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KDDI launches trio of Gingerbread-powered phones for the Japanese market
Last month, outdoorsy types in the states were treated to the G'zOne Commando, and now the Japanese market is about to get a macho Casio-made, Android-powered handset of its own. KDDI just launched the G'zOne IS11CA on its network, along with the Toshiba Regza Phone IS11T and the Xperia acro IS11S -- all of 'em Gingerbread-powered (sigh). The G'zOne IS11CA's design is similar -- but not identical -- to the Commando's, complete with rubberized bumpers, a 3.6-inch (480 x 800) display, and compliance with the US military's 801G specifications for dust, shock, and immersion in water. Meanwhile, the Regza IS11T is a 4-inch (854 x 480) slider boasting full QWERTY keyboard, 8 megapixel camera, GPS, TV tuner, and DLNA support. And lastly, the Xperia arco IS11S is a slab with a 4.2-inch (480 x 854) display, available in three colors. No word yet on pricing, though we know the G'zOne IS11CA and the Xperia arco are coming in late June, while the Regza Phone is slated to go on sale in September. Candy-colored press shots at the source links.
Toshiba's 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June
Toshiba's first Honeycomb tablet, which we first laid hands upon back in January, has finally been priced with an honest to goodness ship date. Unfortunately, this 10.1-incher with 1,280 x 800 pixel display, USB, HDMI, and 5 megapixel rear-facing cam is Japan-only for now, where the Tegra-2 powered Android 3.0 tablet has just made its official debut as the Regza AT300 with a ¥60,000 price (about $723). Look for it to hit the hard streets of Nippon in late June. Now if we could just get a name, date, and price for locations a bit closer to home we'd be all set.
Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android
Toshiba always likes to push the boundaries of TV technology -- Cell TV, Media Center extender TVs and its more recent glasses free 3D efforts come to mind immediately -- but there's always room for more conventional HDTVs and it showed off a few in Japan recently. The Z2 series of LED lit LCDs ship later this month and utilize a dual-core "CEVO (Cell Evolution) Engine" processor that has the horsepower to run its super resolution video upconverting algorithms. It also claims a mere 0.7 frames of input lag in game mode thanks to First In First Out memory that matches the performance of screens used in arcade cabinets. Even if you don't play Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on one of these, the company also announced it will release a version of its currently iOS-only Regza remote control / DLNA streaming app for Android and Windows PCs. So far the app is still a Japan-only thing, so while we wait for this tech to make it over to the US you can check out the specs for the TVs Toshiba actually did announce are coming to the States this year after the break.
Toshiba to sell big-screen, glasses-free 3D HDTVs in 2011 / 2012
Toshiba made good on its word to sell glasses-free 3D TVs prior to the end of 2010, but it only managed to out 12- and 20-inch versions in Japan. Today at CES, executives have reportedly stated that the company will be kicking things into high gear for 2011. It'll be showcasing 56- and 65-inch prototypes here in the desert (and a 4K one at that), and according to Reuters, it'll "probably launch two models, one over 40-inches and another over 50-inches." Atsushi Murasawa, Toshiba's head of visual products, even cleared up the distribution question: "These will not only be for the Japanese market, but also America, Europe and China." Sadly, no details were given surrounding eventual prices and release dates, but we'll see if we can't coerce someone into spilling a few more beans here in a moment. Update: We were able to grab someone here at the show, and were told a more realistic date of "end of fiscal year," which could mean into early 2012 before consumers can bust out their credit cards.
