Casio Japan is planning [JP] to roll out the G-SHOCK GB-6900 on March 16 next year, a wristwatch that connects to certain smartphones via Bluetooth LE (LE=low-energy, a standard that’s baked into Bluetooth 4.0). The device will be compatible with the Medias LTE N-04D Android phone from NEC  (to be released next year) and NEC’s Medias PP N-01D.

Casio says that the G-SHOCK not only synchronizes the time with the phones but also shows incoming calls, emails, or SMS on its display. Users can also switch their handsets to vibration mode by pushing a button on the watch or set alarms.

The watch isn’t the first that connects to phones, but the main selling point here is the Bluetooth LE feature (in fact, it’s the first watch with Bluetooth 4.0 on board): Bluetooth LE consumes a fraction of the energy of other Bluetooth versions. In the case of the G-SHOCK GB-6900, Casio says users can expect a battery life of about 2 years with one conventional CR2032 button battery.

The company initially planned to start selling the watch in December but had to push back the release date to March 16 because of the floods in Thailand (which dampened production). It will cost 18,000 Yen (US$231).

Hopefully you weren’t looking forward to Casio’s CES 2012 press conference. It’s not going happen. The Japanese manufacturer just sent us a note indicating that while they will still be at the show, “we are not prepared yet to announce our future plans.”

Casio used an 45 minute long press conference to announce several cameras at CES 2011. The highlight, at least in Casio’s eyes, was in-camera and online picture editing tools that attempts to simulate HDR modes. CES 2012′s press was originally scheduled for 1:00 pm on Monday, January 9th. Seeing how many outlets were left underwhelmed by last year’s odd demos of crappy picture modes (full video here), it’s not that surprising that Casio pulled its upcoming press conference if the company wasn’t fully ready.

Thank you for not wasting our time, Casio. Thank you.

Japan’s mobile carriers are currently releasing a number of interesting handsets, which are all part of their summer 2011 line-up. While smartphones, the iPhone and Android in particular, are taking over the Japanese market, there are still some cool feature phones coming out, too.

Case in point: the Casio CA-01C [JP], which NTT Docomo (Japan’s leading telco) started distributing a few days ago. Technically, the device can be called a feature phone, but it outshines the one or other smartphone out there when it comes to some specs.

Here’s the main spec list:

• 3.4-inch/naked-eye 3D touch display with 480×854 resolution
• 0.8-inch OLED sub-display
• 16.3MP CMOS sensor
• camera: special mobile Exilim engine, full HD video recording, 3D picture display, 3x digital zoom, LED flash
• DLNA support
• YouTube connectivity
• Wi-Fi IEEE802.11n, Bluetooth, infrared connection
• e-wallet function
• digital TV tuner
• dust-and waterproof body
• microSDHC slot, HDMI interface
• battery: 220 minutes continuous talk time, 560 hours stand-by on 3G

It sounds crazy, but this specific model is basically a phone and digital Exilim camera rolled into one. Just one of many examples: its so-called business shot function automatically corrects shots taken diagonally in conference rooms or event halls, like so:

G-Shock: The Descent from exposure on Vimeo.

To celebrate the launch of the Casio GDF-100, some dude jumped off a mountain with the tri-compax watch strapped to his wrist. What does this have to do with watches? Well, presumably a) this watch can survive falls and b) you probably shouldn’t try this stuff at home.

Technically, the cam is based on the EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z800 (14MP CCD sensor, 2.7-inch LCD display, 27mm lens (35mm equivalent) with 4x optical zoom).

But obviously, the design is the main selling point here: buyers get Doraemon on the body of the camera, special on/off screens (see above), and a total of 9 Doraemon-related “virtual stickers” that can be included into every shot taken with the camera (see below).

Casio plans to sell the camera (in Japan only) in August/September but already accepts pre-orders. If you’re interested, visit specialized online shopping services like Rinkya to get one shipped over to you (price in Japan: $365, including a Doraemon special edition pouch).

Ahem.

Available in June 2011, these boat-worthy watches are equipped with the always functional Baby-G staple characteristics. The model is fully equipped with shock resistance, 100M water resistance, LED Light, 48-city world time, 5 daily alarms, 1/100th second stopwatch, countdown timer and 12/24 hour formats. Make waves with the fashion and function of Baby-G!

We covered NTT Docomo‘s smartphone line-up for this summer here, but Japan’s leading mobile carrier also revealed 11 new feature phones today. And here are all of them listed up.

