Doorbell For Deaf People

This circuit provides a delayed visual indication when a door bell switch is pressed. In addition, a DPDT switch can be moved from within the house which will light a lamp in the door bell switch. The lamp can illuminate the words "Please Wait" for anyone with walking difficulties.

Circuit diagram



Notes:
The circuit uses standard 2 wire doorbell cable or loudspeaker wire. In parallel with the doorbell switch, S1, is a 1N4001 diode and a 12 volt 60mA bulb.

The bulb is optional, it may be useful for anyone who is slow to answer the door, all you need to do is flick a switch inside the house, and the bulb will illuminate a label saying Please Wait inside the doorbell switch or close to it.

The double pole double throw switch sends the doorbell supply to the lamp, the 22 ohm resistor is there to reduce current flow, should the doorbell switch, S1 be pressed while the lamp is on.

The resistor needs to be rated 10 watts, the 0.5 Amp fuse protects against short circuits.

When S2 is in the up position (shown as brown contacts), this will illuminate the remote doorbell lamp. When down, (blue contacts) this is the normal position and will illuminate the lamp inside the house. Switch S1 will then charge the 47u capacitor and operate the transistor which lights the lamp.

As a door bell switch is only pressed momentarily, then the charge on the capacitor decays slowly, resulting in the lamp being left on for several seconds. If a longer period is needed then the capacitor may be increased in value.

Very Simple Bench Amplifier

A small 325mW amplifier with a voltage gain of 200 that can be used as a bench amplifier, signal tracer or used to amplify the output from personal radios, etc. The circuit is based on the National Semiconductor LM386 amplifier. In the diagram above, the LM386 forms a complete non-inverting amplifier with voltage gain of x200.

A datasheet in PDF format can be downloaded from the National Semiconductor website. The IC is available in an 8 pin DIL package and several versions are available; the LM386N-1 which has 325mW output into an 8 ohm load, the Lm386N-3 which has 700mW output and the LM386N-4 which offers 1000mW output. all versions work in this circuit. The gain of the Lm386 can be controlled by the capacitor across pins 1 and 8. With the 10u cap shown above, voltage gain is 200, omitting this capacitor and the gain of the amplifier is 20.

Finished project:
Circuit diagram:

Bench Amplifier Circuit Diagram

The IC works from 4 to 12Volts DC, 12Volt being the maximum recommended value. The internal input impedance of the amplifier is 50K, this is shunted with a 22k log potentiometer so input impedance in this circuit will be lower at about 15k. The input is DC coupled so care must be taken not to amplify any DC from the preceeding circuit, otherwise the loudspeaker may be damaged. A coupling capacitor may included in series with the 22k control to prevent this from happening.

Source: Zen

30 Day Lantern

Do you love the great outdoors? Is camping one of your favorite past times? Well, if you have answered in the affirmative, then you might want to check out what Hammacher has in store for you, especially for those who love to prepare for the unexpected.

The $59.95 30 Day Lantern should be made a compulsory purchase for just about anyone who would like nothing better than to get away from the concrete jungle and spend their time in the great outdoors, just like how Calvin’s dad does in the comic strips, more often than not being left awash in a downpour.

The 30 Day Lantern is special, because as its name suggests, it is capable of delivering up to 30 days of reliable light, and you will not find Iron Man’s arc reactor powering this puppy, as all that is required is a single set of batteries to get it going.

The lantern itself sports a trio of 1.4-watt LEDs that sip but a fraction of the energy required by traditional bulbs, hence enabling it to produce 720 consecutive hours of light on its lowest setting with a mere three D batteries. Talk about being power efficient, no? It even comes with a green LED which will flash whenever the device is turned off so that you can locate it easily in the event of a blackout.

Logitech Wireless Headset H820e Launched

Logitech has just launched the Logitech Wireless Headset H820e, where it has been specially manufactured for unified communications and PC-based soft phones, delivering together enterprise-grade audio as well as innovative features, all crammed into an affordable package that delivers wireless freedom which is practical for just about anyone and everyone in the organization, and it is also capable of working in all types of locations – ranging from traditional cubicles to open offices, and heck, even from home.

