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AMIMON crams 1080p streaming into its WHDI Stick, your laptop might have a new BFF
We can't say there's been a shortage of WHDI-enabled laptop-to-TV streaming solutions in the last few months -- ASUS has its WiCast, HP its Wireless TV and BriteView its HDelight -- but we've got one major complaint about them all: the large size of the transmitter. As you've probably heard us whine about before, each of those products requires a fairly chunky box be attached to the laptop itself via both HDMI and USB. But it's looking like it won't be that way for too long -- AMIMON, the company behind that WHDI technology, has engineered the WHDI Stick. The picture above is a clear sign of its prototype status, but the company's created the 3.2 x 1.2 x .61-inch device to really let the world, or at least manufacturers, know that it's shrunk down the package, but hasn't messed with the features -- it can still stream uncompressed 1080p/60Hz HD from a laptop to an HDTV with minimal (less than one millisecond) latency. We're planning to check it out in action at CEATEC this week, but AMIMON doesn't expect products based on the prototype to hit the market until the end of Q1 2011. Hit the break for the press release and the gallery below for some more pictures of the Stick. %Gallery-104235%
Sharp IS03 Android phone hands-on
Both KDDI and Sharp had a billion IS03s on display at CEATEC in Japan today (okay, not literally a billion, but quite a few), so naturally, we swung by to see what all the commotion was about. We'll be honest -- the phone didn't feel particularly high-end, coated top to bottom in cheap-feeling plastic and weighing a little less than you'd expect a phone of these specs to weigh. Furthermore, it was pretty sluggish and Sharp's UI skin atop Android 2.1 felt very "version 1.0," so we think we might want to wait for these guys to hone their game a bit before jumping in. That said, the vaunted 960 x 640 ASV display definitely seems up to the task, delivering bright, crisp images in the face of the notoriously harsh trade show lighting -- and the always-on LCD strip below the main display is a neat trick for glancing at the date and time without going to the hassle of powering on your phone. You might be worried that stacking it below the already-large primary display would make the handset too long, but we really didn't feel like that was the case. Follow the break for video! %Gallery-104240%
TDK flexes its transparent OLED muscles with CEATEC demonstrations
Finally a bit of competition to pep up the transparent OLED market. Samsung and LG seem to have had this party all to themselves until now, but TDK is stepping in with a 2-inch passive matrix screen and a humble QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. Sure, those aren't groundbreaking specs, but a claimed 50 percent transmittance -- meaning that half of what's behind the screen can be seen through it -- beats its Korean competitors rather handily. Another prototype being shown off by the company is a 3.5-inch flexible OLED panel that redefines thinness with a slinky 0.3mm profile. It's made using a resin substrate and covers an unimpressive 256 x 54 pixels at the moment, but again, that's just how good things get started: with small steps of awesome. We'll keep an eye out for both of these as we prowl the halls of CEATEC 2010.
Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D
Toshiba might have abandoned OLED, but that doesn't mean the company is lacking ambition in the display-making field. Today it's using CEATEC 2010, Japan's biggest electronics expo, to make official that 21-inch glasses-free 3D prototype we've been hearing about. It's lost an inch in becoming a retail product, with the 20GL1 offering a 20-inch diagonal, but the important multi-parallax picture transmission (employing a lenticular lens setup as used in Philips' Dimenco) remains the same. The new set, accompanied by a smaller 12GL1 model, will be shipping in Japan this December, and if it really does what it promises, the rest of the world should not be far behind. Update: Japan's Impress Watch has more details for us, listing a 720p resolution for the 20-incher and a funky 466 x 350 on the 12-inch GL1. Prices are estimated at ¥240,000 ($2,885) and ¥120,000 ($1,443), respectively.%Gallery-104161%%Gallery-104163%
Samsung showing off 330Mbps WiMAX 2 mobile broadband over at CEATEC 2010
WiMAX 2, the sequel to the movie most people haven't watched, is back to tease and tantalize us courtesy of Samsung's new CEATEC demo. Filling four separate HDTVs with streaming Full HD and 3D content, the Korean manufacturer of everything electronic is touting its latest advance in mobile broadband connectivity that takes the top speed up to 330Mbps. That may only be a third of the theoretical max capability of WiMAX 2, but you know, we'll take it for now. The good news is that Samsung's innovation brew extends only to the conduits between WiMAX devices, meaning that your current-gen transceiver will be able to join the accelerated party as and when Samsung's ready to dish out the goods. With the 802.16m standard expected to be ratified by next month, Samsung projects its first commercial solutions will be landing in late 2011. Consider our calendars marked.
