Here is the daily roundup from Japanese consumer tech and tech business websites for November 17, 2014.

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro finally comes to Japan
Lenovo Japan finally announces the release date for the Yoga 3 Pro in Japan, which is scheduled on the 28th of November. It will be available locally with an estimated retail price of $1,800.

Philips unveils new dual screen display
Philips announces its new dual display, the 19DP6QJNS/11, which uses 19-inch screens on both sides. It will be available around mid-December this year, though there are no prices announced yet.

NEC starts development of a new supercomputer
NEC revealed in a recent press release that it would start development of a new supercomputer oriented for business establishments. This new supercomputer is claimed to become at least ten times faster and more efficient than its technical predecessor, the SX-ACE vector supercomputer.

Fujitsu’s info LEDs can ‘mark’ any object with data
Fujitsu Labs introduces a new concept in tech that allows the designation or assignment of ‘label’ data on objects using LEDs. The technology is believed to become useful in instantly identifying items on stores and other similar commercial establishments.

Surface Pro aids farmers at Hokkaido
Microsoft Japan, in a collaborative project with agricultural cooperative JA Taisetsu, has offered assistance to farmers at Asahikawa City, Hokkaido in the form of distributed Surface Pro units. The units will be used to help farmers in field data-entry work, particularly in various technical logs and registries.

Docomo to start roaming TD-LTE service
Docomo will be opening its international roaming TD-LTE service this coming Wednesday, November 19. This will first include China, and with the cooperation of China Mobile, the company will be the very first Japanese operator within the country.

Softbank to initiate wearable tech test project
Softbank plans to initiate a proof of concept test for various wearable technologies today, with the ultimate goal of developing new product and service ideas. The tests are scheduled to start around mid-January next year, and will be held at Katsuyama City, in Fukui Prefecture.

The post Yoga 3 Pro in Japan, Marking LEDs, Surface Pro on Farms: The Headlines in Tokyo for November 17 appeared first on VR World.

Ricoh has announced that it will be providing a new certification standard for smartphone cameras through its GR certification program. A viable unit or model will be subject to Ricoh’s assessment and inspection, where it will be labeled as GR certified upon meeting certain design requirements.

The new standard, as suggested, will be based on the company’s GR series compact cameras. As such, the development team from its GR series will also be included in the certification team. It should be noted however that a GR certification will not necessarily mean having the exact same quality as a GR series camera, but is merely placed as a label standard. The GR certification program would act as a consultation and licensing medium in order to create a general baseline standard for smartphone cameras. The consultation period starts from the development of the camera module up to the completion of the target unit model, which may imply that Ricoh might be given an opening to provide some input in the target camera’s actual design.

The GR Quality Regulation for Mobile certification process will consist of three major criteria. First is optical performance, which includes tests for various imaging distortions and aberrations, as well as the camera lens’ modulation transfer function (MTF). Next is quality performance, which would gauge the camera’s image sharpness and noise correction capabilities. Last is manufacturing specifics, which includes other design points and specifications that could directly affect the camera module’s performance and imaging capabilities.The very first smartphones that are slated to receive the GR certified label are Sharp’s upcoming Aquos Zeta SH-01G and Disney Mobile on DoCoMo SH-02G models, which are to be installed with a 20-megapixel rear camera. Both smartphones are scheduled to be released within Japan by the latter half of November, and will be available under a DoCoMo subscription.

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