TECHNOLOGY&TECH.: sharp technology

Showing posts with label sharp technology. Show all posts

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Sharp’s New AQUOS PHONE is going Worldwide?

9:39 AM Unknown

In an overly dominated Smartphone market owned by NOKIA, Apple’s iPhone, Google’ s Android and Samsung, Japanese Smartphone manufacturers are in search of finding a way to compete in a worldwide market or at least find a niche market where they can sink their teeth in. One such company is Sharp with their newly introduced AQUOS phone. A new brand of smartphone featuring connectivity to Sharp’s AQUOS LCD TVs. Sharp is trying to test the international smartphone market falling back on their smartphone’s DLNA capability, allowing users to connect their AQUOS PHONEs to AQUOS TV via HDMI interface, allowing the user to enjoy videos and games stored on their phone, as well as internet HD videos and other type of digital contents, on the large screen AQUOS LCD TV.
DLNA support would also bring about the capability of watching contents from AQOUS TVs or Blu-ray Disc recorders wirelessly on their AQUOS PHONE. AQUOS PHONE does offer a high-quality graphic engine based on sharp’s know-how on image processing based on technologies developed around Sharp’s AQUOUS LCD TVs, but I am afraid all these nifty features wont be enough for Sharp to gain significant global market share for their smartphones, given the content oriented nature of mobile market, if that is Sharp’s intention in achieving.

Development of World’s First 85-Inch Direct-View LCD, Compatible with Super Hi-Vision

9:35 AM Unknown

Sharp Corporation and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have jointly developed an 85-inch LCD which is compatible with Super Hi-Vision, considered to be the next-generation for television broadcast format. The new technology incorporates Sharp’s UV2A2 LCD technology for creating in creating world’s first direct-view LCD compatible with high display performance offered by Super Hi-Vision. The new technology also incorporates NHK’s expertise and know-how in super Hi-Vision, resulting in ultra-detailed, super high quality images.
The new display features a brightness of 300 cd/m2 and gradation of 10 bits for each RGB color plus a pixel count of 7,680 (H) x 4,320 (V). The new display will be on display at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo from May 26th to 29th, 2011.

Review- Sharp Lynx SH-03C, the first 3D Phone

8:18 AM Unknown

Unlike what LG wants to believe, the first real 3D phone does not come from Korea, but from Japan and is made by Sharp. Available since a few months now, we had the chance to play a little with one of them — the Docomo SH-03C.

Specs

Size: 123 x 62 x 13.4 mm
Weight: 140 grams
Continuous Stand-by Time: 410 hours (3G)
Continuous Talk Time: 270 minutes (3G)
Main Display: 3.8” (480 x 800) NEW MOBILE ASV LCD 65,536 colors
Camera: Recorded resolution: 9.5 megapixels with AF
OS: Android 2.1, upgradeable to 2.2
Connectivity: WiFi & Bluetooth

First Impression

I have said million times that I do not like the material used by Japanese handset manufacturers. I do not like the plastic touch and feel that most of them have, and I do not like having something cheap in my hands. Yes, you are right… I have been spoiled by Nokia and its amazing 8810 and 8850, HTC with their Touch HD, and now finally by Apple with their iPhone 4. Unlike the iPhone 3G and 3GS, both the iPhone 2G (aluminum) and iPhone 4 (glass) give you the feeling of owning something special — not just another piece of junk that was mass-produced without a soul. If you feel comfortable with, let’s say, the Xperia X10, then the Sharp Lynx 3D SH-03C will do just fine for you.
Once you put aside the look and feel of this new 3D phone, you will come face to face with a rather dull and not-so-exciting stock version of Android 2.1. Ok, I admit my opinion may be biased, and to be frank with you, it is very difficult to get back to a stock Android user experience when you’ve enjoyed HTC’s Sense UI and refinement. Then again, if you feel more comfortable running an unspoiled version of Android on your phone, the SH-03C is exactly what you are looking for.

So, what about the 3D thingy?

Let’s concentrate on what really matters here: 3D. Despite not being overly thrilled by 3D in general — I personally do not yet see the advantage of owning a 3D TV for example — I’m willing to change my opinion if necessary. I have to admit, Sharp’s 3D display on this little SH-03C works just fine and will give you the 3D effect that you where hoping for.
If you to compare this 3D screen and the one on the 3DS, I will say the SH-03C’s overall display quality is slightly below the 3DS’s. I believe that this is partially due to the “touch” layer that is placed on top of the SH-03C 3D screen, giving images that are less sharp and colorful than the 3DS display. I have no confirmation on that matter — it’s just an assumption based on my personal feeling.
So yes, 3D works well. Sharp’s 3D UI is nice, and playing video games in 3D, watching 3D movies, and viewing pictures in 3D is as fun as you would expect on a portable device, though slightly below the 3DS experience.

