In fact, the target is AR that can remind you of the identity of acquaintances when you bump into them at parties, pull up information on products you’ve bought but haven’t kept the user guide to hand, and other more personal applications. NEC is also working on the potential input and control methods, such as sensors which would allow you to tap your arm in different ways to trigger functionality.

The computer is a 140 x 90 x 55 mm box weighing 360g including a battery that, NEC says, is good for over 4hrs of continuous use. Inside there’s 256MB of RAM and 2GB of storage (1.7GB of which is left after the low-footprint Windows CE 6.0 R3 Professional OS is installed), while connectivity includes support for an earpiece and microphone, as well as a camera input. With the latter, it’s possible for remote workers to beam back footage of what they’re seeing to a centralized control room, where experts can guide them through complex repairs and the like.

As for the wearable display, the AirScouter creates a virtual 800 x 600 image for one eye, and weighs 64g. It’s capable of playing back several types of video, as well as more industrial data. Unfortunately it’s likely that only businesses will consider the NEC TeleScouter at the moment: it’ll start shipping on December 26, priced at 400,000 yen ($5,207) for the headset/computer combo itself, and 1,990,000 yen ($25,903) for the accompanying software and control system.

[via AV Watch]

The things do nothing to fix the dorky looks of what we already have access too, but they are unique in that you can still see what’s going on around you. The classes have clear lenses and a small projector shines the images directly onto your eyeball. The thing is a prototype Retinal Imaging Display.

The images projected directly onto your retina simulate a 16-inch screen viewed for about three feet away according to the maker. The tech came from the Brother printer tech for laser and ink jet printers. The AirScouter will be launched in Japan for industrial uses like overlaying manuals on machinery. That is pretty cool and I could see a market for this thing in the DIY realm for folks that like to fix things themselves. Nothing like step-by-step directions clipped to your eyeball.

Via Engadget

The idea is, you wear the AiRScouter and have a dynamic projected screen constantly in your vision at all times.  Brother reckon this will be handy for engineers and other people wanting to consult schematics while keeping their hands free, but we’d much rather imagine walking down the road keeping a check on Twitter and our email, together with mapping guidance, without constantly looking down at our smartphones.

Unfortunately this latest model is still just a prototype, which Brother will be demonstrating later in the year.  No word on when we can expect a production version, nor how much it might cost, but having geekily fallen in love with the Kopen Golden-i headset we tried back in February we’re hoping it’s not entirely outside the salary of a humble tech blogger.

[via AV Watch]

The batteries are powered by a small generator that can create energy from vibrations. The battery and generator are two separate devices that connect via a thin wire. The company says that if you use the battery inside a remote control you could create the power needed to use the remote by shaking it back and forth.

The battery is designed to power a device that doesn’t need power constantly and has a power consumption of about 100mW. Inside the case of the generator is an induction generator and a double layer electric capacitor with a capacitance of about 500mF. There is no word on when this tech might make it to market.

In fact, the only real differences we can spot are that the onboard memory has been halved – down from 1,000 pages on the SV-100B to 500 on the SV-70 – and that the integrated Bluetooth 2.0+EDR has disappeared.  The SV-100B was able to connect wirelessly to a cellphone for downloading new documents, but obviously users of the new model aren’t expected to demand that functionality.

We’re hearing the Brother SV-70 will drop for the equivalent of $1,092, which as you might well imagine puts it firmly into industrial markets rather than Kindle home ereader competition.  No word on when it will go on sale, nor whether Brother will send it further afield than Japan this time around.

[via Generation MP3]

Up first, we’ve got the HL-3040CN, which has a printing speed of 17 ppm, in color or monochrome. There is 600×2400 dpi resolution to boot. If that doesn’t do it for you, users can put up to 250 sheets of paper in the loading tray, and can connect the printer by either an Ethernet connection, or USB 2.0 interface. This piece of printing gadgetry will be available later this month, for a price of $300.

Stepping up next for the HL, is the HL-3070CW, which has all the features of the previous (3040CN) model, but comes packing a few extra surprises: WiFi connectivity, support for PCL6, and BR-Script3 emulation, and finally the ability for users to directly connect a USB flash drive and print JPEG or PDF files. The 3070CW will be available this month, stuck with a price tag of $350.

The MFC line up starts off with the MFC-9010CN all-in-one, that combines print, scan, and copy capabilities, with printing speeds reaching a maximum 17 ppm. The 9010 also has a printing resolution of 600×2400 dpi, and the 250-sheet feeder. It also has a USB/Ethernet interface, and a two-piece toner/drum set. We’ve got an October release date for this one, at $400.

The MFC-9120CN offers all the aforementioned features of the 9010CN, but then throws Super G3 faxing into the mix for good measure. And finally, the MFC-9320CW adds WiFi and USB interface for printing from a flash drive. These two will also be launched in October, for $450 and $500 respectively.

[via Electronista]

The SV-100B E-paper measures at 15.5mm in thickness and reads electronic documents via a proprietary application that converts data from PC to a “printed” document format that’s compatible with the device. The documents can be stored and secured in a 2Gb microSD card with a 128-bit AES encryption and password protected locking security feature. It provides roughly about 10,000 sheets of A4-size documents, and the lithium-ion battery life lasts up to 83 hours or 5,000 pages at the reading rate of 1 page per minute.

The Brother’s SV-100B E-paper will deliver in Japan on June 1st, and will be sold though company’s online store at ¥139,800 (~ US$1,423).

[impress via nikkie]

Despite not using the power-frugal e-ink, the SV-100B still manages 83hrs of battery life from a single charge.  You can also swap out the battery for a second one, should you really need extended runtime.  While there’s no internal storage, you can fit 10,000 A4 pages on the included 2GB microSD card.

Start-up time is just five seconds, and files can be transfered over either via USB or Bluetooth.  Pages seemingly have to be converted using Brother’s own SV-Manager software, though, before they can be viewed; it’s unclear what DRM, if any, this applies.  The Brother SV-100B will land in Japan on June 1st, priced at $1,450.  No word on availability elsewhere as yet.

Both printers use an automatic duplex printing feature. This makes it so the amount of paper you use is lessened and it allows you to print on both sides of paper. The models do differ, however. the HL-4040CDN features a max print quality of 2400 x 600dpi, 21ppm print speeds and more. You can get this model this month for about $400.

The MFC-9450CDN model on the other hand, features a 21 ppm print speed, a copy speed of 17 ppm and a max print resolution of 2400 x 600. It also has an Ethernet port and USB 2.0 ports. This model will ship in January for about $650.

Reports that this is a new USB teleconferencing accessory designed to recreate that “punch the boss in the nose, that dumb schmuck” moment for off-site workers have so far failed to provoke comment from Brother’s PR department. Similarly rumours of an inflatable chair version with Steve Ballmer branding are yet to be confirmed.