LG's CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs
Thanks to a couple of carefully planned slips over in South Korea, hardly anything about LG's CES 2011 is apt to take you fully by surprise. But if you just so happened to disconnect over the holidays, we'll break it all down below to ensure you remain firmly in the loop. For starters, the outfit seems pretty darn proud of its new SmartTV platform. Hinted at last month, this system enables HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other sources to access all sorts of streaming media, apps and even provides users with a way to surf the web. Four main sections are given -- TV Live, Premium Content, TV Apps and a Launch Bar -- and for TV models, owners will control things with a wave of the hand (read: Magic Remote). SmartTV picks up where NetCast left off, offering access to Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, NHL Gamecenter, NBA Game Live and MLB.tv. This here functionality is baked into quite a few of the outfit's 2011 HDTVs, but should own an older model... Then there's the all-new SmartTV upgrader! The ST600 is a minuscule set-top box that aims to transform any TV into a SmartTV. So long as your set has an HDMI input, you'll be able to access the content mentioned above. But, of course, it's on you to source your own Magic Remote. If it's an all-new TV you're after, the company is also revealing its 2011 LED and LCD HDTV line. Nary a one is different than those we heard about last week, but at least you can now rest easy knowing that the LW9500 and LW7700 Nano Full HD 3D models will indeed see a stateside release this month. The best news here is the use of polarizing glasses -- none of that headache-inducing active shutter mess. There are 13 new LED LCD models in all, with nine of 'em shipping with the SmartTV platform embedded. Unfortunately, LG's not dishing out pricing information on these bad boys just yet. Not so keen on picking up an LCD? Plasma still lives, you know! LG's rolling out its 1080p Infinia PZ950 and PZ750 lines here at CES, with both available in 50-inch and 60-inch class sizes. Both lines come equipped with the SmartTV platform, a gesture-based Magic Motion remote andl as a free Android / iPhone app if you'd rather use your phone as a remote. The 50- / 60-inch PZ550 is saddling with NetCast 1.0, but it -- along with the PW350, PZ950 and PZ750 lines -- can handle 3D imagery. Sadly, LG's also straying from providing pricing details on these. Wrapping things up, the company is debuting its 2011 line of networked Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The BD690 supports 3D BD playback and ships with an inbuilt 250GB HDD and the SmartTV platform. The majority of LG's line also includes WiFi, DLNA streaming support and a MusicID feature by Gracenote that enables consumers to play a song from a movie of TV show by mashing a single button on the remote. The BD670, BD650, BD640, BD630 and BD650 are also seeing the light of day, with the latter being LG's first portable BD deck. Finally, LG snuck in an image (seen above) of a 3D mobile TV prototype. We've no details whatsoever to go on, but you can rest assured we'll be scouring the show floor in search of just that. For more information on all of the goods here, head on past the break for the full releases. Don't expect to find any pricing information, though. %Gallery-112603%
Toshiba's Regza GL1 3DTVs going on sale in Japan tomorrow, no glasses required
The panacea of glasses-free 3D displays (or content) might not yet be upon us, but Toshiba's doing its best by putting the two models in its Regza GL1 family up for sale in Japan. Tomorrow marks the debut of the smaller 12GL1, spanning a 12-inch diagonal and offering the unconventional resolution of 466 x 350. That's expected to be priced at ¥120,000 ($1,431), exactly half of the ¥240,000 ($2,863) asking price of the 20GL1, which will follow it swiftly with retail availability on December 25th. The latter display has the decency to come equipped with a more civilized 720p resolution and 550:1 contrast ratio, although, as you can see above, neither panel can be accused of being unnecessarily thin or space-efficient. Still, this parallax barrier stuff is the best we've got for the moment -- and as usual the best we've got resides in Japan only. Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that Toshiba is planning larger members of this glasses-free 3D family with a panel of over 40 inches in the cards for the company's next fiscal year, which begins in April 2011. More to come at CES in January.
KDDI au outs Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections at the same time
A few of these handsets were already public knowledge, but by and large, KDDI's mind-numbing torrent of phones announced as members of its new Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections will leave you once again asking why you haven't sold your four-bedroom suburban home and relocated your entire family to a 125 square foot flat in the heart of Tokyo. We've already talked about the X-Ray, a member of KDDI's fashion-forward iida line, and the 16.4 megapixel Sony Ericsson S006 -- but other highlights include the IS04, IS05, and IS06, Android smartphones from Toshiba, Sharp, and Pantech, respectively (which doesn't even include Sharp's IS03 announced at CEATEC a few days ago). Of the three, none matches the IS03's 960 x 640 display nor its low-power secondary LCD, but the Toshiba Regza IS04 notably features a 12.1 megapixel cam. As the iida line goes, the X-Ray will be joined by the G11, a follow-on to 2009's G9 model -- and from what we can discern, it'll be a GSM / CDMA dual mode slider for international roaming with a touch-sensitive area below the 854 x 480 display in place of the G9's physical keys. Highlights among the other models include an upgraded Sharp Aquos Shot SH010 combining a 14.1 megapixel sensor with a waterproof shell, a Bravia-branded Sony Ericsson S005 with a 1GHz processor, and "simple" phones from Kyocera and Pantech -- the K008 and PT002, respectively -- that are designed for the occasional shopper that actually doesn't want ridiculous specs designed to make every phone outside Japan look like a DynaTAC. There's also a new e-reader, the E Ink-equipped Biblio Leaf SP02, featuring integrated solar recharging -- a smart feature for a device designed to sip power in the first place -- and a new mobile WiFi hotspot from Pantech, the WiFi Walker Data05. If you need to know more, follow the source link, but we've got to warn you: it might be hours before you're done.
