Tokyo Edge: Gadgets That Trick and Treat

Cell phones just aren't what they used to be--now, they're so much more. October saw the introduction of handsets that can do everything from take high-resolution digital photos to translate your dog's barks and watch television. We also saw the debut of slim and trim digital cameras, new music players, and Sony's innovative PSX video and gaming device.

Cell Phone Snapshot

It was only about half a year ago that cell phone makers launched the first models to incorporate megapixel-class image sensors. This month, two handset makers--Casio Computer and Sharp--have announced 2-megapixel models.

Casio was first with the A5403CA. The higher-quality image sensor on the phone means it can produce images of up to 1600 by 1200 resolution (UXGA). Other camera-related functions include auto focus, a digital 10X zoom, a digital movie function, and a number of picture-taking modes such as close-up, evening, and portrait. Images can be stored in the telephone, which features 12.8MB of memory, or on an SD (Secure Digital) memory card.

By moving to 2-megapixel resolution and offering the additional functions, the phone is getting closer in specification terms to conventional digital still cameras, particularly lower-end models. You have to wonder if camera manufacturers will start hitting back soon by adding phone functions to their devices, though that seems unlikely. The Casio phone will go on sale in Japan in early December for between $90 and $180 after a retailer subsidy. It won't work outside of Japan.

For the Dogs

Now your cell phone can help you talk to your dog. Sharp's V601SH handset may have missed the boat on becoming the first 2-megapixel model on the market, but it's notable in another way: It is the first phone to support a software version of Takara's Bowlingual dog "translator." The software, contained on a memory card (which you have to purchase separately), can be loaded into the phone. When you are within 15 inches of a dog, the handset can register and analyze its barks.

It's probably less embarrassing than walking around the park with the hardware version of Bowlingual--and also less stress for the dog, which doesn't have to wear a special collar. The phone also has a QVGA-resolution screen, can capture video at 15 frames per second, and can connect to a TV to allow users to see their pictures or to watch video. It will be available in Japan only, and is expected to be launched in December through Vodafone.

Sony Steps Up

So, you've finally saved up the money to buy a PlayStation 2 and a hard drive-based video recorder, but you have only enough room in your video rack for one more gadget? You could finally trash the Betamax player, but then how are you going to watch your archive of Hawaii Five-O and Kojak episodes? Or you could go out and buy Sony's new PSX, which combines a PlayStation 2 and a digital video recorder.

Sony is offering two models: the DESR-5000 with a 160GB drive, and the DESR-7000 with a 250GB drive. Both can record on optical disc, as well. DVD-R (Video format), DVD-RW (Video or VR format), and DVD+RW (VR format) are supported. High-speed recording at 24 times normal speed is possible when copying previously recorded video from the hard drive to a DVD-R disc.

But don't let all the video features fool you. At its heart, the PSX is a game machine, possessing the same EE+GS processor chip that is being fitted into the latest models of the PlayStation 2. That means you'll be able to blast bad guys or tear around the race track just as you can on a stand-alone PlayStation 2.

The two PSX models are the same size, measuring 12.2 by 12.6 by 3.5 inches and weighing just over 12 pounds. They are scheduled to go on sale in Japan before the end of this year. The DESR-5000 will cost $720 and the DESR-7000 will cost $900. Plans for sales outside of Japan have not been announced.

Panasonic's Payback

Panasonic has made up for the disappointment it delivered last year when it matched a 12X optical zoom Leica lens with a relatively low resolution 2-megapixel image sensor. The DMC-FZ10 pairs the Leica zoom lens with a 4-megapixel CCD image sensor that can deliver pictures up to 2304 by 1728 resolution. There are a handful of resolution modes, including one that delivers images with a resolution of 1920 by 1080. That matches the top resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio of high-definition televisions--just the thing for that new TV with memory card slot!

The 12X optical zoom lens is equivalent to a 35mm-to-420mm zoom lens on a conventional 35mm film camera. Features include an image stabilizer that can help counter the shaking that becomes more noticeable as zoom is increased, as well as a histogram function that provides a visual illustration of the luminance levels of the image being captured. A full battery charge should last around 100 minutes, or long enough to capture 200 pictures with the LCD monitor switched on, the company says.

The DMC-FZ10 will be available in Japan beginning October 24 for $675; it will be available in November in the United States, where it will cost $600.

Is That a TV on Your Phone?

