Digital World Tokyo | Audio

Noise-canceling tech comes to car interiors

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:37:00 GMT

The principle behind noise-cancelling headphones is as elegant as it is simple - sample the noise to be cancelled out and use small speakers to create an equal, but opposite, sound that effectively erases the problem. Now, Toyota has taken that concept and applied it to one of its high-end hybrid cars to reduce interior noise for the comfort of passengers. The company's 'Active Noise Control' system appears in the new Toyota Crown Hybrid car and reduces the noise inside the vehicle by up to 8dB. It was implemented after the car's engine was found to be noisier than expected as it rotates more slowly for better efficiency. Toyota found that the low-frequency noises given off by the engine were more audible than in other cars with similar equipment under the bonnet and tackled it by first adding three interior microphones to listen in on cabin conditions. Then, it installed three speakers - on the front doors and the rear shelf - to play back the cancelling signals. The car's music system can still be used at the same time, of course. Although describing the system like that is relatively simple, the acoustics inside a car made getting it right a challenge. Unlike headphones, the in-car system has to deal with both direct noise and its echo when it bounces off interior walls. The result is a system that cancels out the engine sounds around head height - right where our ears are, in other words. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Electrical eyeballs controlling our gadgets

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:54:00 GMT

The field of disability aids has seen many devices controlled by computers that visually track the eye movements of paralysed people, but none that reads the electricity given off by swiveling eyeballs [subscription link]. Research by NTT DoCoMo Research Laboratories has shown that the human pupil carries a slight positive charge, compared to the more negative white part of the eye. DoCoMo chief scientist Masao Fukumoto explains the seemingly odd phenomenon, saying, "The human eye has the properties of a battery." Measuring how the electrical balance shifts as the eye moves is key to a more accurate eye-based control system. Naturally, a multimedia company (as are all modern phone firms) like DoCoMo has plans beyond creating a disability aid. The Japanese giant plans to build the technology into headphones that can control music players with a mere sideways glance. Just be careful when using them on the late-night bus home. (Crossposted to TechRadar)

Waterproof MP3/WMA/CD player likes a quick dip

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:30:00 GMT

Twinbird's MP3-loving Zabady costs ¥21,000 ($180) and can handle boring old audio CDs as well as disks burned with new-fangled MP3 and WMA files; just not the type with DRM slapped on. The most useful feature is a USB port inside the sealed case that allows the Zabady to play back tunes from a connected drive of up to 2GB. IPX7 waterproofing means the player is not only splash-resistant, but can also survive immersion in 1m of water for up to half an hour, although we imagine you'd have trouble making much use of it in those circumstances. The 900g player has an LCD for displaying track information from digital files and its rechargeable battery can outlast even the longest onsen soaks, as it's good for about four hours of CD playback. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Waterproof MP3/WMA/CD player likes a quick dip

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:30:00 GMT

Bone conduction goes wireless with Bluetooth headset

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:46:01 GMT

We've seen a few bone-conduction devices before, including a cellphone, a sports headband and an industrial safety helmet, but this is definitely the first we've come across that sends the good vibes by Bluetooth. The wireless Sound Leaf Plus arrives in Japan from NTT DoCoMo next February for around ¥13,000 ($115) and is an upgrade to last year's wired model. As with other bone-conduction gear, the point of the Sound Leaf is to circumvent the outer ear and deliver the vibrations that sound is made of from the phone, through the bones of the skull and thence to the inner ear. Apparently, it's useful in noisy environments like building sites or bars on Friday nights. The new 45g model runs on two AAA batteries for about 15 hours a pop and has a flip for taking and ending calls that has a microphone on the end. DoCoMo has thoughtfully engineered in a softer vibration pad so as not to jiggle the bones of the cranium excessively and the whole thing even vibrates in your pocket when a call arrives - whodathunk it? (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Bone conduction goes wireless with Bluetooth headset

