Hasta La Gadget!

A lot of the current top-of-the-line Android handsets have screens with a 1280 x 720 resolution on average, but that’s about to change. Sharp is wanting to bring 1080p displays to phablets of all kinds, and has announced that it has started production of its own 5-inch, full 1080p HD smartphone displays.

The new 5-inch panels will feature a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which results in a crazy pixel density of 443ppi. To compare that with the best smartphones on the market right now, the Samsung Galaxy S III’s 4.8-inch display has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a pixel density of 306ppi. The iPhone 5‘s 4-inch screen has a 1136 x 640 resolution and a pixel density of 326ppi.

The new LCD panel includes a new pixel design and an improved manufacturing process to achieve such an extremely high pixel density. Modern CG-Silicon technology allow the screens to display crisper text, super-clear maps and more realistic HD images. We can only imagine what kind of image quality this will bring to mobile devices when it hits the market for the first time.

Sharp produces some of the 4-inch screens for the iPhone 5, which already boasts an impressive pixel density that results in a crisp and clear display. Last week it was reported that Sharp was behind on production for the iPhone 5′s screen, but company officials have said that they’re right on schedule and can cope with high demand.

Production for the 1080p 5-inch displays began at the end of September in Kameyama, Japan, and full-scale production of the new display is expected to begin sometime this month. Frankly, we’re excited to see which smartphone manufacturers will use the new displays, and whether or not we’ll see them in upcoming Samsung Galaxy devices or even HTC‘s One series.

Sharp begins production on 5-inch 1080p displays is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 — two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo, making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge, although they may miss the Pro HD’s ATSC tuner. Outside of the networking, Sling Media is making expansion its upsell angle: the 500 supports USB media sharing and HDMI, while the 350 has to make do with whatever can pipe through its component and composite jacks. Zatz was unfortunately foiled in an attempt to buy one of the new Slingboxes and couldn’t get final pricing, but Best Buy’s suggestion to try again around mid-October hints that we won’t have long to wait for a much-needed upgrade to our remote TV viewing.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you need a stylish, undoubtedly expensive German camera early in 2013? Perhaps right now? Leica’s got you covered on both fronts, announcing today that its Leica M line is finally getting an official followup to the venerable M9 rangefinder in “early 2013.” The new M is outfitted with the company’s first 24-megapixel (full-frame, naturally) Leica Max CMOS image sensor (à la the A99 and D600) — what Leica calls “a completely new development in sensor technology.” That sensor will snag you a sensitivity range of IS0 200 to 6,400 (expandable to 100). Even more exciting, this latest M can mount Leica’s legacy R glass (!) with a new adapter (available separately) and it can also shoot video in 1080p HD with 24 / 25p frame rate. While it retains the classic M-series styling, rear now features a 3-inch 920k-dot display, protected behind a layer of Gorilla glass. Leica’s also making special note to highlight that the new M features live view functionality on the embedded screen and with an optional EVF.

The M-E model (which appears to be a refresh of sorts on the M9) comes paired with a slightly less-potent 18-megapixel full-frame CCD sensor. Beyond that, it doesn’t appear to pack any video functionality and features a much smaller 2.5-inch 230k-dot display. Neither model comes with any additional numbers in their titles title, however — that’s a conscious decision on Leica’s part to rework its naming policy. “In [the] future, Leica M and S model names will omit the number suffix to emphasize the enduring and long-term significance of the respective systems,” the announcement says. We’re calling it “The iPad 3 approach.”

The cameras were revealed along with a slew of new products that Leica’s showing during Germany’s Photokina convention, including a range of new accessories (the Leica R-Adapter M, the Leica EVF2 electronic viewfinder, the multifunctional handgrip-M with optional finger loops, and the Leica Microphone adapter set). Although there’s no word on pricing for the new M, we’d expect it to sell for somewhere between a cool 7 to 10K given the $5,450 price of the M-E and the approximately $7,000 sticker tag on the M9 — hey, at least both snag you the prestige of the red dot and a pro-bono copy of Adobe Lightroom. The M-E will be be available from Leica dealers before the month’s out, while the M will ship out early next year — both in your choice of black or black / silver. In the meantime, hit up the source link below for the full tech specs on both shooters.

Joe Pollicino contributed to this post.

Continue reading Leica launching new Leica M in early 2013, stripped-down M-E available this month

Filed under: Cameras

Leica launching new Leica M in early 2013, stripped-down M-E available this month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson has decided not to mess with success, as it’s left the new Home Cinema 3020, 3020e, 5020, 5020e and Pro Home Cinema 6020 projectors largely untouched from last year. All the models still carry full 1080p resolution, active shutter 3D, 2D-to-3D conversion, WirelessHD and a pair of RF 3D glasses. There’s a slight bump in brightness for the lower-end 3020/3020e models from 2,200 to 2,300 lumens and a 100,000:1 contrast hike for the 5020/5020e and 6020 models. Otherwise, the new projectors remain unchanged, right down to the colors, housings, 3LCD tech, 6,000 hour lamp and Fujinon OptiCinema lenses for the 6020. Prices also carry over from the previous models, at under $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000 for the high- to low-end models, respectively. The projectors will start arriving in October and with little other competition in that price range, Epson can probably rest on its laurels — at least for a while longer.

Continue reading Epson leaves well enough alone with its new Home Cinema projector lineup

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Epson leaves well enough alone with its new Home Cinema projector lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 01:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a little while since the two major players in the helmet cam industry, Contour and GoPro, refreshed their wares. Contour launched its Contour+ and Roam models last summer, while GoPro delivered the HD Hero2 late last year. As our extensive testing can attest, both companies put out great cameras, but with Sony about to get in the game with its $199 Action Cam, the pair need to raise their games — and that’s exactly what Contour is doing with the Contour+2.

This logically named follow-up to the Contour+ is a big step forward on many levels, still delivering 1080p recording while offering many design and software improvements, including the ability to use your smartphone not just as a viewfinder, but to start and stop recording, too. Plus, at $400, it’s $100 cheaper than last year’s offering — and that’s despite coming with a fully waterproof case. Join us as we put it through its paces.

Continue reading Contour+2 review: the best consumer helmet camera on the market

Contour+2 review: the best consumer helmet camera on the market originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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