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NEC builds a better bioplastic from plant stems and cashew nut shells
We've already seen cellphones made from corn and bioplastics used in other products, but NEC has now come up with what it says is an even better solution: a first-of-its-kind bioplastic that's based on non-edible plant resources. That's as opposed to bioplastics based on things like corn, which are better for the environment than traditional plastics but don't necessarily represent the best use of food. What's more, NEC's new bioplastic also boasts a high plant component ratio of more than 70% -- derived from plant stems and cashew nut shells -- and it's said to boast a high durability that makes it especially well suited to electronics. As you might expect, however, it's not quite ready to be used for electronics just yet, but it's not all that far off either -- NEC says it expects to put it into production for use in a "wide range of electronic equipment" within the 2013 fiscal year. Full press release is after the break.
North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included
What's being hailed as North America's first public-use quick-charge station for electric vehicles has just been unveiled in Portland. The station, built by NEC subsidiary Takasago, is installed in a PGE headquarters parking garage and will charge electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes. So yeah, it's public, as long as you've got a PGE badge apparently. Anyway, the grand opening was led by Governor Ted Kulongoski, pictured above carefully maintaining a safe distance while charging a Nissan Leaf. Guess you can never be too careful when pumping 50kW into a pre-production vehicle. Click through to see a video demonstration of the future, if we're lucky. Update: We're being told that the quick charge station is installed in a public parking garage that is part of the World Trade Center building in downtown Portland (where PGE's headquarters are). It costs $3 to park, but charging is on the house. Thanks, Chris!
NEC outs versatile E231W monitor with 1080p resolution and green aspirations
You know that the 16:9 display ratio is here to stay when even NEC's business monitors -- long the bastion of old school sensibilities -- start offering it as a standard feature. At least the Japanese company has also had the decency to include a DisplayPort on its latest 23-incher, with a full 1080p resolution and ambient light sensor adding to the feel of modernity. The E231W isn't moving things along much further than the well-liked EA231W of last year, but it does consume less power (28W) and up-front cash ($299) than its senior sibling. 250 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 4-way adjustability (height, tilt, swivel, and pivot), and a 3-year warranty round off the energy-efficient package. Availability of this latest MultiSync monitor is scheduled for later this month, and you'll find the full PR after the break.
Tokyo Institute of Technology announces SSD-packing, 2.39 petaflop supercomputer
IBM has announced plans to start using SandForce SSDs in its enterprise machines, and now it looks like the Tokyo Institute of Technology is doing one better, working with NEC and HP to produce Tsubame 2.0. This next-gen supercomputer will reportedly operate at 2.39 petaflops (that's a lot of flops!) and uses a new multilevel storage architecture consisting of DRAM as well as SSDs. Not only will this bad boy have thirty times the computing capacity of Tsubame 1.0 (due in part to its some 2,816 Intel Westmere microprocessors and 4,224 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs), its power draw should be some 1/25th of its predecessor's. If all goes according to plan, it should be in operation this fall, at a cost of ¥3.2 billion (approx $35.5 million). [Thanks, Dylan]
NEC LifeTouch Android tablet isn't exactly a beauty
Hey, they say beauty's in the eye of the beholder, but we're going to go out on a limb here and call this one like we see it: NEC's LifeTouch Android tablet isn't a looker, in our opinion. That said, this 7-incher runs Android 2.1 and packs an ARM Cortex A8 processor. Although it's scheduled for release in Japan in October, it turns out that it'll be sold directly to businesses, so don't hope to grab up one of these -- unless you have the best employer ever, that is. Hey, at least it's original looking. Video below.
NEC's 3D Valuestar N all-in-one PC: orcas all up in your retinas
Golly. We never thought to invest in a 20-inch all-in-one PC just to watch converted versions of Free Willy in 3D, but darn if we're not reconsidering now. NEC has today revealed its Valuestar N range, with the VN790/BS being the standout in the range. The machine offers up a native 1,600 x 900 resolution panel, integrated Blu-ray drive, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, WiFi, six USB 2.0 sockets, an undisclosed Intel Core 2010 CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), and of course, native 3D support. You'll need to spring for an optional (but not really) pair of glasses to fully enjoy the third dimension sans intense headache-inducing blur, but given that they aren't of the active variety, any ole set will probably get you through. Pricing looks locked at ¥220,000 ($2,422) for a June debut in Japan, with approximately none of that actually going to save the whales. A crying shame, we say.
NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections
Surprise: Japanese carriers are announcing literally dozens of phones at once. Okay, look, that's not a surprise at all, but bear with us, because there are a few shining jewels in here amongst the seemingly endless array of WVGA displays and one-seg tuners from NTT DoCoMo and KDDI au, both of whom have announced their Summer 2010 collections of handsets this week. Of note, two of the models from DoCoMo -- the Fujitsu F-06B and Sharp SH-07B are capable of shooting 1080p video, while KDDI's SH008 from Sharp, S003 from Sony Ericsson, and CA005 from Casio all feature sensors of 12 megapixels or larger. Several of the devices can also be used as WiFi hotspots, and Hitachi's trick Beskey for KDDI has interchangeable keypads that change the shape of the keys, not the layout -- a bit superficial, perhaps, but we're all about choice. DoCoMo is also launching a handful of smartphones: the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp (not to be confused with the old Atari handheld of the same name) that features Android atop a 5-inch touchscreen, Toshiba's 4.1-inch T-01B Dynapocket with WinMo, and RIM's plain old BlackBerry Bold 9700. Don't get us wrong, it's still quite a haul, but we can't help but feel that the gap between Japan's wireless scene and the rest of the world is closing fast.
