AllThingsD » LCD

This Just In: 3-D Isn’t a “Crucial” Television Feature

Lauren Goode — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:46:19 +0000

Sales of 3-D TV sets might be inching up, but that still doesn’t mean that many consumers are watching 3-D content at home.

That’s according to the latest data from the NPD Group’s retail tracking service. Sales of 3-D TVs in the U.S. grew 74 percent in units over last year, with 3-D TVs accounting for 11 percent of all flat-panel sales in the first quarter of 2012, the report says.

But despite the growth in sales, and the fact that some consumers are wowed by 3-D demos, “just 14 percent of consumers … say 3D is a ‘must have’ feature while 68 percent say it’s a ‘nice feature to have they may use in the future.’”

The obstacles to greater 3-D penetration are the usual suspects, NPD analyst Ben Arnold says. The overwhelming majority of consumers consider 3-D glasses a drawback to the technology, with glasses-free 3-D still far from being perfected; 14 percent say the lack of 3-D content is a deterrent (though that reason is weakening, as more content creators put out 3-D programs).

Cost is also a factor when it comes to newer, souped-up TVs. NPD says the average prices of 3-D TVs in April were 33 percent lower compared to April 2010, but a recent report from IHS iSuppli says that average prices of 3-D LCD TVs actually crept up a teeny bit from December 2011 to April of this year, to $2,492.

So why buy a 3-D TV if you’re not going to use it for 3-D? Well, for one thing, as noted here, “3-D” has been shifting from the main selling point in TV marketing schemes to an add-on feature that happens to be included in high-tech TV sets, so some consumers are buying 3-D-equipped TVs even if they’ve not totally bought into the tech.

And the underutilization of fancy TVs isn’t really a new thing: Turns out that 3-D engagement levels might be in line with some of the data we’ve seen surrounding “smart” TVs, or Internet-connected TVs. Despite the fact that Internet connectivity is often cited as an important factor for consumers making TV purchases, TechNewsDaily reported earlier this year that only half of all people who own Internet-ready TVs have actually gone online through their TVs.

(Image courtesy of Salminari on Flickr; thought bubble courtesy of AllThingsD)

Flat-Screen TV Prices: Anything but Flat

Lauren Goode — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:35:03 +0000

If you bought a new television during the first four months of this year, you may have paid more than you originally budgeted for.

That’s according to the latest TV Tracker report from IHS iSuppli, which eyes the prices and specifications of TV sets in the U.S. market.

Prices of flat-panel TVs climbed an average of $78 between December and the end of April, the report says, from an average cost of $1,119 — the largest increase during any four-month period in the U.S. TV market over the past year.

Last month, average pricing for U.S. flat-panel televisions, including LCD and plasma sets, reached $1,248, and average prices of 3-D LCD TVs in April rose 3 percent to $2,492.

The price surge contradicts reports from late last year that suggested TV prices could drop in the first half of this year.

“LED-backlit LCD panel prices will likely continue falling in 2012, but at a much slower pace than in the second half of 2011, which will slow retail price erosion,” NPD DisplaySearch said.

Part of the reason for the price surge: Features. The report notes that high-end features like Internet connectivity in “smart” TVs and LED screens have contributed to an 11.4 percent climb in flat-panel prices since December 2011.

Even if consumers weren’t actively looking to buy a fancy TV with all the bells and whistles — because as I noted during the Consumer Electronics Show this past January, some features like 3-D are taking a backseat, and consumers have been somewhat slow to adopt this technology — they may have been persuaded to buy something more expensive.

Retailers have been shifting their strategies and looking to “upsell” customers, iSuppli says.

“Retailers are working to convince buyers to move up to either a larger-sized TV or to one using LED-backlit panels,” the report says, noting that the cost of upgrading to a bigger-screen TV has been greater than the upgrade cost of going with the same-sized screen, but in LED. “The larger price premium for upgrading to a bigger TV size indicates the market was aware that buyers were willing to shell out more money to obtain larger-sized sets over a similar-sized TV model with LED backlighting.”

For consumers that have held off but are still in the market for a new TV, it’s not all bad news: In the second quarter of the year, sellers are expected to close the price gap between certain features, to maybe a 10 percent premium per feature. Which means some buyers might be able to have their big-screen smart TV and eat their 3-D LED, too.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr/Best Buy CA)

How Japan's Sharp Lost Its Edge

Daisuke Wakabayashi and Juro Osawa — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:37:01 +0000

Sharp Corp.’s domestic liquid-crystal-display factories once made the company a source of pride for Japan’s electronics sector. Now it has taken on a less impressive mantle: Symbol of a sector struggling to compete globally.

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More TV Buyers Look to LED Screens

Lauren Goode — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:23:35 +0000

For the first time, more U.S. TV buyers are looking to purchase LED TVs rather than cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) TVs, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli. Consumers who planned to buy an LED-backlit TV jumped to 54 percent in the last quarter of the year, a 32 percent increase from the third quarter; the share of CCFL-backlit LCD TVs dropped to 25 percent from 56 percent. The report comes just a couple days after Samsung, the world’s largest LCD-panel maker, said it would spin off its LCD business to focus more on higher-margin OLED screens.

