The WPC EXPO 2004 is underway in Japan, and thus far it’s mostly just junk we’ve seen before. But fortunately there’s a couple new items, such as two yet unannounced flash players from a random Korean company being sold under the Rio name, wireless speakers also from Rio, and a solution to turn any set of headphones into wireless headphones. We commit theft after the jump, because pics of the convention are all brought to you by Impress Watch. What, you think we’d actually go to Japan for you?
I was beginning to think that only celebrities would make the electronics all “funny lookin” as we say here in South Carolina, but this and the pic we used from before the jump are variations on Sanyo’s Xacti DMC-X4 digital camcorder. No plans for commercialization on either one. Just thought I’d show you those, because, yeah.
Privacy filters on laptop LCDs are nothing new, but privacy filters with a mosaic certainly are. Here’s one from Toshiba. They plan on equipping these as an option on their laptops next year, so I suggest you get over your spying habit before then.
Here’s Rio’s “SiGN Si-300.” Available in both 128MB and 256MB capacities, this and the next player are scheduled for release before the end of the year (in Japan). Not too much going on here, except for the OLED display – I don’t remember seeing those on other Rio products. This is meant to be worn around your neck, like most of the newer iRiver flash players. It also has your now-standard FM tuner and voice recording functions.
And here’s the “SiGN Si-200.” It’s technical specifications are the same as Si-300 sans the FM and recording, but you do get a diamond. And not just a diamond shape; there’s even a little gem embedded in the casing that looks like a diamond. Diamond? Rio? Golly, that brings back memories.
Further investigation reveals that these players are in fact not made by Rio. They are simply being sold under the “Rio Japan” name in Japan. The original manufacturer turns out to be Korea’s “AVC Technology Korea Limited.”
And these are the “LIVE air” speakers, which can not only be used as directionless speakers (as in, 360 degrees), but also as directed speakers. The speaker itself points towards your ceiling, and if you choose, you can attach a reflector unit so that the sound goes in some particular direction. Moreover, they’re wireless; a transmitter unit with a standard 3.5mm stereo plug connects to your audio source, and uses the 2.4GHz frequency to transmit sound to the receiver.
Speaking of transmitting sound, here’s a solution I liked from a company called Albatron, who I thought only did video cards. The transmitter unit is plugged into any sound source using a 3.5mm stereo plug. From there, you plug any pair of headphones into the handheld unit, and take it wherever. Instant wireless headphones. I like the idea, but it’s got a couple issues, namely the inability to control your sound source while using the wireless unit. If the rest of the world’s MP3 habits are anything like mine, you skip 90% of the tracks on your hard drive, making this lack of control somewhat bothersome.
WPC EXPO 2004 [Impress Watch]
