Abstract: Music content are reproduced in the order of the newest time information that has been registered. A music content database 7 has stored a plurality of music content. Each music content has been stored in the music content database 7 along with a time stamp that is time information that represents a time at which the music content was registered in the music content database 7. A CPU 3 creates play lists corresponding to, for example, tempos. The created play lists are stored in a play list database 8. The CPU 3 selects a play list corresponding to a moving tempo obtained from a tempo detection section 9 and selects music content in the order of the newest time information registered from the music content corresponding to the selected play list. The selected music content are supplied to a decoder and amplification section 12 and reproduced by a head phone 14.

Abstract: Location information obtained from a positioning system 4 and environmental information such as time, temperature, air pressure and the like measured by an environmental information sensor 6 are associated with the reproduction history of music and are recorded in a history storage RAM 14, and music reproduced in the past at the same location as the present location is automatically selected and the music suitable for the location is automatically selected and reproduced based on the location information.

Abstract: An audio-signal generation device includes a generation circuit which generates track data and an input unit which receives information input by a user. The generation circuit generates the track data on the basis of information about the user's body, information about an exercise to be done, and information about a characteristic of a track to which the user listens during the exercise that are input via the input unit.

Abstract: By providing bio-information and/or environment information between a pair of users, it becomes possible for the users to understand the situation or the feeling of each other more deeply and earlier. A communication system for exchanging the situations and the feelings of both users is provided without performing optional communication operations, such as a telephone call and an e-mail. The condition or the situation on the transmitter side is to be judged and to be notified to the receiver side by inputting bio-information such as breathing, pulse-beats and heartbeats or environment information such as weather, date and hour, ambient temperature, or alternatively, by comparing, synchronizing and/or relating the bio-information and/or the environment information at present with respect to the bio-information and/or the environment information in the past. With respect to the situation of the receiver side, it is also notified similarly to the transmitter side.

Abstract: A content searching method includes the steps of: detecting movements of a user as movement information; detecting a movement pattern of the user as key information from the movement information; and searching for a piece of content having a content pattern according to the key information among a plurality of pieces of content.

Abstract: There is provided a mobile phone that detects bio-information on the user and makes information communications reflecting the detected bio-information. The mobile phone (1) includes sensors (18) that detect bio-information data. The bio-information data detected by the sensors (18) are sent to a sensor data analyzer (19) in which psychology corresponding to the detected bio-information data is analyzed based on bio-information data stored in a psychology memory (20) and psychology of the user. The sensor data analyzer (19) extracts characteristic signal patterns from the bio-information data detected by the sensors (18) and analyzes psychology corresponding to the extracted signal patterns. The psychology includes, for example, “pleased and delightful”, “discouraged”, “excited”, etc. and these states of mind are stored in association with bio-information data in the psychology memory (20).

Abstract: Music contents assigned to play lists are reproduced so as to correspond to user's preference. A music content database 7 has stored a plurality of music contents. A CPU 3 creates genre ranks such that music contents that have been more frequently, for example, reproduced are more highly ranked. In addition, the CPU 3 creates play lists corresponding, for example, to tempos and stores the created play lists in a play list database 8. The CPU 3 selects a play list corresponding to a moving tempo obtained from a tempo detection section 9 and selects music content categorized as a highly ranked genre in the genre ranks from those corresponding to the selected play list. The selected music content is supplied to a decoder and amplifier section 12 and then reproduced from a head phone 14.

Abstract: A detection section that detects a key-tapping speed and key-tapping intensity is provided to detect a user's impatience level. An input device detects the key-tapping intensity and key-tapping speed. The input device compares the detection value of the key-tapping speed and an average key-tapping speed. When the detection value exceeds a stored normal key-tapping speed, the input device then compares the detection value of the key-tapping intensity and a reference pressure value. When the detection value exceeds a stored normal key-tapping intensity, information to be output for a user is changed over. In this case, displayed characters are enlarged and emphasized to a maximum extent. On the other hand, in the case where a detection value does not exceed the normal key-tapping speed and the detection value exceeds the normal key-tapping intensity, displayed characters are only slightly enlarged.

Abstract: In an image display system that displays the condition of a person under measurement in a visible form, the person carries a PDA (10). The PDA (10) includes a bio-sensor (11) to detect bio-information on the person and an environmental information sensor (12) to acquire information on the environment around the person. The PDA (10) sends the acquired information to an image display device (20) which is connected to the PDA (10) via a network (100). The image display device (20) includes a CPU (29) that judges the condition of the person on the basis of bio-information and environmental information, generates an image representing the condition of the person and displays the image on a display unit (23).

Abstract: A playback device includes a storing unit storing a contents database in which contents including at least music and tempo information indicating the tempo of the music are correlated with each other; a playback unit for performing playback of the contents; a tempo measuring unit for measuring an exercise tempo obtained along with the body movements of a user; a searching unit for searching contents from the contents database based on the information of the measured exercise tempo by the tempo measuring unit; and a contents selecting unit for selecting the contents searched by the searching unit as contents to be played by the playback unit.

