Gizmodo: seiko

Seiko Brings Back Their Famous Talking Pyramid Clock

Sean Fallon — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:40:00 EST

The year was 1984: Ronald Regan was president, the Macintosh computer was born, and Seiko's talking Pyramid Talk clock was all the rage. If you missed it the first time around, now is your chance to score an updated version.

The original had the distinction of being the first talking quartz clock, and the newer version appears to retain much of its functionality. However, the update also features LED lighting and speaks the date, weather and temperature data (in Japanese or English) when the top of the pyramid is pressed twice. Unfortunately, the clock is only available in Japan at the moment, but if Seiko does not bring it to the States, it will undoubtedly make its way here through exporters like Japan Trend Shop, Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya. [Seiko via Crunchgear]

Seiko Epson Designs Simple 3D Display for Cellphones

Kit Eaton — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:15:00 EDT

Seiko Epson has designed a new glasses-free display that really has the potential to bring 3D-displays to cellphones and PMPs sooner rather than later. It's a bit similar to the old kid's classic lenticular images (you know: they come with a lined plastic face, and when you twist them you see a changing picture,) and in this case a complex array of convex lenses is combined with a high-res 3-inch LCD display. An object is photographed with up to eight cameras, a compound image is created, and when displayed each lens sends a slightly different view to your eyes. Because your eyes see different views of the object, just like in real life your brain reconstructs a 3D image. Sadly, the effect can't be captured in a single image of the screen, but you won't have long to wait: Seiko plans to commercialize the tech in a few years. [FarEastGizmos]

Seiko SlimStick Fitness Aid Explains Why You're Fat

Haroon Malik — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Seiko's Slimstick is a fitness device that will detail calories burned across a day, length of daily activity, total number of steps taken, as well as offer up a relative fitness score to keep you in check. The Slimstick will store 12-weeks worth of data and the aluminum clad gizmo will set you back ¥6,984 ($55.) Finally, a device you can clip to your shirt, which will quantifiably explain why you are morbidly obese at the end of each exercise free, sugar coated, sweat filled day. Thanks, Seiko. [Technabob]

Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Brings Out Your Inner Space Cowboy

AddyDugdale — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Just 100 of Seiko's Spring Drive Spacewalk watches, space-proof wristwatches being developed with a little help from the Russian Federal Space Agency, are expected to be made. Designed for Richard Garriott, the video-game honcho-turned-future space tourist, the titanium-encased timepiece weighs just 92.5 grams and is airtight, and waterproof to 100 meters. Seiko has developed a new luminescent material so that Richard will be able to see if it's teatime yet on the International Space Station, and it has large control buttons so that he doesn't have to take his space gloves off to adjust the time. Full specs are below.

Spring Drive 5R86 movement for accuracy under the extreme temperature swings of space (-20° to +70° Celsius, or about -4° to 160° Fahrenheit).
Titanium case with the sides etched out by a new CNC (computer numerical control) machine that Seiko built in order to help get the weight down to only 92.5 grams.
Completely air-tight case capable of surviving direct exposure to space.
Oversized buttons for use while wearing space gloves.
Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Waterproof to 100m, or 330ft (in case of a water landing, I guess).
12-hour chronograph.
GMT hand for 24-hour UTC time (which is used in both space and aviation).
New luminescent material that Seiko says is three times as bright as a typical luminescent watch.
A special dial and hand design for maximum readability.

The Spring Drive Spacewalk is expected to be "marketed" in December 2008, and until then we have no idea of the price. Cheaper than a return ticket to Mars, I expect. [Seiko via Watch Report]

Varioptic and Seiko to Bring Liquid Lenses to Cellphones, Finally

Haroon Malik — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EDT

Varioptic has been talking about bringing liquid lenses to cellphones since 2005, but now they have teamed up with Seiko and the watery dreams look to be coming alive. Liquid lenses have the added benefit of being speedier and less power hungry than conventional lenses, but the release of Varioptic's pioneering technology for cellphones has been in the pipe lines for almost two years. Thankfully, Seiko has stepped up to the mark, coining a mass production date of Q3, 2008. The initial models that will be created are the Arctic 314 and Arctic 416, which rate 5 mega pixels in 0.33-inch and 0.25-inch modules. The faster lenses should see an increase in video capture quality and battery life for cellphones adopting the new standard, which can only be a good thing. Jump for the press release.