Toshiba Regza GL1 3D preview: no frills, no glasses, some issues (video)
It's with some surprise that we pen, finger to key to screen, praise for a 3D display -- particularly one that is glasses-free (the staff is still a bit divided, for example, on Nintendo's 3DS screen). But here we go. Toshiba's 20-inch Regza 20GL1 3D set was on hand at CEATEC, and it's actually a set we could see ourselves comfortably watching for a given span of time. Viewing angles are none too shabby, the refresh rate doesn't visibly distract or inherently cause headaches, and at 720p, you can actually get an enjoyable image. The 56-inch concept conjured up a worthy picture as well, but then again, it's a prototype with no immediate purpose other than causing attendee awe at this point. If we had to fault it, we'd say that the viewing angles where you see two distinct perspectives (see the picture above for an example) are too wide, which means you'd have to be really careful about where you sit on the couch if you were to buy something like this for your den. Also on hand was a notebook, which at this point just didn't cut it. Perhaps it's just too early in development, but what was saw had minimal depth and an unfortunately low resolution / perceived refresh rate; when the video loop it was playing switched to the Windows 7 UI, it looked grainy and extremely difficult to read -- undoubtedly the side effect of trying to use a display designed for permanent 3D use in 2D mode. That leaves us to talk about 12-inch 12GL1, and what can we express other than disappointment? The 466 x 350 resolution (yes, that's less than standard definition) is just awful, you can lose the 3D effect moving marginally to the left or right, depth is not pronounced, and medium-to-fast pace footage just doesn't work. For all the warm-yet-cautious approval we give to the 20GL1, its little brother is quite the black sheep, especially at ¥120,000 ($1,443). Not that ¥240,000 for 20 inches is a bargain, but at least you're getting a quality screen... and for once, you don't actually need additional eyewear to enjoy it. Decidedly two-dimensional snapshots and video taken from an almost pitch-black showroom (i.e. very not optimal) can be found below. %Gallery-104266%
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%
Toshiba brings WX800 and VX700 HDTVs stateside, BDX3000 3D Blu-ray player this month
Remember that slate of drop-dead gorgeous Toshiba HDTVs that emerged at IFA? They're back, and they're making a beeline for a living room near you. Provided that "you" are in "the US of A," that is. Just as we expected, Tosh has come clean with the US variants of its LED-based Cinema Series, with the flagship WX800 models (46- and 55-inches) getting 3D Resolution+ technology, 240Hz processor, inbuilt 802.11b/g/n WiFi, the company's own Enhanced NET TV service, Yahoo! widgets (score!) and a native 1080p panel. The lower end VX700 series (again, 46- and 55-inches) is meant for those content with 2D imagery, but they still retain the connected features along with two USB ports, an SD / SDHC card slot and DLNA support. Lastly, the BDX3000 3D Blu-ray player that we've been holding out for finally has a ship date, and it's soon. Within a fortnight, the aforesaid player will be out and about on US shelves for $249.99, representing a $50 premium over the 3D-less BDX2700. Check out the full list of details embedded after the break. %Gallery-102328%
Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D
Ready to climb Mount Fuji and see what the next top Japanese TV will look like? Toshiba has just outed its trio of flag-bearing displays for this fall: the Cell Regza Slim 55XE2 and 46XE2, and the full-bloodied 55X2. Inch-based dimensions are already given in their model names, but you'll also want to know they offer 240Hz refresh rates, 1,000 nits of brightness and 9,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios on the chunkier X2 (augmented with local backlight dimming), and a 2D-to-3D conversion technology that'll translate your stale old 2D imagery into bodacious triple dimensionality. You're also keeping the 3 terabytes of storage and the capability of time-shifting up to eight channels at a time from the older model, though you're no longer limited to a hard cap of 26 hours per channel. Connectivity is also rich, with options for DLNA and/or up to eight HDDs, while jacking in a Blu-ray recorder will permit you to record straight to the optical media the same way you can do to the Regzas' own storage. All these goodies won't come cheap, however, as the flagship 55X2 will retail for a well-rounded million Yen ($11,430) in late October, to be preceded by its Slim siblings with prices of ¥700,000 ($8,000) for the 55-inch and ¥600,000 ($6,858) for the 46-inch earlier that month. Full press release after the break.