3D Photos?

Yes, the SH-03C is able to take 3D photos as well as 2D HD Video, but unlike the 3DS, the SH-03C only comes with a single 9.6Mpix CCD AF camera module. This forced Sharp to develop a technical trick to allow you to shoot photos in 3D: To shoot 3D Photos, you will have to pan your phone from left to right, a bit like you would do when taking panorama pictures on panorama-capable cameras.
Although this is not the most elegant way to capture 3D photos, nor is it the most accurate or efficient, but when it works, it works well.

The camera will give you decent 800×480 photos in 3D that can be enjoyed on your phone. If you want to view 3D photos on your 3DTV, the SH-03C may not be the camera of choice.

HD Video?

Yes, the SH-03C is able to take HD video (720p), but the model we had seemed to have some technical issues. A portion of the upper part of the video would be out-of-sync compared of the rest of the video (see below).
I’m not sure if these technical issues also explain the poor quality of the video shot with the SH-03C, but the video from an iPhone 4 is much better in comparison.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, please do not take this as a “review”, but rather a quick, first hands-on impression of the world’s first 3D phone.
Technically speaking, as far as the 3D is concerned, there is nothing really to complain about. The SH-03C does its job well in this area and will provide you an excellent 3D experience. However, as I mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of the material used on this phone nor the stock Android OS experience. If Sharp could have done its job as well as HTC with its Sense UI or even with the Xperia X10 UI approach, I would definitively give this new phone a second chance. As it is, and since 3D does not bring much to the overall user experience, I will rather skip this model and wait a little longer.

Sharp makes the Eco House Concept a Reality by Introducing the Intellignet Power Conditioner System

8:42 AM Unknown

High cost and lack of efficiency are the two major factors hampering the commercialization of future Eco Houses, from the PV base electricity generated by solar cells to storage batteries as well as DC appliances, forcing the researchers and equipment manufacturers of these type of equipment to look into all available avenues from material science to new process manufacturing in order to achieve a cost efficient alternative to fossil fuel generated electricity.

One such company who has been working toward this goal is Sharp that recently developed the Intelligent Power Conditioner that allow the user to use batteries from their electric vehicles to be used as storage batteries for proving home electricity. The aim of the company by developing the Intelligent Power Conditioner is to help the user to use solar cells and storage batteries in conjunction with utility power to provide a stable source of power supply. With expectation of future DC home appliances, the newly developed system by Sharp can also supply DC electricity. Sharp will be conducting exhaustive testing before confirming the safety and reliability of this system, with a goal of commercializing the system in a near future.

DoCoMo, Baccarat and Sharp introduces their first common Phone in Japan

12:34 PM Unknown

DoCoMo and Baccarat may not have much in common, but today they finally find the way to work together with Sharp’s latest phone the SH-09C. Rests assure this new phone has not been designed entirely with Baccarat’s luxury glass but come with he company unique design, color and logo.
Made for a certain class of customers this new SH-09C hides beneath its elegant body your usual DoCoMo dumb phone with a 3.4″ WVGA new Mobile ASV screen, a 14.10Mpix censor, Full HD video and HDMI, WiFi, GPS in a slick body of just 112x50x16.9mm for 138g only.

Finally the SH-09c will be sold in a limited quantity of just 5,000 units this march in Japan.

Sharp IS01 5-Inch Android Smartphone / MID Hands On

2:58 PM Unknown

The Sharp IS01 is already old news in Japan and internationally but since it’s only available in Japan there’s not much video coverage on it, so I thought I’d take a look at it. It is also identical to the slighter newer Lynx SH-10B which has a slightly modified chassis and sells under Docomo rather than AU.

It’s unusual in that it sports a clamshell design with a keyboard and trackball, so it’s just as MID as it is smartphone. It sports a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 960 x 480 resolution which is bright, vivid, sharp and exhibits excellent viewing angles. One major downside (apart from it and all Japanese phones being SIM locked) is that it sports the aging Android 1.6 OS with no plans for an upgrade to newer Android versions. There’s also a 5.3MP auto focus webcam on the lid but it only records 640 x 480 video at 15 FPS, and a front facing 854 x 480 camera. You can grab these off Yahoo Auction (eBay of Japan) for a measly 16,800 yen ($200) but I’ve read that you can’t even use them for Wi-Fi due to the SIM / carrier lock issue. I need to look into this!