Panasonic teases a 13.2MP 'Lumix phone' for October 5 unveiling
Looks like we'll soon have another heavyweight to throw into the renewed cameraphone wars, as Panasonic has put up a teaser site for its first Lumix-branded phone. Lumix is of course Panasonic's camera label, which counts among its luminary membership the likes of the GF1 and the newly refreshed LX5. The new phone shooter promises to beat both in terms of pure resolution with its 13.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, which is accompanied by a 3.3-inch LCD atop a 146-gram body. Much like Nokia's N8 and its protruding sensor compartment, this Lumix handset will have to make room for its expanded imaging equipment, which is why it'll offer a comparatively chubby 17.7mm thickness, to go along with a 116mm height and 52mm width. We'll know more next week when CEATEC 2010 gets rolling over in Tokyo. [Thanks, Anton] P.S. -- It's also noteworthy that Panasonic's press release indicates a folding mechanism for this handset, which, given current trends in Japan, makes it most likely to be a clamshell device. It's also got some DLNA voodoo inside and is coming out by the end of this fiscal year (April 2011).
Mitsubishi's huge, modular OLED display set to go on sale worldwide on September 21
Before you start dreaming of 155-inch OLED displays for your home theater, let us remind you that this Mitsubishi panel happens to pack an ignobly low 69 8.5dpi pixel density. So while it is indeed a wall-sized OLED image maker, it's not exactly designed to match up to the HD rigors of modern video. Composed of smaller, bezel-free modules, Mitsu's Diamond Vision OLED display has gone from CEATEC prototype last year to a triumphant retail product this year, starting to be exchanged for cash, trinkets and favors this September 21. As you might have guessed, it's primarily intended for use in digital signage scenarios -- which should be great so long as nobody tries to perch one up in the sun.
Hitachi exhibits 10-inch glasses-free 3D display
Hitachi's face-recognizing, power-saving plasma may have been the outfit's show-stopper at CEATEC, but this little bugger here showed some pretty fantastic potential as well. The 10-inch 3D display, more formally known as the Full Parallax 3D TV, one-upped most every other 3D display at the show thanks to its ability to showcase dimensions sans any glasses. Unfortunately, the native resolution is just 640 x 480, and yes, it really is just 10-inches in size. In due time, the outfit hopes to scale up to screen sizes that may actually be appealing to end users by utilizing multiple projectors (each of which with a 800 x 600 resolution), though a 4K x 2K 3D display (of the glasses-free variety) is still probably a couple of trade shows out. At least.[Via 3D-Display-Info]
Engadget Japan meetup wrap-up and farewell Japan!