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.
Toshiba's new REGZA record over LAN, convert 2D to 3D quite soon in Japan
Though Toshiba's flagship ZX900 Cell TV has yet to make its feature-packed US debut, the company is already planning fancy new toys for the motherland. This week, Toshiba announced a full fifteen new LCD HDTVs destined to spice up the sweltering Japanese summer -- each of them ready to pull double duty as DVR -- and Nikkei Electronics reports that the company's 3D-converting sets will debut around the same time. Meanwhile, Google Translate tells us a bit about the rest. While the low-end REGZA HE1 series have only a built-in 500GB hard drive and LED-backlit LCDs (as if that weren't enough), the RE1 can send footage to up to four external hard drives over USB in a system that gives each family member their own dedicated hard drive. But the Z1 series takes the cake -- it's got fleshed out DVR functionality that lets users record two programs at once (while watching a third) and jack into a LAN switch with eight drives for a veritable NAS of up to 4TB. It's little things like this that make us wish we lived in Japan.
Toshiba's Cell TV delivers a slightly-less ultimate eight tuner DVR experience December 10
Blu-ray and the Cell processor are back together again, now that Toshiba has jumped on the format and is ready to release its first Cell TV, the Regza 55X1, in Japan December 10. Just making it in 2009 as promised, the path to launch has cost this initial release the 4K resolution screen we'd hoped for, with a 1080p LED backlit display hooked to the aforementioned Blu-ray DVR, 3TB HDD and slick 3D GUI for navigating all sorts of content from the internet or recording from as many as 8 tuners at one time. Also pushed back? Some video on-demand services, but we're pretty sure that at this point a few software updates on the way isn't holding back anyone from the "ultimate entertainment machine." Update: Our friends at Engadget Japan just pinged us to inform that Blu-ray was also one of the features left on the cutting room floor. Without that, our ¥1,000,000 is staying firmly in our theoretical Japanese wallet -- Toshiba, let us know how v2 works out.
Toshiba 'Space Chair' ad redefines armchair viewing (video)
There's something wrong when an advertisement is more memorable than the product. Nevertheless, here we have Toshiba's Space Chair ad campaign promoting its new 2010 REGZA SV LCD TV series, Toshiba's first with LED backlight and local dimming. The campaign will later expand to include a second take featuring the Satellite T Series of 11-hour CULV laptops set for introduction in 2010. The ad follows the journey of "an ordinary living room chair" to the edge of space before falling back to Earth where the ground crew relied upon a GPS beacon to locate the craft. A few facts about the shoot: A helium balloon lifted the chair and Toshiba's own IK-HR1S ultra-compact 1080i camera to a height of 98,268 feet above terra firma FAA regulations required that the weight of the rig had to be less than four pounds The chair is made of biodegradable balsa wood at a cost of about £2,500 The rig was launched in Nevada's Burning Man Black Rock desert The temperature dropped to minus 90 degrees at 52,037 feet The chair took 83 minutes to reach an altitude of 98,268 feet and just 24 minutes to fall back to earth Truly amazing stuff. Now buckle up and click through for the show.
