Photos: Ceatec Day 2--robot phones, 3D TVs, Hellboy
There are plenty of fascinating odds and ends filling up the convention center at Ceatec 2009 in Japan.
Welcome to Ceatec 2009
Signs at the entrance to the Makuhari Messe convention center announce that we have indeed arrived at Ceatec 2009 in Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo.
The show, which started Tuesday and runs through the weekend, seems smaller than in years past (though there's no official count of attendance yet). The smaller crowd could be due to the sluggish economy and/or the inclement weather Tokyo's been having: it hasn't stopped raining since the show began and there's a typhoon forecast to hit the area Thursday.
Stantum multitouch tech
Stantum resistive touchscreen
Wireless charging adapter for handhelds
Dell made headlines last week with the introduction of its wireless charging station for its latest Latitude notebook, but Wild Charge has been trying to make a go of wireless power for the past few years.
At Ceatec, the Arizona-based company is showing its wireless inductive charging pad and adapters that can charge a variety of handheld devices such as the phone and Nintendo DS pictured here.
Solar-powered cell phone
The phone has been available in Japan since last month.
Robot phone
The Polaris is part mobile phone/part robot and is the fruit of a partnership between design firm Iida and robotics company Flower Robotics.
While the form factor brings the Sony Rolly to mind, this aspires to do a lot more. The Polaris functions as a cell phone, but is also a personal organizer. It can keep a daily schedule, act as a pedometer and keep track of eating habits, exercise, and general health. After gathering that data, it provides feedback to the owner in the form of exercise and medical advice, suggested recipes and places to shop. It also offers entertainment suggestions.
Panasonic 50-inch 3D TV
Panasonic is getting serious about 3D TVs for the home. Prior to Ceatec, the company has shown its 103-inch 3D TV, but now its bringing the concept a little closer to Earth. The 50-inch 3D TV is a size that will more realistically fit in most living rooms. It requires viewers to don a set of active shutter glasses in order to watch 3D content in the form of DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, or forthcoming 3D broadcast channels.
The TV has no price set yet, but there will be a premium to be paid for having 3D technology in the home. However, a Panasonic representative assured us "it will not be twice the price" of a a standard 50-inch HDTV.