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Golf swing sensor offers smartphone-based coaching, saves your best drives in cloud storage
Sony might have claimed tennis, but Seiko Epson is going for golf. After (surprisingly) announcing its foray into wearables at CES last month, the company has announced its next step into broadening its remit beyond printers and projectors. The M-Tracer For Golf sensor attaches to golf club handles and houses two acceleration sensors, able to measure up to 16 and 300 G, respectively. There's also a gyroscope, with all the sensors involved apparently developed and made in-house. From these, the sensor can gauge the orbit of your swing as well as the face angle at time of impact. This, alongside other metrics, are then transmitted to your (at the moment, Android) smartphone, which demonstrates animations and graphs of that last epic drive, as well as offer a view of your swing from three different viewpoints. The in-app analysis was co-developed with the Sports Dynamics and Informatics Laboratory of the Keio Research Institute. The app can beam up to 2,000 items of swing data to cloud storage, while it'll locally store 300 on the smartphone itself. The sensor will cost 29,800 yen (around a pricey $290), and launches in Japan on April 10th.
Seiko Epson marks Boxing Day by announcing Nokia lawsuit settlement, 'extraordinary loss'
With Christmas behind us, it's time to get back to the real world. For Seiko Epson, that means some serious downer news. The company announced today that it has finally opted to settle with Nokia over antitrust lawsuits filed in the US and UK. The company will pay the Finnish handset maker a cool $80 million over the lawsuit, which stems from issues with LCD supply. That sum that will result in an "extraordinary loss" for Q3, according to Epson, though the company has opted not to adjust full-year earnings forecasts. Check Epson's press release after the break.
Panasonic, Xpand team up on M-3DI standard for active shutter glasses at home and in theaters
Last year's problem was a complete lack of standards on active shutter 3D glasses but now we might have too many, as Panasonic and Xpand have joined forces with several other companies to push M-3DI as a single spec for TVs, computers and theaters. Initial plans for the spec cover only IR sync, with the RF Bluetooth technology included on many 2011 3DTV models (Samsung and Sony are notably missing from the list of participants) to "be considered" for the next step. We'll wait to see some cooperation between this alignment (full list of supporters in the press release after the break) RealD and the CEA's 3D Technologies Working Group -- which, probably not coincidentally is expecting proposals by the end of this month -- before believing the current 3D glasses mess will be resolved.
iPad production may be slowed by touchscreen production woes
If you're an international customer who's waiting for an iPad, you're probably a bit anxious about the lack of a solid release date. The problem might not just be unprecedented demand for the iPad in the U.S., but also production issues with the 9.7" touchscreen displays. Andrew Rassweiler, an analyst with research firm iSuppli, told Bloomberg News that yields on the displays have been low. That problem is in turn causing a production bottleneck. The displays are made in South Korea by LG Display and Samsung Electronics, and also in Japan by Seiko Epson. The displays are similar to those used on the iPhone, but of course are much larger on the iPad. Scaling up the displays complicates the process of production. iPads won't be available internationally until sometime in May, and will then appear in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland. Apple is expected to announce pricing in those countries on May 10, 2010. [via Macworld UK]
Epson concocts world's first 4K HTPS panel, 4K 3LCD projectors closer to reality
Oh, the beauty of progress. Just a few months back, Epson seemed fairly content showing off an HTPS panel with a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, though today that very product just seems lackluster. Up until now, 4K x 2K projectors were reserved strictly for cinemas, businesses and consumers with a) more money than sense and b) room for a 200-pound beamer in their basement. The planet's first 4K-compatible high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panel for 3LCD projectors measures just 1.64-inches and supports displays with resolutions as high as 4,096 x 2,160. Your guess is as good as ours as to when this stuff will actually hit the market in a functioning product, but yesterday is as good a day as any to start saving up. [Via Akihabara News]
Seiko Epson envisions large inkjet-printed OLED TVs, unicorns for all in 2012
As much as we'd like to put stock in Satoru Miyashita's forecast, we're still hesitant to believe that we're just two Consumer Electronic Shows away from seeing big-screen OLED TVs for sale. After Sony's polarizing XEL-1 hit the scene around two years ago, we've seen an anemic amount of action in the commercial OLED TV space. Sure, we've heard promise after promise, but we've still got no solid evidence that a large-screen set is anywhere near a Sam's Club shelf. In a recent interview with the general manager of Seiko Epson's Core Technology Development Center, OLED-Info managed to get this out of the exec: "We see 2012 as being the year that 37"+ OLED TVs will be launched by various makers, and 2015 as the year that sales will really take off for this market." He's referring to the year in which OEMs will begin to use its new inkjet-printing approach to making OLED TVs, which will hopefully allow for easier development of larger panels. 'Til then, we suppose we'll just have to be content with using the Zune HD as our primary television.
Seiko Epson's inkjet tech brings big-screen OLED TVs closer to reality
We know it's been burning on your mind everyday since December 6th, 2007: "What on Earth are those guys and gals over at Seiko Epson doing now that they've killed production of RPTVs?" At long last, we've located an answer. According to a prideful new release from the outfit, it has developed a new inkjet technology that will enable the "uniform deposition of organic material in the production of large-screen OLED TVs." For what seems like years now, manufacturers have teased us with 37-inch OLED HDTVs, but they've skirted around questions relating to "price" and "release." Now, the last remaining excuse seems to have been vaporized, so if we don't see a market-ready big-screen OLED at CES 2010... well, let's just say the knee-capping club is dying for a reason to reunite.[Via Akihabara News]
Seiko Epson's 500ppi 3D display for phones: how dense is dense enough?
