Japanese high-end audio manufacturer has managed to one-up even themselves with the release of their $168,000 speaker set. It’s a good thing too. This is just what we need with the recession and all. I kid.

Anyway, the system boasts a sub woofer, two mid-range drivers and a pair of acrylic tweeters. The whole thing comes encased in heat-resistant glass, you know just in case the song rocks too hard. The package will run consumers 16 million yen, which amounts to about $168,000 in American coin. The company says, seriously, that if you buy ten or more of the systems then the price will be reduced to a paltry $105,030. Sort of like a Subway Club Card! Where’s Jared when you need him?

Nokia has pulled out of the Japanese cellphone market, sources indicate. The global giant has decided to exit Japan, where they occupy only 1% of market share, because of dwindling sales. Nokia Vice President Timo Ihamuotila says, "We have judged that we cannot continue to invest in product development just for Japan amid the current tough economic conditions."

The company will continue to sell its luxury Vertu brand in the country though.

Finally, a USB powered device designed to eliminate that long wait for the microwave at work! The USB Lunch Bag may be your dream come true.

The unit keeps your food at a steamy 140 degrees Fahrenheit all day, although it does warm consumers to make sure the plastic container housing the food is "of a certain grade and quality" to assure there is not "an adverse chemical reaction." Minor concerns!

The bag is currently available in Japan, of course. The company has offered no word if it will ever be making the trek overseas. Come on! We eat too. We love eating actually.

The Samsung Syncmaster 2494HS may be missing the Samsung-standard glossy black bezel, but it still sports some serious attributes.

The screen is 23.6-inches and the matte black motif manages to merge business with, well, business rather effectively. The resolution clocks in at 1,920 x 1,080 and the SyncMaster offers 300 nits of brightness. There is also a 5-millisecond response time, 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, inbuilt stereo speakers and DVI / VGA / HDMI inputs.

The LCD goes on sale next month in Japan for approximately ¥40,000 ($423). It is rumored to be coming to the USA and European Union shortly thereafter.

Dospara has released their Prime Note Cartina UM 8.9-inch netbook in Japan this week. The thing is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU and possesses 1GB of DDR2 RAM. The Prima Note Cartina has a 120GB hard drive, a 1,024 x 600 panel, 802.11b/g WiFi anda battery designed to last two hours. The netbook comes with a variant of Linux pre-installed. For you folks visiting Japan in the near future, you can grab one for ¥39,980 or $413 American Dollars.