Friday, November 9, 2012

Hitachi intros UltraVision LED TVs with Roku-ready HDMI, freshens Value TVs and sound bars for the fall

Hitachi intros UltraVision LED TVs with Roku-ready HDMI, freshens Value TVs and sound bars for the fall:
Hitachi intros UltraVision LED TVs with Rokufriendly streaming, freshens Value TVs and sound bars for the fall
Although Hitachi was one of the first in line to promise support for Roku Streaming Sticks through MHL, it didn't have much more to say without the TVs to back up the claim. The second half of the puzzle is complete now that the company's fall TV revision is underway. Snag its new UltraVision UltraThin S606 TV in its one of its 42-, 46- or 55-inch sizes and you can discreetly (if optionally) hide the equivalent of a full Roku box in one of the HDMI inputs. The S606 sits strictly in the mid-range, however. Its 120Hz, edge-LED LCD design is superceded by the W806, which comes only in 48- and 55-inch sizes while carrying 3D, IPTV support and WiFi. Those who can get by on 60Hz refresh rates can opt for the Value line, where the H306 and S406 offer 720p in 29- and 32-inch dimensions; a third H316 line brings 1080p to those same sizes while adding a 39-inch panel. Hitachi hasn't said whether stores are stocking the TVs today, but it sees pricing ranging from $329 in the smaller Value sets to $1,399 for the largest W806 variant.
The TV builder's audio mix isn't being ignored with the refresh. Launching in tandem with the TVs, the HSB32B26 and HSB40B16 sound bars are designed to respectively match up with 32- and 40-inch TVs while delivering 3D sound processing and Apt-X Bluetooth audio. At $149 and $199, the sound bars are close enough in cost that we may only need a measuring tape to settle any purchasing dilemmas once the hardware is in stores.
Continue reading Hitachi intros UltraVision LED TVs with Roku-ready HDMI, freshens Value TVs and sound bars for the fall
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Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video)

Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video):
Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video)
After just under three months of development, Google's wrapped up its experimental work on bringing the Sony Xperia S into the Android Open Source Project fold. According to Sony, AOSP Technical Lead Jean-Baptiste Quéru considers the effort a success, but the device is being taken off the project's roadmap so Mountain View can focus on its own hardware. Currently, an AOSP build boots on the Xperia S hardware with support for SD-Cards, Wi-Fi and its built-in sensors. Audio and the phone's modem are also operational, but they require proprietary binaries Hirai and Co. can't publish just yet. Work on polishing the handset's vanilla Android experience isn't over, however. Sony has moved the code to its GitHub account and is welcoming developers to pitch in and help with the open source effort. For more details and to see what code has already been laid down, tap the second source link or check out the video of the smartphone in action below.
Continue reading Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video)
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Microsoft outlines Internet Explorer 10 differences between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8

Microsoft outlines Internet Explorer 10 differences between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8:
Microsoft outlines Internet Explorer 10 differences between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, finds they still have common ground
Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 together mark a rare confluence for Microsoft: they represent the first instance of the company's desktop and phone platforms sharing the same browser base, and that has wide-reaching implications for what developers can do. The Redmond team doesn't want anyone plunging headlong into web apps without knowing what to expect, however, and it just reminded us in a blog post that there are still a few off-limits areas for Internet Explorer 10 on the mobile side. Not surprisingly, elements that demand a truly big screen or a windowed interface won't fly -- there's nowhere to drag-and-drop from or open a new window to. A few other aspects are more likely to catch web developers off-guard, such as the lack of in-line video, a handful of touch inputs, ActiveX and the level of file access. The most important common ground stems from simply having a modern rendering engine whose HTML5 and CSS3 support will prevent any rude shocks. There's much more at the source link, although Microsoft and designers may just be happy that any Windows Phone web development is a question of finding those few things that won't work, rather than reinventing the wheel.
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Epson's video board pumps composite inputs to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video)

Epson's video board pumps composite inputs to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video):
Epson's video board pumps composite inputs from *honk* to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video)
Bummed that your $700 Moverio BT-100 headset doesn't have video input? Well, Epson's here to tease you with a board that plugs into the trackpad and accepts any composite video source. Despite best attempts to hide the identity of hardware it's being tested with and give the lawyers a weekend off, it's shown to receive feeds from a PS3, an iPad and a 360 with Kinect. Check out the honk-filled video of all the fun you're not having, and contact Epson if you've got an interesting idea for using the board, because they might just give you one. How about -- "I want to play games on it?" That sounds like a pretty good reason to us.
[Thanks, Joe]
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Epson's video board pumps composite inputs to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GLBenchmark rats out possible Acer Iconia Tab A220 with Tegra 3, Jelly Bean

GLBenchmark rats out possible Acer Iconia Tab A220 with Tegra 3, Jelly Bean:
GLBenchmark rats out possible Acer Iconia Tab A220 with Tegra 3, Jelly Bean
Device testing site GLBenchmark has a knack for sniffing out real products before manufacturers are ready to parade them, so our ears perked up when we saw a certain Acer Iconia Tab A220 pop up on its list. According to system and test specs, the alleged slate of unknown dimensions would flaunt Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, along with a 1280 x 752 screen resolution and quad-core, 1.3GHz Tegra CPU. If such a device proved to have a 7-inch screen or so, that would make it a possible Nexus 7 wannabe, giving a zippier, higher-res option to the A110. Of course, benchmarks are easy enough to fake, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for any clues of the more concrete variety.
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GLBenchmark rats out possible Acer Iconia Tab A220 with Tegra 3, Jelly Bean originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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