Sharp to release SH8128U 3G Smartphone in China Read more: http://techngear.com/sharp-sh8128u-3g-smartphone-for-475.html#ixzz1CYKBHlg6

3:31 PM Unknown

Here you’re the new 3G Smartphone comes with Tapas OS that optimized to compatibility with networks in China, and this phone named the Sharp SH8128U that it’s also support to 3G.
The Sharp SH8128U 3G Smartphone is powered by a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor and equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a microSD card slot for expand its memory, a 3.5-inch WVGA 480 x 800 display with touchscreen capabilities. The new smart phone also comes with built-in 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash for shooting an images and recording videos.
Sharp has announced this phone will be available to sold in Chinese Market in October 2010 with price for about $475.

Sharp introduced a new 3D Aquos Blu-Ray Player, the BD-HDS63

11:13 PM Unknown

Just announced this morning the BD-HDS63 is Sharp’s latest entry level DVR that comes with almost everything you need! Announced at 75,000 Yen, the BD-HDS63 is a powerful little DVR with a 320GB HDD, a Digital TV Tuner with BS/CS and even SKYPerfecTV support, 3D Blu-Ray compatible as well as being able to record movies and other TV Shows on BDXL discs.

Sharp Galapagos Tablets Expected To Arrive In US Market In 2011

11:22 PM Unknown

Well, flash forward till today and while we are still waiting on something slightly more official, or at the very least — from Sharp, we do have word that Sharp has plans to release the Galapagos line of tablet readers in the US in 2011 and follow that up with a release in China, India and Brazil. The details are fairly vague at the moment and are coming by way of The Mainichi Daily (a newspaper).
So far the details include that Sharp has plans to bring both the 5.8 inch and the 10.8 inch models and that they will come with at least one new feature and one change in file support, both of which sound like a smart move in the US market.
Lets first mention the new feature, built-in 3G. Of course, these will likely be tied to the carriers which could potentially mean contracts, or hopefully month-to-month contract free data plans. That said, it is nice to at least have the option to get always on data for a tablet. Still, while we could expect that, so far there has not been anything announced that would clue us in to which carriers.
Moving onto the change and this comes with some good and maybe some not quite as exciting. First, the change, the Galapagos is expected to arrive in the US with support for Epub as opposed to the proprietary XMDF that they have now. But while that sounds like it makes perfect sense, there is also word that Sharp plans to unveil that with an Ebookstore offering of their own.

Sharp 3D Handsets Arriving in Japan

5:57 PM Unknown

Sharp has unveiled two 3D handsets which they plan to release in Japan over the coming winter months. The Sharp Galapagos 003SH and 005SH will be available on the country’s Softbank network and users won’t need to wear 3D glasses in order to enjoy the effects.

Both handsets have a 3.8 inch autostereoscopic display with a resolution of 800 x 480, run on Froyo, Android 2.2 and are powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The handsets may seem identical based on the specs we’ve seen so far, but both have a slightly different form factor. The 003SH is a touchscreen device complete with a 9.6 megapixel snapper, capable of 720p video recording. In comparison, the 005SH is a QWERTY slider and naturally, has a slightly smaller 8 megapixel camera.

3D handsets will offer a fantastic gaming platform for users, fortunately Capcom has that base covered as their titles, Mega Man, Resident Evil and Ghosts ‘n Goblins will come preinstalled on both devices.

The 003SH will be released in December, followed by the 005SH in February 2011. They’re only coming to Japan at the moment, .

Sharp AQUOS Shot 002SH

11:44 PM Unknown

Looking for high-end camera phone with waterproof(IPX5/IPX7) capability? Check this out Sharp AQUOS Shot 002SH which equipped with 14.1Mpix Camera sensor with capability to record 720p HD video. Adopting Sharp ProPix Technology, this camera phones is capable to take a picture in less than 0.5 seconds. Other features include AF, Face recognition, Pet Mode and several “point & Shoot” like photos mode, an HDMI out port, a 3.4-inch Touch-screen with a VGA resolution, 123MB of internal memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a microSDHC Cards slot.

Sharp SH007: Solar Phone – Waterproof Case And GPS Golf Navi

6:14 PM Unknown

Sharp SH007 is a flip style solar powered cell phone comes with waterproof case. You will also find bluetooth and and GPS Golf Navi capable to help golfers to estimate the distance to the flag.
SH007 is unveiled by Sharp and Japanese network KDDI for release in Japan this summer. Sharp has neither reveal any info regarding the price nor when will SH007 solar phone release for countries outside Japan yet.
Simply by exposing 10 minutes under the sun will be enough to give you the juice for about a minute of talk time, or two full hours of standby power.

