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Nubia Z5 unveiled in China with quad-core chip, 5-inch 1080p display and 7.6mm thickness
Much like many Chinese smartphone brands these days, ZTE sub-brand Nubia had prematurely given away the main selling points of its Z5 ahead of its Beijing launch today, but there were still some surprises. As you probably already know, here's yet another five-inch 1080p Android phone featuring Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with a 13-megapixel F2.2 main camera (with five-element optics by Konica Minolta, plus separate touch focus and touch exposure in the app) and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. For multimedia consumption, the Z5 supports WiFi Display and MHL output should you wish to beam content to a larger screen; whereas on the audio side you are spoiled with either Yamaha or Dolby Digital Plus. But wait, there's more! %Gallery-174115% %Gallery-174118%
JVC trots out Everio GZ-HM340 HD camcorder with 16GB of internal storage
Too busy to deal with 8mm, DVDs or VHS tapes? Who isn't, right? JVC is looking to erase the tragic memories of converting your home videos to a format that someone could use by introducing the newest member of the Everio camcorder family: the GZ-HM340. Stocked with 16GB of internal Flash memory, a 20x optical Konica Minolta zoom lens, 1.37 megapixel CMOS sensor, image stabilization, one-touch upload to YouTube, face detection and an SD / SDHC expansion slot, this bad boy is set to land later in the month for a nickle under $500. Here's hoping it captures to something other than AVCHD, but our gut tells us this might be one dream that doesn't come true.
Konica Minolta prepping thumbdrive-sized projector
It was inevitable, really. With outfits like Dell and 3M taking projectors to a whole 'nother (tiny) level, it was just a matter of time before someone else came along and made those pico projectors look gigantic. Enter Konica Minolta, who is reportedly developing a projector that's just 1.6- x 0.79- x 0.3-inches, or slightly smaller than your average flash drive. The unit will supposedly use lasers, mirrors and black magic instead of light bulbs and lenses, and it'll still be capable of beaming out a 20-inch XGA color image from a distance of just under two feet. Sadly, this keychain-bound PJ won't be ready for pickup at your nearest grocery store checkout aisle until at least 2010, but you should probably start preparing yourself for its awesomeness right now. [Warning: Read link requires subscription][Via ComputerWorld]
Konica Minolta licenses white PHOLED technology from Universal Display
Technology never stops moving forward -- even as LED lighting begins to enjoy a rollout across various product sectors, new eco-friendly lighting competitors emerge. Sure enough, we're talking OLED technology. Konica Minolta has entered a licensing agreement for some of Universal Display's UniversalPHOLED (phosphorescent OLED) technology. PHOLED lighting may not be as sexy as, say, full motion colorific OLED displays, but knowing how many applications there are for static white light, there's lots of moolah to be made in this technology. And between Konica Minolta's partnerships with Universal Display and General Electric, there could be some exciting developments in the not-too-distant future. And we're not thinking lightbulbs; try ultra-thin, energy efficient PHOLED backlighting as an interim technology while full-fledged OLED displays get mainstreamed.[Images courtesy InternationalLightTech and CityPages]
Konica Minolta's coffee-making "bizhub of the future"
There's really not a whole lot the workplace can offer (or that corporate will allow) to make us want to roll into the office day after day, but Konica Minolta's "bizhub of the future" just might change all that. Besides being the typical "prone to jamming" mega printer that has become a staple of workplaces everywhere, it touts an integrated screen, DVD player, built-in speakers, and even an espresso machine to keep our eyelids peeled. Of course, you can also scan, copy, and fax while you're sipping sucking down that caffeinated goodness, but we don't envision much work getting done with Mike Judge's Office Space rolling on the LCD. Currently, the machine is simply a prototype waiting for production, but if the Michael Scott's of the world all band together, surely we can make the mundane work week seem a bit less humdrum.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Konica Minolta develops ultra-bright mobile display