Toshiba Cell Regza 55X1 and Regza Next concepts hands-on (video)
Now that the Cell-powered cat's out the bag, we had a chance to get up close and personal with a number of its 55-inch Cell Regza 55X1 LCD TVs on hand at the CEATEC show floor. It's certainly not the thinnest flat-screen panel, but the screen was crisp and colors bright. The Cell and most of the heavy duty components were housed in a separate Cell Box -- frankly, it was disappointing just how large the box was, out-sizing even the original PlayStation 3. For reasons that weren't quite made clear to us, the 3TB of storage were divided among four separate drives, two 1TB and two 500GB. None of them are accessible, leaving you only an external USB drive as an expansion option. Frankly, the real draw here (at least the multitaskers inside of us) is eight-window display function and hyper-fast channel scrolling, which in our time with the TV worked great without a hitch. Also on hand were the four Cell Regza Next concept models. There's not much to say about the entertainment server and the all-in-one, but we do have to give credit to the 4K2K TV for the expected visual quality. The 3D unit was showing off a hands-only motion-controlled user interface, demonstrated only by a Toshiba rep, that seemed to have a few technical hiccups. As we've said before (Natal, anyone?), waving your arms is a fun concept, but here we're not yet sold on the usefulness over novelty of it -- something Toshi can mull over between now and at whatever point in the future it plans on upgrading it beyond concept phase. Video of the 55X1 and the conceptual 3D UI after the break. %Gallery-74643% %Gallery-74648%
Toshiba details CELL REGZA LCD TV, coming December to Japan (update: video!)
It's a day before CEATEC officially kicks off, but Toshiba's getting a head start on the news, dishing out all the deets on its Cell-powered CELL REGZ LCD TV, now officially due out in Japan in early December. The 55-inch, 240Hz display boasts a mighty impressive 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, self-congruency technology for improved picture detail on the edges, a peak luminance of 1250cd/m², and LED backlits dividing the screen into 512 distinct areas. A 7-speaker sound bar lies just below the display. Want more? How about eight-window simultaneous multi-display, an Opera-based web browser, DLNA, and a 3TB hard disk drive, 2TB for "time-shift" recording recording up to 26 hours of programs, up to eight channels simultaneously. There's a sizable box on display, too, which seems to be where the Cell hardware is being housed. Curious about price? So are we, but there's nothing being said. If that's not forward-thinking enough, Toshi's also outlining its future concepts, dubbed CELL REGZA NEXT. Those four include a 3D set, a 4K2K version that upcoverts 1080p to 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 46-inch model integrating its CELL BOX dedicated TV tuner and HDD, and a 37-inch that works as a home network server. It looks like we'll be getting some hands-on time with the 55X1 shortly, but in the meantime, one more pic after the break. %Gallery-74635%
Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray player coming November for $250, gives HD-DVD the final cold shoulder
And so it is. Toshiba, the one-time cheerleader for HD-DVD, has now officially gone to the azure side with the BDX2000 Blu-ray player. It supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC), outputs 1080p at 24 frames per second, and does Dolby True HD / DTS-HD Master Audio... but really, all that needs to be said here is that it's a Toshiba Blu-ray player. Look for this one-time paradox this November for a penny under $250. As for yesteryear, we think this line from the press release says it best: "This product does not play HD DVD discs." It's at once both sad and poetic that this very well may be the last official line ever uttered in the once-promising format's story.
Toshiba REGZA ZV650, XV648 and SV670 HDTVs hands-on
Remember that trio of HDTV families that Toshiba told us about this morning? You know, those models that you've been waiting for since CES? Yeah -- we just spent a few quality moments with the gang at an unassuming New York hotel, and while we can't speak for the refreshments, we will say we're digging the panels. Have a peek yourself below.
Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs
If you're not down with waiting for Toshiba's internet-connected range of HDTVs -- which, by the way, should be out before the dawn of 2010 -- here's a bit of excellent news: the REGZA ZV650 and SV670 series are now shipping. Both of the sets were initially announced way back at CES, and the latter of the two is Tosh's first-ever LED-backlit HDTV. Said set also packs local dimming, ClearScan 240 dejudder technology, PixelPure 5G 14-bit video processing and that questionably useful Resolution+ system. There's also a USB socket, four HDMI connectors, IR pass-through, a PC input and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC). As for the other guys (yeah, there's more), head on past the break and take notes on the ones relevant to your interests.