Abstract: An apparatus of playing back an audio signal includes storage means for dividing exercise tempos of a user into a plurality of groups and storing digital audio data concerning music pieces, the digital audio data being associated with the plurality of groups; a playback circuit that plays back the digital audio data; detecting means for detecting an exercise tempo of the user; and a control circuit that reads out the digital audio data from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit. The control circuit determines which group, among the plurality of groups, the exercise tempo detected by the detecting means belongs to, and reads out the digital audio data concerning a music piece associated with the determined group from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit.

Abstract: A portable electronic apparatus includes an acceleration detection unit, an evaluation-signal generation unit, and a control unit. The acceleration detection unit is configured to detect an acceleration generated in the portable electronic apparatus. The evaluation-signal generation unit is configured to carry out a predetermined process based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit in order to generate an evaluation signal representing the amplitude and positive or negative polarity of the acceleration. The control unit is configured to produce a result of determination as to whether or not the portable electronic apparatus has been driven to make a predetermined movement on the basis of the evaluation signal and carrying out a predetermined operation on the basis of the result of determination.

Abstract: A body movement detecting apparatus includes a measuring section which outputs, as at least one time-series signal, at least one result of measurement obtained by measuring body movement, a detecting section in which, after slicing off a part of the time-series signal output from the measuring section to generate a reference signal having a predetermined interval length from a predetermined position in the time-series signal, the detecting section detects the intensity of correlation between the reference signal and each different part of the time-series signal in the vicinity of the reference signal, the different part having the predetermined interval length, and a determining section which, on the basis of the detected intensity of correlation detected by the detecting section, performs one or both of determining whether or not the body movement is periodic, and determining the period of the body movement.

Abstract: A portable electronic apparatus includes an acceleration detection unit, an evaluation-signal generation unit, and a control unit. The acceleration detection unit is configured to detect an acceleration generated in the portable electronic apparatus. The evaluation-signal generation unit is configured to carry out a predetermined process based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit in order to generate an evaluation signal representing the amplitude and positive or negative polarity of the acceleration. The control unit is configured to produce a result of determination as to whether or not the portable electronic apparatus has been driven to make a predetermined movement on the basis of the evaluation signal and carrying out a predetermined operation on the basis of the result of determination.

Abstract: To encode multi-channel digital data by adjusting the number of bits allocated to each channel to perform entropy coding of the multi-channel data, there is provided a multi-channel encoder including n encoders for audio data from n channels and an inter-channel bit allocator that allocates the number of bits usable for each channel on the basis of the provisional number of in-use bits from each of the encoders. Each of the encoders performs entropy coding on the basis of the provisional number of quantizing steps, outputs the provisional number of in-use bits resulting from summing of a code length of each unit of coding, and adjusts the number of in-use bits by updating the quantizing steps correspondingly to the number of bits supplied based on the provisional number of in-use bits.

Abstract: State information of a user is detected via a biometric information sensor (21) and so on and the state information is accumulated in a nonvolatile memory (14) by associating it with a content ID of content that is being used. A recommendation request including the state information detected at that time via the biometric information sensor (21) and so on and a predetermined extraction condition is generated and transmitted. Provided information transmitted in response to the recommendation request is received and is provided to the user. When an information provision request is received, information to be provided is extracted from the information stored in the nonvolatile memory (14) based on the state information and extraction condition included in the received information provision request and the extracted information is transmitted to a requesting source.

Abstract: A vertical component is extracted from an acceleration vector corresponding to body movement of a user from a three-axis acceleration sensor, and the vertical-component is separated by a high-band/low-band separating unit into a high-band component and a low-band component. Using these components, a peak detection/determination processing unit detects a peak-position candidate of action of the user in the vertical direction, identifies a peak-position candidate on the basis of an energy ratio between the high-band component and the low-band component, performs waveform matching regarding a predetermined range including each peak-position candidate, thereby determining a peak position, and detects body movement on the basis of the peak position, and a step-position analyzing unit detects a body-movement pitch.

Abstract: Content is selected on the basis of changes of a walking tempo. The walking tempo is detected (S5). In a state determination process (S7), it is determined whether the walking tempo tends to increase, be constant, or decrease. A walking tempo corrective coefficient is calculated on the basis of the determined result and a corrective walking tempo is calculated with the walking tempo corrective coefficient (S9). It is determined whether or not music is changed on the basis of the corrective walking tempo rather than the actually detected walking tempo (S11). When music is changed, relevant music content is searched. Controls are performed in such a manner that when the walking tempo is decreasing, the foregoing state is kept for a while, when the walking tempo is increasing, music is quickly selected according to the increase of the walking tempo, and when the walking tempo is stable, music is not selected.

Abstract: A replay mode control device in which the replay mode in reproducing music or video contents is controlled so as to be suitable for a user. A headphone of a mobile music reproducing device is provided with a vibration sensor for detecting movements of the user in the up-and-down direction. A walking movement detection unit detects the walking interval of the user based on an output of the vibration sensor. A replay mode controller manages control to adjust the replay rate of music contents to the walking interval of the user.

Abstract: A data reproducing apparatus is disclosed. The data reproducing apparatus comprising reproducing means for reading data from a recording medium, and data varying means for varying the data that is read from the recording medium whenever the data is read therefrom or once every a plurality of times it is read therefrom.