tokyoflash

Do you know what time it is? That's right, it's that time of the week known as the Crave giveaway, and this week's prize just happens to offer a pretty cool way of keeping pace.

Up for grabs is the Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch, a modern take on the classic pocket watch. Made by Tokyoflash, it features an always-on touch display, as well as an LED backlight, and comes with a spring-hinged mineral crystal lens cover.

Though it looks like you need to understand some futuristic language to tell time, it's actually quite simple. The outside ring features 12 blocks that represent the hour, while the minutes are marked by the 60 smaller dots just inside the ring. There's even a second set of rings, in case you want to keep track of a different time zone, and you can rotate through the watch's various functions (date, alarm, and so forth) using the touch display.

Normally, the Tokyoflash Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch would cost you $169, but you have a chance to get this geeky accessory for free. There are some rules, though, so please take the time to read them carefully. There will be a test. … Read more

Remember those Magic Eye posters that were popular back in the '90s? You know, the ones where you'd focus your eyes on a 2D image and then boom, out of nowhere, a 3D image would appear? Well, that's the inspiration behind a new watch by Tokyoflash.

The Kisai Optical Illusion watch is the latest geeky accessory from Tokyoflash, and at first glance, the face of the watch just looks like a dizzying maze of lines. But of course, there's more than meets the eye.

As with the Magic Eye images, after staring at the display for a bit, you should be able to make out the hour and minutes presented in digit form. Tokyoflash says the time will be easy to see once you've trained your eyes, but if that's not the case, you can simply tap the touch screen to reveal the time. … Read more

Tokyoflash is well-known for producing some futuristic watches, and the company has done it again.

The Kisai Rogue Touch Pocket Watch is a modern take on the classic pocket watch and features a hybrid LCD/LED interface. The always-on LCD allows you to read the watch at a glance, while an LED backlight can provide extra illumination when needed. A touch display also lets you to change the modes (e.g., time, date, alarm, and so forth) and comes with a spring-hinged mineral crystal lens cover. … Read more

Back in 1983, I used to pump quarters into Atari's Star Wars like I do with parking meters today. It was slightly more fun.

Tokyoflash's latest offering reminds me of those wonderful old vector graphics. The Kisai Night Vision kinda feels like piloting an X-wing--if you're drunk enough.

Ideal for showing off in bars and parties like the Kisai drinker's watch, the Night Vision can tell the time in a fairly straightforward manner, not like Tokyoflash's previous brain-busters.

You push a button and look for the flashing LED panel on the face's outer circle corresponding to the hour on an analog watch. The stylized numerals in the center show the minute. At other times, the face is blank to save battery power.

Unless you set it to show a flashy neon animation to impress your friends, as seen in the vid below. … Read more

If the screen turns red, you're dead. Or unconscious.

Either way, you'll no longer need this Kisai drinker's watch from the time lords at Tokyoflash, notorious for their incomprehensible creations.

This concept watch comes with a built-in breathalizer. Simply touch a button to activate the alcohol test function, wait for a little door to open, breathe into a port on the side, and get your blood alcohol level.

It might encourage you to keep upping those bottoms. Or it might dissuade you from drinking and driving.

The design phase of this idea has charts showing alcohol levels from 0.00% to 0.99%, with green, yellow, and red screens showing progressive levels of drunkenness. The designers say the range is just a guidance range for now.

They assure me it's possible to fit a small breathalizer in the watch, which would have a touch-screen LCD face and LED backlight.

In a remarkably clear-sighted design choice, the watch would tell the time in easily understandable digits that are always displayed. This departure from Tokyoflash's usual timepiece riddles is no doubt an accommodation for those with impaired puzzle skills. … Read more

For this week's giveaway, we're getting pretty geeky, and we're going to Japan to get the goods. Feast your eyes upon the Kisai Wasted watch from Tokyoflash. That's right: Wasted. The tag line for this LED timepiece is "Intoxicated timing."

As the promo copy says, "You've taken a hit and your senses are coming alive. You try to stay focused as a hyper energetic mix of bright lights and vivid colors overpower your mind, but it's too late. You're under the influence of Kisai Wasted."

Though you might think … Read more

For the longest time, we thought LED watches, which force you to do mental gymnastics when you need to check the time, were the epitome of wrist fashion gone wrong. Not anymore. The Optical Illusion concept watch from Tokyoflash Design Studio not only tests your mind, but also how much you value your eyesight.

If you look hard enough, the patterned image is supposed to resolve itself into numbers, though for the life of us that was impossible even after five minutes. Fortunately, for our vision (and unfortunately for opticians everywhere), this is only a concept for now. Moreover, there'… Read more

Tom Merritt joins us to discuss the many ways that technology is conspiring to kill us all.

Desktop donut factory? Sweet!

Ridiculous ‘speech bubble’ helmets cut out noise, dignity… Read more

Japan watchmaker Tokyoflash loves to confuse us with its eccentric, maddening timepieces that are nearly impossible to use. But its latest wrist accessory is decidedly simpler, even medieval, and may actually be usable. The Kisai Broke is being billed as "a new way to read time that's almost like a regular clock." Wow.

The $169 Broke features "shattered timing" on its church-window face, a mosaic of LEDs under a mineral crystal lens that's set in a brushed stainless steel case. When you push a button on the side, the LEDs start to blink to … Read more