seiko
Screens
Seiko Epson Designs Simple 3D Display for Mobile Phones
10:15PM Kit Eaton | Seiko Epson has designed a new glasses-free display that really has the potential to bring 3D-displays to mobile phones and PMPs sooner rather than later. It’s a bit similar to the old kid’s classic lenticular images (you know: they come with a lined plastic face, and when you twist them you see a changing picture,) and in this case a complex array of convex lenses is combined with a high-res 3-inch LCD display. An object is photographed with up to eight cameras, a compound image is created, and when displayed each lens sends a slightly different view to your eyes. Because your eyes see different views of the object, just like in real life your brain reconstructs a 3D image. Sadly, the effect can’t be captured in a single image of the screen, but you won’t have long to wait: Seiko plans to commercialise the tech in a few years. [FarEastGizmos] More »
Gadgets
Seiko SlimStick Fitness Aid Explains Why You’re Fat
4:00AM Haroon Malik | Seiko’s Slimstick is a fitness device that will detail calories burned across a day, length of daily activity, total number of steps taken, as well as offer up a relative fitness score to keep you in check. The Slimstick will store 12-weeks worth of data and the aluminium clad gizmo will set you back ¥6,984 ($71.) Finally, a device you can clip to your shirt, which will quantifiably explain why you are morbidly obese at the end of each exercise free, sugar coated, sweat filled day. Thanks, Seiko. [Technabob] More »
Gadgets
Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Brings Out Your Inner Space Cowboy
2:00AM Addy Dugdale | Just 100 of Seiko’s Spring Drive Spacewalk watches, space-proof wristwatches being developed with a little help from the Russian Federal Space Agency, are expected to be made. Designed for Richard Garriott, the video-game honcho-turned-future space tourist, the titanium-encased timepiece weighs just 92.5 grams and is airtight, and waterproof to 100 metres. Seiko has developed a new luminescent material so that Richard will be able to see if it’s teatime yet on the International Space Station, and it has large control buttons so that he doesn’t have to take his space gloves off to adjust the time. Full specs are below. More »
Phones
Varioptic and Seiko to Bring Liquid Lenses to Mobile Phones, Finally
10:30AM Haroon Malik | Varioptic has been talking about bringing liquid lenses to mobile phones since 2005, but now they have teamed up with Seiko and the watery dreams look to be coming alive. Liquid lenses have the added benefit of being speedier and less power hungry than conventional lenses, but the release of Varioptic’s pioneering technology for mobile phones has been in the pipe lines for almost two years. Thankfully, Seiko has stepped up to the mark, coining a mass production date of Q3, 2008. The initial models that will be created are the Arctic 314 and Arctic 416, which rate 5 mega pixels in 0.33-inch and 0.25-inch modules. The faster lenses should see an increase in video capture quality and battery life for mobile phones adopting the new standard, which can only be a good thing. Jump for the press release. More »
Hardware
Seiko High-Res Super-Thin EBook Reader
4:20PM Brian Lam | More E-Book News, this one a prototype from Seiko Epson, makers of the cool E-ink watch. The device’s form factor is at least as thin as Sony’s Reader, but it has a 1200×1600 display. That’s a lot of res on that 6.7-inch screen. UPDATE: Res independence, good point brilliant readers. [MobileRead via TechnoBob] More »
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Seiko Cavity Tooth Watch Makes Dentists Rub Hands Greedily
8:28AM Seamus Byrne | How would you like to have a watch that’s shaped like a tooth? No? Us neither. But Seiko’s just created a “Cavity” watch that’s both shaped like a tooth and has a gigantic hole in the middle to display the time. The watch comes in either silver or gold, but costs only $140 (16,800 yen). The point? To remind you every day that it’s time to go to the dentist. Or eat more candy. – Jason Chen Seiko Cavity Tooth Watch [Plastic Bamboo] More »
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Video & Gallery: Seiko’s E-Ink Spectrum for the Ladies
4:52AM Wilson Rothman | We clued you in to the Seiko Spectrum for women last month, but a still photo doesn’t really do justice to its extra-smooth E-Ink display. That’s why we’ve got video and a series of still photos. What we don’t have yet is a ship date or a price on this, but it’s likely to be sometime this fall, and at a price that you can’t afford. Seriously, this will be so limited edition, it makes Seiko’s F1 Honda masterpiece look like a McDonald’s happy meal prize. – Wilson Rothman with video by Richard Blakeley galleryPost('SeikoSpectrumWomen', 4, ''); More »
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$5,700 Formula One Seiko Sportura Ultimate Kinetic Chrono
4:35AM Wilson Rothman | F1 racers are lucky sons o’ guns. They make more than baseball players, get first pick of the hottest Euro models, drive really really fast without fear of highway patrol , and get cool special edition crap. Seiko just unveiled this year’s Honda special edition Sportura Ultimate Kinetic Chrono, and announced that in addition to the drivers and crew, you can get your hands on one if you’ve got $US5,700 and, presumably, some good Seiko connections. Only 750 will be made, and every one will ship in the packaging you can see in the gallery, complete with an actual gear from a Honda F1 car. Hopefully, it’s not a part that one of the drivers will need. – Wilson Rothman galleryPost('SeikoSporturaUltimate', 4, 'Seiko Sportura Ultimate'); More »
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Seiko EM-49 Car Socket Power Strip
9:10AM Seamus Byrne | This device from Seiko easily falls into the “Why didn’t I think of that?” category. The Seiko EM-49 is simply a power strip for the 12V power adapter in most vehicles. It also includes a USB port for charging your MP3 player, cellphone, etc. It goes for a cool $19, if you can find a way to get one over here from Korea. –Travis Hudson Product Page [Via AVING] More »
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