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AmTran and JVC Pair Up in TV Deal

Yukari Iwatani Kane, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on January 6, 2011 at 12:00 am PT

AmTran Technology, a contract manufacturer of monitors and televisions, is making a bold bet. It licensed the rights to make, distribute and market TVs in North America under the brand of JVC, the long-troubled Japanese consumer-electronics maker, and it promises to offer affordable but high-end TVs by the end of the third quarter.

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Vizio Extends Battle Plan

Yukari Iwatani Kane, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on January 3, 2011 at 5:00 am PT

Vizio Inc., which put inexpensive flat-panel TVs in living rooms, now is setting its sights on cellphones and tablet computers. Vizio, which has vied with Samsung Electronics Co. for leadership in U.S. sales of television sets, plans Monday in advance of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to discuss its new mobile products.

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Japan's iPad Frenzy Signals a Sea Change

Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on May 27, 2010 at 1:45 pm PT

The debut of Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet computer in Japan is generating a level of hype and excitement rarely seen these days for a new electronics product in this gadget-loving nation, underscoring the paucity of buzz-worthy, homegrown devices.

How to Cram Most of the Web Into One Super Bowl Ad–And Not Sell TVs

Peter Kafka in Media on February 8, 2010 at 4:00 am PT

Google got a second ad for free last night: A Vizio ad that promoted YouTube, along with a slew of other Web services. But the ad did a lousy job of promoting the company’s Internet-connected TVs. Pity, because it actually has something cool to pitch.

Connecting With Your Inner Earpiece

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on January 19, 2010 at 4:17 pm PT

The new Jawbone Icon synchs with a PC to expand its voice-command capability and add personality to your Bluetooth device.

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Sony Bets on Online Push

Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 20, 2009 at 10:55 am PT

As Sony Corp. scrambles to reassert its technological relevance, Chief Executive Howard Stringer is betting on a strategy for the electronics giant that focuses on adding online content to more of its gadgets. Speaking at the first joint public appearance by Sony’s new management team since a shake-up in February, Mr. Stringer said the Japanese giant is “moving faster than we’ve ever moved” to meet parallel challenges.

Yahoo Widgets Lend Brains to Boob Tube

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on March 24, 2009 at 4:30 pm PT

Samsung’s new LED TV 7000 is integrated with the Yahoo Widget Engine, allowing people to watch TV and access the Web on the same big screen at the same time.

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CES: Netflix on the Hunt

Nick Wingfield, Staff Writer, Digits, The Wall Street Journal in News on January 9, 2009 at 11:01 am PT

Reed Hastings is prowling CES for deals. Already, in the past year, the CEO of DVD rental service Netflix Inc. has cut at least a half-dozen partnerships with consumer electronics makers to make a Netflix service that streams movies and television shows over the Internet watchable on television sets via game consoles, digital video recorders and other gadgets.