Spotted elsewhere in the news:

1) Want a better web camera than the typical cheapo bubble-wrapped model? Sanwa Supply has the nice new 1.3 megapixel (1280x1024) "400-CMS003", with auto focus, internal microphone, and easy setup (just plug it into USB port; no drivers to install). For Skype, Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger on Vista/XP. JPY5980, online shop only.
http://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/400-CMS003

2) BUFFALO has released the USB2.0 "SHD-UMES series" of "silicon disk" external drives. The silicon disk is flash memory, which means lower power requirements, small size, and no hard-drive moving parts - but unlike the tiny USB drives or memory cards we're used to, BUFFALO's new offerings come in 32GB and 64GB packages, making them ideal for really big files or even whole PC backups. The silicon drives are business-card size, should survive ceiling-height falls, and come with encryption software to protect data. JPY 21,300 for 32GB, JPY35,400 for 64GB.
http://buffalo.jp/products/catalog/storage/shd-umes/

3) Mouse pad... 10-key pad... USB hub... Peripherals and accessories littering your workspace? Consolidate with Thanko's MouseStage, your new mouse pad with 10-key pad, 3-port USB hub, and hand rest built in. JPY2480.
http://www.thanko.jp/mousestage/ (Japanese)

4) SGI Japan announced the start of a three-month, four-unit program to evaluate the Segway two-wheeled vehicle for patrol use in a nationally-managed park in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki. This marks the second official Segway evaluation program in Japan, following a patrol program last year at Tokyo Big Sight. SGI Japan became Japan's official Segway dealer in 2006, and is pushing to get the stare-inducing vehicle approved for public use in Japan. (I've ridden Segways twice in Japan, on private property. Which has nothing to do with the story; I'm just bragging.)
http://www.sgi.co.jp/company_info/press_releases/archives/20080521.html (Japanese)

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