Samsung Spins Off LCD Business

Lauren Goode — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:47:07 +0000

Samsung, currently the biggest LCD panel maker in terms of sales, will spin off its unprofitable LCD operations on April 1 into a new firm, called Samsung Display Co. As The Wall Street Journal notes, analysts had widely expected the spinoff, as the LCD industry shrinks and the Korean electronics giant focuses more on higher-margin OLED screens for TV sets and tablets.

LCD Makers Cough Up $538 Million to Settle Price-Fixing Charges

John Paczkowski — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:24:54 +0000

A coterie of seven liquid-crystal display makers have agreed to settle antitrust claims that they were colluding with one another to fix the prices of LCD panels.

Samsung, Hitachi, Sharp, Chimei Innolux, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Epson Imaging Devices and HannStar Display, as well as some of their affiliates, will pay $538 million to settle allegations brought by eight state attorneys general that they conspired over eight years to fix prices on LCDs used in everything from computer monitors and notebooks to televisions and mobile phones.

Of that sum, about $501 million will be used to subsidize a refund program for consumers. The remainder will be distributed to the state governments of Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin to settle their penalty claims. The settling companies have also agreed to participate in antitrust compliance programs.

(Image courtesy of Flickr user Frank Gruber)

Sony Unloads LCD Venture Stake on Samsung

John Paczkowski — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:00:05 +0000

Sony has figured out a way to at least partially stem the massive losses at its struggling TV business: Dissolve its LCD manufacturing joint venture with Samsung. Sony said today that it will sell its nearly 50 percent stake in the company, S-LCD, to Samsung for $939 million.

The transaction, which allows Sony to purchase LCD panels from Samsung at market prices without bearing the responsibility and costs of operating the facility that manufactures them, is expected to save the company some $640 million a year.

That’s significant savings for Sony, which last month warned that it would lose money, for the fourth year in a row, in its current financial year. But is it enough to set the company’s once-core business on the road to recovery? Remember, Sony’s TV division has lost money for seven straight years.

“It’s a step forward for Sony,” Nomura analyst Shiro Mikoshiba told Bloomberg. “Canceling out the venture enables Sony to become more flexible in procuring panels. Still, Sony continues to face falling prices and heavy fixed costs.”

Cameras Act Like a Pro, but Are as Easy as Pie

Geoffrey A. Fowler — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:30:32 +0000

Digital cameras are a pain in the neck — literally.

Every time I lug around my camera, which tips the scale at three pounds with its zoom lens, I feel as if I am swinging a fragile barbell on a strap around my neck.

[ See post to watch video ]

For years, hobbyist digital photographers had two options: heavy SLR cameras that can capture creative effects, and pocket-sized point-and-shoots that take pedestrian photos. Now, camera makers are exploring a genre of cameras that seeks a happy medium between size and capability. Necks can relax now.

Nikon and Sony recently have introduced new models in this emerging category: the Nikon J1 and Sony NEX-5N. The devices offer many of the features of much larger cameras in a form that might slip into a purse or cargo pants pocket. Sony and Nikon make a range of small detachable lenses for these cameras so users can switch between zoom and wider-angle shots, just like those on full-sized SLR cameras. Even with the biggest lenses attached, they weigh only slightly more than a pound.

Coming in at about $700 each for packages that include a lens, these marvels of miniaturization cost $100 more than an entry-level digital SLR kit. But after testing them, I liked the Sony NEX-5N enough to contemplate making it my new walk-about camera. The Nikon J1 took some great photos, but offered less creative control.

An apple pie as seen in a photo taken by the Nikon J1.

The same pie as seen in a photo taken by the Sony NEX-5N, which has a simple way to make only the pie appear in focus, for example.

Both cameras dispense with the internal mirror and the old-fashioned viewfinder that SLRs use. Instead, they show you what you’re photographing via large LCD screens. (Sony sells a $350 viewfinder add-on if you like to squint.)

One reason these cameras take better photos than point-and-shoots is that they have much larger sensors, which record more light. Nikon created a whole new kind of midrange sensor for its new “1″ line, which are similar to what other camera makers call “micro four-thirds.” Sony managed to stuff a midsize SLR sensor into the small NEX-5N.

The image quality of both cameras was excellent. Though the Sony’s photos had a higher resolution, the Nikon’s had slightly richer tones. Both can take stunning, Blu-ray-quality video.

Larger sensors allow the cameras to tap the creative capabilities of lenses. They can take photos in low light without a flash or let users select which elements are in sharp focus and which are blurry (known as “depth of field”).

The differences between the two are in the controls. The Sony NEX-5N comes with a large touch screen to access settings and controls, including a main screen to select the focus point of the image. The intuitive interface offers a simple way to manipulate the depth of field — without having to know the science of aperture (involving the amount of light that reaches a sensor) and shutter speed, which is required on most digital SLRs.

I took a photo of an apple pie in sharp focus with the background blurry by moving a slider on the touch screen to “background defocus” and then clicking on the part of the pie I wanted in focus.

The Nikon J1 doesn’t have a touch screen, requiring users to control the camera through a series of hard buttons. Adjusting depth of field requires the user to understand aperture, and even if you do, the settings to adjust the specific focus point are buried inside several menus, and aren’t turned on by default.

