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Apple, Samsung and Sony linked to child labor in Africa
A new report from Amnesty International claims that some of the world's biggest technology and automotive companies are failing to check whether cobalt mined by children is being used in their products. Its joint investigation with African Resources Watch (Afrewatch) suggests that Apple, Huawei, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony are linked to the sale of cobalt used in lithium batteries in smartphones, notebooks and tablets, from mines in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where children as young as seven are put to work.
We're not doomed: A supercut of robots falling down
Today's action at the DARPA Robotics Challenge has been interesting, but if there's one takeaway so far it's this: the robot apocalypse is not here yet. If you've been warily looking on as robots run, jump, wield swords and even fold themselves up origami-style, this video clip of all the times robots fell over during he competition is exactly what the doctor ordered. Now, we're sure these teams will continue developing their technology and someday, a robot will master the art of stepping out of an ATV well enough to subjugate squishy organic lifeforms (or save them from disasters, which is the point of the competition) -- just not today. Update: More video is coming in, and we may have laughed too soon. Besides the numerous successful attempts at traversing areas of DARPA's obstacle course, Carnegie Mellon's CHIMP robot showed mettle by picking itself up after a fall. Check out the clip after the break, plus a bonus video showing the MIT "Cheetah" quadruped taking a tumble.
Nokia establishes stance on conflict minerals in formal policy
Recent weeks have seen a swell of interest in corporate responsibility, particularly with regard to technology manufacturing and supply chains. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook affirmed his company's commitment to ethically and environmentally sound practices, evoking sentiments that were echoed today in a similar announcement from Nokia. Seizing the opportunity to establish some goodwill among socially conscious consumers, the Finnish manufacturer has just released a policy outlining its philosophy on conflict minerals -- metals like gold, tungsten and tin that have played a direct role in fueling civil violence and unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the document (linked below), Nokia acknowledged that it doesn't play a direct role in obtaining these materials, but emphasized its strict traceability requirements. All suppliers, Nokia says, must provide detailed information on the sourcing of its metals, going back to the smelter phase, at a minimum, and even to the mine itself, if necessary. The company also highlighted its adherence to guidelines established by the EICC-GeSI Extractives Work Group, which both Apple and Intel have already joined. Granted, it's impossible for a single company to wipe out civil strife and human rights abuses in one fell swoop, but with this codified approach, Nokia hopes to at least "increase transparency, ensure responsible procurement by our suppliers and sub-suppliers, and drive positive change."
Dan Read Cosmetics barrels into HDTV makeup arena
In what is quite possibly the most exclamation point-laden press release of 2008 thus far, Dan Read Cosmetics is introducing its triumphant entry into the world of HD cosmetics. Contrary to DRC's proclamation, however, its Silver Screen Series actually isn't the "first" makeup designed for HDTV, but it will hide facial flaws from the discerning eye of the high-definition camera. Unfortunately, there's entirely more hype than actual details about this stuff, but we are told to expect the lineup on QVC sometime this year!
Sony announces its biggest Bravia: KD-70XBR3
Sony just announced its newest Bravia LCD, the KD-70XBR3. This 70-inch HDTV is one of the first to support the xvYCC, or x.v.Color as Sony has named it via HDMI 1.3. It's the largest Bravia announced and features 120Hz "Motionflow" technology to reduce blurring, like many of the new LCDs we've seen so far. The panel also features 10-bit video processing and Triluminos LED backlight. x.v.Color gives a color range of video that is 1.8 times greater than what was previously available, and is also supported by the four new Handycams Sony announced. The set features a 7,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio with DRC-MFv2.5, and is slated to ship this February for $33,000. If that price is acceptable to you, it's available for preorder now from Sony Style stores and several other retailers.
Sony's KDS-R70XBR2 and KDS-R60XBR2 1080p SXRDs now shipping
Now you can put Sony's latest DRC-MFv2.5 under the microscope in the comfort of your own home, as the newest XBR additions to its LCoS-based SXRD line begin shipping today. The aformentioned Digital Reality Creation technology separates the KDS-R70XBR2 and KDS-R60XBR2 from the A2000 line with this newer version designed specifically for upscaling all sources to 1080p. Three 1080p HDMI inputs, 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, CableCARD support and a host of other features are included at a price of $6,999 for the 70-inch and $4,299 for the 60-inch model.
Sony @ CEDIA - 52-inch 1080p, 40- & 32-inch 720p BRAVIA LCDs
Remember the 52-inch 1080p and 720p 40- and 32-inch BRAVIA LCDs Sony announced in Japan recently? They have officially announced their US availability prior to CEDIA 2006. First the the big guys, the 1080p 52-incher comes in two flavors, the KDL-52XBR2 and KDL-52XBR3. The XBR3 has the high-gloss piano black bezel we know you love so much while the XBR2 has a silver finish. Both include BRAVIA Engine Pro image processing built around Sony's DRC-MFv2.5 for upconverting lower-res signals, and WCG-CCFL backlighting for better color contrast. They feature a 1,300:1 on-screen contrast ratio (7,000:1 dynamic), 8ms refresh time, with three HDMI and component inputs. Both will ship in November, with MSRPs of $6,800 for the XBR3 and $6,500 for the XBR2. At the lower end Sony has added two S-series LCDs also shown previously in Japan, the 40-inch KDL-40S2400 and 32-inch KDL-32S2400, both featuring a 1366x768 (720p) resolution. They have the same Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) as the 52-inch models, with 1,300:1 contrast ratio (5,000:1 dynamic), plus "invisible" bottom-mounted speakers and will retail for $2,600 (40-inch) and $1,700 (32-inch) when they begin shipping in October. The 52-inch XBRs will have a fight on their hands with the similarly-spec'd Samsung and Sharp models hitting this fall.Update: Added images of KDL-32S2400 & KDL-52XBR2 after the break.
Sony unveils new Bravia LCD, LCoS HDTVs for Japan
Sony rolled out some new HDTVs for the Japanese market this winter, some of which have already been announced in the US, the rest we hope soon will be. The biggest new news appears to be that their advanced Digital Reality Creation (DRC-MFv2.5) circuitry is moving downmarket, into the cheaper A2500 series of LCoS HDTVs. The two new RPTVs announced are the KDS-60A2500 and KDS-50A2500, 60- and 50-inches respectively. They'll accept and display 1080p just like their American A2000 cousins, but now with enhanced upscaling technology for non-1080p inputs. At an estimated 600,000 and 500,000 yen respectively, that would give them about a $500-US price bump over the previous 50- and 60-inch LCoS HDTVs and are slated to ship September 15th. Of the nine new LCDs, five are identical to the Bravia LCDs already announced in the US, but they have added the 52-inch KDL-52X2500 at the top of line, and three new S-series LCDs (46-,40- and 32-inch) at the bottom. The KDL-52X2500 includes the aforementioned DRC technology, WCG-CCFL backlighting (1500:1 contrast ratio), Live Color Creation, 1080p resolution and 1080p inputs. The cheaper KDL-46S2500, KDL-40S2500 and KDL-32S2500 are 1366x768 (720p) LCDs with the older Bravia Engine image processing, a 1300:1 contrast ratio on the two large TVs and 1700:1 ratio on the 32-inch. All four LCDs share a 450cd/m2 brightness, feature one HDMI and two D4 inputs (as compared to the three HDMI jacks for the US-specced TVs) and are due to ship in Japan October 20th.
