SAL player, connecting physically
Japan may be a country of gadgets, but when it comes to recording videos and sharing them, it has been a disaster: Most operators have so far limiting the file sizes as 150KB, and local sharing is limited to Infrared (no Bluetooth).
That does not mean that Japanese consumers have been uninterested in taking videos. To the contrary, we all know that Japanese tourists are inseparable with video cameras.
While in US we are increasingly inexpensive, portable camcorders like Flip, the design-driven electronics firm amadana has come up with its own solution: SAL.
Apart from the fancy colors, there is nothing remarkable to its spec. The device allows video captures up to 2GB, and the resolution is fixed to 640 x 480. But I have been intrigued as I heard from several sources that the device is popular among moms. Why? Could it be once again the appearance that is single-handedly driving the purchasing?
I do not have the definite answer but based on my experience, the local sharing can be one attractive factor. Amadana shops in Tokyo allow us to rent SAL, and as I tried, I found out that the local sharing can be done by using their two USB ports. By putting one SAL device on top of another and docking them via USB, you can copy movies you have created easily.
The trick is fairly simple, but learning to exchange files wirelessly and relatively painfully, there was something really assuring and fun about this interaction. The interaction is surely practical, but it also gave something pleasurable to watch as a third person observing the action.
One minor drawback is that the device still asks you to select whether you are the host or the recipient. Since it is always the device on the top which transfer the files, I hope the developer will eventually remove this extra process in near future.
