Buffalo's stylish Skype speakerphone on the cheap

Headsets for making internet telephone calls, particularly for Skype, are ten-a-penny, but there aren’t a great number of speakerphones and certainly none is as stylish or cheap as the latest from Buffalo Japan.

For ¥9,800, Tokyo businesses operating on a shoestring can avail themselves of Buffalo’s elegant BSKP-CU202/SV. As with most products from the firm, the naming is a mess, yet the functionality is anything but.

The desk-phone needs no drivers, simply plugging into a USB port. As it’s bus-powered, there’s no need for an AC adapter either. In addition, a total audio output of 6W through three channels makes the setup a reasonable speaker system for most machines.

Lastly, with both echo- and noise-canceling circuitry installed, the CU202 should put paid to those annoying quality problems that dog Skype and its 171 million users worldwide. Oh, and we should probably point out that there’s absolutely no reason not to plug in and fire up an alternative/better VoIP app, such as Gizmo.

Golden Week in Japan: Showers predicted...

This weekend sees the sticky old Golden Week public holiday period begin in Japan, with a mad rush to do exactly the same thing as everyone else and sit in traffic jams or visit incredibly crowded 'attractions.' Naturally, we can't help ourselves and will be doing the same, as will all the tech companies in this fair land.

New desktop computers from Hewlett Packard

Update immediately three series of its desktop computers presented by Hewlett Packard. Ей были представлены новые модели серий s3000, a6000 и m8000.It had before new models s3000 series, and m8000 a6000.


Все новинки выполненные в интересном и привлекательном дизайне.All new items performed in an interesting and attractive design. Модели серии a6000, в минимальной конфигурации будут стоить около 350 долларов США.Models series a6000, as a minimum configuration will cost about $ 350. Модели этой серии построены на базе процессоров Intel, и оснащены, по умолчанию, 512 Мб оперативной памяти.Models in this series are based on Intel and equipped by default, 512 Mb RAM.

Modei, s3000 series, are based on processors from AMD and a default 1 GB of memory. Эти модели обойдутся пользователю в 500 долларов США, в минимальной конфигурации.These models cost a user $ 500 in a minimum configuration.
And the most expensive and advanced, m8000 will be equipped as Intel, and AMD. Иц цена начинается от 950 долларов.Its price starts at 950 dollars. Модели этой линейки будут поставляться с HD DVD приводами.Models this line will ship with HD DVD drives.

Все новинки уже доступны в продаже.All new items are available for sale. Их цена изменяется в зависимости от конфигурации, которую можно варьировать в самых широких пределах.Their price varies depending on configuration, which can vary in a wide range. Компьютеры всех трех серий будут поставляться с предустановленной Windows Vista.Computers of all three series will ship with Windows Vista preloade

New Robot Looks Strikingly Human

The ultra-lifelike robot Repliee Q1 made quite an impression at the 2005 World Expo in Japan. Shown below (at left!) with co-creator Hiroshi Ishiguru, the robot is so lifelike that roboticists may want to start working on a Bladerunner-style Voight-Kampff test now.


The ultra-lifelike robot Repliee Q1 made quite an impression at the 2005 World Expo in Japan. Shown below (at left!) with co-creator Hiroshi Ishiguru, the robot is so lifelike that roboticists may want to start working on a Bladerunner-style Voight-Kampff test now.


(From Ultra-Lifelike Robot Debuts in Japan)

Repliee Q1 has silicone for skin, rather than hard plastic. It has a number of sensors to allow it to react in a manner that appears natural; it appears to flutter its eyelids, chest movements correspond to breathing, and other tiny shifts in position that mimic unconscious human movement. The android can mimic actions made by a human; this helps the robot's movements appear more lifelike. By facing a person with reflective dots placed at key points (like wrist, elbow, palm), the robot can try to match those points on its own body with those of the person who is "modeling" human movement.

The greatest limit to the lifelike movement of the robot is that it has only 31 actuators in its upper body; a nearby air compressor provides the energy needed for articulation.

