Infobar

In a melding of form and function, Kofu-born designer Naoto Fukasawa has turned the everyday mobile into a kinetic work of art that looks just as good on a mantle piece. While the dull-sounding name Infobar, by KDDI au, doesn't do the bar-shaped terminal justice, the palette of choices is droolworthy. Ichimatsu features a black-and-white kimono pattern; Nishikigoi emulates a Japanese koi pond with splashes of red; Building comes in silver tiles against a night sky; and the latest addition, Annin, is dressed in the creamy-white of Annin Tofu almond jelly. Too bad it's only for Japan.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Japan only
Device: CDMA 1X WIN handset
Basic specs: Magnesium alloy casing, 87g, claimed talktime of 2.5 hours, standby of 200 hours, 132 x 176-dot LCD screen, 310,000-pixel CCD camera, 40-chord polyphony, email inbox of 500 messages, 3MB data folder capacity, camera and flash capable of video and stills, EZ applications (Brew) and EZ navigations, supports EZ Chaku-uta and Chaku Movies

PiPit Phone

From computerized bidets to Hello Kitty robots, Japan has trumped up yet another cool tech--a phone with a one-button emergency call feature for the elderly, women and the young. Given its consumer base, don't expect bells and whistles. The handset accepts just three phone numbers and has a grand total of five buttons--three for assigned phone numbers and two for Send and End. The mobile also has email functions and can automatically make calls to the three pre-registered numbers if a security buzzer at the back is activated. Not surprisingly, the fonts are large and easy to read, while phonetic symbols allow the younger set to understand onscreen text. Responsible for the PiPit's genesis are Toyota Motors (yup, the car maker), PHS carrier DDI Pocket and Kyocera. And yes, they're also responsible for the rather Mickey Mouse outlook of the phone considering the other half of its target audience.

Price: Monthly basic rate of about US$7.50 plus call charges.
Availability: Toyota chain stores and mobile shops in Japan from September 4
Device: PHS handset
Basic specs: Claimed talktime of 8 hours, standby of 800 hours, 6 hours charging time, 69g, 120 x 32-dot LCD screen, choice of Fresh-Blue, Noble-Silver and Sweet-Pink

Blade Runner Dualmode

Is this the future of public transportation? UK firm Silvertip Design seems to have snagged an idea from the old sci-fi classic Blade Runner, and converged what seems to be a tractor trailer and freight train to create the ultimate in intermodal transport--the Blade Runner Dualmode [click for bigger image]. Apparently capable of switching between road and rail, it can transport 105 commuters or 115 cubic meters of freight. The giant trucker is still in concept mode and, not to sound ornery, unlikely to find any takers in itty-bitty Singapore.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept stage
Device: Road-rail hybrid system
Basic specs: Utilizes a fifth wheel to stay on tracks and the rubber tires for accelerating and braking

Hitachi Organic TFT LCD

Is plasma about to become passé? Hitachi has apparently successfully built what it claims is the world's highest-resolution organic TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display. For the technophobes, the key advantage to organic TFT is its bendable nature. Remember that sheet-thin USA Today tabloid with its moving ads and content in Minority Report circa 2057? While Hitachi's breakthrough (for now) is confined to just 80 x 80 dots in 1.4 inches, the reality of such a flexible LCD newspaper may be closer than we imagine.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Prototype stage
Device: Organic TFT display
Basic specs: 1.4 inches, 80 x 80 dots (RGB), 80ppi, 60Hz

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Car

In Minority Report, Tom Cruise zips through the streets of Washington D.C. in an ultra-sleek, cherry-red Lexus electric sports car. While that's way cool (the Lexus, not Cruise), the car of tomorrow is more likely to be hydrogen-powered than battery-operated. With a fleet of Honda FCX fuel-cell prototypes soon to hit US roads, the Holy Grail of emission-free technology is now within grasp. The race is on for other auto companies to rev up their own production of hydrogen cars, though it'll be another 10 years before this part of Asia will get to test drive one.

Price: Customer lease program
Availability: Only in the US and Japan
Device: Fuel cell-powered vehicle
Basic specs: Fuel cell stack, 156.6 liters, max. speed 93mph, output of 80 horsepower, 272Nm max. drive torque, more than 170 mile range, zero emission, four-seater

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