Zoinks, Kenwood just loosed yet another Media Keg design into Japan. Two in fact, each sharing the same guts: the sophisticatedly-smarmy GD55 and whimsically-chintzy GD50. Both feature up to 2GB of flash, a 4-line OLED display, a USB mass storage mode and support for MP3 or DRM'd WMA audio with up to 21 hours of MP3 playback before needing a recharge. Yours in Japan starting next month for ¥15,000 or about $130 for the full 2GB treatment.

[Via Impress]

First Sony, now Toshiba introduces a new flash-based 1Seg TV totin' media player onto the Japanese market. However, unless you're after SD/SDHC card expansion, Microsoft DRM support, and a larger 3.5-inch display (albeit at the same resolution as the Sony) for the same price but twice the weight, there's just not much to like from the latest Toshiba slab sporting the gigabeat logo. Impress did the dirty work of pitting the gigabeat V41 head-to-head with the smokin' Sony NW-A910 for a feature-by-feature comparison. Damn Tosh, we can feel your embarrassment from here.

Nice huh? That's the latest Walkman from Sony. However, unless you live in Japan, you can forget about using it to watch your mobile digital TV. This little pup packs a 1Seg tuner, not DMB, DVB-H, or Flo. Measuring just 86.8 × 48 × 12.3-mm, the NW-A910 series player holds up to 16GB of flash memory and a 2.4-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display. The included EPG even allows you to schedule up to 10 programs for recording up to one month in advance for up to 100 hours of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 formatted television inside the device. As this is Japan, it still supports ATRAC in addition to non-DRMed WMA and AAC, MP3, and linear PCM audio playback with SonicStage doing the sync work back to your PC. Rounding things out are an FM tuner, direct encoding from your CD/MD player, clear audio noise canceling headphones, and a battery capable of juicing up to 6 hours of television or 36 hours of audio. The premium NW-A919/BI (pictured) will sell in November for ¥47,800 while a 4GB NW-A916 should pop for about ¥30,000 ($259).

[Via Impress]

Nearly a year after the announcement of JVC's DLA-HD1 1080p projector come this, their DLA-HD100. The latest projector to sport a trio of 0.7-inch D-ILA devices doubles the reported contrast ratio to 30,000:1 while scaling back the lumens from 700 to 600 of the same 200W bulb. Inputs include 2x HDMI v1.3 supporting your choice of 1080/24p/50p/60p sources; component, S-Video and the ubiquitous composite connectors. A 2x zoom lens offers a 100-inch projection from a distance of 10- to 20-feet. This 24dB projector is expected in Japan mid November for ¥840,000 or about $7,312 -- right, about twice the price of the latest generation 1080p 3LCD projectors offering less than half the contrast. Decision, decisions.

[Via Impress]

If you're insistent on toting around a portable zit zapper, why not choose one that doubles as a less-than-stellar DAP? The Mpion player not only includes 128MB of built-in memory, a headphone jack, USB connectivity, and a battery life of around two hours, but this thing even cleans your pores. Reportedly, the "ion mode" enables "deep cleansing" of your face, and while we certainly aren't schooled in the ways of dermatology, we have a hard time believing this device would actually work. Nevertheless, those willing to give anything a try can grab one now for ¥20,790, but don't count on a money back guarantee.

[Via UberReview]

Are you a Japanese Windows user? Did you just buy an iPod touch? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you may find yourself in a boiling rage in a matter of moments. Apparently, you are unable to unlock your new WiFi-device / media player if you're using Japanese Windows -- the player just remains in the holding pattern of a "connect to PC" prompt when you hook it up to your computer. According to reports, Apple Japan has yet to issue a statement or updates to solve the problem, which is causing a number of Japanese buyers to take matters into their own hands. Word on the street is that lines have been forming outside of Apple stores, where new buyers are taking their useless touches to be brought magically to life by the in-store Macs. First the screen problems and now this? Come on Apple -- get it together.

Update: The crack team at Engadget Japan has learned from Apple that an update coming later this week will fix the problem, though they have yet to make an official announcement. Also, it sounds like other foreign Windows users may be experiencing similar problems. If you're having trouble -- let us know.