Sharp SH-11C
(3.2-inch LCD, 8.1MP CMOS camera, dust- and waterproof body)

Fujitsu F-10C
(3.3-inch LCD, 12.2MP CMOS camera with full HD video recording, dust- and waterproof body)

Panasonic P-04C
(3.1-inch LCD, 13.2MP camera with AF, waterproof body embedded with Swarovski white crystals)

Panasonic P-06C
(3-inch LCD, 5.1MP CMOS camera, available in 12 “pop colors”)

LG L-10C
(2.8-inch LCD, 1.2-inch PMOLED sub-display with 128×96 dots, 3.2MP camera, simple design)

Sharp SH-10C
(3.4-inch/naked eye 3D touch display, 16.1MP CCD camera with full HD video recording, HDMI)

Fujitsu F-09C
(3.5-inch/ naked-eye 3D touch display, 16.3MP CMOS camera with full HD video recording, waterproof body)

Casio EXILIM CA-01C
(3.4-inch/naked-eye 3D touch display, 16.3MP CMOS Exilim camera with full HD video recording, dust-and waterproof body, DLNA support)

Panasonic LUMIX Phone P-05C
(3.3-inch LCD, 13.2MP Lumix camera with full HD video recording, world’s first phone with optical “anti-shake”, DLNA support)

Fujitsu F-11C
(3.3-inch LCD, 5.1MP CMOS camera, fingerprint sensor, pre-installed business card reader)

NEC N-05C
(3.4-inch touch panel, 8.1MP CMOS camera, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, waterproof body)

I would actually recommend this one over this one because it’s a bit classier. This one is garbage.

via Dealnews

First it was Astro Boy last month, now its popular Dutch cartoon bunny miffy that gets a special edition Casio Exilim camera [JP]. Technically, the so-called miffy2011xEXILIM is based on the EXILIM EX-Z800 Casio introduced last summer, but it’s way cuter of course.

The camera features a 14MP 1/2.3″ CCD sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD display, and a 27mm lens (35mm equivalent) with 4x optical zoom. But much more importantly, it shows miffy on the body and comes with a total of 6 pre-installed photo frames to choose from:

Buyers also get a miffy pouch and an extra-cute startup screen:

Casio is already selling the miffy2011xEXILIM in Japan (where it costs $445). Ask specialized online shopping services like Rinkya, Flutterscape or Geek Stuff 4 U if you want to import one from Japan.

Via Akihabara News

Casio in Japan today announced [JP] a new limited edition Casio Exilim camera, which was designed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Astro Boy. The device is technically based on the EXILIM EX-S200 from last year (but it looks much cuter, of course).

Spec-wise, the camera features a 14MP, 1/2.3″ CCD sensor, a 27mm lens with 4x optical zoom, and a 2.7″ 480×320 LCD. For the Astro Boy edition, Casio threw in special icons and frames based on characters appearing in the cult manga/anime series (see below).

Buyers will also get this special pouch:

If you’re interested, you should contact online stores specialized in exporting Japanese gadgets like the Japan Trend Shop or Rinkya soon: the Astro Boy camera will be released this month and is limited to 300 units only (price:$440).

Via Digi Came Watch [JP]

Casio today announced [JP] a total of twelve new DLP projectors for the Japanese market, all of which can produce 3D images and feature a hybrid laser/LED light source. The company will start rolling out eight “standard” models starting in Japan in May, before offering two short-focus and two high-end devices in July.

The most interesting model is the flagship projector, the XJ-H1650, which features

• 3,500 lumens brightness (lamp life: 20,000 hours)
• 1,400:1 contrast ratio
• 1,024×768 resolution
• Wifi IEEE 802.11b/g, Ethernet
• one HDMI interface, one USB 2.0 port

For viewing images in 3D, Casio recommends using the so-called “3D Glasses for CASIO Projector”.

Casio plans to price the cheapest model, the “standard” XJ-M140 (2,500 lumens brightness, 1,024×768 resolution) at $1,200, with prices going up from there (the flagship XJ-H1650 will cost $2,800).

Read the rest here…

A bit faster than I expected Casio has now finally debuted its first Bluetooth connected watch. The Casio G-Shock Bluetooth is designed for use with upcoming Bluetooth profile 4.0 mobile phones that are said to be coming soon (a few might already be around). As Bluetooth 4.0 is designated as a “low energy profile,” this watch will retain a 2 year battery life on a single CR2032 battery. So what does it do? In a nutshell the Casio G-Shock Bluetooth with wireless sync with your phone’s time, and help you manage incoming alerts as well as work with your phone’s alarms.

Read More…

It’s time for this week’s episode of Fly or Die, the TCTV show where CrunchGear editor John Biggs and I look at three new products and debate their longterm chances of survival. In today’s show, we discuss Windows Phone 7, the just-announced Casio Tryx digital camera, and the popular Flipboard iPad app. At the end of the show, a special surprise guest appears from one of the companies involved to respond immediately to our criticisms of his product. That’s the best part of the show, so be sure to watch until the end to catch it.

Okay, I’ll tell you who is the guest. It is Flipboard co-founder Evan Doll, but John didn’t know who it would be when we were taping this yesterday. John actually gave Flipboard a “die” verdict because he thinks the New York Times or News Corp. will come in soon with their own social reading apps and cut Flipboard at the knees. I disagree. Flipboard, along with a few other iPad apps, is defining a new way to consume information on touchscreen tablets. Flipboard unpacks the underlying articles and images from your social streams like Twitter and Facebook, and presents them in a magazine-like format. It already has one million users, so those old media companies better move fast if they want to play the iPad game.

