Call home, check your email, count your sperm: Taiwanese start-up Aidmics is hoping to cash in on the $40 billion global human fertility market with an iPad compatible gadget it calls iSperm. Aidmics initially developed the product to help livestock farmers, but founder Agean Lin ...
New smartphone app aims to guide foreign visitors to safety in disasters
A new smartphone application produced by a Japanese insurance company can help guide people to safety in three foreign languages during natural disasters in Japan, company officials said Saturday. The app by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. will be available for free download in English, Chinese ...
METI eyes label-reading smartphone app for tourists
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday that it is planning to introduce a system for smartphones that allows visitors to Japan to get information in several languages on products they want to buy simply by scanning them. "Now that the number of ...
Google's project for 'smart clothes' gets it right
If Google Project Jacquard succeeds, we'll be able to wear touch-sensitive clothing that can control electronic devices.
Save your breath and let 'Suimasen!' make the call
Soft-spoken diners can use the “Suimasen Daikō” app to make their phone let out a hearty “すいませ～～～ん!” (“Excuse me!”) ...
Real-time Web service aims to inform disaster victims via Twitter
A new Web-based real-time information service may help provide quick and reliable disaster-related information via tweets while alerting users to unsubstantiated rumors and fake tips.
It's a buyer's market as smartphone apps mimic auction sites
People are increasingly turning to smartphone applications to sell used clothes and goods free of tax. Shohei Fujii, 28, from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, took a picture of a T-shirt that no longer fitted him and within three minutes uploaded it to Mercari. It took only ...
Send out New Year's cards from your smartphone, and much more
Showcasing a rice cooker with a twist, a compact air purifier, a portable charger for all your devices and a New Year's card-making app.
Gadget maker wants everyday items to have online access
A sleek, ¥10,246 leather-clad padlock being marketed by Tokyo-based startup DentsuBlue might look like another extravagant toy for the wealthy — but this one can be used in many different ways and even link itself to the Internet. The product, to be marketed as the ...
JTA launches quake and tsunami warning app in English
As part of efforts to help foreign tourists during their stay in the country, the Japan Tourism Agency has produced an English-language smartphone app called "Safety Tips" which provides users with real-time earthquake and tsunami warnings. The agency came up with the idea of creating ...
Digital manga giving print a run for it money
Manga is a central part of Japanese pop culture, appealing not only to kids but also to salarymen and women on their daily commute. Even former Prime Minister Taro Aso declared his love for the medium. If you think smartphones have replaced these comics as ...
Smartphone users feeling overwhelmed by the onslaught of communications and devices vying for their time can turn to new apps to help them take a break and concentrate on other things. More than 70 percent of consumers in the United States own a smartphone and ...