In his excellent novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K. Dick explores what happens in a society when android replica humans cannot be physically distinguished from human beings. Only the Voight-Kampff empathy test can make the distinction, when used by a trained officer like Rick Deckard:

"I'm not a peace officer," Rick said. "I'm a bounty hunter." From his opened briefcase he fished out the Voight-Kampff apparatus, seated himself at a nearby rosewood coffee table, and began to assemble the rather simple polygraphic instruments...
(Read more about the Voight-Kampff test)

San Francisco's Wave magazine recently wondered whether or not candidates for their mayoral elections were humans or androids; they applied an empathy test to make sure. See Is Your Candidate Human?. Read more about Repliee Q1 in Ultra-Lifelike Robot; more materials available at Android Science. Thanks to Andy Gowland for contributing the tip on this story.

Panasonic tweaks SD camcorders to ‘Full HD’ at 1920 x 1080i

Barely five months after announcing the world’s first video camera to record HD TV images to an SD memory card, Panasonic has replaced it with a cheaper, more-capable model that it claims breaks new ground.

Last November’s HDC-SD1 has been ruthlessly elbowed aside by today’s release of the HDC-SD3, which offers video recording at 1920 x 1080i pixels, compared with the earlier model’s 1440 x 1080i resolution.

If you’re thinking the difference is minimal, you’re probably right not to be bothered unless you’ve just bought the SD1. The newcomer not only lays down a few thousand more pixels per frame, but it’s also likely to be ¥30,000 cheaper at ¥150,000. That includes a bundled 4GB SDHC card.

Both cameras use the relatively new AVCHD compression technique to fit high-definition video onto current-generation media, such as the SD cards used in this case. A similarly revamped DVD camcorder has also been announced in the shape of the HDC-DX3.

Although Panasonic claims the SD3 and DX3 are the world’s first ‘Full HD’ camcorders, which the 1920 x 1080 specs justify if one overlooks the interlaced/progressive debate, the website for the SD1 and DX1 still prominently touts them as ‘Full HD.’

On the cameras themselves, only the latest versions have a corresponding badge, as you’ll see in the second photo above. There are no details of the new cameras on the Panasonic website yet.

Aside from the ballyhoo over line counts, upgrades to the included editing software and some minor tweaks to the casing, such as to the grip of the SD3, the new camcorders seem unlikely to make much of a splash when launched in Japan on April 25.

Samsung SyncMaster 225MS-R: Ready to Make Waves in Japan

Samsung SyncMaster 225MS-R will soon hit the market and that too in the ‘the land of the rising sun’- Japan. This wonder shows off its widescreen LCD display bestowing you with 22″ wide angle viewing and a substantially clearer presentation integrity as well as maintaining the maximum resolution of 1,680 x 1,050.

It further features a contrast ratio of 700:1, brightness level of 300cd/m2, too good, a DVI-D HDCP port and an HDMI 1.1 port which provides you with that added zeal and high definition thirst! This magnificent piece of marvel has a price tag of 380 Euros and will soon be made available in the Japanese market.

Unmatchable HD LCD TVs by NEC: Strictly for Professionals

NEC has made public its two latest and the hottest LCD TV screens strictly for professionals. I guess they must be having enough mettle to prove what they have boasted!

These 2 LCD TVs definitely have a good backup in regards to their functionalities. They come up in diagonal sizes ranging from 40-inches to 46-inches with 1366×768 max resolution, 500 cd/m2 of excellent brightness and 1200: 1 of contrast ratio, too good for the professional front I am sure.

Both models also feature HDMI and DVI-D HDCP.
Professionals will be having the time of their lifetime with this awesome LCD TV!

Toshiba Matsushita Announces the World’s Largest 20.8-inch Polymer-type OLED Display

Although it’s not the largest OLED display but it’s the largest one based on low-temperature poly-silicon technologies. The new 20.8-inch model from Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology employs lately developed techniques for unvarying coating of organic electroluminescent materials and the optimized combination of electrodes and organic materials. It not only reduces the power consumption but improves the screen’s bright ness too. But, the 1,280 x 768 resolution is not so inspiring. The company is taking it as a step forth towards the “next-generation” of TV sets and monitors.