I’ve seen countless straps in my many years in cell phone-crazy Japan, but this one beats them all. The so-called “Street Fighter IV Real Voice” is essentially a mini joystick that plays the voice samples that follow a number of special moves in the game. All sounds from the major attacks Chun Li, Ken, Ryu and Dhalsim can pull off are there – provided you’re skilled enough with your hands. → Read More
Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank is currently running a summer marketing campaign [JP], using gift certificates, coupons and (almost certainly) the biggest cell phone strap on the planet to attract customers. The strap, a stuffed husky standing 30cm tall, is limited to 30,000 units. → Read More
A camera strap is just one of those things; you have to have the “right one” that works for you, or you’ll go crazy. I bought a new Nikon not too long ago, and during a trip to the San Francisco Zoo discovered that what was a minor irritation, turned into a major pain in the neck with extended wear (pun intended). By the end of the 2 hour walk-through the strap had rubbed my neck almost raw, and I… → Read More
When do you know that a given country, in this case Japan, is totally saturated with gadgets? When one of its companies, in this case Bandai, releases a combination of a cell phone strap and a mini toy that lets you relive the unforgettable experience of opening shipping envelopes or cardboard boxes. The so-called Mugen Peri Peri [JP] even features a built-in speaker for a number of different… → Read More
Japanese companies StrapyaNext and Tokyo Coil Engineering claim they developed the world’s first battery charger for cell phones based on solar energy. The charger comes in the form of a phone strap. The device is 12.5 cm long and weighs 40 grams. It takes between 6 and 10 hours for a full charge with which you can talk for up to 40 minutes. StrapyaNext promises on the product page… → Read More
After reminding its customers of how to properly apply the wrist strap, Nintendo has announced a complete recall on the original faulty straps. To claim your new strap, fill out this online form and Nintendo should have a new one to you in the near future. And if you can’t stop playing with your Wii while you wait for your replacement strap, you might want to consider taking extra safety… → Read More
If you felt no compulsion to use the Wii Strap Fix from earlier this week, you might be OK anyway. Reports are streaming from Australia that the faulty straps have already been updated to new, thicker straps. This will presumably fix the problem, though it still couldn’t hurt to use some of that fishing line just to be safe. Just a thought. Nintendo improves Wii remote strap strength… → Read More
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