Seiko Press Release
Barcelona, Spain 11th Fehttp://blogs.gawker.com/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=4#bruary 2008 - Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII), (Japan) and Varioptic Lyon (France) Varioptic and SII announced today the signature of a cooperation agreement to develop, manufacture and market Varioptic's Liquid Lens products. The aim of this agreement is to achieve a significant penetration with Liquid Lens products in the fast growing camera module market and other large volume end equipment markets such as barcodes and webcams.

SII will use its manufacturing expertise as the number one supplier of Backup button battery and Capacitor to Cellular phone companies to produce Liquid Lens units in very high volume with aggressive cost reduction to ensure liquid lens products maintain their cost advantage for auto-focus.

SII production capacity plan is expected to reach 0.5 million units per month by 3Q of 2008 and will expand mass production capacity according to market needs.
This agreement builds on an existing production capacity for Arctic 314 and Arctic 416 liquid lenses designed for 5Megapixel, 1/3" and 1/4'' format camera modules.

Varioptic will continue to develop the liquid lens technology and to ensure the system wide competitiveness of the Liquid Lens products. Varioptic's liquid lens feature many advantages over competing technologies in terms of cost, size, robustness, power consumption, silent operation and speed. These advantages position liquid lenses particularly well for the emerging camcorder phone market where continuous auto-focus for video is a "must-have" feature.

Commenting on this agreement, Christian Dupont, CEO of Varioptic said: "We are delighted to have signed this agreement with SII. SII's unique position as the number one Backup button battery and Capacitor supplier to the leaders in the cellular phone market meets perfectly Varioptic's objective to become the leading supplier of high quality image solutions for mobile devices. SII's proven expertise in the production of low cost miniature mechanical assemblies make them an ideal partner of Varioptic."

Takeshi Sasaki, General Manager of Micro Energy Division of Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII), added: "We look forward to working with Varioptic. Varioptic's Liquid Lenses present significant advantages for the miniature camera phone industry and other large volume end equipment applications, resulting in higher yields and reduced production costs in line with our strategy to provide quality and innovative products.''

About Seiko Instruments

Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) was established in 1937 as a key watch manufacturing company for the Seiko Group. Based on its sophisticated micromechatronics and nanotechnology techniques developed through decades of experience in precision machinery manufacturing and low-power consumption technologies, the company provides micromechatronic products and services including watch and HDD components; semiconductors, FPD and electronic devices; network solutions systems; nanotechnology equipment; scientific instruments; and large-format inkjet printers. http://www.sii.co.jp.

About Varioptic

Varioptic develops and manufactures auto focus liquid lenses for the camera phone industry. Liquid lenses feature a number of advantages over competing technologies critical for camera-phone applications such as video auto-focus and bar-code reading. These include fast and close response, very low power consumption, low cost and size, good for millions of cycles, and with no moving parts liquid lenses are extremely robust. Varioptic is located in France with a subsidiary in Taiwan and representation in China, Japan, Korea, and USA. For more information, visit www.varioptic.com.

[Advanced Imaging via Phone Scoop]

Seiko High-Res Super-Thin EBook Reader

Brian Lam — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:20:59 EST

More E-Book News, this one a prototype from Seiko Epson, makers of the cool E-ink watch. The device's form factor is at least as thin as Sony's Reader, but it has a 1200x1600 display. That's a lot of res on that 6.7-inch screen. UPDATE: Res independence, good point brilliant readers. [MobileRead via TechnoBob]

* Terminal measures 180x120mm (B6 size) * Thickness: 3mm * Weight: 57g * Contrast ratio: 8:1 * Reflectivity: 43% * Redrawing time: 0.7s * Battery: one CR1220 button cell battery (1'400 screen redraws)

Seiko Cavity Tooth Watch Makes Dentists Rub Hands Greedily

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:00:52 EDT

How would you like to have a watch that's shaped like a tooth? No? Us neither. But Seiko's just created a "Cavity" watch that's both shaped like a tooth and has a gigantic hole in the middle to display the time.

