Sharp’s new 70-inch LCD HDTV is definitely bigger than the one your friend just bought

At its “Spectacularge” press conference today Sharp announced its new 70-inch LC-70LE732U is the largest LCD HDTV on the market . It sports Quattron four color pixels, full LED backlighting, Netflix, CinemaNow, Vudu Apps and DLNA access among its list of features, but no 3D. That will be remedied by one of the three additional models of 70-inch LCDs Sharp says it will ship this summer but in the meantime we’re just enjoying a throwback to the heady days of 2006 when consumer LCDs were last found in this size range. Interested parties with enough green to cover the $3,799 MSRP should be able to order these at their local retailers, while the rest can gawk at the specs in the press release and hands-on shots. Oh, and as for those adjectives you’ll see just past the break — a preview of Sharp’s marketing campaign, whose target customer has an “emotional” connection to the word big — well, somewhere Freud is having a field day.

Continue reading Sharp’s new 70-inch LCD HDTV is definitely bigger than the one your friend just bought

Sharp’s new 70-inch LCD HDTV is definitely bigger than the one your friend just bought originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp suspends production at its two largest LCD factories following Japanese quake

Toshiba, Hitachi, and Panasonic already said they would shutter their liquid crystal display plants for a month following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck the country on March 11. Now, Japan’s largest exporter of LCD TVs (Sharp, for those keeping notes) has suspended production at its two biggest factories, thanks to a shortage of a gas used in the manufacturing process. The Osaka and Mie plants, which have a combined capacity of 172,000 sets per month, won’t reopen until May 6, at the earliest. Until then, the company claims it has enough TVs in its inventory to last about a month. One JP Morgan Chase analyst estimates that the company stands to lose 50 billion yen ($590 million) this fiscal year due to the freeze.

That all seems trivial, of course, given that more than 27,000 people in Northeastern Japan are dead or missing and the country is widening its evacuation zone, all while recovering from relentless aftershocks, including one that hit yesterday. Still, the domino effect of a strangled supply chain remains relevant to us as tech journalists, particularly if a scarcity in materials has the potential to drive up prices — and affect as many kinds of products as we think it will.

Sharp suspends production at its two largest LCD factories following Japanese quake originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG shows off 47-inch transparent IPS LCD with multitouch and Full HD resolution (video)

Where Samsung leads, LG inevitably follows (and vice versa, of course). The Korean electronic arms race has now heated up by an extra few degrees with LG’s demo of a crazy new 47-inch display that packs in everything a geek could want: IPS technology, 1080p resolution, multitouch, and some good old transparency… just because. This so-called Window Display is sadly intended for advertisers and other digital signage proprietors, meaning that even if it wasn’t still at the concept stage, it likely wouldn’t be populating living rooms anyway. Ah well, so long as LG makes sure John Anderton and the precrime unit get one, we’ll be happy. Video for the rest of us after the break.

Continue reading LG shows off 47-inch transparent IPS LCD with multitouch and Full HD resolution (video)

LG shows off 47-inch transparent IPS LCD with multitouch and Full HD resolution (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Patent Proposes Hybrid LCD, E-Ink Display

A dual e-ink and LCD screen could save your gadget’s battery life and your eyesight. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Many iPad owners have complained that its backlit screen is just too bright for bedtime reading.

A recently unearthed patent shows that Apple has plans to fix such a problem by developing a hybrid display: part LCD or OLED, part low-power electronic ink.

Uncovered by Apple Insider, the patent, “Systems and Methods for Switching Between an Electronic Paper Display and a Video Display,” illustrates a method for displaying static content in e-ink while other portions of the screen appear using standard LCD technology.

Apple’s idea to combine a traditional display and an “electronic paper” display isn’t new. Last year, Pixel Qi developed a hybrid LCD screen for netbooks that lets the user toggle between a low-power reading mode and a brighter, standard LCD mode. Also, a startup called Entourage has made a hinged dual-screen folding tablet with an LCD on one side and e-ink screen on the other.

E-ink, or “electronic paper” as Apple refers to it in the filing, doesn’t rely on backlighting, resulting in a screen that is highly readable (even in bright sunlight) and low on power. The technology is dominated by the black and white displays produced by E Ink, such as the screen of the Amazon Kindle, but color e-ink displays are also on the horizon.

