Hasta La Gadget!

Japanese electronics giant Sharp is reportedly planning a major restructuring to bring the company back to profitability by 2014, as reported by Kyodo News. Said restructuring will see Sharp cut nearly 11,000 (10,966) jobs from its 57,170-person workforce by March 2014 — just under 20 percent of all employees — and sell off various assets, resulting in ¥213.1 billion ($2.7 billion) of much needed capital from lenders. Named assets to be sold include international manufacturing plants, and shares in other Japanese electronics company, Toshiba. The company also plans on shuttering its international manufacturing plants, as well as once again cutting employee wages.

So, what’s gonna save Sharp from more turmoil? A rethinking of its LCD TV business, apparently, as well as a “strengthening” of the company’s smartphone LCD offerings. Sharp’s also moving away from solar batteries, selling off its US-based solar firm Recurrent Energy LLC. Company prez Takashi Okuda will head up the massive restructuring, leading an “emergency management committee” starting in October. All of this adds up to Sharp expecting a return to profitability by next April. You’ll forgive us if we’re a bit wary of that prediction, but our best wishes are with those impacted by the chaos.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile

Report: Sharp increases layoffs number, aiming for profitability by March 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone 5 has been the most anticipated mobile device of 2012 together with its cousin the iPad Mini, which we expect to be seeing shortly. Apple has made displays their most prominent marketing feature because it determines the quality of the visual experience for everything on a smartphone or tablet—including apps, web content, photos, videos, and its camera. The retina displays on the iPhone 4 and the new iPad were significant advancements—not just in sharpness but in picture quality and color accuracy, which is what provides the display’s real wow factor. More »

Sony’s second generation 3D visor didn’t make a big splash back at IFA, but the HMZ-T2 certainly has a pigeonhole at Tokyo’s premier gaming event. In addition to the headset’s substitutional reality prototype, the standard model stakes claim to almost a fifth of PlayStation’s demo area. With all the local buzz, we decided to weigh in on how the $900 headgear shapes up as a gaming display. The answer? Heavily. Out of necessity, the HMZ-T2 crams the majority of its hardware in front of the users eyeballs, bearing most of its weight on the nose. Over extended gaming sessions, we could see this becoming uncomfortable — and indeed, in our short time with the device we found our neck relaxing, begging to give in to the weight of the device. As silly as hung-head gaming might appear, however, the visual effect certainly does the trick — creating the illusion of a large 3D television 4-6 feet in front of the user. It didn’t add anything to Hot Shots Golf 6 in terms of gameplay or experience, but it certainly comes in a more compact form than a full size television. The fancy headgear could surely be a boon for gamers living in a tight space, but folks with room (and cash) to spare are probably better off with a proper flat screen. On the other hand, visors are way more futuristic looking. Don’t believe us? See us get our Geordi La Forge on after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s HMZ-T2 3D headset at TGS: gaming at close range (video)

Filed under: Displays, Gaming, Peripherals, HD

Sony’s HMZ-T2 3D headset at TGS: gaming at close range (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 03:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It wouldn’t me a seasonal HP product launch without dozens of PCs and at least one monitor, right? This go-round, the company is launching the x2401, a 24-inch, 1080p display with a slim, 11mm-thick frame. Though the last two monitors we saw from HP were IPS, this one makes use of MVA technology to help ensure wide viewing angles. If you’re looking to add a display to your setup, this one has a DisplayPort socket and HDMI-in. (You can also mount it to the wall, if that’s your bag.) Expect it to arrive on November 7th for $249. Additionally, HP will sell a business-oriented version, the L2401x, the main difference being that the commercial version has a three-year warranty, instead of one. Not bad, considering the business version costs only ten bucks more.

Continue reading HP’s 24-inch x2401 monitor is just 11mm thick, arrives in November for $249

Filed under: Displays

HP’s 24-inch x2401 monitor is just 11mm thick, arrives in November for $249 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

Still need to make some improvements to a machine you’ve got lying around after last week’s group of component offerings? If so, here’s another handful of discounted tech ready to meet your eager mouse clicks. For those not looking to alter their current setup, a 30-inch HP display gets quite the handsome price reduction as well. Don’t get too comfortable, because these bad boys will be gone before you know it. Head on past the break to get started but just remember to include the requisite rebate forms should you need ’em.

Continue reading Slickdeals’ best in tech for September 17th: 30-inch HP monitor, motherboard combo and SSDs

Filed under: Displays, Misc, Storage

Slickdeals’ best in tech for September 17th: 30-inch HP monitor, motherboard combo and SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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