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Sharp is ready to sell 8K consumer TVs now that we all have 4K
While other electronics companies are just getting to consumer 4K screens, Sharp is once again focusing on the next resolution milestone. Today, Sharp announced its 8K AQUOS televisions will be coming to Japan and China in December, with releases in Taiwan and Europe planned for early 2018.
Sharp's edge-to-edge AQUOS S2 is a glimpse at your next phone
Andy Rubin's Essential Phone may have wowed us with its edge-to-edge display recently, but let's not forget that Sharp has been driving this design with many of its previous Android phones -- 28 of them, to be precise. Today, the Japanese brand unveiled its 29th release dubbed AQUOS S2 which, funnily enough, looks rather familiar. From afar, the S2's screen and the Essential Phone's screen share the same front-camera notch at the top, except the former is a smaller 5.5-inch panel with a slightly lower 2,040 x 1,080 resolution. The more notable difference here is how the corners at the top appear to be hastily trimmed, which is a bit of a letdown, but at least you're still getting a nice 135-percent sRGB gamut plus a handy 550-nit brightness.
Sharp will reportedly start building OLED TV panels next year
Now that Sharp is under new ownership by Foxconn, it may have big plans for a return to TV prominence. In a move that could explain a sudden push to recover the use of its name from Hisense, the Japanese company apparently has a plan to add OLED TV production lines at one of its plants next year. The Japan Times reports that at a cost of 57.4 billion yen ($515 million US), it could have production operation at two plants in the spring of 2018. While one would work on small and medium screens for phones (like, maybe a new iPhone?) and laptops, the other would focus on TVs, where LG dominates the segment, producing OLED panels for its own TVs as well as other brands.
Sharp says its US TVs are 'shoddily manufactured'
Sharp has been selling TVs in the US since 1970s, so it was pretty shocking when it sold its US name rights to Chinese manufacturer Hisense for a mere $27.8 million. That seemed like an especially pitiful sum after Foxconn purchased Sharp for $3.5 billion, but the company's new parent has decided to take action. It's suing Hisense to get back US rights to the name, claiming the firm is sullying the brand with "shoddily manufactured" TVs and misleading advertising, according to the WSJ.
SoftBank and Saudi Arabia tout the world's largest tech fund
It's normally not a big deal if a tech investment fund scores a lot of money (unless you're a startup CEO eager for cash), but the latest windfall is definitely an exception to the rule. After no shortage of hype, Sprint owner SoftBank and the Saudi Arabian government have secured their first major round for the Vision Fund, a tech investment group hoping to back "transformative technologies" ranging from biotech to communications. How major? About $93 billion dollars -- while that's not quite the $100 billion the creators are aiming for, that easily makes it the world's largest tech investment fund, not to mention the largest private equity fund. The remaining $7 billion should come by the time the Vision Fund finishes its money-raising efforts in about 6 months.
'Star Wars' smartphone caters to your fandom
How much do you like Star Wars? Enough that you'd buy a phone that revolves around it? If so, we have good news... at least, if you're living in Japan. Sharp is marking the imminent arrival of Rogue One with a SoftBank-exclusive Star Wars smartphone that's clearly designed for the most devoted of fans. The slick-looking, color-shifting Light Side and Dark Side designs are just the start. The real party starts when you dive into the software. Whichever model you choose, you get a heavily customized take on Android with starfighter-based live wallpaper, custom apps and sounds, special emoji and a collectable card game. And did we mention that a free app lets you watch The Force Awakens as much as you like until December 1st, 2019?
The best of CEATEC 2016: virtual tea, printed makeup, too many robots
Panasonic showed off a TV that hides in plain sight, there were gesture controlled origami birds, and a TARDIS-shaped machine that could 3D scan your entire body in four seconds flat. That's the kind of show CEATEC is. There were even more robots, and while some of them might have a future, many may never be seen again. And that's okay. Here's everything we saw, and you can find all the best bits in the video above.
