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Tokyo Tech Envy

Topflight design, tiny size, and long battery life all surface first in gear marketed in Japan. Why don't we see this great stuff here?

Martyn Williams and Anne B. McDonald

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Skip the Flight: Buy It Here

A handful of sites specialize in supplying Asia-only electronics and gadgets to customers around the world. Make sure that you fully understand a site's warranty, shipping, and return policies before you buy.

Dynamism.com: One of the best-known sites for buying Japanese products, Dynamism will install English-language operating systems and keyboards. The site also offers unlimited toll-free phone tech support, e-mail tech support, and a Federal Express-based rescue system, under which a purchaser doesn't pay for returns. On average, buyers pay the Chicago company a 25 percent premium over the Japanese equipment price for these services.

ICube.us: This site will ship purchased products back to the country of origin for repair at the buyer's expense. The Los Angeles?based company provides free shipment for subnotebooks to and from its Japanese service center.

Japan-direct.com: This site, from Osaka, Japan, offers a one-year Japanese domestic warranty and, at a minimum, a basic manual in your language. You must ship a problem product back to Japan-direct for repair.

Kemplar.com: Colorado-based Kemplar warns buyers that product warranties may not be honored in foreign countries, but says it will assist a buyer in shipping a defective product back to the country of origin for repair or in finding a U.S. company that can repair the item.

TKNY.com: Located in New York and Tokyo, this company invites you to order from its online store or to visit its Manhattan storefront. TKNY.com also considers itself an idea lab and hosts periodic gatherings to exchange information on the latest in technology.

--Anne B. McDonald

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