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Here are the world's first USB Type-C 'Superphones' from China
Following the Nokia N1, the new Chromebook and the new MacBook, who knew the world's first USB Type-C smartphones would come from a Chinese company? The brand in question is LeTV, who has today unveiled three new Android 5.0 "Superphones" that feature the reversible socket. The flagship aluminum Le Max (pictured above) is all about the absolute top specs: a 6.33-inch Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 810 chip (2GHz, octa-core, 64-bit), 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a whopping 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a 21-megapixel f/2.0 camera (with Sony's new IMX230 sensor, plus optical stabilization and dual-tone flash) and a bright UltraPixel selfie imager.
Silicon Image buys up SiBeam, what's next for WirelessHD?
Despite years of tech demos, promises and new specs, wireless HDMI products have failed to set the world on fire, and now WirelessHD backer SiBeam has been acquired by HDMI chipmaker Silicon Image. The $25.5 million deal is expected to close in the second quarter and both parties seem to be interested in pushing the 60GHz WiHD standard forward. We'll see if Silicon Image's hardware prowess can get WirelessHD in more boxes and displays, but the most likely outcome is that we'll still be plugging in the same old wires this time next year.
Poll: Is anyone thinking about Wireless HDMI?
It's been a few years since the first wave of wireless replacements for HDMI cables hit the market, but even with several companies and standards making a push, we're not seeing huge leaps forward in the technology or its availability. Of course, companies like Netgear are jumping in with their latest twist on the theme in the form of 3DHD, Intel is pushing WiDi while WHDI, WirelessHD and countless others are still floating around out there. So we're asking you, are you already on the wireless HD bandwagon or if not, are you even considering the technology at all?%Poll-55740%
Ask Engadget HD: Is there a good wireless HDMI option yet?
In the yeeeeear two thousand... and ten, are we seriously still restricted to the demands of physical connections to get our HD fix? While wires have gotten it done for most of us so far, there's more than a few looking to make the jump to wireless HDMI solutions but unsure how to take the first step. We'll let Greg tell us about his situation: "Currently my setup has wires running around the corner from my display to a media closet stocked with DVR, Blu-ray player, game consoles and the like, but I'd really like to shift my HDTV to a wall across the room without light shining directly on it. Unfortunately that would put it around 15 feet away from where all my HD sources are and drilling through the walls/ceiling is not a desirable alternative, and I want to know if any of the many wireless HDMI extenders or integrated TVs are worth buying. A Panasonic Z1 might be out of my price range, but one of the new HDTVs from Vizio, Toshiba or LG coming this year definitely an option. Otherwise, a dedicated streamer might be my best option, but is there one worth the money available now?" When we last considered this question a couple of years ago, the immature wireless HDMI market offered only expensive options that compressed the signal and didn't work very well. By now, prices have come down and technology has improved greatly. We haven't gone cable-free in our setups yet but we're sure someone out there has tested the wireless HDMI waters, any advice for our friend Greg is certainly welcome. Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Hitachi, Panasonic and Toshiba to deliver 60GHz wireless products in 2H 2010
The year's 2010, yet we're still leering at the dusty pile of cables behind our AV equipment and wondering, "O UWB, where art thou?" Well, the folks at Tech-On have got a little update for us: Hitachi, Panasonic and Toshiba are reported to be delivering products donning 60GHz wireless chips -- which sip little juice but churn out 7GHz of colossal bandwidth and 1.5Gbps of data rate -- in the second half of this year. While none of the manufacturers are directly pimping either WirelessHD or WiGig, it appears that Hitachi and Panasonic are siding with WiGig's extra functionalities like media access control (MAC), and the latter even envisions "embedding the functionality into portable gear" for downloading digital content from kiosks. Either way, it's nice to see some progress here -- we don't want things to drag on any longer, do we?
