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Sci-fi movies often present us with omniscient villains who are able to track the most minute actions of their underlings and foes. Rarely do we get a glimpse into their surveillance systems, but you have to imagine that some of the more rudimentary “employee evaluation” hardware will not be too far off from KDDI’s latest. The Japanese cellphone giant has unveiled a new system, built around accelerometers, that can detect the difference between a cleaner scrubbing or sweeping a floor and merely walking along it. Based on new analytical software, stored remotely, this should provide not only accurate positional information about workers, but also a detailed breakdown of their activities. The benefits touted include “central monitoring, “salesforce optimisation,” and improvements in employee efficiency. We’re guessing privacy concerns were filed away in a collateral damage folder somewhere.

KDDI concocts snooping mobile phones, line managers rub hands with glee originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kicking off an expected repeat flood of 3DTV info over the next few days (Samsung and Panasonic both have events scheduled over the next couple of days) Sony has revealed pricing and shipping information for its new televisions and related accessories in Japan. The new sets share that sweet/ominous monolithic style of the already available NX800 series (also announced today in Japan, along with fellow 2D-only HX700 LCD and DVR-packing BX30H televisions,) with the edge-lit LED LX900 bringing the entire 3D package. With IR emitter built in and two pairs of RealD active shutter glasses, all you’ll need to add is a source to the 60-, 51-, 46- and 40-inch models, ranging in price from ¥580,000 ($6,444) to ¥290,000 ($3,222.) Even if the TDG-BR100 / TDG-BR50 3D glasses (also available as an accessory for ¥12,000 ($133) or so) aren’t on your face this WiFi-connected abyss of entertainment will look back into you, using face tracking to detect if someone is sitting too close and warn them to move back, as well as dimming and eventually turning off the screen if you leave the room or simply looked away from the TV for an extended period.

Want to get the full 3D effect with the LED backlit HX900 and edge-lit HX800? Expect to purchase the glasses and TMR-BR100 IR emitter (¥5,000 or $55) separately, or just live a 2D lifestyle and know the 3D is there if you ever want to upgrade. Feel free to wander through Sony Japan’s machine-translated website for more specs and prices of these June & July scheduled displays or alternatively, wait a little while, enjoy the trailer embedded after the break, and we should get some find out U.S.-specific details soon that will likely be considerably easier on the wallet.

Continue reading Sony unveils 3DTV release dates and pricing for Japan

Sony unveils 3DTV release dates and pricing for Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that waterproof Bluetooth speaker that you picked up last summer after none other than Billy Corgan endorsed it? Here’s comes round two. Available exclusively in the Land of the Rising Sun (surprised?), the Music Planet speaker ball is IPX7-certified to shrug off water damage for up to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter, and it’s designed so that the speaker itself sits just above the water line. Internally, you’ll find an FM radio tuner, an SD / SDHC card slot for loading up MP3 files, a USB socket (good luck with that non-waterproof thumb drive) and an alarm clock. You know, in case you fall asleep underneath two feet of soapy water. Power comes from six AA cells, which provides enough juice for 13 straight hours of your own jams or 28 hours of whatever’s on the radio; it’s up for order right now at ¥10,500 ($117), but sadly, no fancy shower gels are bundled in. Opportunity, missed.

Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a gadget fan (and let’s face it: you are) then there’s simply no excuse for using disposable batteries. Environmental concerns aside, rechargeables have advanced such that it just makes economic sense to switch. We’ve been unapologetic fans of Sanyo’s Eneloop series of Ni-MH batteries for years. Hell, we like any modern rechargeable that’s sold fully charged and is capable of maintaining that state even after years inside the family junk drawer. Today, Sanyo is announcing its Eneloop lite series scheduled for a June 22nd launch in Japan with a global release set for sometime later. These cells are meant to tempt you by their relatively low, up-front purchase price of ¥780 (about $8.64) for a pair of 1.2V 950mAh AAs or ¥640 ($7.09) for a pair of 1.2V 550mAh AAAs — each capable of about 2,000 recharges saving you at least $1,000 over their lifetime. They’re not going to power your hotshoe flash but they will handle the relatively low to medium power requirements of all the remote controls in your life. Do it.

Continue reading Sanyo Eneloop lite Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are cheap, less filling

Sanyo Eneloop lite Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are cheap, less filling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading M3 robots used to research human development, melt hearts (video)

M3 robots used to research human development, melt hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may have had some instructors during your school years that seemed like they were simply carrying out pre-programmed, robotic orders, but not quite as literally as these profs. Singularity Hub reports that robot teachers have successfully passed a first round of testing in Korean and Japanese classrooms.

Thanks to trial work by the Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and the Nippon Institute of Technology (NIT), robots are expected to enter the “workforce” in 500 preschools by as early as next year. By 2013, robotic teachers could be holding court in as many as 8,000 preschool and kindergarten classrooms in Korea, backed by $44 million (USD) in funding.

In general, the Korean robots will be more geared to address younger audiences, with the Japanese robots designed for older students. NIT’s e-Nuvo is a Japanese humanoid robot with a built-in projector — a feature my high school chemistry teacher surely lacked. Nor was she sporting that futuristic Astro Boy look.

All joking aside, it will be interesting to see how well robotic instructors will fit into classrooms and what roles they’ll be able to fill. Do you think a robot teacher can ever actually replace a human instructor, or will the e-Nuvos of the world be relegated to the position of sophisticated classroom sidekick?

Tags: e-Nuvo, education, japan, korea, robotics, robots, tech