Distinctive Tech Gifts from Japan and Korea

Since I'm in Chicago this week doing some TV spots for Yahoo!, I met up with Douglas Krone, the founder and CEO of Dynamism, the Chicago-based site that sells exclusive Japanese gadgets and accessories (as well as items from Korea and Europe). Given that it's the holiday season, I asked Douglas to bring some of the coolest, newest, and most exclusive items up on the site right now—one-of-a-kind and/or early adopter gifts for any budget.

On the early adopter tip, Doug showed me the MOTO RIZR, an unlocked GSM phone from Motorola that's essentially the slider version of the MOTO KRZR. It was announced last summer at the same time as the KRZR, but so far no U.S. carrier has picked it up. The phone yields the same satisfying click when you slide it open and closed as the KRZR (when you open and close the clamshell). Dynamism's GSM MOTO RIZR works with any GSM SIM card (translation: In the United States, Cingular and T-Mobile). Also: the GSM MOTO KRZR K1 for those Cingular and T-Mobile customers who just can't wait for one of those carriers to pick up this phone.

I also saw the Samsung D900; it's the slimmest slider phone on the market and boasts a 3.15-megapixel camera and a MicroSD expansion slot.

The KRZR, RIZR, and D900 are available from various unlocked phone sites, but others available on Dynamism are harder to find. The Samsung P310 (pictured), for example, is a mini-calculator-like phone with a 2-megapixel camera and discreet keypad lights that reflect off the chrome sides. It comes with a leather case that doubles as a docking station/battery (for all that gaming and video you'll be using on the phone). Operationally, it's very much like the Samsung x820 (according to Douglas). Very distinctive and unique.

As unique, though maybe not as high-end-seeming, is the NEC N908, the world's smallest phone with a touch screen. It is truly credit-card-sized, and the 2.2-inch QVGA screen is perfect for discreetly filming standup comedians make asses of themselves (and other other ready-for-citizen-journalism events).

In the non-phone department: the Sony VAIO G1 notebook. With a casing made entirely of carbon fiber, the G1 weighs in at just under two pounds! And yet, it has a DVD burner. It's an only-in-Japan product, but Dynamism ships the notebook with an English-language OS (and provides you with tech support, should you have any issues). Battery life is six hours with a lightweight battery. Also from Sony, Doug showed me the Sony VAIO VN-CX1 mouse that flips open to double as a Skype-ready speakerphone and handset (this one seems to be available directly from SonyStyle, FYI).

But the piece de resistance of Douglas's show and tell is the Isaburo Rucksack. Normally only made to order, the 117-year-old Japanese leather manufacturer has created a stock of bags in three styles exclusively for Dynamism. Each bag has a hard PVC shell with leather stitched on top. The bags come in any color you want and any of three textures (smooth, ruggedized, square patterned). The bags are pricey ($700), but they feel so nice and have a surreal, turtle-shell-like quality to them. Wearing one of these on your back would certainly be one of the most unique and distinctive ways I've seen to lug around a laptop.

Related links:

Two Cool Windows Mobile Smart Phone Imports

Solar-Powered Gizmos for Your Desktop

Where to Get Cool Euro-Phones 

Holiday Gizmo Shopping Made Wacky 

Hands-on Review: Crazy Good Moto KRZR