Nikon’s philosophy is that users stepping up from a point-and-shoot would prefer to trust its software. One feature is called “smart photo selector,” which takes advantage of the camera’s ultra-fast focus and shutter speed to take a series of photos and then selects what it thinks are the best shot and four possible best-shot candidates, based on composition, facial recognition and motion. This feature is appealing if you don’t want to think about your photo settings, but want to know what other options might have looked like.

The Sony NEX-5N has a set-it-and-forget-it, “intelligent auto” shooting mode, and also a host of features that solve common photo frustrations. An “anti-motion blur” option keeps dinner-party photos from looking fuzzy or being filled with film noise by quickly taking six photos and merging them into one better photo.

Another mode merges several shots into what’s known as an HDR (high-dynamic range) photo that can merge the most interesting bits from the foreground and background when they are of different brightness levels. The NEX-5N even has a simple panorama option that automates taking very wide shots both for print and in 3-D (for compatible TVs).

The Nikon J1′s most interesting artistic option creates a “motion snapshot,” which blends a still image and about one second of movie footage into a slow-motion video accompanied by music. It is cute, but not useful enough to make the J1 a top choice.

Neither camera came with two features that should now be standard in such expensive gadgets: automatic tagging the GPS location where photos are taken, and the ability to wirelessly upload images.

While the Nikon J1, which features a clean retro-style design, won the most oohs and ahhs from friends, the Sony NEX-5N, whose larger sensor requires slightly larger and clunkier lenses, made it easier to figure out how to make photos more interesting.

Walt Mossberg and Mossberg’s Mailbox will return next week. Write to Geoffrey Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com.

Quick Snapshot

Nikon J1

• Price: $650, including10-30 mm lens

• Sensor: 13.2 mm x 8.8 mm

• Resolution: 10.1 megapixels

• Flash: Built-in

• Weight: 9.8 oz

Sony NEX-5N

• Price: $700, including18-55 mm lens

• Sensor: 23.5 mm x 15.6 mm

• Resolution: 16.1 megapixels

• Flash: Add-on comes with camera

• Weight: 9.5 oz

LCD Merger Gets Boost

Kenneth Maxwell and Judy Lam — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:00:37 +0000

In a move to support technology companies striving to compete with aggressive rivals from other parts of Asia, Japan is pumping $2.6 billion into a merger of the small-panel LCD operations of three of the country’s biggest electronics makers.

From left, Toshiba Chief Executive Norio Sasaki, Hitachi President Hiroaki Nakanishi and Sony Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka in Tokyo on Wednesday. The companies are forging an LCD joint venture.

The investment by Innovation Network Corp. of Japan will pool the small-panel liquid-crystal-display businesses run by Toshiba Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Sony Corp. The new entity, to be known as Japan Display K.K., is likely to hold at least 20 percent of the fast-growing global market for panels used in smartphones and other digital gadgets.
The three companies and the government-backed investment fund, or INCJ, said Wednesday that the merger is to be completed in the spring of 2012.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Apple Mulling Sharp Adjustment in LCD Screen Supply

John Paczkowski — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:25:15 +0000

Apple may be seeking a bit more control over its component sources amid heightening demand for the LCD screens found in today’s smartphones and tablets.

MF Global FXA Securities analyst David Rubenstein says the company is considering a $1 billion investment in a Sharp LCD plant. “We think it is highly possible that Apple will make an investment in Sharp’s Kameyama plant to the tune of around US$1 billion in order to secure a stable supply of screens for iPhones and iPads,” Rubenstein wrote in a note to clients today.

Though unconfirmed at this point, such a move would make perfect sense for Apple, which must surely be looking to diversify its component suppliers as a hedge against supply chain disruptions, whether they be caused by industrial accidents, natural disasters or ongoing patent disputes with key suppliers like Samsung.

First GDP, Now Panels: China Outstrips Japan Again

Daisuke Wakabayashi — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:24 +0000

Over the last decade, an era marked by China’s rise, the abiding decline of Japan’s competitiveness has sent the two countries’ economies headed in opposing directions toward an inflection point.

In February, China officially passed Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy. The changing of the guard in terms of GDP underscored a trend playing out in industries from automobiles to luxury goods. It’s a trend not lost on Americans.

Technology research firm DisplaySearch has identified another shift, this time in the production of large-sized liquid crystal display panels, the basic screen component for flat-screen televisions, computer monitors, laptops and tablet computers.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Apple and Samsung Hammering Out $7.8 Billion Display Deal

John Paczkowski — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:32:46 +0000

With demand for its iOS devices growing, Apple is once again moving to secure vast storehouses of parts with which to build them. Cupertino is said to be finalizing a massive component contract with Samsung, one that would make it the company’s single largest customer.

Worth about $7.8 billion, the deal is believed to include liquid-crystal display panels for the next iteration of the iPad, as well as mobile application processors and NAND flash memory chips used for the U.S. company’s iPhones and iPads.

One unknown: Whether the displays reportedly included in this deal are the rumored Super PLS panels that offer not just a wider viewing angle, but superior visibility outdoors. Another: Whether this deal is somehow related to the $3.9 billion component supplies and capacity contract Apple COO Tim Cook mentioned during Apple’s first-quarter earnings call.

“In the past several quarters we’ve identified another area and come to some recent agreements that [CFO Peter Oppenheimer] talked about in his opening comments, in that these payments consist of prepayments and capital for process equipment and tooling,” Cook said back in January. “And similar to the flash agreements, they’re focused in that area we feel is very strategic. And so I’d prefer not to go into more detail about what specific area it’s in, but it’s the same kind of thinking that led us to those deals that led us to the flash deal.”