Sharp IS01 5-Inch Android Smartphone / MID Hands On

2:35 AM Unknown

Sharp Galapagos Tablets Hands On – CEATEC 2010

2:12 AM Unknown

The technology is impressive and the hardware feels high quality. The 10-incher is lighter than the iPad. The content ecosystem is in place – tons of publishers lined up for books and magazines. I think one of the telecoms over here will provide downloadable movies or rentals. There’s Android on board although I don’t know what version. There’s an app drawer which has a small collection of apps. Did not see any way to download more although it might be possible through the store which was not accessible due to lack of Internet access. Same for the browser, could not test that. Only thing that didn’t seem to hot was the onscreen keyboard – you couldn’t change the default layout, but hey, it’s Android, there’s always a possibility there and the speed – everything felt sluggish. Animations were almost like slideshows.

Sharp IS03 Android Smartphone Announced For KDDI In Japan [Sharp IS03 Smartphone To Feature Android 2.1, 1GHz Snaprdragon CPU & Read: Sharp IS03 Android Smartphone Announced For KDDI In Japan [Sharp IS03 Smartphone To Feature Android 2.1, 1GHz Snaprdragon CPU & 960 x 640 3.5" Display]

3:07 AM Unknown

Sharp has officially announced their latest in terms of Android, the device is the IS03 smartphone, which is heading to Japan by way of KDDI. And while I would not normally be quite as excited about a Japanese release considering I am in the US and will likely never see this phone in person — the display is fairly unique (at least for Android devices).

The Sharp IS03 may be packing Android 2.1 Eclair, but the display, while only 3.5 inches is boasting a Double-VGA 960 x 480 pixel resolution. So much for the highs of 854 x 480 or 800 x 480. Other goodies include a 9.6 megapixel camera with dedicated camera button, image stabilization and autofocus as well as an FM transmitter and one-seg TV tuner with pull-out antenna.
Other specs include a 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8650 processor, EVDO Rev A connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, GPS, microSd card slot, microUSB and Flash Lite 4.0 support. As for the handset size, it is said to measure in at 63 (W) x 121 (H) x 12.6 (D) mm with a weight of 138 grams.
The Sharp IS03 has an estimated talk time of 230 minutes and estimated standby time of up to 200 hours. Otherwise, those who make the purchase will be able to pick from a variety of colors including orange, white or black. The handset is currently expected to be available sometime towards the end of November, though at present, neither Sharp or KDDI have announced anything in terms of pricing.

Lastly, while the Sharp IS03 is officially coming to Japanese carrier KDDI, the handset has what is described as Global Passport CDMA, which means it can actually be used in other countries that have CDMA networks. And yes, that means that US thanks to Spring. Of course, with that you will likely be paying a nice premium giving you will be doing a one-off import.

Sharp IS03 Android 2.1 Phone With Retina Display Becomes Official0

10:21 PM Unknown

I have a great news for you handset lovers out there because Sharp has just broken Android’s usual 800 x 480 with the introduction of the IS03 for Japan’s KDDI au network, featuring a full 960 x 640 on its 3.5-inch screen. This means that is matching the iPhone 4′s so-called retina display as well as Advanced Super View ( ASV ) technology, so it will deliver the same kind of viewing angle benefits you find in IPS.
If you are not yet satisfied with the news so far, find out that the IS03 will feature a 9.6 megapixel autofocus camera with image stabilization, one-seg TV tuner, and Osaifu-Keitai, which allows the phone to be used for contactless payments such in subways or other places.
Unfortunately the company won’t sell this device outside Japan, but you might eventually see one outside Japan because it features support for Global Passport CDMA, so this means you can use the IS03 in countries that have operating CDMA networks, the US, for example. Another disappointing news is that it’s running Android 2.1, but i think the great hardware will be enough to overcome this little inconvenient.

Sharp to Launch Content Delivery Service for E-book Readers

2:17 PM Unknown

Keiko Okada, group general manager of One-of-a-Kind Products and Corporate Design Group

Examples of newspaper contents to be delivered

Examples of magazine contents to be delivered

Two types of tablet PCs will be released.

The 5.5-inch model

The 10.8-inch model

Sharp Corp announced that it will start content delivery service called "Galapagos" in Japan. For a starter, the company will provide the service for electronic book (e-book) readers and launch two tablet PCs for the service in December 2010.