Just what do you think the Logitech Wireless Headset H820e will be able to deliver right out of the box? For starters, it comes with true-to-life sound, so even if you work in the noisiest of environments, the noise-cancelling microphone would still be able to help you get your message across loud and clear, where it is made possible thanks to the acoustic echo cancellation and digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities. Other than that, do bear in mind that the headset has been optimized for Microsoft Lync, and will also play nice with all major unified communication and soft phone applications, Cisco platforms included.

You will be able to garner an industry-leading 10 hours of wideband talk time, which should be more than enough to get through even the longest workday. You will be able to choose from two models – mono and dual, which will work with one ear and both ears, respectively, and regardless of which model you choose, you will still not have to fork out more than $200.

Logitech has decided to design the Logitech H820e based on their heritage for human-centric design, where it boasts of an in-call LED indicator light located at the back of the microphone boom so that it prevents interruptions during calls, on-ear volume control buttons that have been carefully positioned on either side of the head band that makes it easy to find via touch, and auto-pair by docking. [Via]

Cordless Personal Massager

There is nothing quite like having a lovely massage after a particularly long day at work, but sometimes, your other half is unable to press all the right pressure points despite you giving verbal directions, and your limbs are not that flexible as that of a gymnast and neither do you have the kind of superpowers that Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, has.

I guess this would mean it is a case of “if you want something done, you have got to do it yourself”, and this is where the $39.99 Cordless Personal Massager comes in handy. It is said to offer flexible spot-on relief alongside cordless freedom, thanks to the clever use of rechargeable lithium ion batteries within.

The Cordless Personal Massager is said to be of the ideal shape, where it is comes with a medical-grade silicone massage head that not only feels smooth but is also soft against your skin. Despite doing its bit to soothe away the day’s aches and pains, it will go about its job in a quiet manner, thanks to an extra quiet and powerful massage motor.

You will be able to choose from a quartet of programs – namely Soothe, Pulse Low, Pulse High, Energize, with different intensity levels to boot. Just to make sure that it does its bit to conserve energy whenever possible, the Cordless Personal Massager will shutoff itself automatically after 20 minutes. [Via]

Sony Develops Digital Paper Device

Digital paper – does this particular term sound rather ironic to you? It does to us actually, although it is a kind of technology that we would more than welcome. Mention Sony and you would think of their Bravia TVs, the PlayStation consoles over the years, and of course, who can forget about the iconic portable music player line that kicked it all off – the Walkman? Having said that, Sony’s foray into the world of tablets has not exactly been an encouraging one to date where its track record is concerned, since their only major notable presence at this point in time would be the Sony Xperia Tablet Z.

Well, perhaps they might be able to make larger strides than what they have already achieved with the aforementioned tablet if they were to incorporate some digital paper into future products. After all, Sony has successfully developed a 13.3” digital paper device, where the main aim would be to do away with paper educational materials and documents while helping improve learning effects and productivity among others. Sony has every plan to propose new learning and working styles through the use of such a device, in addition to having it deliver, store, write and share electronic files over a network.

As for the digital paper, Sony has made use of a 13.3” flexible electrophoretic display that relies on its own technology which will form TFTs on a plastic substrate with a high resolution (and that, our dear readers, would be the so-called electronic paper). This unique display can show up to 16 levels of grayscale and has a pixel count of 1,200 x 1,600.

Not only that, it is said that the thickness and mass of the digital paper are just 6.8mm if you do not take into consideration its pen holder and 358g, respectively. You can use it for up to three weeks on a single charge (and this is assuming that the Wi-Fi function is turned off, and PDF files are viewed for an hour each day), which will also include the use of the hand-writing function for five minutes per day. Anyone want to see Sony succeed? [Via]

ScanGauge II Advanced Multi-Function Vehicle Monitor

Have you watched the Fast and the Furious 6? So far, initial reviews and feelers on the movie have proved to be massive, and while the show continues to defy the laws of physics and gravity, it has managed to retain one characteristic – it is a franchise that has its timeline all screwed up, and yet is capable of drawing in the viewers never mind that they want to hear Vin Diesel do his mumbling act.

Well, you might be wondering just what you can do in order to spruce up your ride’s capabilities on the road, and apart from making sure that it is well serviced all the time, how about throwing in a fair bit of electronics to get the ball rolling? The $159.99 ScanGauge II Advanced Multi-Function Vehicle Monitor does seem to be a pretty good place to start as you can now begin your journey to drive a whole lot smarter, while monitoring your performance and improving your fuel economy.