[Via Impress]

Unfortunately for those in America, you aren't likely to see either of Sanyo's latest GPS units, but for those dwelling in Japan, here's the low down. Up first is the fairly attractive NV-SD580DT, which boasts a 1seg tuner, integrated media player, FM transmitter, built-in one-watt speaker, 5.8-inch display, and an SD expansion slot. The slightly less stunning NV-SB260DT (shown after the jump) packs a 4.5-inch screen and omits MP3 playback, but retains most of the other features on the aforementioned sibling. Both units are set to hit stores next month, and while the NV-SD580DT will ring up at ¥117,600 ($1,021), the NV-SB260DT will demand ¥103,950 ($902).

[Via Impress]

Just in case you've been keeping one eye trained on the console wars out there, you might want to take note of the most recent sales figures from Japan. According to the latest stats, the PSP overtook the DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2 in sales last week, propelled by the newest handheld installment of the Final Fantasy series, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Sure, it's happened before, but with the increasing competitiveness out there, this one seems extra important. The message should be clear to Nintendo -- don't rest on your laurels. Also, don't miss out on really hot Square Enix exclusives. The last thing you want is to go the way of Atari, and just end up as a simulation on a thriving system.

Could it be that a distant relative of the Great Gazoo has crash landed in Japan only to serve as tour guide in a government building? Well, in Japan, anything is possible. Besides representing what many believe to be the original "jump the shark" television moment, this Osaka guide-robot turns an otherwise staid municipal lobby into a happy place. That is, until you consider that this is a robotic ancestor to an alien which created a Doomsday Machine. Clearly, that dum-dum in the ballcap is not impressed.

If you're the proud owner of an SD-P1600 or SD-P1610 portable DVD player, and you've yet to experience any sort of unusual issues, listen up. According to Toshiba, four cases of overheating have been recorded in Japan, and although no injuries have occurred, the firm is suggesting that you yank the AC adapter and swap it for a new one. Reportedly, the outfit sold around 328,000 of the units during its manufacturing run from February 2005 to January 2006, so if you've got one of 'em (and still use it), be sure and take advantage of the free replacement.

Surely you remember Sony's OLED TVs with an astounding 1,000,000:1 contrast? Good, then you'll also recall that Sony promised the 3-fracking-mm thin, 11-incher this year; a schedule Samsung publicly doubted. While we wish it was 27- or even 30-inches, it's still a very important step in the wide-spread, commercialization of the technology. So check it Sammy, Sony's on the road touting a December, Japan delivery to anyone who will listen. So the question is: will you?

Read -- Sony confirmation at Gitex
Read -- Sony confirmation in Japan (footnote, near end)

It may be raining on AT&T's parade today but the sun is out and blasting Japan with plenty of Blu-ray. Four new Sony Bravia recorders in fact, capable of burning 50GB dual-layer, BD-R/RE discs with an additional disk packing between 250GB and 500GB of storage depending upon model selected. The ¥200,000 (about $1,755) top-end BDZ-X90 model brings 2x digital and 2x analog tuners, gold-plated HDMI 1080p capable of 60fps or 24fps output in DeepColor, and a DLNA-based "Sony Room Link" server function for streaming your media around the house. All use MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoding with support for lossless TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio and hi-definition bitstream output. Hell, they even include support for attached AVCHD camcorders. Damn. On sale in Japan November 8th.

[Via Impress]

Sensing component company Omron has created what it calls "smile measurement software," which rates the amount of happiness that human subject of a photo are exhibiting. On the face of it (ouch!), the applications aren't too obvious: then you consider that this could easily be used by robots to detect their owner's -- and future slave's -- state of mind, even if it is on a rather polarized scale. According to Omron, the subject doesn't even have to be looking at the camera to work, the application is only 50kb in size, and it can run effectively on embedded mobile chips. Just don't go complainin' when your next digicam confirms your worst fears, that yes, your child is emo.

[Via Impress]

While we've seen USB-based peripherals that aim to keep your youngsters in a safe and innocent PC environment, Bandai and Buffalo have teamed up to make kid-friendly computing a bit more bearable. The duo has crafted a unique USB key, which is slated to be available in Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh versions, that simultaneously locks the PC into "Kid Mode," password protects the parent's session in the background, and opens up a world of mom-approved fun for the little ones to enjoy. The software that resides on the key includes a dedicated browser for safe surfing, a time regulator to keep them from growing addicted, and options for parents to select precisely what apps their offspring can / can't access. Reportedly, the units are expected to land in mid-September over in Japan, and while pricing has yet to be confirmed, we're hearing it'll run you around ¥3,480 ($30).