At first, the service for e-book readers will offer about 30,000 contents including major Japanese newspapers, famous magazines and books. It is possible to subscribe to such contents for automatic delivery. Also, some free contents can be automatically delivered as samples. All contents are downloaded to the tablet PCs so that they can be read without an Internet connection, etc.

The service will provide contents only in Sharp's "Next-generation XMDF" file format at first. The Next-generation XMDF is a new version of the XMDF and can deal with audio and video contents. For the future, the company plans to offer contents in PDF, HTML, EPUB and other file formats. In that case, users can update the software installed in their tablet PCs.

Sharp developed an authoring tool and a content delivery system for the new service. The company will collect service charges for selling contents from users though it did not disclose the rate.

Sharp is planning to offer the service outside Japan such as in Europe and the US. But it did not mention the details.

The two tablet PCs to be released for the Galapagos service have screen sizes of 5.5 and 10.8 inches. The LCD panels of the 10.8-inch and 5.5-inch models have pixel counts of 1,024 x 600 and 1,366 x 800, respectively. Their weighs or prices have not been announced yet.

Both of the two models have a wireless LAN function. Though they do not have a 3G communication function, Sharp is considering developing tables PCs capable of 3G communication.

The operating system of the tablet PCs is Android 2.1. At first, it is not possible to access to the Android Market.

In addition to the content delivery service announced this time, Sharp intends to deliver video, music, game and textbooks in and after the spring of 2011. The word "Galapagos" means such an evolution of the service, the company said.

Japan's Sharp to start e-book business in December

1:46 PM Unknown

Japan's Sharp Corp. said Monday it will launch an e-bookstore service in December with two new "Galapagos" tablet readers, with the service set to expand to movies, games and music early next year.

Sharp's new brand represents a shift for the company from conventional one-off sales of stand-alone products to devices that will continue to "evolve" through periodic software updates, it said.

It will offer a mobile device with a 5.5-inch LCD screen and a trackball for one-handed operation, as well as a device aimed at the home user with a 10.8-inch screen on which magazines can be read across a two-page spread.

In doing so, Sharp will enter an increasingly crowded market looking to exploit the popularity of gadgets such as Apple's iPad and the iBooks store and Amazon's Kindle range of e-readers.

Rival Sony has announced a similar e-book plan jointly with telecoms operator KDDI, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper company and the Toppan printing company. Top mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo has teamed up with Dai Nippon Printing.

Sharp said its devices will automatically download fee-based updates of different newspapers and magazines and will serve as a "concierge" for users by recommending books they might like using their purchasing history.

The company said it had used the name "Galapagos" in reference to the islands that inspired 19th Century British biologist Charles Darwin to formulate his theory of evolution.

Sharp said it aimed to launch the system in the United States and Europe "as soon as possible."

"We want to launch the second batch (of services) around spring, expanding to the distribution of videos, movies, games and music," said senior company official Keiko Okada.

Okada added that the service menu would be broadened to include e-commerce and advertising services. Officials also said digital textbooks for use in schools is "a very promising market in developing countries".

Sharp will announce the price of the machines and other details later this year. The company is targeting one million subscriptions in Japan.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

10:01 AM Unknown

Sharp has expanded its home entertainment products with several new 3D Blu-ray players and 3D televisions. The BD-HP90U and BD-HP80U both support 3D Blu-ray content in 1080p resolution at 24fps, while also allowing users to access a variety of web-based services, such as Netflix and Pandora, via Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections.

Aside from Blu-ray Discs, the devices can also play content such as standard DVDs, CDs, DivX HR files, still photos and MP3 audio. Media can be connected via USB, while a future firmware upgrade will bring support for DLNA streaming.

The BD-HP90U offers all of the same basic features as the BD-HP80U, along with an RS-232 port for universal remote control systems. The upgraded model also includes a stand that allows the device to be operated in a vertical position.

Sharp also announced that two of its AQUOS Quattron 3D televisions have been released in the US market. The 60-inch LC-60LE925UN and 52-inch LC-52LE925UN both feature a dynamic contrast ratio of 8,000,000:1, while two sets of 3D glasses are included with each model. The glasses allow one person to watch in 2D while others watch in 3D.

The TVs offer Wi-Fi connectivity for access to the company's AQUOS Net service, which supports web-based content such as Netflix and VUDU streaming video. USB ports can also be used to load digital video, images or audio files.

The BD-HP90U and BD-HP80U are both expected to be launched in September, with respective MSRPs of $500 and $430. The LC-60LE925UN is currently available with an MSRP of $5,300, while the LC-52LE925UN carries an MSRP of $4,200.