One challenge Flipboard does have is that it is still an aggregator of news and therefore is seen as a threat by some publishers, just like Google News or Digg. The bigger issue, in my opinion, is that it still presents news in chronological order, and doesn’t filter the news by importance or authority. Doll acknowledges that Flipboard needs to do better in that regard and suggests that the company is working on exactly those kinds of features. If you want to watch just the Flipboard segment, I’ve embedded it below.

The other two products we discuss are the Windows Phone 7 and Casio Tryx. We’ve already done a full review of Windows Phone 7 (twice). Just to be clear, Fly or Die is not so much a product review show as it is a product debate show. Both John and I are impressed with Windows Phone 7, but the big question is whether or not it can attract enough high-quality apps to make a dent in the smartphone market. The Casio Tryx is a digital camera with a funky form factor. It sports a handle that swings out and can double as a tripod, and it is making a big splash at the CES.

Since John is at CES this week, he had to join me by video Skype from the Venetian show floor in Las Vegas. And our guest Skyped in from Palo Alto. So apologies in advance for the imperfect audio, but the logistics were kind of crazy for this episode. I hope you enjoy it. Below are links to each segment from this episode, along with the Flipboard segment embedded. Be sure to also check out our previous episodes where we took on the Boxee Box, Instagram (Episode 1), and the Nexus S and Video Girl Barbie (Episode 2).

Fly or Die (Episode 3):Windows Phone 7

Fly or Die (Episode 3): Casio Tryx

They come in two flavors and resolutions, as they did before: 1280×800 or 1024×768, and with or without USB/wireless connectivity. They all have laser/LED hybrid lighting with a life estimated at 20,000 hours.

The specs of the high-end XJ-A255V can be found here, and the rest are in this list — look for the ones with 3000 lumens. To be honest, you can probably save a bundle by just getting the 2000-lumen ones and dimming the lights a bit more, but who am I to tell you what you should buy?

Yeah yeah, time goes on. And Casio is attempting to take the crown from Texas Instruments by putting out this ridiculous beast, the Prizm SMPR. Sure, the 9850 does color, but not like this. You’ll probably be playing Game Boy Advance games on its ~165×165 screen and its 65,536 colors.

Casio has made the colors correspond to different functions or classifications of data, and includes a bunch of pictures with mathematical qualities (naturally-occurring curve functions and such). Not bad, but at $130, I suppose it’s more aimed at the seasoned graphing calculator aficionado than the high school junior. Kids, I tell you, they don’t know how good they have it.

Casio is announcing two new additions to their Exilim point and shoot line – one a top of the line model with built in geo-tagging and the latest generation of GPS technology, and one entry level unit.

The more interesting of the two is the Exilim EX-H20G, which features a built in GPS which will not only automatically tag where a photo was taken, it also has built in maps and will display where the photographer is currently located. The potential here is obvious, you pretty much can’t get lost with this camera, and if you do, it’ll show you how to get home. Couple the GPS capabilities with 24mm, 10x optical zoom lens on a 14.1 megapixel camera, and you’ve got a great portable point and shoot that’ll also record video at 720p (30fps). The EX-H20G will be available this November for $349.99.

Next up, the Exilim Z-16. This is an entry level point an shoot with a 12.1 megapixel sensor, and as such it lacks the GPS functionality of the EX-H20G. It’s also a lot simpler to use, with built in facial recognition software, and well as the “Best Scene” functionality that auto selects many of your most important setting for you. MSRP on the Z-16 is a quite reasonable $99.99, and you should expect to see it in stores this month.

The EX-S200 and EX-Z800 are more or less the same camera with slightly different bodies. They share all the following characteristics:

• 14 megapixels, 1/2.3″ CCD sensor
• 2.7″ 480×320 LCD
• Video: 640×480/30fps or 720p/20fps (useless)
• 27mm lens (35mm equivalent) with 4x optical zoom (F/3.2-F/5.9)
• 6x “super resolution” zoom (optimized digital zoom, don’t use it)
• CCD-shift image stabilization
• Nearly identical scene modes and “best shot” modes

They differ, as I said, primarily in body style and dimensions. The EX-S200, top, is slightly smaller and lighter, though both are very compact. The EX-Z800, below, has a high-speed USB port, which would be very handy.

I can’t say these are very exciting cameras, though I’m sure they produce perfectly good images. I’m telling you, go for the FC-100.

[via DPReview]

In order to grab the coveted Dudes-Who-Look-Like-Turtle-from-Entourage market, Casio is launching a bigger G-Shock, a massive, wristband-like addition to the G-Shock line that is, in Casio’s own words, designed for “sports players like basketball players.”


While many of you playing at home would suspect that sports players would probably wear something slightly more expensive, G-Shock has made their living on selling their brand of ironic nostalgia to hip-hop-loving teens everywhere and this new model is no exception. It looks like a watch no on would wear and so millions will wear it.

Not many features to speak of but it’s big, bold, and saucy. Look for it this holiday.