Despite my quest for the latest in digital technology, I found that the most interesting gadget introduced in Japan this month is intended to help turn back the clock to a simpler time. Seiko Epson's new R-D1 is a digital still camera that looks like a film camera and features technology long missing from the digital world: a rangefinder.

The rest of this month's best new technology in Japan has a distinctive DVD flavor, thanks in large part to Matsushita Electric Industrial (better known as Panasonic). In March the company launched a DVD recorder, a portable DVD player, and a DVD camcorder. Toshiba also announced a portable DVD player.

Epson R-D1 Digital Still Camera

Seiko Epson goes back to basics with its R-D1 digital still camera. The device is the first digital camera to feature a rangefinder like those used on conventional film cameras, according to the company. Rangefinders superimpose two slightly different views of the same scene to achieve focus.

Also, the R-D1 supports the Leica M-mount and, via an adapter, L-mount models. On the digital side of things, the camera has a 6-megapixel image sensor that can deliver pictures up to 3008 by 2000 pixels in either JPEG or 12-bit RAW formats. It has a 2-inch LCD that you can flip around and hide for the full analog effect. It measures 5.68 by 3.56 by 1.6 inches, and weighs 20 ounces without the battery and Secure Digital memory card. In spring it will go on sale in Japan at a price of around $2710. Seiko Epson isn't saying whether the camera will be distributed internationally.

Toshiba Portable DVD Player

Toshiba has announced a portable DVD player, the SD-P1400, and plans to begin selling it in Japan in April. The player will accept DVD-ROM, DVD-R (VR-formatted), Video CD, Audio CD and CD-R/RW media and has a 7-inch wide-screen LCD on which to watch your movies.

The player's battery life is around 3 hours and can be extended with an optional long-life battery pack that Toshiba promises to release in April. In May, the company plans to add an optional TV tuner kit. The player measures 8 by 6.4 by 1.3 inches, weighs just under 2 pounds without the battery, and is expected to cost around $420. There's no word from Toshiba on overseas sales.

Matsushita Portable DVD Player

Matsushita, better known by its Panasonic brand name, is launching a new portable DVD player in April.

The DVD-PS3 lacks a built-in screen so it must be hooked up to a monitor, but that brings some size and weight advantages over other models, such as the new Toshiba device. Panasonic's machine measures 5.75 by 5.5 by 8 inches and weighs just over 10 ounces. It supports DVD-RAM (VR formatted), DVD-R, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Audio CD, Video CD, and CD-R/RW media, including those using the HighMAT system developed by Panasonic and Microsoft to make it easier to navigate through thousands of multimedia files on optical discs.

The new portable DVD player will go on sale in April in Japan and cost around $330. There are no details for overseas sales plans.

NEC and SoundVu TV/PC monitor

PCs with flat-panel monitors have become hot sellers in Japan in the last year, especially among city dwellers who live in small apartments and value space-saving products.

A couple of new monitors from NEC hold even more potential because they can replace not only a bulky computer monitor but also a television. The F23W11/PK and F17W81/PK monitors come with a built-in analog TV tuner, which enables them to double as televisions. They also support a picture-in-picture function so you can watch the TV while using the PC; and, of course, come with a remote control.

A further space-saving feature is the use of a flat-panel SoundVu speaker, which means you don't need external units like most PCs. The monitors are available in 17-inch and 23-inch versions and went on sale in early March in Japan. The 17-inch model is priced at $936 and the 23-inch, $2340. NEC has not announced any international launch plans.

Casio Exilim Cameras

There's no doubt about it: Consumers love small digital still cameras, and that's the part of the market with the greatest action. Barely a month passes without a new camera hitting the street. In March, three entries came from market leader Casio Computer.

One is a high-end 6-megapixel class model that should compete with Sony's Cybershot DSC-T1. The Exilim Pro EX-P600 has a 4X optical zoom, a wake-up time of 2 seconds, and shutter lag of 0.01 seconds, according to Casio. It will be available in Japan and international markets in April, priced around $650.

Also new are the 3.2-megapixel EX-Z30 and 4-megapixel EX-Z40. Both have a 3X optical zoom, 1.6-second wake-up time, and similar shutter lag. Also common to both is a 2-inch LCD and, like all Exilim models, they use SD memory cards. Both went on sale in Japan in early March. The EX-Z30 is priced around $421 and the EX-Z40, $468.

Matsushita HDD/DVD/VHS recorder

The popularity of digital technology means recording your favorite TV show has never been so easy; but buying a recorder comes with its headaches. Do you want a DVD or hard drive recorder? What about both, so you can copy shows to DVD? Or how about a VHS deck for your old cassettes?

Matsushita has come up with a device that bundles all three. Its Panasonic DMR-E150V is the first recorder that features a hard disk, DVD drive, and VHS deck all in one, according to the company. The unit has a 80GB drive and twin TV tuners so you can record two shows at the same time. Copying from the hard drive to DVD is at 32X speed, which means a 1-hour TV show can be copied to DVD-R in 2 minutes. It also accepts DVD-RAM media.

With so many permutations on recording and the ability to record two shows at once, your biggest problem might soon become selecting what to record on which format and finding time to watch it. The DMR-E150V is scheduled to go on sale on June 21 in Japan and will cost around $1030; no international sales plans have been announced.

Matsushita DVD Camcorder

Matsushita is readying a new video camcorder that can record onto DVD media rather than tape. The Panasonic VDR-M70K utilizes 3.2-inch DVD-R or DVD-RAM media, which can accommodate between 36 minutes and 2 hours of MPEG-2 quality video depending on the compression used. It can also record in wide-screen 16:9 format, as well as in a megapixel-class photo mode, and images can be stored on an SD memory card as well. Data transfer is via either the physical media or a USB 2.0 connection.

The camera measures 2.5 by 3.5 by 5.8 inches and weighs about 1.25 pounds including the battery. It records between 110 minutes and 150 minutes when using the standard battery, says the company. The price is around $1125, and no international sales plans have been announced.

Mitsubishi Reversible LCD Panel

In the research and development corner this month is a new LCD panel that can be viewed from both sides, designed by Mitsubishi Electric.

Traditional LCD panels have a backlight that prevents them being seen from the rear; however, Mitsubishi has replaced this with two transparent panels on either side of the screen. The panels have micro prisms on the surface that redirect light from a source above the display, while also allowing the screen to be viewed from both sides.

The company hopes to use this LCD in products such as clamshell mobile telephones, many of which currently feature a main display and smaller subdisplay back-to-back. Using the new single panel as a display could serve both purposes.

Martyn Williams is Tokyo bureau chief for the IDG News Service, a consortium of IDG publications.