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Sites bring tiny, mighty gadgets to US
By Ashley Jennings
(CNN) -- Want to buy the latest computer gadgets? Chances are the ones that will make friends green with envy haven't made it to the electronics store around the corner, but they can be found on the Web. Sites such as Japan-direct.com, JapanRush.com and TKNY.com help U.S. customers keep up with the latest tech trends by bringing Japanese products to them. Their target customers, site owners say, are early adapters who love to be on the cusp of a trend. The gadgets are hot sellers in Japan, but they won't make it to the U.S. until their price drops significantly -- often months later, said Douglas Krone, owner of Dynamism.com. Brand-and-space-conscious Japanese consumers are willing to spend heaps to stay on top of tech trends, said Krone. Though U.S. buyers are less willing to shell out double or triple the price to be the first on their block to own a gadget, there are some who can't resist temptation. "It's all about gadget envy. It's about having something nobody else has," said Robert Stephens, a Minnesota executive who shops at Dynamism.com. Stephens recently bought the lighter-sized Spyz digital camera online and gave several to clients and family. "Even people who have a digital camera like it as a second camera to keep on their key chain," Stephens said about the tiny gizmo. Sites take care of shippingWeb sites offering Japan's best and latest products started springing up about five years ago. Before then, U.S. customers who wanted these items would have to fly to Japan, pay high prices and go through a lot of customs hassles to bring them back. The Web sites make it a lot easier -- not only offering full-product descriptions and pictures, but also taking care of shipping. One of the most popular products sold on Dynamism.com is the new Sony U1, the smallest laptop in the world, Krone said. The purse-sized computer is about 7 inches wide by 5 inches long, and weighs less than two pounds. But it packs a punch with an 867-megahertz processor, 384-megabytes of memory and a feature that magnifies the screen to get a better look at what is displayed. Despite the limits of a niche market, Dynamism's revenues have doubled each year since the company began in 1997, Krone said. Web site owners say that as long as a few gadget-loving U.S. customers crave the latest technology, their businesses will continue growing. "We are very dependent on the early adapters, not only for their business but for their influence on people around them," Krone said. "As more people realize that they can carry a two-pound notebook that can do everything they want to do, they convert, and then their friends do as well."
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