Tokyo Shift

The future is now in the land of the rising sun

by Rick Martin, Japan

Google releases a Japanese IME

Dec 3, 2009 20:20

Here's some good news for Japanese ~~speakers~~ typers out there. Google has just announced its new Japanese IME (input method editor) and, from my limited usage today, it seems to work pretty well.
Read more »

1 comment | Share

Nintendo DSi LL disassembled

Nov 27, 2009 11:00

The new upsized DSi LL is now out here in Japan, and it didn't�take long for someone to rip one open and poke around its insides. The guys over at PC Watch (Japanese) have a great photo set that you should check out. I've put a few samples below.
Read more »

Leave a comment | Share

Half-Kermit, half bagpipe: Meet Keromin, the musical hand puppet

Nov 23, 2009 18:15

While I didn't get out to Make Meeting 04 today as I had hoped, it's been fun watching some of the media that's been streaming out of there on Twitter and YouTube. Tokyo's best hackers and geeks were showing off their finest creations, and among them was Keromin, a musical puppet not entirely dissimilar from another famous frog you might know.
Read more »

Leave a comment | Share

QR codes in the wild in Japan

Nov 17, 2009 16:09

I've been fascinated by QR codes in Japan even before I came here. For anyone wondering what this technology is about, here's a great explanation by Mobile Ojisan from a few years back:

QR (Quick Rresponse) Code is a matrix two-dimensional printable code, originally developed by an automobile component manufacturer, Denso of Tokyo. Whereas classic barcode can carry only numerals, QR Code stores any character, alphanumeric or even Kanji... [Typing a] URL could pose a big problem. You need to hit, on average, 2.5 key strokes for a single ASCII character with your left/right thumb. No K-tai user wants to type a long and tedious URL this way... A K-tai user simply "clicks" this QR Code with his K-tai camera. The decoding software kicks in and delivers the decoded URL to K-tai browser. It jumps to the Web site directly.

5 comments | Share

How Nintendo can fend off Apple's gaming challenge

Nov 13, 2009 00:53

Way back in March, I wrote a post on here entitled On a collision course: iPhone vs Nintendo DSi. Since then a lot has happened. Most notably, back in September we saw Phil Schiller suddenly lauding the touch and the iPhone as gaming platforms. He claimed that they not only rivaled the DS and PSP, but, according to him and his fancy bar graphs, surpassed them.

As much as I love Apple, I think that claim is pretty questionable. The innovative titles that are still coming out on the DS are tough to beat (I've been playing Scribblenauts, and it's wicked!). Nintendo is going to have to move to a fully digital distribution model though, because these little plastic cards are becoming pass� real quick. This is where Apple has the Japanese company thoroughly beat.
Read more »

Leave a comment | Share

About Rick Martin

After a few years in China studying Mandarin and watching the Chinese Tech scene, Rick Martin has escaped to Japan and is loving every minute of it. When he's not working on his pet projects, 2JPN and DS Ninja, he can usually be found exploring all things tech in the land of the rising sun. Drop him a line on Twitter, Facebook, or contact him via Email.