CrunchGear

Kohjinsha’s futuristic dual-screen notebook
The smartbook patent trolls are selling a $3000 netbook
Sanyo develops solar cell that’s thinner than hair
PaPeRo: NEC’s cute helper robot

Kohjinsha’s futuristic dual-screen notebook

Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:20 AM PST

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Maybe it’s just me, but this dual-screen notebook Kojinsha started selling in Japan today [JP] looks very futuristic (and very cool) to me. The main selling point is that you get not one but two 10.1-inch LCD screens in a compact body (size: 280×210×19〜42mm, weight: 1.84kg). And you can even buy the DZ6KH16E, which looks like a normal notebook when you use just one of the screens, if you live outside Japan.

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The two sliding LCDs feature 1,024×600 resolution and LED backlights each. The notebook also has an Athlon Neo MV-40 (1.6GHz) with a RS780MN chipset and an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 4GB), a 160GB HDD, WiFi, three USB ports, a 1.3MP web camera, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, slots for SD/microSD/MMC/memory sticks and a digital TV tuner (which will work only in Japan and parts of South America) on board. Kojinsha says buyers can expect around 4.5 hours of battery life.

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Kohjinsha started selling the DZ6KH16E in Japan today. People living outside this country can get the notebook over at Geek Stuff 4 U for $1,111.28 (Windows and other extras make it more expensive). But remember this is a Japanese device, meaning you’ll have to live with a keyboard with a Japanese layout.

The smartbook patent trolls are selling a $3000 netbook

Posted: 26 Nov 2009 12:21 PM PST

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Remember those dudes who are trying to troll on their “smartbook” trademark and are asking bloggers and media not to use the term? Well, they’re selling a 2001 euro netbook. Granted it’s studed in crystals and comes with a bottle of champers, but WTF?

Apparently not content in leading as the world most reviled netbook maker, Smartbook AG is offering this hot mess as a holiday promoition. Best of all, it’s really a horrible netbook:

Thus the “Smartbook Zenide” in the variant of “Crystal” in a limited edition of 20 pieces For the price of cheap 2001, – EUR (in words: Euro two thousand and one), then there is also a bottle of champagne and an expensive suitcase. The fact that it is commonplace for a cheap netbook-from China, but this changes nothing.

Sanyo develops solar cell that’s thinner than hair

Posted: 26 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST

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Sanyo is in the news today, and again it’s about the company’s green tech power. The company today announced [JP] it will do everything to become Japan’s top player in the domestic solar industry by 2012 and eventually one of the top three solar companies on a global level. At the same time, the Nikkei reports [registration required, paid subscription] that Sanyo has succeeded in developing a solar cell that’s thinner than a human hair.

The company says it will benefit greatly from a new feed-in tariff program by the Japanese government introduced this month for green energy firms. Another factor for Sanyo’s self-confidence should be the speed with which it innovates. Their new prototype solar cell is just 58 micrometers thick, about one-fourth of most solar cells currently out there. (Sorry, there’s no picture available yet)

It’s made of two types of silicon whose structure Sanyo optimized to achieve a conversion efficiency of 22%. It’s said to be as bendable as paper, meaning it can be used for a variety of purposes, for example on uneven surfaces.

Sanyo says this technology might help reduce prices by as much as 25% when compared to solar cells available today. The company wants to commercialize the solar cells by 2020.

PaPeRo: NEC’s cute helper robot

Posted: 26 Nov 2009 05:41 AM PST

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As a huge conglomerate, NEC is active in a lot of areas. But unknown to many people outside Japan, the company is quite aggressive in the robotics field, too. Their PaPeRo, a cute helper robot, for example, has been around since 1997 already. And now, just in time for a robot exhibition that currently takes place in Tokyo, the company shows an updated version of the little guy.

The new PaPerRo R500 stands 38cm tall and weighs 6.5kg. It can perform about 200 different operations, for example holding simple conversations with humans. NEC equipped the robot with special face recognition software so that PaPeRo can identify up to 30 different people and change his behavior depending on who he’s speaking to.

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Powered by a lithium-ion battery, PaPeRo can work for around 100 minutes before having to return to the recharging station, which you can see on the picture above (he does this automatically).

NEC plans to lease out the robots to anyone interested for $600 per month soon – but only in Japan.

Via Robot Watch [JP]