japan
Microsoft says 74 percent of work PCs still use Windows XP, extends downgrade rights until 2020
The latest Microsoft operating system may be selling seven copies a second , but it’s no match for the behemoth Windows XP, still the most popular OS in the world despite recent nefarious attempts (we kid) to invoke spontaneous shutdowns , slow hard drives and trigger blue screens . In fact, a Microsoft exec admitted today that practically three-quarters of business computers still run the nine-year-old OS on hardware averaging 4.4 years old, and Computerworld ‘s now reporting Microsoft will extend XP’s lifespan through 2020 (you read that right) as a result.
Onkyo netbook gets covered inside and out with Miffy
Miffy (or Nijntje) is a small, Dutch, female rabbit who appears in picture books. How exactly she became a cultural hit in Japan we don’t know, but we do have a good idea how she found herself plastered all over this netbook: some combination of Onkyo having a bunch of extra C4 units lying around and Namco-Bandai having a Miffy license it wasn’t fully utilizing
I-O Data TransferJet USB dongle announced in Japan
Been dying to get in on some TransferJet high-speed low-range wireless data transfer action since Sony made such a big fuss of it at CES? Well you can go the all-Sony route and pick up a VAIO F or one of Sony’s Cyber-Shot bundles with a reader, or you can head to Japan and snag this I-O Data USB2-TJC reader, when it comes out later this month for ?10,000 ($115)
Burger King uses ‘musical shower’ as latest trick to entice Japanese clientele
A new Burger King eatery opening up in Japan isn’t usually something we concern ourselves too much with, but this one comes with an interesting new twist. Those umbrella-aping translucent cones hanging over the tables are known as “musical showers,” and their function is to deliver music in an isolated fashion to you and your significant — but not too significant, it’s still BK, after all — other.
Sony’s latest Cyber-shots boast 3D sweep panorama, background defocusing
It’s getting to be that time of the year again — time for Sony to expand / refresh its Cyber-shot lineup. Say hello to the 14.1 megapixel T99 and the 12.2 megapixel WX5 and TX9
JFE Engineering’s quick auto charger does 50% charge in three minutes, hits parking lots in March
While range is an unfortunate limiting factor for electric vehicles , slow recharging time is perhaps even more troubling. Going 100 miles on a charge would be okay if you could stop at the corner electron stand and top up your cells while hitting the potty, and JFE Engineering’s quick charger gets makes that a reality, able to charge an EV’s batteries to 50 percent in just three minutes. Five minutes gets you a 70 percent charge, but from there things go downhill, with 30 minutes required for an 80 percent charge.
