Technology Info

The paper tells us that Japan’s military has confessed to losing a USB device that contained troop deployment maps for a joint Japan-US military exercise. Well, actually, the USB drive was stolen, recovered, then accidentally thrown away.

In February of last year, a 33-year-old captain of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) reportedly stole the memory stick along with 2,000 yen in cash and a 10,000 yen airline coupon.

The GSDF previously announced a one month suspension for the apprehended officer for stealing the cash and coupon, but never mentioned the USB drive to the public.

According to Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the force withheld the information because they didn’t want people on the internet searching for the data.

Shortly after, a lieutenant colonel borrowed the USB device and lent it to a sergeant first class. The sergeant left it on his desk, where it was accidentally tossed.

All three were reprimanded according to the GSDF. The data in question is considered sensitive, but not touchy enough to pursue criminal penalties just for losing it. (link)

A Japanese toy maker will launch a karaoke machine measuring a mere seven centimetres (2.8 inches) this year, letting pop star wannabes — particularly children — hone their skills on the go.

Tomy Co. Ltd. said it would begin sales of the world’s smallest karaoke machine in October in Japan, targeting those who are too young to enter the karaoke parlours that dot the country’s cities.

The Hi-kara machine comes with headsets, meaning that only the users can hear the music.

“Absorbed in the music from the headphones, I found myself singing in an embarrassingly loud voice,” Tomy spokeswoman Mei Kudo said.

The machine, which can also be used with a second set of headphones or put on speaker mode, targets elementary school girls who adore pop stars. (link)

A student who allegedly spread a computer virus has been convicted of copyright infringement in a case that has highlighted the lack of laws in Japan to police cyberspace.

Masato Nakatsuji, 24, a graduate student at Osaka Electro-Communication University, was charged with maliciously spreading a virus by embedding it in an image from a Japanese animation film he illegally copied and distributed.

The virus he allegedly used, the “Harada virus,” is one of Japan’s top viruses, and Nakatsuji’s arrest in January was the first in Japan involving the making or spreading of viruses.

Downloading the Harada virus and the image destroyed data on victims’ computers and moved information stored on their computers onto the Internet, according to police. (link)

Apple Japan Inc. and Sony Corp. have agreed to jointly pay about Y1.3 million to settle a damages suit filed by a Japanese couple who argued that the husband had suffered burns after their Apple personal computer caught fire due to its Sony-made battery, judicial sources said, according to Kyodo News Agency.

The three parties reached the settlement at the Osaka District Court April 2, the sources said.

On Monday, both Sony (SNE) and the Japan unit of Apple Inc. (AAPL) of the U.S. declined to comment on the settlement.

In the lawsuit filed in July 2007, the couple sought around Y2 million in compensation, arguing the notebook computer caught fire while the wife was using it at their home in Osaka Prefecture in April 2006. (news)

Japan faces a 16 percent slide in the size of its workforce by 2030 while the number of elderly will mushroom, the government estimates, raising worries about who will do the work in a country unused to, and unwilling to contemplate, large-scale immigration.

The thinktank, the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation, says robots could help fill the gaps, ranging from microsized capsules that detect lesions to high-tech vacuum cleaners.

Rather than each robot replacing one person, the foundation said in a report that robots could make time for people to focus on more important things.

Japan could save 2.1 trillion yen ($21 billion) of elderly insurance payments in 2025 by using robots that monitor the health of older people, so they don’t have to rely on human nursing care, the foundation said in its report. (link)

HPI Japan just conjured up GR-001’s new best friend: the G-Dog. The DIY, four-legged robot with a taste for jugulars and what appears to be a sword for a tail stands just 5.3-inches tall and features the same control unit and sensors of his bipedal buddy. Presumably, G-Dog will only respond to street-wize greetings of “Whut up Gee?” and “‘Sup Dawg?” at which point he’ll lubricate his turf (aka, your carpet). G-Dog is expected to terrorize Japan sometime in July for around $1,000. Backside front, after the break. (engadget)

Taking karaoke to a new level, a machine soon to be out in Japan will let people impersonate animation characters, turning them into superheroes — or mischievous smart alecs — for the night.

Namco Bandai Games Inc. unveiled the prototype machine as the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008 opened Thursday for the media and business.

It aims to launch the machine in Japan around mid-2008 at karaoke parlours, said Shohei Nakanowatari, a consumer software official with the company.

“You are unbuttoned at karaoke places where you drink with friends,” he said. “The freer you are from your usual persona, the more fun you can have. You can also easily change your sex.”

A quiet person can be a courageous hero while a straight-laced businessman can turn into a delicate young girl, Nakanowatari said. (link)

The world’s most popular lighter now lights up your dark room with Transformers. This pretty Transformers Zippo lighter is very limited and it comes in a shiny silver color with a unique number engraved on it. Enjoy using this stylish lighter in front of your friends for a cost of 10,500 yen.Um.. It’s kind of pricey but I’m loving it.

Below is the updated version of the Transformers Zippo Lighter, featuring burning flames on the front and a “TF” engraved on the side. It looks really cool and when the lid is opened, you will see the Autobot logo. Available in Japan only and it’s about 12,000 yen. (link)

When Apple came out with a page about battery care, most people assumed that Apple had issued the guidelines in order to deflect battery capacity complaints. One warning concerning iPod battery heat while charging may not have been made out of self-interest, though. According to Agence France-Presse, an iPod in Japan overheated while being charged in its case. (link)

Japan’s Pioneer Corp said Friday it will stop making plasma panels amid intense competition and will instead outsource the production of plasma panels for its television sets.

The Japanese maker of car navigation systems and audio equipment said it will start buying plasma panels from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd (NYSE:MC) , the world’s largest consumer electronics maker, but did not provide details on the timing and volume of panels it will now outsource.

‘The move was regrettable but we had no choice but to do so for the sake of the company’s future,’ Pioneer president Tamihiko Sudo said at a press conference.

‘The top priority for us now is to make the operation suitable to the scale of the business,’ he said.

‘Now, how well we can apply our technological advantage to the back-end area of the production process holds the key to success, and we believe we have sufficient technology, capabilities and potential’ to do just that, he said.

The decision to exit plasma panel production came after Pioneer slashed its sales projection for plasma TV sets to 480,000 units for the current fiscal year ending this month from the initial target of 720,000 sets. (link)