yamaha

All my ranting and whining must have finally paid off because this week I finally got some time with Yamaha's mystery-enshrouded Tenori-On music sequencer.

Prototypes of the Tenori-On have traveled the globe, popping up in the U.K. and Germany, but rarely in the United States. I couldn't believe my luck when San Francisco electronic musician retailer Robotspeak (my former employer) gave me the heads-up that Yamaha would be dropping by the shop for a rare demonstration.… Read more

A good part of the exhibition space at the 2007 Tokyo auto show is devoted to motorcycles. Manufacturers such as Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda had some fascinating concept bikes on display, showing how they see the future of motorcycling. From big, high-tech concepts that look like they came straight out of Akira, to green and clean fuel-cell scooters, these bikes show off two-wheelers for every purpose. And there's even a four-wheel motorcycle in the mix.

Click here for photos of motorcycle concepts at the 2007 Tokyo auto show.

The Tesseract looks like two motorcycles bolted together. This four-wheeled bike, powered by a hybrid engine, employs a unique mechanism that lets it lean to the side when you go into a corner. At stops, it locks into an upright position.

With a lot of sleek Yamaha concepts on display at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, Bobby stood out for its awkward look. This electric scooter is designed for commuters. It's not much smaller when folded up, but Yamaha points out that it can be more easily stowed in the trunk of a car or kept on a balcony. OK, we'll buy that. Bobby incorporates an RFID reader, so you can use a cell phone equipped with a Sony FeliCa chip as a key. The future is sounding weirder and weirder.

The most interesting thing about Yamaha's new speakerphone isn't its VoIP technology, which Engadget notes is actually trailing the competition. Nor is it the 1.25-pound size, though that's certainly preferably to the spaceship-sized models that still dominate so many conferece rooms. And its USB connection? What doesn't have a USB connection these days?

No, what we like most about the PJP-25UR is its Transformer impersonation. In its compact form, the unit appears to be an innocuous triangular box, maybe a USB hub. But look! It has two arm-like microphones that swing out to reveal its … Read more

No wonder all that talk about an Internet toaster never went anywhere--it should have been a piano instead.

While rival Steinway may be going for the whole sound system, Yamaha is sticking to the instrument itself as the centerpiece of its latest digital music endeavor. An updated version of the player piano, the "Disklavier" can stream music live so you can pretend you're Herbie Hancock playing Carnegie Hall, much to the chagrin of guests and family at holiday gatherings. And if you can't find the right accompaniment on the DisklavierRadio system--or don't want to pay … Read more

If the robust HyperBike is the bicycle equivalent of a Hummer, then the high-tech Yamaha Bobby is the BMW one.

The Bobby prototype from Yamaha Motor is an electric bicycle that lets riders connect to the Internet. Ubergizmo pointed out that the bike can also be turned on and off from select cell phones.

Bobby is one of 19 concept bikes Yamaha Motor plans to show at the 2007 Tokyo auto show. The Bobby is part of Yamaha's "Art of Engineering" theme for this year's show, according to Yamaha.

Yamaha Motor also seems to be partnering … Read more

Where do you draw the line between a motorcycle and a car?

Toyota's iQ Concept, a concept car that debuted in Frankfurt and will be at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, might be better suited for the next rally in Sturgis, SD.

Toyota is in collaboration with two Japanese companies to develop a 1-liter engine for the iQ that will be based on a Yamaha motorcycle engine, according to reports from Auto Blog and Automotive News Europe.

Toyota plans to produce about 80,000 iQ cars for Europe by 2009 and possibly more for the Indian and Chinese markets. … Read more