ceatec 2010

Friday Poll: Which Ceatec sight caught your eye?

In case you missed it, this week was Ceatec, which is basically the Japanese equivalent of CES. Asian tech companies show off lots of technology there. Some is coming soon to Japan. And some is conceptual and may never hit shelves anywhere but gets gadget lovers worked up into a lather nonetheless.

Going through our coverage of the geek fest, I saw many things that would look good in my gadgets drawer, in my pocket, or in my hands. You're Crave readers, so I'm sure that there's some gear that makes you drool, too.

Of course, as … Read more

Ceatec's cell phones of tomorrow

CHIBA, Japan--Cell phones in Japan have long been more advanced than what we can get in the U.S. Watching TV, filming video, paying for groceries with a mobile phone--none of that is new here.

But there are still some cell phones that are too futuristic even for here. We scoured the halls of Makuhari Mess here at Ceatec 2010 and found a variety of phones and some accessories that are intended to be prototypes or design concepts.

Some seem more realistic than others, like this dual-pane device from Fujitsu. It's a flip phone with two touch screens that … Read more

Ceatec: Gizmos a go-go a la Tokyo

The annual show has a well-earned reputation as a peek into our gadget future. The 2010 edition is guaranteed to be full of some of the geekiest stuff going.

Cell phones of tomorrowCeatec is always a reliable place to spot some of the coolest, most forward-thinking, and sometimes impractical concept designs for cell phones.(Posted in Crave by Erica Ogg) October 6, 2010 10:57 PM PDT

Sharp shows glasses-free 3D Its prototype no-glasses-necessary 3D displays are smaller than Toshiba's TVs, but impressive, and could be practical for mobile gadgets. (Posted in Circuit Breaker by Erica Ogg) October 6, … Read more

Sharp shows glasses-free 3D

CHIBA, Japan--Toshiba showed us this week what 3D without glasses can look like on a laptop and a TV. But what about screens sized for mobile devices?

That's where Sharp comes in, and with a fairly impressive demo. The Japanese consumer electronics maker has two glasses-free 3D displays here at Ceatec, one measuring 3.8 inches and the other, 10.6. inches. Both are still prototypes--unlike Toshiba's 12- and 20-inch TVs scheduled to hit stores in Japan by the end of the year--but work remarkably well.

The 10.6-inch version had the clearest 3D effect, and a … Read more

Wraparound plasma screen is one good turn

CHIBA, Japan--It turns out digital signs don't have to be flat.

Here at Ceatec, Fujitsu turned what looked like your standard building column into an interactive display by wrapping it with a plasma display and a motion-sensing camera.

The display itself is 1 centimeter thick and is available in much larger sizes--see the 200-inch one that's been installed at Japan's Kansai Airport.

The display uses cameras to sense a person's location and movements in reaction to elements on the screen. The camera on one side displays the person's interactions on both sides of the column, … Read more

3D mobile display could transform gaming

CHIBA, Japan--3D displays aren't just for passive consumption, as NTT DoCoMo is showing here at Ceatec.

Japan's largest mobile carrier is showing an experimental display that combines glasses-less 3D technology with a stylus and force feedback, which could make for some interesting interactive possibilities.

Here's how it works: On-screen is a video of a chameleon. When you run the stylus over the screen, the chameleon tracks the location of the magnet-tipped stylus and flicks its tongue out to where the stylus tip comes in contact with the display. Cameras track the position of the pen, and a … Read more

Hitachi aims MEMS display at tablets, smartphones

Hitachi Displays announced a display that uses microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, technology at the Ceatec conference this week in Chiba, Japan.

Hitachi is targeting the display, developed with Andover, Mass.-based Pixtronix, at future smartphones, tablet PCs, and digital cameras, among other devices. The target size is a screen with a 10-inch diagonal size or smaller.

At Ceatec, Hitachi is showing a 2.5-inch (320 by 240 resolution) prototype display that taps into Pixtronix's Digital Micro Shutter system, which combines thin-film transistor (TFT) technology and MEMS technologies. This results in a display that delivers better backlight efficiency and uses … Read more

Lumix--as much a camera as a phone

Panasonic has taken the wraps off its Lumix Phone at Ceatec 2010.

The Lumix Phone site now displays the design of this handset with a slide-out keypad and shows off sample photos taken using the device's 13.2-megapixel shooter.

Aside from the specs that Panasonic revealed last week, a few other details have emerged. It has a flash and the lens is widest at 27mm. Similar to a standalone camera, the lens is multicoated to reduce flare. Another feature is Panasonic's picture Jump technology for easy sharing of photos. Like the company's Lumix line of compact digital … Read more

Sharp's Galapagos, other tablets tease at Ceatec

CHIBA, Japan--A handful of tablets are on display at Ceatec 2010, though most of them are still firmly in the idea stage.

Of the major consumer electronics manufacturers here showing touch-screen tablet devices, only Sharp's Galapagos seems close to being a real product. Fujitsu's was kept under glass and clearly labeled "prototype," and Toshiba's had few details beyond its use of Android as the OS.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is here, though it is part of wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo's booth because Samsung does not display at Ceatec. Even without the manufacturer's presence, … Read more