Making mobile displays extraordinarily bright seems counter to the logic that battery life is priority number one, but Konica Minolta is taking its chances and marketing its new organic EL backlight tech to cellphone manufacturers, claiming to rock 1,000 candela per square meter (by comparison, a highway flare burns at about 70 candela). We're questioning the need -- or ability, for that matter -- to look at a screen blasting more light at us than a small flashlight, but if the output can be toned down for typical use, we can certainly see the safety applications in this. Just don't kill our precious batteries, Konica Minolta, and we're down.[Via Akihabara News]
Sony Alpha 100 DSLR previewed
The first DSLR from Sony is sure getting plenty of hype, but we think we'll reserve judgement until we spy a solid review of a production unit. Until then we'll have to make do with this hands-on preview of the 10 megapixel Sony Alpha A100, and try not to get caught up in that fancy Greek lettering. Luckily, things are looking plenty good in pre-production, with features galore, and a potential to rival the image quality of cameras nearly twice as expensive. Specially notable is an eye sensor to automagically activate auto-focus, Sony's special sauce image stabilisation that mixes the best of Sony and Konica Minolta tech, the 2.5-inch 230,000 pixel LCD, and of course the large 10 megapixel CCD. The camera build is pretty solid, shooting speed is fairly fast, and other little niceties like Konica Minolta and Minolta lens compatibility make this camera very attractive. PopPhoto is predicting a roughly $800 street price, and while the similarly specced $1700 Nikon D200 might have it beat in a few (important) areas, Sony's new kid on the block might have a chance to do battle with Canon's EOS 30D or at least pose a serious threat to its own price range.
Sony's Alpha DSLR A100 debuts
Looks like the Alpha's what we thought it'd be after all -- and everybody waiting for Sony's first official DSLR need not wait (much) longer. Really, there's nothing much in the Alpha A100 we weren't already speculating based on the previous specs reported on the interwebs, but at least now the details are a little more fleshed out: its 10.2 megapixel sensor is a Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD with Super SteadyShot OIS, anti-dust filters and vibration, and Bionz Image Processor hardware; the camera also features the Minolta A-lens mount (of course), a 2.5-inch anti-reflective display, 3fps burst mode, 600 shot lithium-ion Stamina battery,CF and Memory Stick Pro Duo (via CF adapter), and a sweet feature that initiates autofocus when you look into the viewfinder (so you don't have to waste time with the half-press). Not bad, but we're honestly a little worried about the price up in this piece. We'll keep ya posted.Update: and the price! $999, "expected to ship on or before July 28th, 2006" according to the SonyStyle page. Oh, and DP Blog also has some sweet info on the 20 or so lenses announced for this thing as well, better check that out before you make any buying decisions. There you have it ladies and gents, enjoy. Thanks, Steve.
Possible Sony Alpha DSLR specs revealed
Australia's Digital Photography Blog is reporting that an anonymous source has emailed them detailed specs of Sony's upcoming DSLR, which -- if accurate -- show that the company's first foray into this product category will sport a 10.2 megapixel CCD and go by the name Alpha 100. As we already knew, this model will be compatible with existing Konica Minolta lenses as well as some 20 new lenses that Sony plans to release over the next year, but the information revealed today would seem to flesh out all of the remaining details concerning features, pricing, and availability that had previously been unknown. DPB's tipster claims that the 100 will rock an anti-reflective 2.5-inch, 230,000 pixel LCD, in-body Super SteadyShot image stabilization, maximum ISO of 1600, nine-point auto focus, CompactFlash support (but oddly enough, your MemoryStick Duo cards will only work with the included adapter), a reported 750-shot battery, and about a million different shooting modes and scene settings. If we are to believe what this mystery "insider" says, you'll be able to pick up your very own Alpha next month for around $1,000, sans lens.[Via Let's Go Digital, thanks Pascal V.]
1080p projector by Marantz - VP-11S1
Looking for a FullHD DLP projector? Need one that has a very high contrast ratio and an array of inputs. How about one with a lens from a famous lens maker? Well, we have a projector for you. Check out the VP-11S1 from Marantz. This lovely looking projector is 1080p and a contrast ratio of 6500:1. Not only that it has tons of inputs including: 2 HDMI, 2 component, s-video, RS 232 and VGA. The lens comes from Konica Minolta but this thing is going to require a good amount of room. Check out how small the power cable receptacle looks. Judging from that, the projector looks like the size a a mid-tower computer case. You know why they make this projector so big though right? So it feels as if you are getting $14,500 worth of a projector!