PREVIOUSLY: Apple Using Cash to Secure Cache of Components

Apple Using Cash to Secure Cache of Components

John Paczkowski — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:55:56 +0000

Asked last October about Apple’s plans for the nearly $60 billion in cash it had on hand, CEO Steve Jobs suggested the company intended to allocate some to future big-ticket purchases.

“We strongly believe that one or more very strategic opportunities may come along, that we are in a unique position to take advantage of because of our strong cash position,” he said. “You know, we’ve demonstrated a strong track record of being very disciplined with the use of our cash. We don’t let it burn a hole in our pocket, we don’t allow it to motivate us to do stupid acquisitions. And so I think that we’d like to continue to keep our powder dry, because we do feel that there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future. That’s the biggest reason.”

That remark spurred all sorts of speculation about what sensible large-scale acquisitions Apple might make. And while it was certainly reasonable to conclude from Jobs’s remarks that Apple is preparing itself for some big M&A plays in the future, there was another equally plausible conclusion: What if by “strategic opportunities,” Jobs was referring to supply chain investments–money spent to overcome impediments to growth? Apple has done this before, most notably in 2005, when it arranged to purchase up to 40 percent of Samsung Electronics’ holiday NAND flash output for use in it iPods. It inked a similar iPhone-related deal in 2008, forcing Samsung to reduce its supply to other customers to fulfill its obligation to Apple. And there was another half-billion-dollar deal with Toshiba is 2009.

And according to COO Tim Cook, Apple just did it again–but on a much grander scale. During the first-quarter earnings call last week, Cook said the company had invested $3.9 billion to secure component supplies and capacity.

“We’ve historically entered into certain agreements with different people to secure supply and other benefits,” he said. “And the largest one in the recent past has been we signed a deal with several flash suppliers back at the end of 2005 that totaled over $1 billion because we anticipated that flash would become increasingly important across our entire product line and increasingly important to the industry. And so we wanted to secure supply for the company, and we think that, that was an absolutely fantastic use of Apple’s cash. And we constantly look for more of these. And so in the past several quarters we’ve identified another area and come to some recent agreements that [CFO Peter Oppenheimer] talked about in his opening comments, in that these payments consist of prepayments and capital for process equipment and tooling. And similar to the flash agreements, they’re focused in that area we feel is very strategic. And so I’d prefer not to go into more detail about what specific area it’s in, but it’s the same kind of thinking that led us to those deals that led us to the flash deal.”

For what particular components, he wouldn’t say. There are some likely candidates, though: The high-res LCDs used in the iPhone 4 and iPad; solid-state drives like the ones in the new MacBook Air, which are presumably headed to other portions of the MacBook line as well; or perhaps some new system on a chip that will infuse the next-generation iPad and iPhone with significant performance gains. I’m sure there are others as well. And all fit quite nicely into Jobs’s vision of “strategic opportunities.”

Dispatches From the Supply Line Stoke iPad, iPhone Chatter

John Paczkowski — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:44:53 +0000

With the first-year anniversaries of the iPad and iPhone 4 fast approaching, and both devices destined for an update per Apple’s annual mobile device refresh cycle, the Apple rumor mill is undergoing a refresh of its own.

Supply chain sources tell China’s Economic Daily News that Apple has lined up four new component suppliers for the iPhone 5, which they claim is scheduled for a summer launch. Meanwhile, Taiwanese trade pub DigiTimes is reporting that Apple recently bolstered its printed circuit board (PCB) supply chain in preparation for the next iteration of the iPad. Where the company once used just three PCB suppliers for the device, it’s now using seven. Not a surprise, really, given the 14.8 million iPads Apple sold in 2010. DigiTimes’ sources claim they’re scheduled to begin small-volume shipments next month, before going all out in April. Which jibes nicely with that annual refresh cycle I mentioned earlier and rumors of a spring launch.

As I’ve noted here before, the iPad 2 is expected to be thinner than its predecessor and manufactured with the same unibody approach Apple’s been using for the MacBook. It’s also expected to feature an LCD backlit display, a front-facing camera and Facetime video chat support. Finally, some reports suggest it is powered by one of Qualcomm’s multimode chips and will run on both GSM and CDMA-based networks around the world.

Verizon Wireless Touts 4G Network, Shows Off Devices

Ina Fried — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:03:21 +0000

Well, we didn’t learn much new about Verizon Wireless’s new network or devices at the Ivan Seidenberg keynote on Thursday, but he did say that the company would have a preview of its LTE device lineup at this afternoon’s press conference.

Here’s hoping there are a few surprises here beyond the previously announced Motorola Atrix and Xoom.

The event is set to kick off shortly and Mobilized will have live coverage here.

1:05 pm: Well, despite timely warnings to get in our seats beginning at 12:45, it’s now five minutes after and the techno is still pumping.

1:11 pm: Okay. Getting started. Loud music gets louder. Cue video.

Tony Melone and Marni Walden take the stage and CEO Daniel Mead (at least I think it is Mead) is doing an intro.

1:15 pm: Another video now playing with partners. Since HTC CEO Peter Chou is in there, I think it is probably safe to say their oft-rumored LTE smartphone will make an appearance.

