THE BRIDGE

tag iphone

Japan’s top photo app ‘Transform Camera’ delivers disguises on demand

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I’m really enjoying all the fun photo applications coming out of Japan recently, and one in particular caught my eye, as it has been Japan’s top ranked iOS photo app for about a week now. It’s called Transform Camera (or in Japanese ‘Henshin Camera‘) and it essentially provides a digital version of those head-in-hole tourist photo stands that you often see while traveling. It provides about 150 disguises to choose from in total, and more are expected to be coming soon. So far the photo frames include a pirate costume (ala Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean), a French maid outfit, a wide selection of kimono and traditional dress, and even a pair of crossed light sabers just waiting for two pairs of hands to pose with them. Applying the frames is dead simple, as the app comes with some facial recognition tries to position the frame over the person’s face. Once you’ve taken your photo, you can save it to your camera roll, or then share it to your favorite social network. Interestingly, eje Inc — the company behind Transform Camera — says it might add location-specific frames in the future. I imagine how this would work is…

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I’m really enjoying all the fun photo applications coming out of Japan recently, and one in particular caught my eye, as it has been Japan’s top ranked iOS photo app for about a week now. It’s called Transform Camera (or in Japanese ‘Henshin Camera‘) and it essentially provides a digital version of those head-in-hole tourist photo stands that you often see while traveling. It provides about 150 disguises to choose from in total, and more are expected to be coming soon.

So far the photo frames include a pirate costume (ala Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean), a French maid outfit, a wide selection of kimono and traditional dress, and even a pair of crossed light sabers just waiting for two pairs of hands to pose with them. Applying the frames is dead simple, as the app comes with some facial recognition tries to position the frame over the person’s face.

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Once you’ve taken your photo, you can save it to your camera roll, or then share it to your favorite social network.

Interestingly, eje Inc — the company behind Transform Camera — says it might add location-specific frames in the future. I imagine how this would work is that once you visit a certain area or landmark, then a specific photo decoration would be unlocked. This feature could be a great addition, especially if eje Inc develops a deep repertoire of available frames, corresponding to major landmarks around the world. But we’ll have to wait and see what they come up with.

You can download Transform Camera over on the App Store. While all the descriptive text is in Japanese, the app’s interface is mostly in English and really simple to use.

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Build your own iPhone-controlled RC car!

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For many people, driving a radio-controlled car is one of their most treasured childhood memories. Even big boys still find the experience intriguing, as you often see RC car competitions held all over the world. But what if you could build your own car and drive it with your iPhone or iPad? Actually, Japan Trust Technology, Inc has invented just such a car. It’s named Tsuku-Raji, a moniker which combines the Japanese words for “make” and “radio.” All you need to do is build your dream car on top of the 9.5cm x 4.7cm base unit. The resulting RC vehicle can then be controlled using their dedicated iOS app (for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch). The iPhone can even be used as a steering wheel by turning on the gyro mode! Charging the car and the transmitter is quick and easy, simply by connecting to your computer with a USB cable. Tsuku-Raji comes in two colors, black and red, and is priced at 3,980 yen (about $43) for just the car, and 4,480 yen ($48) with the USB AC adapter included. If you’d like to order one, you can do so on the JTT website if you’re in Japan. We’ll…

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For many people, driving a radio-controlled car is one of their most treasured childhood memories. Even big boys still find the experience intriguing, as you often see RC car competitions held all over the world. But what if you could build your own car and drive it with your iPhone or iPad?

Actually, Japan Trust Technology, Inc has invented just such a car. It’s named Tsuku-Raji, a moniker which combines the Japanese words for “make” and “radio.” All you need to do is build your dream car on top of the 9.5cm x 4.7cm base unit. The resulting RC vehicle can then be controlled using their dedicated iOS app (for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch). The iPhone can even be used as a steering wheel by turning on the gyro mode!

Charging the car and the transmitter is quick and easy, simply by connecting to your computer with a USB cable. Tsuku-Raji comes in two colors, black and red, and is priced at 3,980 yen (about $43) for just the car, and 4,480 yen ($48) with the USB AC adapter included. If you’d like to order one, you can do so on the JTT website if you’re in Japan. We’ll let you know if they become available to overseas buyers.

Kids can’t get enough of the iPhone, and it goes without saying that they love RC cars. This product is the perfect combination of the two, and is sure to be a big hit. Parents will certainly be fans as well, as the building process should help foster creativity.

Check out the demonstration of Tsuku-Raji in the video clip below.