It is capable of reading as well as resetting engine trouble codes for easy identification, and best of all is, there are no pesky tools required for you to install this puppy. After all, you being a geek at heart would always want to have access to as much data and statistics as possible, and the ScanGauge II Advanced Multi-Function Vehicle Monitor gets the job done, where it is also capable of tracking your 0-60 and quarter mile time. It comes with an automatic delayed power-down after engine shutoff and automatic power-up when the engine starts, and both user and vehicle settings are saved automatically for added convenience. [Via]

Flexit Ultra Thin Flexible Magnetic LED Light

There are times when you love nothing better than to snuggle up in bed after a particularly long and difficult day at the office, with a good book in hand that will have you turning its pages until you discover that dawn is breaking. Thing is, reading in your bed is fine and dandy if you happen to be living alone, but if you are already married, then your other half would most definitely appreciate it if he or she could sleep with all of the lights turned off.

Hence, what are you supposed to do – go out to the study and read? Here is a short cut afforded by the $29.99 Flexit Ultra Thin Flexible Magnetic LED Light, where you can more or less call it the flashlight version of Gumby.  The Flexit Ultra Thin Flexible Magnetic LED Light will be able to attach itself to metal objects with magnets, where you can opt to hang it, loop it, or leave it as a freestanding device, now how about that? The flexible body is capable of shaping just the right amount of light for your reading needs, and it would also double up as a handy gift for that handy person in your life. With three power settings to choose from at a brightness level of 128 lumens, the three AA batteries that power it ought to deliver up to 70 hours of non-stop use. Heck, it is even water resistant that adds to its overall desirability. [Via]

LightWedge LED Reading Light

If you want the ability to read through all the old books in your library without converting everything to digital format for your iPad, then the LightWedge LED Reading Light will be your best friend every night of the week. While iPads and Nooks may be all the rage these days, we are still face with the dilemma of transferring our vast physical libraries into digital format, and we all know how difficult reading in the dark can be.

There have been some decent products out there in the past, but nothing that we liked nearly as much as the LightWedge. This innovative pane of light slips right into your book only illuminating the page you are currently reading without disturbing anyone around you. The lightweight design makes it easy to take with you everywhere you go, and on just four AAA batteries you can get up to 40 hours of reading time in the dark.

Panasonic Announces SC-NT10 Portable Wireless Speaker

When it comes to portable wireless speakers, these are dime a dozen, and with so many models in the market to choose from, which is the main factor that helps you decide? Some folks look at features, others take price into consideration at the top of their list, while there is still yet another group who refers to the brand name before they pry open their wallets. If Panasonic is your cup of tea, then you would do well to check out their latest release, which happens to be the SC-NT10 portable wireless speaker system.

The Panasonic SC-NT10 is, of course, one portable wireless speaker system that offers a whole lot more than one would expect from its looks. This portable wireless speaker system comes with Bluetooth connectivity to hook up with other devices that also “talk” via Bluetooth, and not only that, it has Quad Proof “tough” performance, making it the ideal speaker system for outdoor use, with its innards crammed into a compact size, allowing it to be one extremely portable speaker system.

I guess you can more or less call this the modern day boombox of sorts, albeit it is a whole lot more portable, shuns them pesky cables that seem to get all tangled up after a while, and certainly it does not need any “D” batteries to run. The quartet of “tough” performance traits that the Panasonic SC-NT10 is all about allows it to be used in just about any outdoor setting.

The device itself is said to be splash-proof, which means you are able to use it near water areas such as the pool or beach, and since it is also dust-proof, it is well suited for areas such as sandy beaches. Being shock-proof would mean it has already passed drop tests from a maximum of 30”, and being heat/freeze-proof, the device can withstand severe climates. Running on a rechargeable battery that can run for up to 8 hours non-stop, you can also use the SC-NT10 to juice up your smartphone or tablet via USB, now how about that? The Panasonic SC-NT10 Portable Wireless Speaker will arrive in Black and Blue/Black this fall, where it will retail for $99.99 a pop. [Via]

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 Unveiled

There are digital cameras, and then there are digital cameras. It is quite a large topic to cover, and so, there are just too many different branches to cover in a single article. Still, the digital camera market is pretty much broken down into three segments – the compact digital camera, the DSLR, and the Micro Four Thirds market. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 can be said to occupy the first category, although it would be in a pretty niche segment, too, as optically speaking, the DMC-FZ70 is capable of delivering an amazing 20mm wide-angle to 1,200mm (60X) long zoom. Not only that, with F2.8-5.9 lens brightness, it does not matter whether you are shooting video or photos, either one will appear bright even under low light conditions.

