LINE's cute portable smart speaker

Google Home, Amazon Echo...now, various smart speakers compete ruthlessly. Meanwhile, Japanese messaging application company LINE started selling cute smart speaker "Clova Friends".

Originally they released own smart speaker Clova Wave in October, and it was a simple form. However, Clova Friends is in the form of LINE 's cute official character LINE Friends. They worked as LINE stickers and official goods, and contributed to LINE's popularity in Asian market. Even though they are cute forms, these are not toys for kids.

They have own AI assistant Clova and have the functions of music playing by link with the own music service LINE MUSIC, reading the weather forecast, news, fortune telling, and LINE messages. And in late December, they also support LINE's free voice calling, and will add functions for receiving incoming functions and home appliances compatible with infrared controllers by future updates. In addition, clothes for them will be released next spring, so users can dress them more cute.

Variations are brown bear 'Clova Friends BROWN' and yellow chick 'Clova Friends SALLY', both weights are as light as 378 grams and size are 72x72x170.3mm (BROWN) / 72x72x166mm (SALLY), which are suitable for carrying. They have microphone off, volume control, and Bluetooth pairing buttons on the back, so users can also pair with these and other gadgets. The price is 8,640yen(tax included), and as a campaign plan, a 6,750yen(tax included) course that set with the LINE MUSIC fee for 6 months offered until March 31, 2018.

Beyond languages' barriers

For many Japanese, learning other languages is still a huge barrier. In order to solve it, Logbar developed a speech translation device "ili" that can be used in an offline environment.
They pre-released it by 18,144yen(Including tax) on December 6, and sold out in about one hour. This is a stick type device that translates at the fastest speed of 0.2 seconds and speak digital voice by talking while pushing the button. The big feature of this is that it can be used without an internet connection. It's size is about 33.0 x 121.8 x 13.0 mm, weighs is about 42 grams, and It's small and not bulky when traveling abroad. Support languages are English, Chinese and Japanes.
They have offered this for corporations from June this year, but they will also sell to the general users step by step. The next sale start date is December 22.

Local character's smartphone

Kumamon is a local character in Kumamoto Prefecture, and one of the most popular Japanese character. Now, his various goods are sold and the regional economy in Kumamoto has been greatly revitalized thanks to him, A new lineup will be added to them in this month. It's a SIM free smartphone "Kumamon-no-Sumaphone(くまモンのすまフォン)".

In order to release this, Kumamoto's MVNO Kuma Mobile made business alliance with French smartphone maker Wiko.
They will develop a SIM free smartphone designed Kumamon wearing the French flag muffler based on Wiko's Android smartphone "Tommy".

The body is Kumamoto's image color red. In addition, they also prepare VR contents that can see Kumamoto Castle before destroyed by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Its box transforms into mobile VR goggles, and users can enjoy VR content using this. They are planning to sell this from mid December, but the price is unpublished.

"Compact" digital camera

Electric manufacturer CASIO will release an interesting compact digital camera in Asia at the end of this month. It is certainly "compact".

They added a new lineup TR-M11 to the digital camera series TR mini for selfie, which is developing mainly in ASEAN. It is a clamshell design, palm size, and colorful, so looks like a cosmetic compact. It has a lens on the top cover, and the 8 LEDs surrounds it. Because of taking a light from the front of the face and taking selfie makes the skin look bright and beautiful. Besides that, LEDs provide various selfie functions to users in collaboration with Casio's image processing technology. Make skin look brighter and fresh, sculpted look to facial features, and slimming...they look more natural and effective than the image effects of camera applications or Purikura(Photo booth).

The camera automatically powers on when the lid is opened and the bottom is the operation screen. The shape of photos is square, and posting to social media such as Instagram is supposed. In addition, users can automatically transfer photos to own smartphones using the EXILIM Connect application linked with the camera.

Power Source is rechargeable lithium ion battery, it can shoot 225 times with one charge, and users can shoot continuously for 4h 50min for still images and 1h 20min for movie. The color variations are Green, Pink, White, Violet, Vivid pink, the size is H82.6 × W77.0 × D26.6mm and weght is 139g (including memory card). Unfortunately, it is undecided whether to be released in Japan.

The anime robot has become materialized

If you know this robot, you love Japanese huge robot anime. Bandai announced that the mascot robot Haro that appears in the robot anime Gundam will be commercialized as a communication robot and released in 2018.

The prototype has already been exhibited at CEATEC JAPAN 2017 and became a topic.
The theme of this is "if Haro exists in the present age". This is an interactive communication robot with AI with abundant knowledge about Gundam and also has voice recognition function. It responds to users' questions and Gundam keywords and responds optimally from the database, and can also give the users questions for the Gundam quizzes. It also has a wireless LAN function and Bluetooth function so that users can use this as a speaker and use the alarm function in link with smartphones.
The eyes and mouth of this shines with LEDs, sway forward, backward, left, right, and face the people who is talking. That is exactly a charming communication robot. IBM Japan has developed conversation AI, and VAIO is cooperating with Haro's organization, circuit design and production. The size is 190mm in diameter and works with built-in rechargeable batteries. Weight is undecided.

via http://bandai-a.akamaihd.net/corp/press/100000617495332.pdf (Japanese)