20GB hard drive, of which 17GB is available to the user, and a wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b) access point.

Up to 250 users can connect to and access files stored on the internal hard drive. All users need to connect is a computer with wireless LAN card. A companion ethernet cradle also lets connected devices share Internet access, if the service is connected to the Net.

Sony is releasing it in Japan in late March 29 priced about $594; plans for overseas availability are not yet determined.

Sony AirBoard Updated

At first glance, you might think Sony's AirBoard is a Tablet PC, but it's not. This is the third-generation model of the flat-screen device.

It receives TV or video at a base station and streams the data as MPEG2 across a wireless 802.11b LAN to the main unit, which has a 12.1-inch LCD. The Airboard also has a built-in Web browser and e-mail client, and supports Internet access through ethernet and modem ports in the base station.

The new model is on sale in Japan priced at $1100; Sony has said it is considering releasing it in the United States.

Matsushita's DVD Recorders

Do you feel like you are wasting too much time in front of the television? If so, then Matsushita Electric (better known as Panasonic) has the answer: a DVD recorder that can play back shows at 1.3 times faster than the normal speed. That's slow enough to understand what is going on but also cuts the time it takes to watch a TV show by a quarter.

The DMR-E50 and E60 both have the new feature. They record onto DVD-RAM or DVD-R discs and can store a maximum of 12 hours of video per disc, when the highest-capacity (9.4GB) disc is coupled with the lowest-quality recording mode. The same disc can store four hours of video at standard quality.

The E50 is scheduled to go on sale in major markets in March, priced about $599. The E60 is scheduled for release in April, priced around $700.

The E60 is a little more expensive because it adds support for DVD Audio, PC Card, and SD card slots, so you can view pictures stored on memory cards. It also has a DV input socket, to allow direct copying from a DV camcorder to a DVD-RAM disc.

Kyocera's First Contaxes

Kyocera has announced the first compact digital cameras in its Contax family of high-end cameras.

The Contax Tvs has a Carl Zeiss T lens with 3X optical zoom in front of a 5.2-megapixel CCD sensor. Images are stored on SD memory card, and the unit also has a USB 1.1 connector.

The camera has a video mode, with a maximum resolution of 320 pixels by 240 pixels, but it is really designed for still images. A nice feature is that it allows you to have a favorite image appear as the start screen that is displayed each time you switch the camera on.

The camera is available in two versions: one with a silver case, priced at $1085, and another with a black titanium case, priced at $1170. Both are expected to be available in Europe and North America immediately, according to a company representative.

Sharp Ships Mini Disc Player

Sharp has announced the latest addition to its line of high-end Auvi 1-bit audio products, the MS-DS5 Mini Disc player. The 1-bit audio system samples audio at 128 times the resolution of CDs, which leads to a better, more realistic sound, according to Sharp.

The new pocket-size player boasts a battery life of 200 hours and a special headphone connector that has separate ground pins for each stereo channel to further improve sound, said Sharp. The player went on sale in mid-February and costs $187.

Fujifilm's New FinePix Models

Fuji Photo Film has unveiled the first two cameras to make use of its fourth-generation Honeycomb CCD sensor. The sensor has around 3 million hexagonal pixels and uses some software trickery to produce an image that, according to the company, is equivalent to a 6-megapixel camera at 2816 pixels by 2120 pixels.

The first two cameras to incorporate the system are the FinePix F410 and F700.

The F410 is a square-bodied camera, while the F700 is a little more rectangular, like a conventional compact camera. Both use Fujifilm's XD Picture Card for storage and have 3X optical zoom.

The F410 is scheduled to ship first in Japan priced at $551, while the F700 is expected to debut in May priced at $636.

Matsushita Camcorder Goes DVD

Matsushita is developing a new camcorder, the VDR-M30, that uses DVDs rather than tape.

It records MPEG-2 format video on DVD-RAM or DVD-R discs, and features include a 680,000-pixel CCD image pick-up, 10X optical zoom, 2.5-inch TFT LCD, and an SD memory card slot. One advantage of the DVD system is instant editing, as Matsushita has built video-editing software into the camera.

Matsushita's VDR-M30 is scheduled to ship in the second quarter and will cost $900.

Samsung's Portable DVD Player

The DVD-L100J from Samsung Electronics is quite a cool-looking number.

It has a 10-inch wide-screen TFT LCD screen, which should mean DVD movies will look good and you won't have to strain your eyes looking at a small screen. It has two headphone sockets so you and a partner can enjoy a movie in stereo rather than sharing one headphone set, and Samsung says the optional large battery provides enough power for 4.5 hours of playback. That means you'll have to choose your movies carefully if you plan to watch two, or the player will shut down toward the end of the second one.

The unit weighs 3.5 pounds, which is more than some notebook computers. It is being sold only in Japan right now, priced at $850.

Koshida's 'Spy Monitor'

Koshida has come out with an interesting flat-panel monitor called the Attic PPT, but a better name might be the spy monitor.

Why? Because the company has removed one of the filters that is usually part of the flat-panel screen, with the result that anyone looking at the monitor sees nothing. Put on a pair of special glasses, which have the filter that is missing from the monitor, and all is revealed.

But the price for all this privacy is high. The company is charging $2540 for a 15-inch monitor. For now, Koshida is marketing it only in Japan.

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