Explay's oio nanoprojector has been on our radar for some time, and regrettably, it's still no closer to actually launching. According to Noam Zur, Vice President of Business Development for the company, the second-generation oio "will be commercialized in 2008 to 2009," which is a bit later than we had previously hoped. Nevertheless, the prototype shown was indeed battery powered, could fit in one's palm and offered up a QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Additionally, it was stated that the "target power consumption is one-watt," and while the outfit would love to one day cram these things into mobile device, it'll be marketed as a standalone device at first.

Recall that 4k D-ILA chip that JVC announced earlier this year? Fast forward a few months, and feast your eyes on JVC Victor's not-yet-named 4k x 2k projector, which was on display at this year's CEATEC. The device boasts an incredible 4,096 x 2,400 resolution and can "throw a 200-inch picture from about 7-meters away." Additionally, the unit featured a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, 3,500 lumens, and employed the same 1.27-inch D-ILA microdisplay that we saw in June. No word on price, but start saving those pennies for a "first half of 2008" release.

Rohm certainly has a thing for cranking out diminutive devices that elicit attention, and the firm chose CEATEC as the venue to demonstrate its long-awaited full-color OLED that's "smaller than a fingernail." According to a company spokesperson, the 320 x 240 resolution display measures around four- by three-millimeters, is "embedded in a prototype chip and is designed for use in a video-camera viewfinder." Notably, the unit actually requires humans to view it under a microscope in order for it to be clearly seen, and although nothing was said about a commercialization date, it was suggested that Rohm is already working up a similar version with twice the pixels.

Considering that Panasonic was showing off its newest Blu-ray recorders at CEATEC, we're not too shocked to hear that Toshiba was touting a trio of its own for the HD DVD camp. All three units sport the ability to "transcode in real-time an off-the-air MPEG2 high-definition signal into the more efficient MPEG4 AVC compression system," and while we're not sure how capacious they'll be, it was noted that these devices would include an internal hard drive to compliment the HD DVD writer. The flagship RD-X7 features 1080p24 output, while the RD-A101 / RD-A201 "didn't appear to offer this output based on available information from Toshiba." Per usual, we're still playing the wait-and-see game when it comes to pricing and release dates.

We caught a glimpse of Marubeni Infotec's wooden input peripherals earlier this year at Computex, and now the makers of the Hacoa brand are reportedly readying a DIY kit that will enable users to actually assemble one of their own. Apparently, the company is downright tired of working long hours just to crank out a minimal number of 'boards, so it's hoping to offload some of the labor and attract industrious consumers by offering up the Ki-Board DIY Kit. The package will purportedly include your choice of maple or walnut wood, a USB keyboard base, a few tools / connectors and a "plank with the beginnings of keys carved into it." Word on the street has it that these bundles will go on sale later this month for around ¥34,800, or just over $300.

[Via PinkTentacle]

An e-ink primary display on a cellphone? Eh, that's so 2006. On display at Japan's CEATEC show this week is a prototype clamshell that flips the concept on its head, moving the e-ink down below. The benefits are pretty obvious -- different keypad configurations can be shown in different phone modes, a tactic that's been explored before -- but unlike phones that use OLED or LCD displays, e-ink only requires power when it's being changed, so you get the combined benefit of configurable keys while consuming virtually no additional energy over a standard layout. Combine the concept with physical ridges between keys and we figure this could be a pretty killer setup since you wouldn't be losing tactile feedback, either. We see a good fifteen or twenty concept phones for every device that actually sees production, but since some folks bothered to throw together a physical prototype here, we're cautiously optimistic this thing might see the light of day.

[Via Ubergizmo]

A far cry from the concepts of yesteryear, Toshiba is really getting serious about its fuel cell PMP concepts, and this year's model makes the all-important move of integrating the fuel cell power plant into the very back of the player. The unit runs on nearly 100% methanol, and discharges the vapor created through natural evaporation. There's a capacity meter for tracking the amount of fuel you've got left, and the cell provides about 10 hours of 1seg playback. Toshiba's aiming to launch the player in 2008-ish, and is showing off other fuel cell items at CEATEC to bolster its cred, including a prototype laptop -- which you can sign us up for right here and now.