Apple’s method would involve a screen with “multiple composite display regions” with individually activated backlights, so content could be displayed in “electronic paper” mode if, for instance, it’s mostly text, or in “video display” mode if it involves high-resolution video or animations. The operating system would control the switching.

Apple Insider says it could be accomplished by sandwiching a clear e-ink display between a capacitive touchscreen and an OLED or LCD.

Such a hybrid display seems like it’d be great for extending your iPad or iPhone’s battery life, giving the backlights a break if you’re reading from iBooks or Instapaper. Not to mention a welcome breather from staring at bright, retina-searing screens all day.


Samsung’s 3D TV experience is getting cheaper: two pairs of glasses packed in, $50 for extras

As the battle between active and passive 3D glasses display technology heats up, Samsung has responded by announcing its cheapest pair of active shutter 3D glasses will cost $50 (previously $130) beginning May 1st. Additionally, all of its 3D-capable 2011 HDTVs will come with two pairs of glasses packed in, unless the purchase is eligible for the Megamind/Shrek starter kit that already comes with them. This move comes just as FPR-based displays from LG, Vizio, Toshiba and Philips hit the marketplace. LG specifically focused on the cost of glasses as a selling point over Samsung in recent ads that ran heavily throughout the NCAA Tournament (embedded after the break.) LG is charging $10 per pair for its RealD-compatible Theater 3D glasses while Vizio has pairs on its website for $29.99 or two for $44.99.

The cheap pair of Samsung glasses is the SSG-3100GB model with replaceable battery pictured above and while it promises the new, lighter Silhouette-designed SSG-3700GR glasses will also get cheaper, no new price has yet been announced. A 62% price reduction is nothing to sneeze at, but it looks like customers will still need to buy into 3D — and that active glasses beat passive on picture quality and viewing angle like it says in the press release (after the break) — to spur sales of the new TVs.

Continue reading Samsung’s 3D TV experience is getting cheaper: two pairs of glasses packed in, $50 for extras

Samsung’s 3D TV experience is getting cheaper: two pairs of glasses packed in, $50 for extras originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba shows off 2011 HDTVs with the most local dimming LEDs, facial recognition, 3D and more

Toshiba’s focus at CES was glasses free 3D displays, but it highlighted more conventional HDTVs today at an event in Rome. Its new TVs and laptops all tie in to Toshiba Places, which sorts out access to different types of apps for video, social networking, music and other areas and is ready to launch this month. Separating Toshiba from the competition is a slew of new technology and the top of the line 55ZL1 model checks all the boxes: Seven core CEVO CPU for image processing, a Pro-LED512 panel that is the world’s first with 512 zones of dimming among 3,072 LEDs, Personal-TV facial recognition that picks up on which user is watching then personalizes to their preferred settings and active shutter 3D glasses.

The edge lit LED VL863 series will come in 47- and 42-inch versions featuring LG’s FPR passive glasses 3D and four pairs of glasses, while the 32- through 46-inch UL863 drops 3D for built-in WiFi and Personal-TV. The SL863 series is the final step down, nixing built-in WiFi. Prices weren’t listed but the new models should be shipping soon, until then you can find more details in the press releases linked below — no word on the US-bound models yet.

Toshiba shows off 2011 HDTVs with the most local dimming LEDs, facial recognition, 3D and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio Theater 3D HDTVs show up on Amazon, confirm rumored pricing

The 32- and 42-inch versions of Vizio’s E3D series HDTVs are now listed for preorder on Amazon at $499 and $699 just as our tipster indicated. The E3D320VX and E3D420VX are currently expected to ship in 3-5 weeks, which should also allow buyers interested in the new FPR-based Theater 3D technology to be among the first pick one up without heading to Walmart. Of course you still can if you want to, a 48-pack of paper towels should go well with your new 3DTV and its dual-sided QWERTY remote.

[Thanks, Phil Z.]

Vizio Theater 3D HDTVs show up on Amazon, confirm rumored pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance

It’s been a while since we last heard about nanogenerators — you know, those insanely tiny fibers that could potentially be woven into your hoodie to juice up your smartphone. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology has reported that he and his team of Einsteins constructed nanogenerators with enough energy to potentially power LCDs, LEDs and laser diodes by moving your various limbs. These micro-powerhouses — strands of piezoelectric zinc oxide, 1 / 500 the width of a single hair strand — can generate electrical charges when flexed or strained. Wang and his team of researchers shoved a collection of their nanogenerators into a chip 1 / 4 the size of a stamp, stacked five of them on top of one another and can pinch the stack between their fingers to generate the output of two standard AA batteries — around 3 volts. Although it’s not much, we’re super excited at this point in development — imagine how convenient to charge your phone in your pocket sans the bulky battery add-ons. And that’s only one application of this technology. Yea, we know.

