sharp Archive

  • Samsung and Sharp settle dispute over LCD patents

    Samsung and Sharp settle dispute over LCD patents

    Posted on February 8, 2010 | No Comments
    They fought each other in courts in the USA, Europe, Japan and Korea since summer 2007, but now Samsung and Sharp finally settled [Sharp's official press release in English] all their ongoing lawsuits over LCD technology patents. The suits (initiated by Sharp) concerned a total of five different LCD-related technologies Sharp owned, i.e. regarding the “brightness, response speeds and viewing angles of LCD panels”.

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  • More LED-backlit LCD TVs: Sharp announces another four models

    More LED-backlit LCD TVs: Sharp announces another four models

    Posted on January 28, 2010 | No Comments
    LED-backlit panels are becoming more and more mainstream, with nearly every 16:9 laptop coming out lately boasting that feature. Apple said as early as 2008 they would start using LED backlights for every one of their notebooks (and the iPad has those, too). LED-backlit LCD TVs are catching on, too, providing greater dynamic contrast compared with CCFL-backlit LCDs and making it possible to design slimmer bodies. Today, Sharp in Japan announced [JP] another four models (LC-52SE1/pictured, LC-46SE1, LC-40SE1 and LC-32SC1) from their LED AQUOS series, and all have (white) LED backlights.

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  • Sharp to bring solar-powered cell phone to China (and possibly elsewhere, too)

    Sharp to bring solar-powered cell phone to China (and possibly elsewhere, too)

    Posted on January 27, 2010 | No Comments
    Sharp, the biggest (in terms of market share) of all eight major Japanese cell phone makers, has been talking about internationalizing its phone business for quite some time now. It makes sense, as the domestic market is shrinking and as Sharp only sold 20% of all their cell phones outside Japan (1.6 million units) last fiscal.

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  • Sharp goes its own way, doesn’t lose its mind promoting 3D TV (like everyone else has)

    Sharp goes its own way, doesn’t lose its mind promoting 3D TV (like everyone else has)

    Posted on January 9, 2010 | No Comments
    Let's have a round of applause for Sharp, which could be the only TV manufacturer here that isn't freaking out over 3D. (Not that it, too, doesn't have 3D TVs on its roster, but it doesn't treat them as the be-all, end-all.) Instead, Sharp made the brave decision to try something different, which, you'll recall, adds yellow to the usual threesome of red, green, and blue pixels.

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  • Hands-on with Sharp’s new quadpixel display in the LE920

    Hands-on with Sharp’s new quadpixel display in the LE920

    Posted on January 6, 2010 | No Comments
    Here it is, AV geeks: an RGBY LED panel. Yup, that means there is now a yellow pixel involved which is sure to improve, well, videos of sunflowers and Big Bird. Actually it increases the visible colors from the billions to the trillions. That's big and this announce could very well be the most important HDTV news of CES 2010. Seriously. 3D is a fade, this big. Click through for a gallery of hands-on pics and pricing.

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  • Sharp develops efficient solar cells for use in outer space

    Sharp develops efficient solar cells for use in outer space

    Posted on December 23, 2009 | No Comments
    Earlier this year, we reported twice about Japan's serious plans to go to outer space to generate solar energy and then beam it back to Mother Earth. And today, Sharp has shown the first solar cell that's not only bendable (we've seen that before) but that also withstands conditions in space. In addition, the company says those cells boast a record-high solar efficiency of 36%.

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  • Report: Sharp and Philips agree on LCD TV deal

    Report: Sharp and Philips agree on LCD TV deal

    Posted on December 17, 2009 | No Comments
    The consolidation process in the TV business continues and now even becomes international. Just last month, Sharp inked a "historical" joint venture deal with former rival Sony, agreeing to supply LED backlights to Sony for their LCD TVs (which happened this month).

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  • Nokia sues LCD manufacturers for alleged price fixing (update: joins AT&T)

    Nokia sues LCD manufacturers for alleged price fixing (update: joins AT&T)

    Posted on December 1, 2009 | No Comments
    Price fixing is nothing new in the LCD panel business. Hell, collusion is pretty common across the entire consumer electronics industry though it's difficult (and costly) to prove. Now Nokia, the world's largest maker of cellphones, is suing a who's who of Asian LCD manufacturers alleging a ploy to fix prices on handset LCDs. The November 25th filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco division, names Samsung Electronics, LG Display, Sharp, Hitachi, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes as co-conspirators. Nokia, of course, is seeking cash and injunctive relief to remedy damages incurred and has the dubious honor of following another high-profile move launched against Apple just last month. With Nokia's high-margin smartphone sales waning against stiff competition, it's easy to understand why its execs would be miffed if they paid artificially high prices for panels considering the sheer volume of lower-priced handsets Nokia sells at razor thin margins.