VIZIO's 2010 XVT LCDs go up to 72-inches with 3D, LED, WiFi & WirelessHD
Remember VIZIO's LED backlit 55-inch XVT LCD with WiFi and widgets that debuted for two grand last year and seemed like such a value? Great, now go ahead and forget it because the company's top of the line model in August will switch over to a monster 72-inch 480Hz LCD (above) with 3D, WirelessHD, VIZIO Internet Apps widget platform and Wireless-N for $3,499. If that's too big to fit your budget (or in our case, tiny shoebox apartment) there will also be 55- and 47-inch versions available, with all the same features plus a new antireflective panel for those of you who like to keep the lights on during, they'll cost $2,499 and $1,999, respectively. These 3D displays feature SENSIO technology and Bluetooth-synchronized active shutter LCD glasses from XpanD, while a VIZIO XVT Pro Wireless HDMI Adapter is available separately with 4 HDMI inputs to blast HD signals across the room on the 60Ghz band. Cinema enthusiasts also have something to look forward to, check the gallery below for shots of the 58-inch ultrawidescreen 21:9 aspect ratio XVTPRO580CD, no word on a ship date or price but when it appears later this year you can kiss black bars during movies goodbye. We're sure we'll see more models from VIZIO before CES is out for the smaller, less 3D friendly homes, but right now it doesn't look like the company plans on giving up its LCD sales crown anytime soon -- these combinations of features and pricing may prove very difficult to say no to. PR with other details is after the break. %Gallery-81478%
WirelessHD 2.0 spec speeds up to 28 Gbps to make room for 4K, 3D, portable devices
Two years after finishing up version 1.0 WirelessHD (WiHD) is still trying to come out on top of the no-cables-necessary high definition streaming dogfight, and it's going to get a boost in that effort now that the 2.0 standard is available. Backwards compatible with existing WiHD hardware, the bandwidth has been upped to 10 - 28 Gbps (up from initial specs of 4 Gbps with a theoretical 25 Gbps limit) - enough to handle 4K resolutions, Deep Color, a newly specified 3D over WirelessHD set of standards, HDCP 2.0 DRM and even 1 Gbps file transfers between devices. Out of this world specs are just a matter of course for new hardware, but our focus is still on the group's ability to get the price down this time around if it ever plans on going mainstream. With an investment from Best Buy just announced and a spot in VIZIO's LCD lineup already confirmed, existing cable manufacturers may want to start developing Monster Air (10x higher transmission speed due to special platinum ionized molecules, of course) to sell sooner rather than later.
VIZIO adding WirelessHD to top of the line HDTVs
We might have to take the WirelessHD group's claims of mass adoption pricing more seriously now that VIZIO has made plans to integrate 60GHz chipsets from SiBEAM into its XVT line of LED backlit LCDs. SiBEAM is also planning to demo some the no-wires hookup at its off-site CES location, but since we've seen the technology at work, the only big question is how cheap can it get? The top of the line Panasonic Z1 made our gift guide despite a high price, but for VIZIO to send its first products onto Wal-mart and Costco shelves later this year it'll have to start at somewhere below the $6k mark.
WirelessHD second generation hardware promises "mass adoption" pricing
Two years after assembling a team to fight the tyranny of wires with 60GHz beaming and less than a year after entering mass production, SiBEAM has unveiled its second generation of WirelessHD chips, this time with the promise of low cost, mass adoption price points with an eye towards reducing overall costs and improving video quality. The new 65nm chips don't require active cooling, use less power and take up less space, plus integrate HDMI, HDCP and DTCP support and surround sound capability. Last year the premium was too steep for us to consider wireless HDTV as a serious option, but as costs come down and manufacturer support comes up it may be time to take another look at WirelessHD.
Panasonic pries open room for WirelessHD availability in the UK
Panasonic has cleared a path for its WirelessHD equipped HDTV to launch in the UK now that Ofcom has opened up the necessary radio spectrum for use by all manufacturers. As it stood, manufacturers needed to get permission to use any part of the wireless spectrum, but now anyone should be able to use the 57-66GHz range. Expect the 54-inch version of Panasonic's wireless set to run around £5,000 when it becomes available in a few weeks, with other wireless TVs from LG and other coming later in the year.[Via Stuff]
Agilent readies first automated WirelessHD test system
The biggest question about all that wirelessly connected AV equipment coming our way in the near future (other than how much extra will it cost) is how well it will all work together and under what conditions. Agilent says its CTS-1000 automated test system is up to the task of sorting things out for WirelessHD hardware, measuring frequency, power, bandwidth error rate and other stats to make sure equipment makes the 60 GHz grade before its stamped with the WiHD logo. Pictured above is just one piece of the system, the Infinium 90000A Series Oscilloscope, a better look at things can be had for an easy $350,000 - $500,000, depending on setup, available now for early implementers (we assume Panasonic has one) and June 1 for everyone else.
LG's WirelessHD LH80 LCD TVs released in Korea
With its 2009 LED-backlit LH90 LCDs already announced, LG has decided its LH80 line should be next up, its first of many -- following Panasonic's lead -- packing a Wireless HD media box to stream any HDMI, USB, or OTA content to the TV. Available in Korea is just this 55-inch model for about 5.1 million South Korean won ($4,008) but you can check out our CES '09 Wireless HD demo for a better look at the box and display while we wait for its LH85 branded U.S. cousin to make an appearance later on this year.