Continue reading Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance

Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gadget Lab Notes: A Wireless Router That Looks Like a Wind Turbine

The Logitec LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router is designed for 450 Mbps speeds

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Is That a Mini Wind Turbine? Nope, It’s a Logitec Wireless Router
Logitec’s LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router definitely wins the title of “most uniquely designed router” in my book (at least for the moment). The turbine or fan looking contraption at the top does not in fact have anything to do with wind; it’s a tri-tenna that is supposed to help the router access speeds up to 450 Mbps, with compatible devices. Other than that, it’s basically your average wireless router. It’ll be available in Japan in mid-April.

Logitec Introduces 5 GHz 450 Mbps Wireless Router in Japan [Akihabara News via Oh Gizmo]

GFI Labs Admits Responsibility for False Positive Samsung Keylogger Incident
Samsung notebooks have not shipped with the Starlogger keylogger program installed and active. GFI Labs, an anti-spyware developer, confirmed in a blog post that their VIPRE software used a rare and very aggressive anti-spyware method that wrongly flagged the Slovenian language directionr, C:\WINDOWS\SL as Starlogger. That directory is the same one that Starlogger actually uses.

Samsung Laptops Do Not Have Keylogger [GFI Labs Blog via Crunchgear]

Google Cracking Down on “Willy-Nilly” Software Customization
Google is stepping in and beginning to regulate the user experience of Android devices more closel, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. They haven’t changed the game, but they have begun enforcing some Android distribution agreement rules so Google has the “final say” with regards to the way carriers and manufacturers adjust their code. This should help prevent fragmentation and assure a positive experience for the user.

Do Not Anger the Alpha Android [Businessweek via Android Guys]


NO Sign Puts Your Vice On Display
Trying to cut back? Slide your vice of choice—a bottle of whiskey, your iPod, a candy bar—under the elastic strap of the NO Sign and give yourself a constant reminder that it’s not allowed. I’m more of the “out of sight, out of mind” opinion, but perhaps for some, this could be a constant reminder that you have successfully abstained from that off-limits thing. Or you really need to.

NO Sign [Animica USA via Book of Joe]

Samsung Transparent Display Concept Becoming a Reality
Samsung has begun mass-producing transparent black-and-white and color LCDs, which have previously been shown off in prototype form. Calling it a “world’s first”, the 1,680 x 1,050 resolution 22-inch displays feature a 500:1 contrast ratio and use 90% less power than regular backlit LCD panels. The black-and-white models are over 20% see-through, while the color ones have a slightly lower 15% transparency. Transparent displays have “endless possibilities” for advertising, so we can look forward to seeing these guys plastered in malls and billboards in the future.

Samsung Electronics Becomes the World’s First in Mass Production of the Transparent LCD Panel [Samsung via Crunchgear]


Samsung Starts Building 22-inch Translucent LCD Displays

Samsung - Translucent LCD

Remember that video about how everything in the future would be covered with interactive glass? Samsung doesn’t seem to think it’s too off base: they’ve begun mass production of 22-inch translucent AMOLED LCD displays in both monochrome and color models. The new displays aren’t completely clear, but they’re translucent enough for a viewer to be able to make out objects and people on the other side of the display while there’s an image on the screen. 
Samsung sees the technology as useful for shop windows, billboards, or show floors and showcases where companies want a way to demonstrate their product without obscuring the view past it, or that just want to show off. 
The displays aren’t too bad by traditional LCD standards either: they offer 500:1 contrast ratios and run at a native resolution of 1680-pixels x 1050-pixels. Add this to the fact that it doesn’t use a backlight and you have an energy efficient, very futuristic LCD panel. 
There’s no word on exactly how much the translucent LCDs will cost, or who will really buy them: it will almost definitely be a while before they make their way into homes and businesses. Still, it’s clear that they’re coming, at least for some applications. Check out a video of the new panels in action behind the jump.