Easy programming learning

As programming becomes a compulsory subject at elementary school starting from 2020, interest in programming learning is increasing year by year, but learning may be troublesome even for adults. Therefore, the programming e-learning site Progate has released an application that makes it easy to learn their curriculum with smartphones. Currently it is only iOS version, but of course they are also preparing the Android version.

In this application, you can learn about programming with a curriculum equivalent to the web version. UI/UX is optimized for smartphones, and you can practice coding with original keyboard. Since the code you wrote is reflected in the preview screen immediately, you can learn while checking whether the code is correct or not.
The users they are assuming are kids of elementary ~ high school students who do not have PCs. Many cute illustrations are used for teaching materials to make them familiar with coding, and each time they do the curriculum one by one, their level will go up. That is exactly like a game. Now, you can learn with this application in the beginer level of HTML and CSS, but the curriculums are going to increase with future updates.
Application download is free.

Make shopping among family smart

Ask someone in the family to shoping for daily necessities...That is what everyone is doing, but often due to forgetful or contact mistakes, it's become troubles of families. Startup IRITEC has released the iOS version of the utility application FamilyMemo that solves this.

This is an application that shares shopping memos within the family. For example, if you notice that your famiry have run out of shampoo, and write it in this application, other family members can know that information, and somebody in your family will buy it.

Family members who have completed shopping while watching shopping memo can inform other family that they completed their shopping by checking the items. Adding items are easy, you can manage shopping memo you use only by yourself and shopping notes shared by your family on separate tabs. So, if you live alone, this app will be useful. Unfortunately, the Android version of this has not been released yet.
Downloading iOS version is free.

Cutest home robot MyRoom Robi

Various home robots have been released in Japan until now, but there is nothing more lovely robot than he.
Toy company Takara-Tomy will release a personal talk robot Myroom Robi that can talk about various topics on February 28th.

Robi is a humanoid robot series developed by robot creator Tomotaka Takahashi, Myroom Robi is it's the third. He has a TV remote control sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a human sensor, and an illuminance sensor, uses them to recognize the environment inside the room and talks variously. For example, "It's dark. Why don't you turn on the room light?", "Achoo! It's cold!", "I want to be a snowman", these talk variations are over 2000 kinds and the contents of the talks change according to the season.
If you register your schedule in him, he will tell you according to the date. In addition, he can sing, tell the fortune telling information and play wirh the game. If you want him to have a rest, he enter quiet mode by touching his forehead for 3 seconds. His size is 170 × 170 × 130 mm and works with four alkaline AAA batteries. The price is 10,584 yen(including tax).

Make unattended sales smart

Now, Mobile payments are rapidly spreading and this may further accelerate it. IoT gadget maker Cerevo showed an micro-mini vending machine Qvie with 3G / 4G communication function at CES 2018. The price of this is yet to be determined, but they will release this this summer.

Qvie consists of a cargo unit that puts items and a head unit that has a payment function. The head unit has electronic paper display and NFC, customers can pay by scanning the QR code with a smartphone camera or holding a smartphone supporting NFC, and when payment is completed, the cargo unit is unlocked. The head unit has 3G / 4G communication function, and troublesome setting accompanying communication is unnecessary. In addition, the head unit and the cargo unit have large capacity batteries, so they works about one month continuously.

If you want to sell various items, you can connect multiple cargo units to one head unit and use them simultaneously. Furthermore, you can check sales data such as unlocking time of cargo unit, its number of times, sales amount in real time from smartphone. The size of the head unit is 44 × 45 × 150 mm and the cargo unit is 159 × 383 × 305 mm(Including legs). The weight is yet to be confirmed.

Enjoy karaoke everywhere --- Bluetooth Karaoke microphone

In Japan, January is the rush month of the New Year party. This microphone is useful if you are a party organizer and it is troublesome to book a karaoke room.

This Bluetooth karaoke microphone links with smartphones or tablets and converts every place into a karaoke room. When you choose your favorite tune from mobile application that link with this, you can sing with that tune that played from a speaker at the bottom of microphone. Of course this has the function to lower the volume of the vocal only. In addition, you can also adjust the volume of microphone itself and echo. If you want to sing tunes which JOYSOUND karaoke machine has, link with Karaoke JOYSOUND application. Or, if you want to sing the tunes on the CDs, use the I - O DATA's gadget CD Reco and its application. The size of this is 220 x 64 x 64 mm, and the weight is 210 g. Battery capacity is 2200 mAh, it works for about 5 hours with 3 hours charging. The color variations are gold, silver and pink, and the price is 5,378 yen (including tax).

Let's Learn to take care for dogs in mobile apps

Do you want to keep a dog as a lovely pet? Certainly they are cute, but you need various of knowledge about them to keep. In mobile application Inu-note(Inu means Dog in Japanese), you can learn them from professional dog trainers and veterinarians. When you enter data such as your dog's breed type and age in this application, the best advice by the dog trainers and veterinarians is sent based on them.

This UI is similar to Instagram, you can post photos of your dogs and use it like an photo album, and communicate with other users who have dogs of the same breed as you.

In addition, you can search animal hospitals and dog parks with map function, and record the dogs' schedules such as vaccination or trimming and manage health.

This is only the iOS version, but the developer ANIMA is of course preparing the Android version now. Downloading is free.

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.