NEC rolls out Windows CE-based N-08B MID / phone for Japan
The chances of this one ever making its way to these shores are about as slim as can be, but it looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to get their hands on NEC's new N-08B, which is part phone and part MID (but mostly MID). Relying on the venerable Windows CE operating system, this one packs a 4.6-inch, 854 x 480 display (non-touchscreen, it seems), along with a full QWERTY keyboard complete with a trackpoint-like pointer, WiFi and 3G connectivity, a micro SD card slot for expansion, a 3.1 megapixel camera, and a promised 350 minutes of talk time when used as a phone. Still no indication of a price, but this one will apparently be available on NTT DoCoMo in August.
NEC tech detects illegal video uploads in seconds, MPAA swoons
Surely by now you've come across something on YouTube that was flagged for copyright infringement, a process that's surely powered by massive teams of elves and other mystical creatures who watch each and every video uploaded to the site. NEC is looking to put them all out of work with a system that, with just 60 frames worth of video (about two seconds, typically) can identify copyrighted video with 96 percent accuracy and a false alarm rate of one in 200,000 -- even if it was copied from digital to analog or had captions added. This process is now part of the MPEG-7 Video signature tool, apparently the international standard, and works by creating signatures for copyrighted video that are just 76 bytes per frame. That's small enough for a desktop with a single core, 3GHz processor to churn through 1,000 hours of questionable video in one second, looking for matches all the while. Unless you freelance for the MPAA this isn't software you'll be running, but if you're a fan of the torrents there's a good chance that someone you know very indirectly will be.
NEC's 3D all-in-one PC set to polarize the market this year
It seems that even the fully-integrated desktop is not immune to the wiles of 3D. NEC has demonstrated an all-in-one desktop PC that features a Blu-ray player and an LCD display that, when paired with some inexpensive polarized glasses, adds a little depth to movie content. That's all we know about it at this point, other than a release date that's been pegged as happening sometime in 2010, with Impress indicating that it could even be sometime in the first half of this year. The question is, of course: will anyone buy it?
SuperGrafx game to be added to Japanese PSN
In addition to PSOne games and made-for-PSN games, the Japanese PlayStation Store features a modest selection of games from NEC/Hudson's PC Engine system, in its "PC Engine Archives." In a massive update, Sony is adding 1/7 of the games from another NEC console, the SuperGrafx. Okay, so it's just one game. Next week, Hudson's After Burner-style shooter Battle Ace will be available on the PlayStation Store next week, along with Victory Run, a racing game for the original PC Engine. Strangely enough, the Wii Virtual Console is also host to a single SuperGrafx title in Japan, but it's a different one: Capcom's Ghouls & Ghosts. Of course, both the Virtual Console and the PlayStation Store are devoid of SuperGrafx games outside of Japan.
The TurboExpress, lovingly unboxed
You might think gadget unboxing videos are unnecessary. A quick look after the break is all you need to realize that you are wrong. Aaron Nanto of pcenginefx.com has filmed a beautiful unboxing video notable not only for its subject (an NEC TurboExpress, the handheld version of the Turbografx-16 console) but for its beautiful cinematography. For us, this video lies somewhere between "love story" and "pornography," though we wouldn't dare suggest it's indecent to watch. We've never been so thrilled to see five seconds of Keith Courage in Alpha Zones.
NEC manages 16Gbps, tries to put a dimmer on Light Peak (updated)
If you didn't know it, there's a brewing interface war between the effortlessly backwards compatible USB 3.0 and the decidedly fresh break offered by Light Peak. Most people are fans of new stuff that works with their old stuff, but so too do people like stuff that's really fast, and USB 3.0's 5Gbps just can't match Light Peak's 10Gbps. Or can it? NEC says it can, indicating that its USB 3.0 NEC has demonstrated a new chipset managing a whopping 16Gbps (2GB per second) over a single cable, finding a way to overcome that standard's signal interference problems to more than triple the USB 3.0's held ceiling. It remains to be seen whether NEC's technique will be integrated into the still young 3.0 spec, but that would certainly be the logical thing to do. Update: TheLostSwede commented to point us to an English version of the press release that, in Japanese form, seems to have led to the Electronista story we used as a source. Apparently something previously got lost in translation as the release actually talks about a wholly new inter-chip serial interface offering 16Gbps speeds, not an extension to USB 3.0. This could provide the system internals to shovel bits to whatever new external interface reigns supreme.
NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler
Do you care about color? We mean do you really care about getting the most true-to-life color reproduction on your monitor? Then you'll probably be wanting an IPS panel, preferably with 99.3 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color spectrum and 100 percent of the sRGB stuff. What's that -- you'd also like more headroom than what these silly new 16:9 ratio displays can give you -- yup, the PA241W has you covered with 1200 pixels of vertical workspace as well. A solid 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 360 nits of brightness, 8ms response time and 178-degree viewing angles flesh out the spec sheet, while a tilt-and-swivel ergonomic stand, USB hub and DisplayPort connectivity figure as the predictable extras. Less foreseeable is the generous 4-year parts and labor warranty, but then you'd want nothing less when splashing a cool $1,079 on a monitor. NEC is ready to ship it to you today, but if you're feeling in a thrifty mood we'd suggest also checking out Dell's competing model, which offers a similar spec at a much lower price point.%Gallery-84468%
NTT DoCoMo will demo LTE prototype at MWC, launch service this year
Still on track to launch its LTE network this year, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has today announced that its first prototype handset designed specifically to handle all that bandwidth will be unveiled at MWC 2010. We already knew a cool $10.4 billion or thereabouts were to be spent on Japanese LTE deployment, and now we can break that figure down a little by noting that NTT will be spending between $3.3b and $4.4b on its infrastructure alone. All we know of the new phone so far is that it'll be the product of the overall partnership with NEC, Fujitsu and Panasonic, but judging from NTT DoCoMo's last prototype to grace these pages, we're unlikely to be left wanting.
NEC's new Mate ME desktop is 30% more efficient, 75% more recyclable, 100% less flammable
There comes a time when you have to stop chasing performance and start making good for the environmental damage you've caused -- or do you? NEC's latest Mate desktop offers 30% boosted efficiency over previous models despite offering better performance with Core i5 or i7 processors, consuming just 23 watts thanks to a redesigned motherboard and the use of SSD. It also features greater use of recyclable components and a shell composed of environmentally friendly yet flame-retardant plastic -- important when your power supplies have been known for their explosive personalities. NEC is also announcing the new VersaPro VD laptop (pictured after the break), similarly equipped with Intel's latest, and offering a new software tool for tracking energy consumption to "increase user awareness of energy saving." Knowing is half the battle, friends.
NEC's SRVC-1000 adds super resolution upconverting for broadcasters
The promise of super resolution upconverting technology making all your old SD sources shiny and beautiful HD hasn't exactly translated to reality, but if viewers won't upgrade on their end, NEC is delivering its hardware to broadcasters with the SRVC-1000 transcoder. Split screen demo videos might not convince us to upgrade our TV just to watch old VHS tapes, but this rack mounted unit aims to keep archived video fresh or even allow them to keep using SD cameras -- although we'd rather they didn't -- saving money while upgrading to HDTV by producing smooth and clear upscaled video in real time. Hopefully the implementation of these units makes it even tougher to tell when some standard-definition is sneaking in, but we're not holding our breath.
Blinking LEDs to give QR codes a run for their (ad) money
We're still waiting for this so-called QR code revolution to hit North America, but our contemporaries across the Pacific are already looking to develop the next big thing. Reportedly, a smattering of mega-corps (including the likes of Toshiba and NEC) are joining hands in order to concoct a rivaling technology that requires even less effort to get content from billboards, books and posters to one's mobile. The heretofore unnamed system utilizes blinking LEDs to send data to phones, and so long as an ad has enough room for a minuscule light, consumers can come within five meters of it and receive the associated information by simply pointing their handset in the direction of the light. If all goes well, the technology will be ready for commercialization by 2013, or just after phase one of the Robot Apocalypse.
NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more
When two of Japan's largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan -- but for consumers in the local market, it's nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo: Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a "jewelry quality" phone with a snap-on perfume holder for "an air of elegance." LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don't speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone). Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot -- for some reason we don't fully comprehend. Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera. Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret -- the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever. Samsung SC-01B: Samsung's Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup. And from Softbank: Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first. Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride. Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it's Softbank's turn -- and this time, it's called the X02A. Not much more to it than that. Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T's Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard. Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics. Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung's now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing. Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don't think you'd want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors -- hence the name, we think. Android: The simply-named Android runs -- you guessed it -- Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won't be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn't being revealed right now. Both companies are also adding wireless digital photo frames to the lineup, and in Softbank's case, a pair of data modems with support for 7.2Mbps on the downlink. We'll admit -- we didn't think we'd live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan's. Read - Softbank Winter '09 / Spring '10 collection Read - NTT DoCoMo's new series
NEC working on an Android tablet for suits?
Super-vague report in the Nikkei this morning about NEC working on a seven-to-eight-inch "mobile device as capable as a personal computer" that's aimed at business customers -- no specs are given, but the tiny accompanying pic definitely shows the Android app tab at the bottom of that custom UI. Very mysterious. The report says NEC thinks it'll move 100,000 to 200,000 of these a year after it launches next fall, and plans to sell a million a year over time, but we'll wait to see what's real and what's not before we tackle that prediction. [Via Slashgear; warning, read link requires registration]