Apart from that, the inclusion of optical image stabilization would assure that both long zoom photos and videos will remain sharp and free from blur, while the DMC-FZ70 also delivers amazing Full HD 1080/60i video recording capability, courtesy of Panasonic’s experience as a world leader in professional broadcast video. Panasonic has also thrown in a unique microphone which will do away with ambient noise and wind sound thanks to the stunning clarity of Dolby Digital. In fact, this special microphone can even zoom with the optical zoom in order to zero in on the audio coming from your subject in a more precise manner.

Underneath the hood, you will find a new 16.1-megapixel high sensitivity MOS sensor and Venus engine that delivers high speed response and high picture quality, even in high sensitivity recording. This does ensure it is able to perform high speed burst shooting at 9 fps in full resolution, letting you capture the most fleeting shooting opportunities together thanks to a speedy start-up time of under a second. Unfortunately for the world, pricing and availability details remain to be seen, and we hope that it will be easy on the pockets! [Via]

Samsung Rolls Out First NFC-Enabled Color Laser Printer

Samsung is a company that is no stranger to industry firsts, and they can add another feather to their already burgeoning cap with the introduction of the first NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled color laser printer in the industry, alongside a bunch of other multi-function printers.

The new printer Xpress C410W series will comprise of the C410W color laser printer, the C460W color laser MFPs that boast of print, copy and scan functionality, and the C460FW color laser MFPs which come with print, copy, scan and fax capabilities. These C410W series were specially designed by targeting home and small office environments, where folks in these two areas have the tendency to print content straight from their smartphones.

It is said that these three models would be able to print up to 18 pages per minute (ppm) in black and white, although if you decide to roll out your images in color, the speed would be greatly reduced to just four ppm. It can be said that printing itself has become a whole lot easier, where the Xpress C410W series would be able to hook up sans wires with mobile devices, delivering a fast, integrated and convenient printing experience whenever you are on the go.

All you need to do is tap your smartphone on the printer, and printing will commence almost immediately. Should you want to scan and fax documents, that will not be too difficult either, since users can synchronize the contacts on their smartphones with the printers.

The use of the Samsung Mobile Print App would pave the way for users to print everything from PDF files to Microsoft Office documents (Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations included) straight from your smartphone.

What happens if your smartphone does not have NFC capability? Fret not, since you can still take advantage of Google Cloud Print, which enables you to print over the web regardless of where you are with the help of a smart device (smartphone or tablet). It certainly seems as though Samsung has a potential hit on their hands this time around with the new printers. [Via]

Nokia Into the Microwave Business Now

Well, well, what do we have here? It seems that Nokia, the smartphone company from Finland that used to dominate the mobile phone market, is about to take the plunge into the home appliances market with a microwave, of all products. I say, why not? After all, the humble microwave might not be a centerpiece in your newly renovated kitchen, but it sure as heck is one of the most important pieces of the kitchen puzzle.

After all, it is the microwave that helps you heat things up in the blink of an eye, making sure that those TV dinners which you bought would taste absolutely delicious in a matter of minutes. This microwave is called the Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, which happens to be a touch-screen microwave oven – perhaps it is a sign that expertise from their Windows Phone 8-powered smartphones being handed down?

The Nokia Constellation will set itself apart with a superfast, water-cooled 8-core high-voltage transformer, where it is capable of delivering a combined performance of 5,000 watts to end-users, allowing one to heat up turnkey meal solutions in a matter of seconds. Olavi Huhtikuu, Nokia’s director of household innovation, said, “Nokia has a proven track record and extensive IPR in working with microwave radios, so for us this was a logical next step. We can attack our competition in their core business. That’s why we developed the highly innovative 5AM-TH1N6 Constellation, which will revolutionize everything from single households to canteen kitchens”

Other innovative features in the new Nokia 5AM-TH1N6 include eye-tracking technology that ensures food will stop rotating whenever you look at it, and it will even be able to adjust the temperature automatically, depending on just how hungry you look. Expect the Constellation to ship from Q2 onwards at a suggested retail price of €399 a pop.