Sure, it's just a prototype for now, but we can't help but feel a bit smitten with any drive capable of playing 100GB of data off a single 4-layer optical disc. The BD camp was also touting 200GB, 8-layer discs as they have since 2004 (at least) while showing off the components that will usher in 8x performance (double-that of existing commercial gear) in a more realistic timeframe. When that might be exactly, no one's willing to say.

Just as expected, Toshiba is busy wowing onlookers at CEATEC with new applications that run on the firm's SpursEngine chip, including one that enables couch potatoes to "control a DVD player with hand motions." The chip is reportedly able to "process motion detected by a camera and turn it into commands," and the camera can "recognize hand motions from 10 feet away." Tosh's Qosmio laptops are being used to demonstrate the new goods, and it was even said that the lappie's camera could produce a 3D rendering of your head in order to help you choose hairstyles / makeup combinations before heading out on the town. Regrettably, there's still no official word as to when this newfangled technology will go mainstream.

Plenty going on in Tokyo these days, and CEATEC's latest up. We're out at the show today, and already we can tell that ultra-thin TVs are the new hotness in Japan this year. Don't wander far, coverage is coming right up!

Last week, there was more to come out of the recent CEATEC expo than just droolworthy gadgets. Half a dozen major Japanese television manufacturers -- Matsushita (Panasonic), Sony, Sony Communication Network, Toshiba, Sharp, and Hitachi -- have banded together to form a company called "TV Portal Service Corporation," which we're hoping sounds a little less like a mafia front in Japanese. The new partnership seeks to launch a website on February 1, 2007 called acTVila.com, which would be accessible through each company's net-enabled TV. The site aims to provide "basic information services" at first, and later will move to video-on-demand, "content downloading services" and "payment transactions" by 2008. Business talk aside, we hope that Apple doesn't mind that acTVila's logo looks very inspired by the Picasso-esque MacOS smiley face logo.

[Via EETimes]

Not one to let LCD (10,000:1) and SED (50,000:1) HDTVs steal the spotlight, Pioneer has fired back at CEATEC with a 60-inch plasma featuring a 20,000:1 contrast ratio (on the left). Compare that to the 3,000:1 contrast ratio of the current (on the right) 1080p PRO-FHD1 / PDP-5000EX ,and you can see how that is kind of a big deal. Despite the distinct lack of pricing or other information, Pioneer hopes to have its next big thing in PDP on shelves in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

If you think those 50GB Blu-ray blanks are asking a bit much from the ole wallet, and haven't found a Blu-ray burner without all sorts of issues to begin with, TDK is moving forward anyway with its latest twist on Blu-ray technology. It's only fitting that the same folks bringing us the 200GB variety have announced their plans to drop a smaller, more compact version, and that's precisely what happened at today's CEATEC festivities. The 8-centimeter recordable disc handles 16.5GB on a single layer, and is being designed for next generation camcorders, such as the ones Hitachi's been showing off at the same show. Although nothing definitive has been said, the groundwork has apparently been laid for a dual-layer variety (that's 33GB for those still counting) to hit shelves in the even-more-distant future.

[Via Ubergizmo]

LCD TVs using LEDs for backlighting aren't exactly new -- Sony's high-end Qualia line has had this feature for a while -- but getting them down to a price affordable for most consumers has still proven to be an unattainable goal. Samsung had a 40-inch 10,000:1 contrast ratio beauty on display at IFA 2006 last month, and now the good folks at JVC are showing the model pictured above at CEATEC 2006. No deets on pricing, specs or even size are available yet, but if plasma isn't a good fit for your wall or budget -- and waiting around for SED is too much of a bore -- LED backlighting is the best bet for improved color reproduction and black levels in LCDs.

Sure the wireless remote has enabled us lazy-types to control our boob tubes without leaving our ass-groove on the couch, but so far there have been few ways (save for custom stands / installations) to adjust the physical TV without some serious physical exertion -- until now, that is. There's not a whole lot to go on, but based on what we've gleaned online, Mitsubishi is demoing a new TV at CEATEC that comes on a motorized swivel, the first such model that we know of to come with this handy feature out of the box. The as-yet-unnamed LCD has 30 degrees of rotation each way, displays high definition content, and lets you get your swivel on with the press of a button on the remote. Thank you Mitsubishi, for bringing us one step closer to the day when we'll never have to leave our chairs at all, content with sitting in a pile of Doritos crumbs as our robotic servants deliver us one deliciously intoxicating beverage after another.

[Thanks for the translation, Lane R.]