So there are ways to wrap up trips and there are ways to wrap... up... trips. After four weeks of Engadget souls roaming the trains of Tokyo for TGS and CEATEC, we finally closed things out with a massive reader meetup with Engadget Japan. About 500 rabid (but very friendly) Engadget Japan fans lined up in Roppongi to meet the editors and see some mind-boggling, sometimes hysterical, and always interesting presentations. Thanks to Maywa Denki for his artistic impressions of Engadget readers (and the amazing Otamatone musical...thing). Also big ups to Samo Dengi (composer of music for Tekken), Cerevo, Acer, Microsoft, and Sony. But most of all, thanks to our amazing readers world-round, and thank you Japan! We are humbled, honored, and oh, so tired. See you next year! Rainen mata oaishimashooo! Video of the event after the break (taken on a 3G Android device, btw!).%Gallery-75694%
Finger Piano Share plays your Disklavier via WiFi (video)
Developers at Yamaha seem to be having plenty of fun with their iPhones -- at least, that's the impression they've made this year at CEATEC. Not only have we seen an app that lets you boss around a robotic chanteuse, but they've also put together a little something called Finger Piano Share. Don't let the video fool you, folks -- this is more than just a MIDI controller. Supporting up to ten users at once, this guy not only lets you remotely play your MIDI-enabled Disklavier via Wi-Fi, but you can record your little jam sessions (using the location-aware augmented reality app Sekai Camera) for playback whenever someone goes to the site of the original performance. Sounds like a recipe for a disastrous conceptual art piece if we ever heard one! Video after the break.
Hitachi's face-recognizing display turns off, saves power when you look away (video)
CEATEC is a breeding ground for new innovations, and Hitachi made sure to get its name on the A-list with a simple face-recognizing television that seeks to save power whenever you glance away. Essentially, the prototype plasma on display packs an inbuilt camera that notices when your face is peering at it, and whenever you glance away, a power-saving mode goes into action. Unfortunately, that means that the panel goes black, and while we understand the point here, we can envision such a feature causing all sorts of rage around the house, particularly if you've got a handful of viewers trying to keep watch from a few feet further away than yourself. Hit the read link to have a look at how things work in practice -- here's hoping you can opt for the sound to stay on throughout the blackout, at least.
Mitsubishi's modular, scalable OLED display goes 155-inches at CEATEC, could go way bigger (video)
Something tells us that whenever we do round two of our Time Square signage Engadget Show, Mitsubishi's modular OLED display will be amongst the highlights. Aimed at outdoor applications (but obviously ready for your living room), the scalable prototype shown here at CEATEC was 155-inches in size. The wild part, however, is that it could grow infinitely larger -- at least in theory. The whole panel that you notice from afar is crafted from smaller OLED blocks that snap together like a puzzle; the more you add, the larger your screen can be. Unfortunately, resolution is still relatively low and longevity is a definite concern, but if you can manage to stand a few feet back, the result is simply stunning. Hop on past the break for a new take on "immersive."
Elektrobit and Wistron MIDs pop up under lock and key at CEATEC: hands-on
Remember that new and improved reference MID that Elektrobit (better known as EB) announced back at IDF? Yeah, that very device was on hand at Intel's booth at CEATEC, though not a soul was allowed to touch it. The unit was neatly planted beneath freshly Windexed glass alongside three others, two of which certainly put an impressive label on Wistron. We did learn that the EB slate would boast a 3.97-inch capacitive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, though further details on the lot were scant. Have a peek below to see if EB's take on the niche MID might actually cause you to take notice.%Gallery-75235%
Yamaha's 1mm-thick prototype speaker is made from cloth, highly directional (video)
We've already heard first-hand how Yamaha can make surround sound emerge from a single soundbar, and now the outfit's wowing again here at CEATEC. It's latest aural innovation was tucked quietly away within its booth, disguised as an advertorial for the show itself. Essentially, the banner you're peering at above is a one millimeter thick speaker that's made from cloth, and it definitely has the potential to revolution billboards and possibly even portable media devices. As you can clearly hear in the video just past the break, the flat sound waves emitted from the cloth cannot be heard unless you're standing directly in front of it; even separate audio files playing back just a few feet away didn't overlap with what we heard coming directly at us. There's no telling if Yamaha will ever take this public, but if it does, there are about forty billion ad agencies in the greater New York area that would like to speak to it.