The watch comes in either silver or gold, but costs only $140 (16,800 yen). The point? To remind you every day that it's time to go to the dentist. Or eat more candy. – Jason Chen

Seiko Cavity Tooth Watch [Plastic Bamboo]

Seiko's E-Ink Spectrum Watch: Hands-on, Video & Gallery

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:10:00 EDT

We clued you in to the Seiko Spectrum for women last month, but a still photo doesn't really do justice to its extra-smooth E-Ink display. That's why we've got video and a series of still photos. What we don't have yet is a ship date or a price on this, but it's likely to be sometime this fall, and at a price that you can't afford. Seriously, this will be so limited-edition, it makes Seiko's F1 Honda masterpiece look like a McDonald's happy meal prize. Jump for the gallery. – Wilson Rothman with video by Richard Blakeley

$5,700 Formula One Seiko Sportura Ultimate Kinetic Chrono

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 22 May 2007 14:35:36 EDT

F1 racers are lucky sons o' guns. They make more than baseball players, get first pick of the hottest Euro models, drive really really fast without fear of the highway patrol, and get cool special edition crap. Seiko just unveiled this year's Honda special edition Sportura Ultimate Kinetic Chrono, and announced that in addition to the drivers and crew, you can get your hands on one if you've got $5,700 and, presumably, some good Seiko connections. Only 750 will be made, and every one will ship in the packaging you can see in the gallery, complete with an actual gear from a Honda F1 car. Hopefully, it's not a part that one of the drivers will need. – Wilson Rothman

Seiko EM-49 Car Socket Power Strip

Travis Hudson — Mon, 21 May 2007 19:40:06 EDT

This device from Seiko easily falls into the "Why didn't I think of that?" category. The Seiko EM-49 is simply a power strip for the 12V power adapter in most vehicles. It also includes a USB port for charging your MP3 player, cellphone, etc. It goes for a cool $19, if you can find a way to get one over here from Korea. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via AVING]

Transformers Watches Make You Feel, Look Like a Kid Again

Jason Chen — Mon, 14 May 2007 18:40:20 EDT

If you're one of the few people (like us) still eagerly awaiting the summer blockbuster spectacular Transformers, you'll love these transformers watches from Seiko.

They may be goofy, and they may be supremely low tech, but they're definitely made for the nine-year-old boy inside of you. Note: we said the nine-year-old inside of you, not the nineteen-year-old co-ed you have locked up in the basement. By the way, we've called the cops on you Mark Wilson.

More pics after the jump.

– Jason Chen

Seiko Product Hits Retail [Hasbro]

Seiko SKZ213K1 Monster: Big, Blue, Beautiful

Travis Hudson — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 12:36:25 EDT

Normally I am not one to wet myself over a watch, but look at this thing. It is sexy as all sexy can get. This is the limited edition Blue Monster, or SKZ213K1, diver watch from Seiko. The Blue Monster is water resistant up to 200 meters. The large face is surprisingly bright and easily read in low-light situation. Unfortunately, the only complaint seems to be the mediocre, steel band that lacks comfort. What's the final word? Good watch, maybe not for everyone but a definite must have for Seiko Monster lovers. – Travis Hudson

Review: The Blue Monster aka the Seiko SKZ214K1 [Wrist Watch Review]

Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster "Stingray" Reviewed (Verdict: Hotness)

johnb — Wed, 10 May 2006 17:30:06 EDT

It may not be the most high-tech watch out there, but Seiko makes a good diver and this is no exception. This watch has a kinetic movement, which is a quartz movement powered by the motion of your wrist, and a 24-hour hand to show a second time zone. The case and band are made of titanium and it's actually quite a looker. Might be a bit hard to find in the wild, but there are others like it out there so keep your eyes open.

Review of the Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster "Stingray" [WatchReport]

Seiko Shows Cellphone-Friendly Bluetooth Watch

Charlie White — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 10:19:47 EST

Seiko Japan revealed an improbably big watch prototype that hooks up with your cellphone via Bluetooth. The huge display shows you that little envelope indicating that you ve received a new message, and then can also reveal who sent it and the message subject. Continuously communicating with your cellphone, the device can either make a noise or vibrate your wrist when a call comes in. Seiko says it will start shipping a watch like this "by 2007" but didn't reveal how much it would cost.

If you ask us, if you're going to wear a watch that big, you might as well just strap a full-sized HDTV to your arm.

Seiko Bluetooth watch connects to your phone [Newlaunches]

Seiko Disaster Clock

Noah R — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:41:10 EST

Chinese and Taiwanese portable safety clocks have so far dominated the market with models that have all kind of functions you do (or do not) need when a big earthquake strikes again. Seiko pared down the features to just those it considered necessary, and came out with its Disaster Clock KR866N. The idea is not to hide it and bust it out only in an emergency, but to use it as a daily clock where it will be close-at-hand for when... disaster strikes! Color is awful, but the Disaster Clock is kind of stylish when compared with most other models. It has an alarm, flashlight, and a radio receiver. The batteries will last for 30 hours while using the flashlight continuously. It goes on sale for an affordable $45.

Seiko Press Release