1:16 pm: Samsung and Ericsson execs also in the video.

1:17 pm: Verizon exec now touting the advantages of its 4G network including its spectrum, which it says will give it the best in-building coverage.

Also talking about how it is sharing its spectrum with rural service providers.

1:18 pm: Mead: “We’re very pleased to be part of bringing broadband to rural America.”

1:21 pm: Mead hands off to CTO Tony Melone to talk 4G and LTE.

Melone says that the company knows there is a lot of skepticism of the company’s move to go straight to LTE but that the bet is paying off with more networks and running faster than planned.

“The customer feedback we are getting is everything we had hoped for and then some,” Melone says.

Melone talks about 4G LTE plans.

Thirty-six months from now we will have the nation covered with LTE, Melone says. Two-thirds of the population will be covered in 2012. This year alone, he says, Verizon will add 140 new markets, including places like Little Rock, Detroit and Sioux Falls.

1:26 pm: On to devices.

Ten devices coming by mid-year being shown on stage: Four smartphones, two tablets, two notebooks and two mobile hotspots.

1:33 pm: LG CEO shows off the LG Revolution, what appears to be a slimmish smartphone.

Next up, Skype’s CEO talks about a new partnership that will allow for Skype to be always on and integrated into the address book of all of Verizon’s LTE smartphones,

1:34 pm: He’s followed by HTC CEO Peter Chou, who introduces the HTC Thunderbolt.

Chou says he’s been personally testing and using the Thunderbolt, which features the new Skype video chatting along with HTC’s Sense user interface.

“Let me tell you, it’s blazing fast,” Chou says.

Other features include a built-in 4G hotspot and a 4.3-inch Super LCD screen.

1:37 pm: He thanks Qualcomm and Google engineers that worked together to create the device, so guessing this one isn’t using Nvidia’s Tegra chip.

Next up is Electronic Arts VP Travis Boatman. EA’s mobile games lineup ranges from Monopoly and Tetris to Need for Speed and the FIFA 11 soccer game.

The new mobile version of Rock Band for Verizon’s LTE network lets people form a band and remotely jam over the network.

Samsung executive goes onstage to show off three devices for the LTE network, One is a mobile hotspot, one is a smartphone and the other is a 4G version of the Galaxy Tab.

Phone packs 4.3-inch Super Amoled Plus display, which is said to boost colors and offer improved display. It’s got an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with HD video and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat.

The tablet has a 1.2GHz processor developed by Samsung, while the hotspots provide connections to up to five users at a time.

Most impressive is the fact that the Samsung executive pulled all three devices out of various pockets.

Marni Walden shows off the remaining devices–a Novatel MiFi hotpot that works with both 3G and 4G networks.

There is also a Compaq Netbook, an HP notebook, as well as the previously announced Motorola Xoom and Motorola Droid Bionic.

1:47 pm: On to Q&A (hoping laptop No. 2 holds out through the end of question time.)

First question has to do with LTE speeds, which often exceed the 5- to 12-megabit speeds promised. Mead says that the company’s goal is to meet the promised speed range once the network is fully loaded, something that is not the case today.

Next question is on battery life. Melone says the company believes it will be able to meet customer expectations in that regard.

The company says it won’t announce pricing or rate plans for the 4G products, beyond noting its current prices for 4G laptop cards and service.

As for simultaneous voice and data, Walden says the company intends that at least some of its 4G launch devices will support talking and accessing data at the same time.

“It could be on some devices and not all,” Walden says.

Walden also confirms all the phones it showed Thursday are running Android.

1:55 pm: Asked about net neutrality, Mead says that what the industry needs is “unfettered development.”

“We think the free market system works very well, and we don’t need a lot of heavy intervention.”

Apple Investing in Toshiba LCD Plant

John Paczkowski — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:00:35 +0000

Come 2011, Toshiba will begin construction of a new LCD panel factory in Ishikawa, one whose output is intended largely for the iPhone. Reportedly underwriting a portion of its $1.19 billion cost: Apple, which is evidently looking for a bit more control over its component sources as demand for LCD screens grows with the proliferation of touchscreen smartphones.

Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment.

IPad 2: Start the 100-Day Hype Countdown

John Paczkowski — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:54:29 +0000

Industry sources are telling the occasionally reliable DigiTimes that Foxconn, Apple’s Chinese manufacturing partner, will begin shipping the next-generation tablet within the next 100 days in preparation for a spring debut that will follow the launch of the original iPad by about a year. The iPad 2 is expected to be thinner than its predecessor and manufactured with the same unibody approach Apple’s been using for the MacBook. It’s also expected to feature an LCD backlit display, a front-facing camera and Facetime video chat support. Finally, some reports suggest it is powered by one of Qualcomm’s multimode chips and will run on both GSM and CDMA-based networks around the world.

Xbox Kinect: Just How Controlling Can a Body Be?

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:26:29 +0000

This holiday season, the war against couch potatoes wages on with Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect, the latest in motion-sensing video-game consoles. While the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation Move encourage people to stand and play games using familiar gestures and simple controllers, Kinect encourages people to motion their way through games and screens using their bodies as controllers.

