November 12, 2008 at 3:01 pm · Filed under RFID, Biometrics, Robot, NEC, Mobile
As the use of e-money gains popularity in Japan, versatile FeliCa RFID readers that support multiple forms of electronic currency are popping up in convenience stores and vending machines, making it easier for users to pay with the swipe of a phone. Electronics giant NEC is jumping in on the action with a FeliCa payment terminal modeled after a life-sized android.
The robot — a prototype that NEC demonstrated at the recent iEXPO 2008 trade show in Tokyo — incorporates existing technology, which means a finished version can be produced and deployed at short notice. NEC hopes to land it a job at an amusement park selling entrance tickets to visitors with FeliCa-enabled wallet phones, also known as osaifu keitai.
To pay the robot, users simply select the appropriate e-money icon on the robot’s chest-mounted touch screen panel and then swipe their phone over the reader/writer embedded in […]
Original post by Edo
October 14, 2008 at 7:34 pm · Filed under amazing, Tokyo, Miscellaneous, Cool, lost, antique, weird, invention, future, Mobile, vehicles, 1920s, directions, gps, mankind, map, mini, roads, Route Finder, satnav, small, wristwatch
Losing directions is one of my weaknesses. If there are too many roads around, I would find myself extremely clueless with the directions whether I am walking or driving without a map or a few phone calls to friends. Sometimes I wondered whether there is a better way than having a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or Satellite Navigation System (SatNav) that would possibly cost a bomb to have one installed in your car.
In some countries, GPS or SatNav are so common that in Tokyo, every taxi has one!
Clean seats, courteous driver and very informative taxi.
Then just recently I found this online. A 1920s “SatNav”, also called The Route Finder. It is a tiny machine complete with maps that would tell motorists which way to go. Isn’t that cool or what! Imagine, a wristwatch-style device equipped with mini maps.
1920s Route Finder
But this is no GPS, not even a full […]
Original post by Pamela
September 8, 2008 at 8:45 pm · Filed under Tech Biz, Announcement, Mobile
Pink Tentacle is hitting the skies this week to participate in the 2008 Nokia Open Lab workshop in Helsinki, Finland, where dozens of selected bloggers and social media participants from across the globe will converge to discuss the future of mobile technology. Topics on the agenda include the future of content creation, location aware solutions, entertainment, and the use of emerging technologies in working life. Sounds intriguing.
Give me a shout if you’d like to stay up to date on the happenings. Or if you know Helsinki, what do you recommend for a taste of the town?
Original post by Edo
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