Sharp's adorable robot phone is a not-so-cute $1,800
The RoboHon is real, it's going on sale, and (obviously) it's going to Japan first. At a press launch at the Sharp's HQ in Tokyo, we finally got some important details, and it's not all good news. Launching on May 26th in its homeland, the robot phone will cost 198,000 yen (plus tax!) which comes out at over $1,800. In the spectrum of expensive zeitgeist technology, that makes the Oculus Rift et al. seem like a bargain. (Then again, the Rift doesn't do a cute little dance or talk to you in a kawaii robo-anime voice -- but your opinion may differ.)
Foxconn and Sharp reportedly sign takeover deal on March 31st (update: official)
All the fuss over Foxconn's protracted acquisition of Sharp might come to a close soon. Reuters tipsters understand that the two tech giants will finally sign the takeover deal on March 31st, a day after they hold board meetings to approve it. Sharp may not be so happy with the end result, mind you. Foxconn is supposedly slashing its offer for Sharp's shares by ¥100 billion (about $884 million), possibly owing to the liabilities it discovered at Sharp last month. Neither side has commented on the apparent leak, but it won't take long to learn whether or not there's any truth to the story.
Sharp accepts Foxconn's $6.2 billion takeover offer
According to reports from Japanese business journal Nikkei and Reuters, Sharp has decided to accept a takeover offer from Foxconn. Taiwan's Foxconn is a massive electronics manufacturer best known for being the main assembler of Apple's iPhone, and Nikkei sources say its 700 billion yen ($6.2 billion) offer closed the deal, winning over a bid from an investment group backed by the Japanese government. Last we heard, this move could put Foxconn in position to start making and releasing its own hardware under the Sharp brand, but since no details have been officially announced, we can only speculate.
Foxconn likely to become Sharp's new owner
Foxconn is now the clear favorite to buy Sharp after offering $5.5 billion for the moribund electronics firm. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Foxconn's bid was so large that it's now entering "exclusive talks" to seal the deal. Previously, the firm was running a close-second to INCJ, an investment fund backed by the Japanese government. It was hoped that INCJ would win in order to keep one of Japan's oldest electronics firms out of the hands of foreign owners. Unfortunately, it's believed that the fund offered around $2.5 billion for the loss-making maker of displays, home entertainment equipment and appliances.
Foxconn trumps Japanese rival in $5.2 billion bid for Sharp
Sharp may have mounds of debt and falling sales, but it has one thing that China's Foxconn doesn't -- display technology used by Apple and others. That's reportedly why Foxconn has bid 625 billion yen ($5.4 billion) to buy the troubled company, according to the WSJ. That bid is over double the 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion) offered by an Japanese investment fund called Innovation Network Corp. In addition, Foxconn will absorb all of Sharp's considerable debt -- the company has a 510 billion yen ($4.4 billion) payment due soon on a series of loans to Japanese banks, for example.
Nintendo invents a gamepad dominated by its touchscreen
Nintendo has said precious little about its plans for the NX (other than that it won't be like a Wii U), but it might have hinted at what's coming through some recent paperwork. The console maker has filed for a patent on a gamepad design where a touchscreen would cover the entire front panel. You'd still have familiar elements like analog sticks (poking through the display) and shoulder buttons, but the usual front-facing buttons would be replaced by context-aware touch. The move would give you the adaptability of a smartphone interface with the primary controls you're used to in a TV system -- you could even use the controller on its side, or get visual effects when you press buttons. It wouldn't require a gigantic body like the Wii U's gamepad, either, and a card slot could take game data directly.
Only in Japan: the robot that's a smartphone that's a robot
RoboHon ("Robot Phone") is the cutest smartphone ever: a (familiar looking) robot frame that fits in your pocket. It can take calls, dance, project photos, display maps and more. It's a 'bot with a smartphone inside. Yes, some will snort at the idea of a phone with a 2-inch touchscreen, but it's certainly an original notion -- unashamedly so. That said, is it innovative? Is there a point to it all? Does it really fit in your pocket? We'll know better when it launches here in Japan early next year. For now, here's a closer look in person, answering at least one of those questions.