[ See post to watch video ]

Kinect (xbox.com/kinect), a rectangular strip of four microphones, a 3-D sensor and a video camera, is $150 for those who own the Xbox 360. It’s sold in a $300 bundle with the 4-gigabyte Xbox 360 console; $400 with a 250-gigabyte console. (Sony’s PlayStation Move is $100 without the console and $400 when bundled with the 320-gigabyte PS3; Nintendo’s Wii costs $200.)All packages include the Kinect Adventures videogame. There are currently 17 games that work with Kinect, and each costs $50, $10 less than a standard Xbox game.

Kinect can sit on top of, below or beside the TV, plugging into a wall power outlet and the Xbox via a USB cord.The concept used by Kinect has potential far beyond games and might even become a new way of controlling computers of all kinds.

Thirteen of the 17 available Kinect games are rated E for Everyone, and the remaining four are rated T for Teens—a sign that Microsoft is going after a different crowd with Kinect than with its regular Xbox games, which offer a wide range of ratings, including violent games.

It automatically identifies who you are and pauses when you leave its vicinity, so it isn’t hard to imagine this ingenuity controlling all kinds of devices, like a PC, smartphone or tablet.

Over the past few weeks, I played a variety of Kinect games with three other people in the room, one other person in the room and completely by myself. I tried it with a 46-inch, 1080p LCD TV as well as using an old standard-definition TV.

My experiences were mixed. Kinect works beautifully for activities that involve only your body, like exercise classes, running, jumping hurdles, yoga and dancing, with the moves feeling natural and fun. The motion sensor detects even slight movements to reflect what you’re doing on the TV screen. I battled my boyfriend in Dance Central while busting out dance moves called Double Dig ‘Ems and Headwrushes. I sprinted down a virtual track, running in place fast enough to earn a game world record. And I toned my arms and abdominals while punching floating boxes in the Your Shape’s kickboxing class.

But when it came to sports that involved holding or throwing objects like bowling, volleyball or discus, Kinect started to feel a little inauthentic, like I didn’t really have control over the object. When I threw a discus far enough in Kinect Sports to prompt the game’s commentator to shout, “Is that discus a part of the space program?” I didn’t know what I did to get that result.

The same was true for driving a car in Kinect’s Joy Ride game: Players are instructed to hold their hands like they would if they were gripping a steering wheel, turning left or right by moving hands accordingly and leaning back and quickly forward to get a burst of speed. But it’s hard to mimic a motion to accelerate, and I found myself jerking my body all around to get results. My arms also got tired after holding them up for awhile.

Other games, like Kinectimals and Kinect Adventures, play to the Kinect’s strengths by using broader gestures and fewer accuracy-focused tasks. With Kinectimals, I moved my hands to virtually scratch a Bengal tiger cub; the cub even became more familiar with me the more it listened to my voice. I rode a raft in Kinect Adventures by leaning left or right to steer through rapids, jumping up to grab on-screen coins for points and ducking to avoid getting clocked in the head with objects.

Dance Central

In certain games, two people can play simultaneously standing in front of Kinect. The system can identify and sign in up to eight people as they step in and out of play. It recognizes those who are signed into Xbox and playing, so only their gestures maintain control of navigation. Its sensor will identify and log you in a few seconds after you step in front of it. If you walk away in the middle of a game, Kinect will sense that you aren’t there and will pause the game.

Kinect isn’t yet fully integrated into the entire Xbox navigation system. Some tasks still require the old Xbox controller, like opening the Xbox Guide, a quick way of launching anything in the system. Xbox’s Dashboard, which is the first menu you see when you turn on the system, also requires the controller. The Dashboard is separate from Kinect Hub, which lets you use your voice and gestures to do things like opening the system’s disc tray, selecting menus or even pausing a movie—just by saying, “Xbox, pause.” A spokesman said Microsoft plans to integrate these commands throughout the Dashboard. For now, it’s tempting—but futile—to want to use voice and gesture on every screen.

Many Kinect games capture videos of you as you play games and then play them back for you at the end. The results are hilarious. Kinect Adventures gives you a heads-up so you can make an extra silly pose at the right moment. Kinect Sports compiles a highlight reel as you go, playing this video back at the end of your athletic events, goofy sport gestures and all. And Dance Central announces a freestyle dance for all players at the end of each round, capturing video snippets of these moves. Users who are signed into Xbox Live can share these videos with others.

Kinect Adventures

Kinect can also be used to video chat with anyone who’s using Windows Live Messenger and a webcam.

I really enjoyed Dance Central—and not just because I won most of my dance battles (the one who gets the most moves correct wins). This game offered a large variety of songs ranging from old-school rap to Lady Gaga. Each dance was taught in a different virtual venue by an instructor who shouted words of encouragement or instruction, and cheers from the crowd spurred me on.

Navigating the menus in Kinect games is usually more enjoyable with gestures, though it takes a little longer than if you were pressing a controller button to skip ahead. In the Your Shape game, I selected from Personal Training, Fitness Classes and Gym Games using my arm to touch my selection and another red icon below that to confirm it. When I started this game, the sensor scanned my body to measure my height, arm length, leg length and shoulder span, thus customizing games just for me.

In the future, Kinect could use be used to recognize communities like a group of fans all wearing the same team colors while watching a game, in which case the system might display extra on-screen data for that supported team. Another example could include playing along with game shows from home, like reality TV for the masses.For now, Xbox Kinect does well with many games that mimic real-life gestures and motions. Games with specific actions using objects, like rolling a bowling ball, need work to feel more authentic.