    Update: Just dawned on us that this lawsuit (which we now know claims an 11 company cartel operating from January 1, 1996 until Dec 11, 2006) joins the AT&T action kicked off in October. Pile on! Nokia has also filed suit in the UK against both LCD and CRT

    Nokia sues LCD manufacturers for alleged price fixing (update: joins AT&T) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sharp’s chocolate cell phone (video)

    Sharp’s chocolate cell phone (video)

    Posted on November 20, 2009 | No Comments
    You know when a given country, in this case the nation of Japan, is over-saturated with cell phones when you get to see something like this: A cell phone that's supposed to be similar in shape to a chocolate bar, available in two versions: Melty Bitter (brown) and Melty Strawberry (pink). The Sharp SH-04B [JP] is part of NTT Docomo's winter line-up of new handsets for the Japanese market (unveiled ten days ago).

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  • Video: Sharp’s chocolate cell phone

    Video: Sharp’s chocolate cell phone

    Posted on November 20, 2009 | No Comments
    You know when a given country, in this case the nation of Japan, is over-saturated with cell phones when you get to see something like this: A cell phone that's supposed to be similar in shape to a chocolate bar, available in two versions: Melty Bitter (brown) and Melty Strawberry (pink). The Sharp SH-04B [JP] is part of NTT Docomo's winter line-up of new handsets for the Japanese market (unveiled ten days ago).

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  • Sharp prepares Android phone for next year as first Japanese cell phone maker

    Sharp prepares Android phone for next year as first Japanese cell phone maker

    Posted on November 18, 2009 | No Comments
    Android is still in its infancy in Japan where most domestic makers still stick with their proprietary operating systems, with basically no one outside the geek community knowing what it is. But things are changing slowly. Last week, SoftBank (the country's third biggest cell phone carrier) announced an Android-powered phone for next year when the company announced their new models for the next months. And yesterday, Sharp announced at an event in Tokyo it will roll out a yet to be specified number of Android-based handsets as early as the first half of next year. Sharp commands the biggest market share of all eight cell phone makers in Japan so this is very good news for the Google OS in what is the most advanced mobile society in the world.

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  • Sharp to go Android next year as first Japanese cell phone maker

    Sharp to go Android next year as first Japanese cell phone maker

    Posted on November 18, 2009 | No Comments
    Android is still in its infancy in Japan where most domestic makers still stick with their proprietary operating systems, with basically no one outside the geek community knowing what it is. But things are changing slowly. Last week, SoftBank (the country's third biggest cell phone carrier) announced an Android-powered phone for next year when the company announced their new models for the next months. And yesterday, Sharp announced at an event in Tokyo it will roll out a yet to be specified number of Android-based handsets as early as the first half of next year. Sharp commands the biggest market share of all eight cell phone makers in Japan so this is very good news for the Google OS in what is the most advanced mobile society in the world.

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  • Report: Sony and Sharp shake hands in another LCD TV deal

    Report: Sony and Sharp shake hands in another LCD TV deal

    Posted on November 17, 2009 | No Comments
    Globally speaking, there is one clear leader in the LCD TV business: Samsung. The company commands a 23.2% share in this segment, with Sony (13.7%) and Sharp (7%) almost hopelessly behind (according to DisplaySearch). So in June this year already, Sony and Sharp inked a joint venture deal to produce LCD TVs together. And today, the Nikkei (Japan's biggest business publication), reports that the two former arch rivals decided to further expand their alliance.

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  • NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more

    NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more

    Posted on November 10, 2009 | No Comments

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    When two of Japan's largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan -- but for consumers in the local market, it's nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo:
    • Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a "jewelry quality" phone with a snap-on perfume holder for "an air of elegance."
    • LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don't speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone).
    • Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot -- for some reason we don't fully comprehend.
    • Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera.
    • Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret -- the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever.
    • Samsung SC-01B: Samsung's Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup.

    And from Softbank:
    • Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first.
    • Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride.
    • Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it's Softbank's turn -- and this time, it's called the X02A. Not much more to it than that.
    • Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T's Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard.
    • Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics.
    • Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung's now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing.
    • Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don't think you'd want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors -- hence the name, we think.
    • Android: The simply-named Android runs -- you guessed it -- Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won't be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn't being revealed right now.
    Both companies are also adding wireless digital photo frames to the lineup, and in Softbank's case, a pair of data modems with support for 7.2Mbps on the downlink. We'll admit -- we didn't think we'd live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan's.

    Read - Softbank Winter '09 / Spring '10 collection
    Read - NTT DoCoMo's new series

    NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sharp to release world’s most efficient solar cell

    Sharp to release world’s most efficient solar cell

    Posted on October 22, 2009 | No Comments
    Sharp Japan announced today it has developed a solar cell with the world's highest conversion efficiency [press release in English]. The new product features an conversion efficiency of 35.8%, while Sharp only achieved 31.5% with the previous model. The latest model is a compound solar cell, in which two or more elements form photo-absorption layers (see the graphic below).

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