Not that we're complaining, it's just that human eyes usually can't discern denser than 300ppi, and few interfaces are built to take advantage of... ah, who are we kidding? This is awesome. Seiko Epson has built a 2.57-inch 3D display for phones that runs at an astounding XGA resolution, and should be ready for commercial applications in two years. There's a special lenticular lens on top of the pixels to allow you to view images from multiple angles, which usually means a hit to the pixel density, but obviously this display can handle a bit of that.
Epson and E Ink partner on controller IC for e-paper displays
Epson and E Ink, two mainstays in the electronic paper realm, have pooled their resources in order to develop an all new display controller IC set to enable "faster navigation, multitasking and real-time pen / keyboard input." The S1D13521 chip is slated to be used in E Ink's Vizplex-enabled electronic paper displays (EPDs), and it'll also be making an appearance in said company's forthcoming AM300 Broadsheet prototype kit (pictured). In layman's terms, this device should speed up the user interface considerably, as it will enable the display to "perform up to 16 tasks in parallel and support smooth and responsive pen input devices for annotations and sketches." As for availability, we're seeing that samples ($18 apiece) should make their way out next month, while production quantities won't be able to scamper free until August.[Thanks, Jack]
Seiko Epson ceases production, sales of RPTVs
Not even a full month after Hitachi pulled the plug on its own RPTVs and started looking to sell off its CRT operations, Seiko Epson has come forward and announced that it too will discontinue the production and sales of its rear-projection televisions. Reportedly, the outfit will be refocusing efforts on front projectors, and judging by its installation at CEDIA, we can't say we're shocked to hear it. It should be noted that the firm will "continue its research and development activities for rear-projection models," and moreover, a company spokesman proclaimed that it wasn't totally withdrawing from the rear-projection TV "business" -- whatever that means. Another one bites the dust, we suppose.[Image courtesy of Astera]
Seiko Epson shows off UXGA e-paper display
Those fortunate enough to traverse the halls of Embedded Technology 2007 could've seen Seiko Epson's latest wonder up close and in person, but for the rest of us, we'll have to settle for the above picture and a drool-worthy description. The prototype e-paper terminal measures in at just 3-millimeters thick and weighs only 57-grams, and it's even equipped with a USB port. Furthermore, it features a 6.7-inch display with a luscious 1,600 x 1,200 resolution, but the unit on display could only handle grayscale imagery. Also of note, the entire unit was powered by a single button cell battery, which enabled the screen to be redrawn upwards of 1,400 times (at 0.7-seconds per redraw) before running out of juice. Details surrounding its eventual commercialization were pretty much par for the course, meaning your guess is as good as ours at this point. Two more snapshots after the jump.[Via Technabob]
Seiko Epson, Murata team up on contactless quick charger
Not even a week after startup WiPower boasted about its breakthrough in wireless power, Murata and Seiko Epson have announced plans to "jointly development a non-contact quick charging system." Reportedly, the technology "leverages electromagnetic induction," and both the charging stand and a given mobile device would be "respectively equipped with coils that generate power." As for the production, it sounds like Seiko Epson will hone in on the "transmitting side, or primary side," while Murata "will be involved in the production of the rechargeable Li-ion." The overriding goal is to recharge a handset "in about 10 to 15 minutes in a non-contact manner," which would purportedly push power transmission efficiency from current levels of 30- to 50-percent to nearly 70-percent. Oh, and we've already been assured that these "will not generate heat."
Epson wins ink ruling; ITC recommends banning third-party imports
While we're still not sure whether refilling those empty ink cartridges is indeed a criminal act (or a waste of money), Epson has taken one more step towards forcing the average consumer to purchase name-brand carts at sky-high prices. Of course, Epson would have you believe that it's simply protecting its patents, but in a recent preliminary ruling that deemed some 24 suppliers that "import and sell Epson-compatible cartridges" as in the wrong, it could spell higher prices and less choices for consumers with Epson printers. Nevertheless, if the final ruling (set for July 30th) follows the same path as this one, a "general exclusion order on the cartridges" would be enforced, barring any future imports of the presumably lower-cost alternatives into the States. It looks we're almost down to two choices when it comes to printing: break the law, or break the bank?[Via TGDaily]
Epson's 7.1-inch, QXGA e-paper
Seiko Epson, consistently at the forefront of new flexible display technology, has once again announced a breakthrough in plastic-substrate-based electronic paper manufacturing. Using its proprietary SUFTLA (surface-free technology by laser annealing) technique, combined with electrophoretic technology from US-based E-Ink, the company has managed to produce a 0.47-millimeter-thick, A6-size (7.1-inch) sheet of e-paper that sports an impressive 2,048 x 1,536 pixels (QXGA) and a maximum drive voltage of six volts. The new display, which also features a 10:1 contrast ratio and almost border-less design, was announced at the Society for Information Display's (SID) recent international symposium in San Francisco.[Via Akihabara News]