Edited by Walter S. Mossberg

Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Digital Cameras Improve Zooms, HD Function

Katherine Boehret — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:26:27 +0000

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, so, too, comes the start of the holiday shopping mayhem. Once again, digital cameras are rocketing to the top of wish lists, and once again, shoppers are tentatively entering electronics stores with bewildered looks on their faces.

[ See post to watch video ]

To alleviate some of that shopping stress, I’ve compiled a buyer’s guide for different camera categories with prices and pointers to innovation. This year, manufacturers have improved photo-location tagging and are offering artistic photo alteration and clever ways to label images for future sharing on social networks.

Let’s Get Physical

Consumers are starting to understand that better sensors make it possible to do things like taking photos in low light, which can really make a difference in photo quality. Some high-quality sensors are making their way into affordable models, like the CMOS sensor in Nikon’s $300 Coolpix S8100. High megapixel counts aren’t overly important, though more megapixels per photo still make it easier to zoom in while editing and give higher resolution in a larger photo or poster. A 14-megapixel camera like the Olympus FE-47 costs just $100, but a recent Consumer Reports review gave it low marks in handling shake and liquid-crystal-display screen quality. Optical zoom, or the physically manipulated distance between the camera and a subject, is still more important than digital zoom, and it’s easy to find many models with 7x optical zoom or better. LCD screens on digicams are so large that they leave little room for optical viewfinders, thus making built-in image stabilization all the more important. Image stabilization comes on nearly all new cameras. And more digicams than ever are capable of recording high-definition videos.

Breaking It Down

Digital cameras can be divided into four broad categories: pocket-size, point-and-shoot, super- or mega-zooms and digital single-lens reflexes (D-SLRs). I’ll leave SLRs out of the discussion, since they’re still primarily aimed at hobbyists who don’t mind the cost and effort of buying additional lenses, filters, flashes and other accessories.

Most pocket-size digital cameras cost between $100 and $300, weigh no more than seven ounces and lack optical viewfinders, forcing users to look at LCD screens to compose pictures. Most of these LCD viewing screens measure between 2.6 inches and 3.5 inches diagonally. Samsung, however, has an even bigger touch-screen LCD, at 3.7 inches, on its CL80 camera priced at $350.

These small but powerful machines capture images with 10, 12 or 14 megapixels and their optical zoom lenses usually range from 3x to 7x, though a handful of manufacturers are boosting their cameras’ optical zooms. The $170 Casio Exilim EX-H5, for example, is equipped with a 10x optical zoom lens.

Today’s point-and-shoot digital cameras are sleeker and more stylish than they used to be, though they remain somewhat bulkier than their pocket-size relatives. The point-and-shoot size can allow for better optical zoom lenses, and these models sometimes cost less than the pocket sizes. The $300 Canon PowerShot SX210 IS and $280 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 are equipped with 14x and 12x optical zoom lenses, respectively.

Super-zoom or mega-zoom digital cameras satisfy people who want the power of a great zoom and optional manual settings without the hassle and expense of an SLR. At a glance, you might mistake these models for SLRs due to their bulkier bodies, and, in some cases, detachable (or hot-shoe) flashes. Nikon’s $400 Coolpix P100 offers a 26x wide-angle optical zoom, and Olympus’s $350 SP-800UZ is the smallest camera with a 30x wide-angle optical zoom. Both cameras have built-in flashes, but the Nikon includes an optical viewfinder while the Olympus offers only an LCD screen for viewing and capturing photos.

Shaking It Up

Camera manufacturers are adding creative new features to these devices. Starting the week of Thanksgiving, Casio will provide Hybrid GPS on its $350 EX-H20G, which geotags (adds digital location information to) images indoors where GPS satellite signals can’t reach. This works using a combined GPS radio and motion sensor to measure the direction in which the camera has moved, and how fast. When you’re back in satellite range, the camera corrects the geotag by cross-referencing its own estimates with satellite-provided latitude and longitude.

Olympus now has art filters, which let you view your subject with special effects before capturing the photo. Some filters supply gentle sepia, soft focus or grainy film. There is also a drawing filter, which makes a subject instantly appear as a sketch.

Samsung’s $150 PL90 model has a pop-out USB arm that reminds me a lot of the pop-out USB connector on Cisco’s popular Flip camcorders. Samsung’s USB arm eliminates the need for messy wires, or the removal of a memory card to transfer photos from a digicam to a PC.

Many cameras have and continue to supply guides that appear on screen as a photo is being captured. Sony’s NEX-5 offers this, and the Olympus Live Guide let you preview photo adjustments—like brightness or color saturation—on the screen as you make them. Nikon’s Scene Auto Selector, found in the Coolpix P7000, Coolpix S8100 and Coolpix S80, will automatically adjust the camera’s settings so users can stop worrying about scrolling through menus to select the right scene from a list.

Fujifilm offers the only true (not simulated) three-dimensional digital camera in its $500 FinePix REAL 3D W3, which I reviewed in August. These 3D images can be seen through the camera’s LCD viewing screen but not on laptops or television sets unless they’re 3D-capable and you’re wearing 3D glasses.