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:46:01 GMT

Sony adds digital TV to tiny video Walkman lineup

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:54:00 GMT

Sony Japan has been busy of late on the Walkman front, so it's no surprise to see yet another new lineup announced in Japan this morning - the 1-seg digital TV toting, credit-card sized NW-A910 series. Three models are available - NW-A916, NW-A918 and NW-A919 - with 4GB, 8GB and 16GB of flash memory respectively. Pricing ranges from ¥30,000 to ¥45,000 ($260 to $390), which seems a heck of a lot for a pretty average feature set these days. Still, if a 74g TV with a 2.4in screen that can record up to 100 hours of digital broadcasts as well as doing all the normal Walkman stuff floats your boat, then be our guest. On sale in Japan come November. Full details inexpertly translated by machine from the Japanese at the link below. (Via Sony; translated here)

Sony adds digital TV to tiny video Walkman lineup

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:54:00 GMT

Battery day: Cheapo MP3 player runs for a year on half a dozen AAAs

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 01:03:02 GMT

Let's stick to the basics - NHC's 34g Ecolong plays MP3 and WMA, comes in a choice of white or camouflage designs, makes a single AAA battery last 85 hours and is as ugly as sin. NHC has a website filled with all sorts of subjective claims about how the Ecolong will stretch six batteries out over a year or how one cell sees the average daily commuter through two months of strap hanging, whether listening to tracks from the internal 1GB of flash or its FM radio. The white version costs ¥4,980 ($43), while the camouflage model costs ¥5,980 ($51) and comes with a super-tacky matching case. As a USB mass storage device, the Ecolong is flexible enough to consider but the styling leaves a little too much to be desired. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Battery day: Cheapo MP3 player runs for a year on half a dozen AAAs

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 09:03:02 GMT

Sony Bio Battery powers gadgets on grape juice and sports drinks

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:29:00 GMT

Sony Japan has just posted a short video and press release detailing its latest fuel cell - a device that uses not ethanol or methanol this time, but glucose extracted from grape juice and sports drinks. The four-cell array can be seen powering speakers attached to a Network Walkman after being filled with a squirt of grape extract and a small fan using the sugar in a Gatorade-type sports drink. According to the release, enzymes from the labs of Kyoto University's agriculture department break down the glucose, allowing the Bio Battery - as they've dubbed it - to generate a world record 50mW of power. So, let's see - carry around combustible alcohol for our future fuel cells or share a splash of Gatorade with the gadgets? Hmm… Check out the vid for yourself and the (Japanese) release at the link below. (Via Sony) (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Sony Bio Battery powers gadgets on grape juice and sports drinks

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 05:29:00 GMT

Sony Rolly viral website goes live, irritates like hell

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 22:49:00 GMT

What looks like the latest attempt by Sony to knock the iPod off its throne appears to have kicked off in Japan this morning with the launch of a new website called Rolly World. We say 'looks like' simply because the site is little more than a viral marketing campaign for the rumored new Sony audio player known as Rolly and which is apparently shaped like an egg. While those notions remain speculation, we can tell you that the Rolly World site is a mess of tiny videos of unrelated trivial content, such as ducks walking by the camera, taxis and the various clappy-happy sorts that marketing suits like to patronize their customers with. There is also a scrolling selection of words, such as 'shuffle,' 'small' and 'music' that suggests the Rolly may be aimed at the bottom end of the DAP market currently occupied by the iPod shuffle and nano. Of course, we're still just guessing here - Sony Japan hasn't commented officially on the project. Other parts of the site include a rather dull Japanese-language blog and a competition to win tickets to a Rolly part on September 10, which could well be the launch event. Incidentally, the odd name isn't unique in the Japanese music world - there's also a borderline glam rocker who goes by the very same name, and who happens to be on Sony's books right now. Perhaps we've all been barking up the wrong tree. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Sony Rolly viral website goes live, irritates like hell

