Seiko’s been exploring the weird world of E-Ink watches since 2005, when they introduced the first in a series of futuristic E-Ink wristwear. FutureNow, the latest iteration, slaps an active matrix E-Ink display (Future) on an unassuming wristwatch (Now). More »
News just in – X tech company sues Y tech company! Except it’s not that simple. Dell’s actually filed a lawsuit against five manufacturers – Sharp, Hitachi, Toshiba, Seiko Epson and HannStar, for supposed price-fixing of LCD monitors. More »
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]
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]
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.
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 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 »
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]
newVideoPlayer("watch_girl_gawker.flv", 475, 376); 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
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