So you're tired of talking on your cell phone. You've also had enough of browsing the wireless Web, taking pictures, capturing video, listening to music, and recording voice memos. NEC has news for you: The company has found space inside a new handset to cram in a television so you can watch conventional analog TV broadcasts. That's the good news. The bad news is that, when you're watching TV, the battery life is reduced to about an hour--so the feature is perhaps not as useful as it appears. Still, if you want to catch those vital last few minutes of the soccer game or watch the news headlines, this could be the phone for you. You can also capture still images from TV broadcasts.

Other features include a 310,000-pixel camera, and the ability to e-mail small MPEG-4 movies you've recorded with it. The TV phone will also double as a remote control for another TV set. It will be available in Japan only and is expected to be launched in December through Vodafone.

Amp It Up

Pioneer's new VSA-AX10Ai-N high-end multichannel digital amplifier can play Windows Media 9 files streamed from a personal computer. It's the first product to offer such a feature, according to Pioneer.

It can accomplish this feat when connected to a PC using S/PDIF (the Sony/Philips Digital Interface). This digital interface format can stream digital audio data between two supporting devices without the usual conversion to analog. This means no data is lost in conversion, and copy-protection information is not discarded. In addition to Windows Media 9 Professional, the 200-watts-per-channel amplifier also supports PCM (phase change modulation), Dolby Digital, DTS, and MPEG-2 AAC digital audio and conventional analog signals.

It will go on sale in Japan in November for $4545. The unit will be available in North America as the VSX-59TXi receiver model in January 2004.

Portable Player

The latest portable CD player from Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), the SL-CT810, promises to make finding songs and building playlists easy. The player is one of the first portable devices to support the HighMAT system developed by the company and Microsoft.

You can burn HighMAT discs yourself from within several popular software applications, including Windows Media Player. The discs fetaure a small file that contains the details of the songs, including artist name, song title, and genre. This new player can use that data to sort and index the disc, which is good news if you pack a couple hundred songs onto an MP3 CD.

Also good news is the device's battery life. Panasonic says the music will play on for up to 200 hours when you use Windows Media Audio files. The player will be available in Japan beginning November 10, and will cost $165. Overseas launch details have not been announced.

Thin Is In

When Sony unveiled a camera that is about the size of a pack of playing cards, the company didn't enter the market for small and thin digital still cameras so much as it broke down the door. Sony claims its camera is the smallest 5-megapixel model currently available. The DSC-T1 will compete against a growing number of small and thin cameras, in particular Casio's Exilim.

The DSC-T1, tall and thin, sports on its rear a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, which beats the Exilim's 2-inch display. At 5 megapixels it also outshines the competition in terms of image resolution. The package includes a Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom lens, and maximum resolution is 2592 by 1944 pixels. The camera can also record MPEG-1 video and audio in 640-by-480-pixel (VGA) resolution at 30 frames per second.

The camera measures 3.6 by 2.4 by 0.8 inches and weighs 6.3 ounces with a memory card and battery inserted. The DSC-T1 will be available in Japan beginning on November 21, and will cost around $550. Sony plans to sell the camera overseas; the company says it will go on sale in North America in January for around $550.

Not to Be Outdone

The smoke had barely cleared from Sony's attack on the success of Casio's 3-megapixel Exilim Zoom (which had been the number one selling camera in Japan ever since its launch), when Casio unleashed a new version of the Exilim. The new camera, the Exilim EX-Z4, is the first in the Exilim family to feature a 4-megapixel-class image sensor. Like the EX-Z3, it also features a 3X optical zoom lens.

Other features are largely unchanged from the EX-Z3--but the lack of updates is not necessarily a bad thing, since Casio appears to be on to a winning format. The two cameras are almost the same size, and are little different in weight. The EX-Z4 will go on sale in Japan on November 7 for around $460. Casio says the new Exilim has recently gone on sale in some international markets, and will be available in others soon.

Glowing Review

The new SJ-MJ57 MiniDisc player from Panasonic is notable not so much for the player itself as for its speakers. The flat-type speakers are intended to be clipped onto the side of the MiniDisc player when it is used at home or in another location that doesn't require headphones.

The really neat thing about the speakers is that they glow. Panasonic has added a few LEDs to the speakers so that they shine in tandem with the music being played. They'll also emit a blue color when the player is being charged. A full battery charge will provide between 36 hours and 63 hours of music depending on the playing mode being used. The device will be on sale in Japan from November 7, for $220. No details of overseas sales have been announced.