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.
gCubik shows off its good side, and every other while it's at it (video)
Remember gCubik? It's been a few months, but to recap, it's a cube developed by researchers from NICT that features textured surfaces that present you a different view on the "internal" image based on viewing angle, giving the illusion something is physically in the box. Theoretically, at least -- it's pretty low-resolution and in the early stages of development. We stumbled upon the device at the CEATEC showfloor this week and decided to snap some video while there. There were moments when the effect was lost, and getting too close completely blurred what we saw to the point of incomprehension, but again, this shows a whole heap of potential that's fascinating to us. See it for yourself after the break.
ALPS Electric Field Communication model finds logical purpose in tactile human interaction (video)
Let's face, most technology these days focus on enhancing our ability to converse without having to physically be near any one another in any way, shape, or form. So it's a bit refreshing to see ALPS try to bring back the personal with its Electric Field Communication model, which essentially takes the TransferJet idea one step further by using the human body as a transference medium between two devices. In the example we saw on the CEATEC floor, one person held a mockup cellphone displaying one of three images. The user held the phone in one hand, picked one of those images, and then placed his or her other hand against a computer panel, whereby that image was displayed on an overhead machine. The use we're really excited for, and one that was proposed in video form only, was two people having devices pocketed and sharing data between the two via hand touching, E.T. style. There isn't any direct product that's reaching consumers with the technology yet, giving us plenty of time to ponder if cybercriminals will figure out a way to hack your mobile simply by bumping into you at the subway, an interesting new spin on the idea of catching a computer virus. A bit confused by what we're talking about? There's a helpful video for you just past the break. %Gallery-75049%
iTwin fileshares over CEATEC showfloor, Mac firmware coming early 2010 (video)
Since we last saw iTwin back in September, not much has changed -- two physically synced USB dongles create a AES-256 encrypted connection between two Windows machines for transferring files from anywhere in the world (provided both are connected to the internet, of course). We had a chance to see a controlled demonstration up close at CEATEC, and while it worked as well as expected it to, we're not quite sure the $99 price tag is low enough to pique our interests. We do appreciate the ability to "reverse" the flow of file sharing, but from what we gather it takes both parties to initiate the change -- clearly there's more flexibility in just setting up your own file server, but we're probably not the target audience here. If you're still interested but choose a lifestyle centered around a Mac, we were told an OS X firmware update would be available in early 2010, would apply to all existing models, and would allow both Mac-to-Mac and Mac-to-Windows transferring. Video after the break. %Gallery-74890%
Funai Eco Scan projector adds multitouch capabilities to your bedroom wall (video)
Here's hoping every pico projector outfit on the planet is paying attention to what's going down at CEATEC, otherwise they can pretty much forget about competing with what Funai is boasting. Seen here in Japan, this prototype projector utilized a Nippon Signal MEMS scanner and a great deal of top-secret technology in order to actually add multitouch capabilities to whatever surface is lucky enough to receive the projected image. You read right -- if you use this PJ to beam up an image on your bathroom wall, school whiteboard or any other surface, you can count on that surface having multitouch capabilities while the image is live. Once projected, users simply twist and turn the image in order to have it modified in real-time, and while there are obviously far more enterprise-based uses for this than consumer-based uses, there's no denying the awesomeness. Have a peek of the beamer in action after the break, and expect it to go commercial sometime in 2010 (if we're lucky).[Via Tech-On!]%Gallery-75060%
Sony and Toshiba demo TransferJet short-range sharing at CEATEC (video)
TransferJet is still solidly in the "fledgling" stage, but it looks as if a few big time industry players have faith that consumers have a desire -- nay, a need -- for short-range, high-speed sharing. Here at CEATEC in Japan, both Sony and Toshiba were on hand with independent TransferJet demonstrations, and while the actual protocol has been in place for awhile now, it's the supporting cast (read: hardware) that has remained elusive. Toshiba was utilizing a snazzy TG01 and Qosmio laptop in order to showcase just how quickly the two could share information over the air, while Sony had us believing that pretty much everything it'll make for the rest of eternity could support device-to-device sharing. Head on past the break for a peek at the demos, but try not to get your hopes up for seeing this stuff in shipping products anytime in the immediate future, okay?