These 8K displays may end up on your next tablet
Most of us have barely touched 4K content, but the keen folks in Japan are already showing off some 8K displays, and we're not just talking about those of conventional TV sizes. At CEATEC, NHK brought along three upcoming 8K panels that may end up on future tablets, laptops and monitors. These include JDI's 17.3-inch LCD that was just announced last week, as well as Ortus' insanely sharp 9.6-inch LCD (that's a whopping 915 dpi!) from May, and Sharp/SEL's 13.3-inch OLED display. Even though the OLED panel was unveiled back in June last year, it's still by far the best 8K display out of the three; it's as if you're looking into another world, thanks to the combination of high contrast, strong vibrancy plus insanely sharp resolution. Alas, there's no launch date for any of these just yet, but a spokesperson from NHK hopes to see these come out before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which will be broadcast in 8K.
'RoboHon' is the tiny robot smartphone you never knew you needed
Watch the teaser video after the break. Skip along then come back to me. Sharp's RoboHon is so damn adorable, I can't look away from this kawaii singularity. This robot smartphone may be cute, but it's also jammed full of skills and features. A projector, articulated animated arms and legs, talkative but in a charming Japanese robot sort of way. You're old, Pepper the robot. There I said it.
The first 8K TV will go on sale soon for over $130,000
Sharp has demonstrated Super Hi-Vision 8K displays before (as seen above during CES 2015), but today in Japan it announced an 85-inch version is going on sale October 30th. Dubbed the LV-85001, it's a monitor (it has a tuner so you could call it a TV, but that can't actually receive 8K video) for professional use only, mostly since there aren't really any broadcasts or content to watch in 8K. Coming in at 16 times the resolution of 1080p screens, the 7,680 x 4,320 pixel LCD panel uses Sharp's IGZO technology. To actually watch any 8K video, you'll need to plug into all four of its HDMI inputs at once just to have enough bandwidth. If you're interested (and why wouldn't you be, even though there's almost nothing to watch), just contact Sharp's business-to-business sales unit, and bring along a check for 16,000,000 yen, or about $133,034 US.
Sharp abandons TVs in the US, hands keys to China's Hisense
Sharp's financial problems have forced it to leave the LCD TV business in North America. Chinese TV maker Hisense has paid a mere $23.7 million for the company's Mexican factory and the right to use the Sharp brand in North and South America. Sharp lost 34 billion yen ($274 million) last quarter and $13.4 billion over the last four years, according to Bloomberg. Though the Japanese company recently received a $1.8 billion bailout, president Kozo Takahashi said "we have to consider all options, including a spinoff of the LCD business. The LCD market is changing very rapidly."
Sharp will start making HDTVs with Roku built-in
Until now, the only names that had signed up to be part of Roku's integrated smart TV club were TCL, Hisense and Insignia. If none of those brands floated your boat, however, then you may be relieved to hear that Sharp has now signed to bake the streaming company's hardware into a new range of TVs as well. The company is pledging to knock out both a 42 and a 50-inch 1080p set built from Roku's reference designs. Price-wise, the former is priced at $379.99, while the latter will wind up setting you back $499.99 -- with both available exclusively through Best Buy.
Sharp said to be spinning off its smartphone LCD business
Sharp is still in financial trouble despite shifting more of its attention to mobile displays, and it appears ready to take some drastic action to keep itself afloat. Nikkei, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal all claim that the Japanese firm is planning to spin off its smartphone LCD division. The move will reportedly happen during the company's current fiscal year (by next March), and the WSJ believes that it could be announced before Sharp unveils its restructuring plans in May. The corporation will only say that it's still considering its reorganization options. If the spinoff talk is true, though, this shows just how tough it is to survive in the mobile display business if you aren't a powerhouse like LG or Samsung -- even some of Japan's LCD giants had to form an alliance to stay in the game.