Kodak is trying to encourage sharing with its cameras by including a Share button that, when pressed, digitally tags images and videos with labels for Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Kodak Gallery or email, then automatically sends the photos to those places when you next plug the camera into a PC.

One last warning: Don’t be seduced by lower prices or better technology alone. Be sure you try a camera in the store before buying it. The way it feels or works for you is just as important as any technological specification.

Email Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com.

Edited by Walter S. Mossberg

Sharp, LG Warn of TV Glut

Daisuke Wakabayashi and Jung-Ah Lee — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:33:55 +0000

Sharp Corp. and LG Electronics Inc. warned that a glut of inventory for flat-panel display televisions will continue to pressure prices during the critical year-end holiday shopping period.

The inventory build-up of liquid crystal display televisions is the result of a surge in production by global TV makers this year following a period of reduced output in the aftermath of the financial crisis, when consumer spending plunged. The flood of new models has heaped additional pressure on TV prices, which routinely experience 20 to 30 percent price declines annually.

The build-up has filtered down the supply chain. The market for large-sized LCD panels, which was experiencing shortages several months ago, has now swung in the opposite direction, forcing panel makers to scale back output and slash prices to clear out inventory.

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The New Nook: A Colorful Hybrid

Voices — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:45:28 +0000

Barnes & Noble today took the wraps off the latest iteration of its Nook, revealing an e-reader with a lot more color and a distinct resemblance to a tablet computer. Gone is the monochrome e-ink display, replaced by a 7-inch, full-color LCD touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution. Under the hood, the Nook Color is an Android tablet, equipped with Wi-Fi for Web and social network duty and able to run apps like Pandora and Lonely Planet (included) plus whatever comes out of the new Nook Developer program. Price: $249. Shipping date: Nov. 19.

Samsung: Glasses-Free 3D TV Unlikely in Next 5-10 Years

Jung-Ah Lee and Daisuke Wakabayashi — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:55:07 +0000

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest flat-screen television maker by shipments, said glasses-free three-dimensional TV sets won’t be a common household item in the next five to 10 years because technical hurdles still exist before such TVs can be mass-produced at an affordable price.

B.K. Yoon, Samsung Electronics’ visual-display president, said at a forum that while 3D without glasses is possible on cellphones and other small mobile devices, there are still challenges for 3D TVs.

However, rival Toshiba Corp. of Japan earlier this month unveiled the world’s first glasses-free 3D liquid-crystal-display television sets, less than a year after most set makers launched 3D television sets that require the cumbersome eyewear. The company has said it plans to start selling the glasses-free TVs in December.

The cutthroat nature of the television-set industry is marked by precipitous price declines every year and innovations that threaten to cannibalize promising technologies even before companies can cash in on years of research and development.

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Big Sony Vs. Small Toshiba at Ceatec

Juro Osawa — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:00:21 +0000

Several themes are emerging at Japan’s largest annual electronics trade fair this week, including green technology, such as electric cars, and tablet devices, such as Sharp Corp.’s Galapagos and Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy Tab.

And 3-D is among the main themes at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, also known as Ceatec. If you are looking for a big-screen experience, Sony Corp.’s (SNE) section features a gigantic 21.7-meter-wide (roughly 71 feet) 3-D screen by combining liquid crystal display modules.

Every time Sony ran a demo clip using the entire screen for a few minutes, visitors stopped and picked up viewing glasses from the booth staff. When the demo clip wasn’t on, visitors could try out high-profile PlayStation titles such as Gran Turismo 5 in 3-D, using nearly half of the screen.

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New TV Tech Could Be Boon for Venture-Backed Chip Companies

Scott Denne — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:21:33 +0000

The move to new display technologies and demand for new applications are turning televisions into the next growth segment for chip companies, and venture-backed companies could benefit.

Annual sales of semiconductors into televisions will grow by $2.9 billion this year to $12.2 billion, according to a new report from iSuppli, a semiconductor research firm that expects that pace of growth to continue on through next year.

This growth is being driven by two trends: the falling price of liquid crystal display, or LCD, panels, and the demand for features that haven’t been part of television designs until recently.

Now that overall costs for LCD panels, which are in most televisions, are coming down, television makers are focusing on improving the performance of their devices, said Randy Lawson, an analyst with iSuppli. This in turn calls for a host of new components such as image processors, power management chips and light-emitting diodes, Lawson said.

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Verizon Sees Problems With 'Small Number' of Droid X Phones

WSJ Staff — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:15:47 +0000

Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 4 isn’t the only phone facing complaints about hardware. Verizon Wireless (VZ) and Motorola (MOT) acknowledged problems with screens on the new Droid X — the latest smartphone running Google’s (GOOG) Android system.

The Droid X, one in a series of devices taking aim at the iPhone, launched on July 15, and early buyers reported flickering and bands of light on their LCD screens. On Tuesday, a Verizon spokeswoman said that the company was aware of “a very small number” of phones with the problem. Technology blog Engadget reported that the problem was affecting less than one percent of the devices. The company said Motorola had “resolved the issue” and that any customer who sees the problem should contact one of the companies.

Such technical difficulties aren’t unfamiliar to early adopters; one price of having the shiniest new gadget is that the first batch of devices might not be as polished as later versions. Well-publicized problems with the iPhone 4 and the rapid growth in the competitive smartphone market are drawing more attention to such issues.

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