Just in case you were wondering whether this sounds way too good to be true, or that it is just a hoot to hear the Finnish smartphone company venturing into the consumer electronics and home appliance segments of the market, do remember that today is April 1st, and what you have just read is, indeed, too good to be true.

Denim Smartphone Handset

If there is one thing that I have learned about fashion throughout my relatively short life here on earth (I am right now going through what they call the middle of the second half of my two score years), it is this – fashion statements get recycled from time to time, so if you happen to have this hot fashion item back in the days of your youth, do not throw it out! It might eventually return to style one of these days, and who knows, by then you might have a vintage piece in your closet.

Jeans and denim, however, rarely go out of style, and if it is good enough for Steve Jobs, it should be good enough for everyone. Style just called with the £39.99 Denim Smartphone Handset, where it sports a classic ‘telephone-style’ design, being covered in high-quality denim. There is also a 0.25” audio cable that will plug into the headphone socket, and the Denim Smartphone Handset plays nice with all smartphones that are in the market at the moment. This is definitely the device or accessory to tote around when you want to make a fashion statement, telling the world that you are an ’80s kid. [Via]

Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer

They say that cooking is an art, and for those of us who happen to burn the pot while one is boiling water, it goes without saying the kitchen is a whole lot better off without you in it. The thing is, you have this passion to tinker around the kitchen much to the chagrin of everyone else living under the same roof as you, but thank goodness technology has progressed to such a stage where it is able to help out even the most clueless of chefs.

Case in point, BBQs are fun, but it is an art to know whether that slab of meat, or row of sausages are well cooked right to the inside. Enter the $79.99 Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer to help you get the job done. With the Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer, no longer do you need to hang around a hot grill in order to check on the temperature of the food being cooked constantly, leaving you time and opportunity to chat up that sweet young thing whom you have had your eyes on for the longest time already.

The Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer would come across as a grilling, cooking, smoking thermometer, where it will work in tandem with an app on your iOS-powered device, or other compatible smartphones. A dual temperature probe will monitor a couple of different meats simultaneously, even up to 200 feet away, and will alert you the moment your food has reached the temperature you set on the base station. [Via]

Night Owl Motion Light

Are you a night owl, and are simply far more productive whenever the moon makes an appearance, breaking through the clouds at night, while others are busy sleeping and snoring away? If that is the case, and you do not live alone, then it would be prudent for you to have the relevant tools around to help you get up and going without stubbing your toe against the edge of a bed or cupboard. The $16.95 Night Owl Motion Light is here to help you out.

The Night Owl Motion Light is basically a motion-activated light for those who get up in the night, where all you need to do is place it at the side of your bed, or hang it from a doorknob or walker, hook it over a stair rail or hang it from a towel rack.

Regardless of where you think it is most effective, it would come in handy in a dozen places. Each time the sensor detects motion, half a dozen bright LEDs will turn on, illuminate the area, and remain lit at your command. You are able to choose from 20, 60 or 90 seconds, or set the dial for “continuous”, in addition to adjusting the LED brightness for day or night sensitivity.

Disposable Batteries Recharger helps stretch every last dollar

We do know that times can get pretty hard for some of us out there, especially when you are out of a job for the longest time and your savings have just about run out. Well, that would mean being even more prudent with every single penny that you spend, and there are many ways to do so. In the case of using disposable batteries, there might be a different method to prolong the life of these puppies even when others have long given up on them. How is that possible, you ask? Well, this is where the $79.95 Disposable Batteries Recharger comes in handy.

The Disposable Batteries Recharger happens to have enough storage space to revitalize up to eight disposable batteries simultaneously. The device itself will feature a sophisticated microprocessor and proprietary charging technology that will be able to automatically identify battery types as well as their conditions before the charging process begins. The unit itself will be able to recharge batteries in one to eight hours depending on the type and size, and it also has the ability to revitalize alkaline batteries up to 10 times. The eight charging slots has enough room to accommodate half a dozen AAA, AA, A, C, or D batteries and two 9-volt batteries, where it will play nice with alkaline, NiMH, or NiCd batteries. The inclusion of a built-in LCD will let you see the batteries’ charge levels. Man, I wish I had this back when I was a wee lad and was eating through AA batteries like nobody’s business on my Game Boy.