Panasonic's first Wireless HD televisions on sale in Japan
Finally, something wireless high definition related that's not delayed. As promised, Panasonic's Z1 line of Wireless HD packing 1080p plasmas and assorted accessories went on sale this week for the discerning yen spending consumer. It'll be June before these make a U.S. debut, pop on over to Panasonic's Japan site and pore over some machine translated spec sheets in the meantime.%Gallery-41205%
Panasonic's ultra-thin 54Z1 plasma in the wild
Now that it's official and priced, Panasonic seems much happier to show off its wireless HD-sporting, ultra-thin Z1 series, and it's quite the sight to behold. The 54Z1 we got to look at was very strikingly clad in brushed metal gray -- compared to the regular black of most of Panasonic's TV lineup -- and of course incredibly thin. The wireless HD receiver box was across the room and working flawlessly, and it was nice to see that the included remote is an RF unit, capable of non-line-of-sight channel changing -- it's starting to feel like the 21st century around here! The plasma picture was of course very good, and we're really feeling those Viera Tools icons across the bottom. $6,000 though? That's your call.
WirelessHD group grew over break, totally ready to make Varsity
If a Panasonic prototype plasma and new copy protection spec weren't convincing enough, we'll let the Wireless HD group argue why it's ready to compete with WHDI and all the rest. This summer's big get is Broadcom, ready to promote Wireless HD as a necessary feature in the army of HDTVs and set-top boxes it already powers. The next step to exiting vaporware status? How about the addition of Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Sharp and others ready to adopt the technology. Punch the read link for more reasons to believe, but we'll wait for shipping hardware to decide who makes it past first cut.
Ask Engadget HD: When will wireless HD / HDMI take off?
This week's Ask Engadget HD question is near and dear to our hearts, and quite frankly, it's one of the best inquiries we've heard thus far. After a veritable onslaught of wireless HD, wireless HDMI, WHDI and other cord-free HD apparatuses were introduced and trumpeted at CES 2008, the hubbub has completely died in the months after. Sure, we realize many firms were simply showing off unreleased kit back in January, but it seems the push for untangling one's components has been (at least momentarily) halted. Check out Jeff's concerns for yourself:"When is wireless HD finally going to hit the market? Philips introduced a wireless HDMI product that never saw the light of day; now Belkin (FlyWire) and Gefen have announced similar examples at CES, but there's no word on when either will hit the market. Yes, this technology comes with a large price tag, but when will those willing to pay for a clutter-free setup have the chance to?"Beyond all that, we're wondering if these kinds of products will even impress once unleashed. In our experiences, transmitting loads of data over any form of wireless setup has been prone to dropouts, hiccups and all sorts of annoyances. Heck, even PowerLine has yet to overcome the stigma attached to it -- and it's a wired technology! Personally, we're hoping companies with wireless HD wares are taking the time to perfect them rather than handing them over unpolished, but still, will you be willing to subject yourself to possible early adopter woes when this stuff finally greets retail floors en masse?Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
WirelessHD version 1.0 is complete
WirelessHD (WiHD) is back, originally announced in late 2006, the 1.0 spec has been pronounced fit for consumption and will be released later this year. What's changed in the last 14 months? HD dream team Intel, LG, Matsushita (Panasonic), NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony and Toshiba have added 40 other companies as well as approval from DRM watchdogs MPAA and DTLA for their 60Ghz-based standard. Move over cable vs. satellite, downloads vs. disc and HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, with UWB-equipped HDTVs already on the way, a battle to replace the still-tricky HDMI connection is the new HD battleground for 2008.
WirelessHD group plans to replace cables using 60GHz band
Six of the world's largest consumer electronics companies have joined with startup SiBEAM to form the WirelessHD interest group. They expect to complete the WiHD spec by spring of next year, using the unlicensed 60GHz frequency to stream digital information at multi-gigabit rates. The advantages of using SiBEAM's solution is that such chips can use higher power levels without overlapping other frequencies, yet are limited to a short range and won't penetrate walls. With the backing of LG, Matsushita (Panasonic), NEC, Sony and Toshiba, this standard could easily overtake WiFi- and UWB-based solutions others are working on. Its backers expect HDTVs, DVD players, receivers and other devices based on the technology to start rolling out in 2008, leaving us wondering: why can Sony and Toshiba cooperate on this high definition standard, but couldn't make Blu-ray and HD DVD work together?[Via Yahoo News]