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:49:00 GMT

Tiny Victor DAP ugly as sin but does line-in MP3 encoding

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:04:00 GMT

Not many DAPs come with line-in recording for converting music from external sources to MP3 files, least of all cheap-looking plastic models that weigh just 37g. The Alneo from Victor Japan does just that and is available in two capacities costing ¥15,000 ($125) for 1GB or ¥19,000 ($160) for 2GB; both models sport a three-line OLED screen. As well as direct MP3 encoding, it includes an external microphone that enables it to double up as a voice recorder. Although the voice recorder operates in mono (of course), the MP3 recording more than compensates, with encoding rates from 96-160kbps. WMA, including DRM 9, is supported, which - when coupled with 20 hours of battery life per charge - makes for a very capable little machine that will, of course, flop totally in the face of the mighty(ly overrated) iPod. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Tiny Victor DAP ugly as sin but does line-in MP3 encoding

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:04:00 GMT

Nano tech lends big sound to small speakers

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:36:00 GMT

We all know how feeble tiny speakers can sound, especially those of the kind used on certain mobile products, so it's heartening to hear of a new technique from Panasonic that claims to get high-fidelity bass notes from compact speakers. The Nano Bass Exciter method uses porous carbon inside the speaker enclosure to create an acoustic environment conducive to creating rich low-end sound. It does this thanks to nanometer-sized pores that absorb air molecules in the speaker when a bass note is produced, forcing a sudden decrease in air pressure in the cabinet. This gives the speaker diaphragm 'room' to move like that in a much larger speaker and, therefore, better ability to reproduce low sounds. If the Nano Bass Exciter technology takes off, we could soon be carrying mobile phones capable of competing with even the loudest old-school boomboxes, which - of course - sounds like every train passenger's nightmare. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Nano tech lends big sound to small speakers

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:36:00 GMT

Sony adds bling to Walkman with Swarovski rhinestone topping

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:56:00 GMT

Most so-called 'designer' gadgets for women are thinly veiled attempts to flog existing products at the end of their life-cycles, so it's a pleasant surprise to see a decent-looking - albeit technologically old-hat - feminine flash Walkman from Sony in Japan. The Walkman Abiste E010 models are available today to pre-order for September delivery in a choice of blue, gold, pink, violet and black from Sony and Japanese jeweler Abiste. As rebadged versions of the E-series players that arrived in April, they all share a 30-hour battery life, three-line color LCD and that zippy three-minute quick-charge mode that supplies enough juice for three hours of audio playback. The designer aspect of the new player is in the cap for the USB jack, which is liberally coated in Swarovski glass crystals. There's also a lanyard and clip sporting the same rhinestones that can be attached to clothes or a bag, so at least the ensemble looks like something a 20- or 30-something Japanese woman might be into. The memory capacities and pricing are more or less standard - 1GB for ¥15,800 ($128), 2GB for ¥18,800 ($150) and 4GB for ¥24,800 ($200) - which is a relief in a segment of the gadget business that usually charges a 50% mark up for packaging things in a pretty box with a ribbon on top. (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

Sony adds bling to Walkman with Swarovski rhinestone topping

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:56:00 GMT

DigitalOlive DAP/speaker combo all it's cracked up to be

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:06:00 GMT

The marketing suits who gave the latest DAP/speaker combo from Sofmap the name 'DigitalOlive' presumably wanted to drive customers away with their wackiness, which is a shame as it looks to be a capable little product. For just ¥5,980 ($48), shoppers who can see past the daft name get an unusual 275g egg-shaped combination of two speakers and a memory-free audio player. Music - both WMA and MP3 are supported - can be piped in on SD/MMC card, via any USB memory drive or direct from an external source such as a CD player. After setting up the audio feed, it's a simple matter of reassembling the egg and letting the combined 3W of aural pleasure wash over you. Power is courtesy of four AAA batteries or the supplied AC adapter, but why, oh why did you go with 'olive' guys - what was wrong with 'Audio Oeuf'? (Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)

DigitalOlive DAP/speaker combo all it's cracked up to be

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:06:00 GMT