LG Pocket Photo 2.0 Launched

LG, the South Korean consumer electronics giant, has just announced that they will be showcasing their LG Pocket Photo 2.0 over at CES 2014 that is kicking off in less than a fortnight’s time. This will be the second iteration of their original Pocket Photo device, where it will offer enhanced portability thanks to its form factor, letting you customize, print and share images regardless of where you are.

Just what kind of connectivity options will the latest LG Pocket Photo 2.0 come with? It features wireless connectivity such as NFC and Bluetooth, allowing you to instantly print 2” x 3” photos from majority of the tablets and smartphones that are in use today. Not only that, it will also play nice with Android and iOS devices, which should cover a fair bit of ground – although Windows Phone and BlackBerry owners would miss out on the Pocket Photo boat.

Touted to be one of the smallest mobile photo printing devices on the market, this most recent version would have shaved off 4mm from its predecessor in terms of thickness, and yet it does not affect its performance at all. On the contrary, the LG Pocket Photo 2.0 would be able to print pictures rendered at a crystal clear 313dpi, which makes them perfect for sharing or displaying. You will first need to download and install the free Pocket Photo editing app though, so that you will be able to print right off the bat after connecting your smartphone or tablet to it sans wires.

LG has also gone the extra mile to introduce enhancements to the editing features in the accompanying Pocket Photo app, paving the way for you to experiment with an expanded range of customization options. There is a new set of filter effects thrown into the mix as well, in addition to a clever frame augmentation feature. Not only that, you can also opt to embed QR codes in photos, making it a convenient method to connect a physical photograph with an online community or an Internet-based content. ZINK’s inkless paper system will deal with the photo printing process, and a single full charge of the LG Pocket Photo 2.0 delivers up to 30 photo prints.

Disposable Batteries Recharger

We do know that times can get pretty hard for some of us out there, especially when you are out of a job for the longest time and your savings have just about run out. Well, that would mean being even more prudent with every single penny that you spend, and there are many ways to do so. In the case of using disposable batteries, there might be a different method to prolong the life of these puppies even when others have long given up on them. How is that possible, you ask? Well, this is where the $79.95 Disposable Batteries Recharger comes in handy.

The Disposable Batteries Recharger happens to have enough storage space to revitalize up to eight disposable batteries simultaneously. The device itself will feature a sophisticated microprocessor and proprietary charging technology that will be able to automatically identify battery types as well as their conditions before the charging process begins. The unit itself will be able to recharge batteries in one to eight hours depending on the type and size, and it also has the ability to revitalize alkaline batteries up to 10 times.

The eight charging slots has enough room to accommodate half a dozen AAA, AA, A, C, or D batteries and two 9-volt batteries, where it will play nice with alkaline, NiMH, or NiCd batteries. The inclusion of a built-in LCD will let you see the batteries’ charge levels. Man, I wish I had this back when I was a wee lad and was eating through AA batteries like nobody’s business on my Game Boy.

Kisai Adjust LED Watch

If you have always wanted to have a cool looking timepiece that is extremely difficult to read, then you would not be able to go wrong with Tokyoflash’s collection of timepieces. Their latest addition to the collection would be the $178.99 TokyoFlash Kisai Adjust, where it will boast of a digital triangle time readout. You can opt to tell the time in either a horizontal or vertical display, depending on your cup of tea, and there are also half a dozen LED colors to choose from, with the option for multi-color transition thrown into the mix along as well.

Just how does the TokyoFlash Kisai Adjust work? Well, it will be able to show off the time in a non-stop array of changing mosaic of LED triangles. You can opt to have it shown off in either 12 or 24 hour modes, and some might say that the vertical mode makes it easier to read the time compared to the horizontal mode. Even more, when night falls, the Tokyoflash Kisai Adjust would feature a tiny fish that swims across your wrist, accompanied by random sparkles for that added touch of uniqueness that only Japan can offer. It will also be water resistant up to 3ATM, and has a stainless steel case, strap, and clasp.