Samsung Made a 105-Inch Bendy UHD TV Because Why Wouldn't They
Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsung-made-a-105-inch-bendy-uhd-tv-because-why-not-1677581763
Last year, both Samsung
Monday, January 05, 2015
Sharp's new 4K TVs include a set that acts like it's 8K
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/sharp-4k-tv-at-ces-2015/
Now that 4K TVs are no longer a novelty, manufacturers are bending over backward to show you that their sets are somehow more 4K than everyone else's. Need proof? Just look at the flagship of Sharp's newly unveiled 2015 lineup, the 80-inch AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV (yes, that's the name). Its namesake trick both cuts pixels in half vertically and lets subpixels create their own color values, leading to a near-8K (7,680 x 4,320) effective picture. The boasts of extra resolution stretch credulity a bit -- you can't add detail that wasn't in the original picture, folks -- but you'll at least know that your TV isn't to blame for fuzzy imagery. As it stands, this ultimate set has a few down-to-earth upgrades over Sharp's previous efforts, including better upscaling and an improved LED backlight that widens the color range. The company hasn't nailed down pricing, but it'll be reportedly be competitive with other high-end sets when it arrives late this year.
You'll have plenty of options if you're willing to settle for "normal" 4K. The entry-level UB30 series now comes in sizes between 43 and 65 inches with the new upscaler. Spend more on the UE30 (60 through 80 inches) and you'll get a newer version of Sharp's SmartCentral platform with Android TV, LED dimming and a smoother-looking 480Hz refresh rate; jump to the UH30 (70 and 80 inches) and you'll get the color-enhancing backlight, a speedy 960Hz refresh rate and a touchpad remote. All three of these 4K model lines will ship in the spring, with prices ranging from $750 for a 43-inch UB30 to $6,000 for the 80-inch UH30.Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
TV makers and Hollywood team up to save 4K from themselves
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/samsung-lg-hollywood-try-to-not-screw-up-4K/
We've seen at past CES how overzealous money grabs by electronics manufacturers can turn the public off to new technology (hello 3D), but it appears the industry might be learning. A long list of big names just announced they're joining the "UHD Alliance" to "set the bar" for next-generation video. That list includes Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony Visual Product, DirecTV, Netflix, Dolby, Disney and Fox, and they altogether claim it's put together with the consumer in mind first. We've already seen a slew of content agreements and services that only work with a particular manufacturer's devices (DirecTV and Samsung, Sony's UHD streaming box), but things are slowly getting better. The new team-up promises to work on 4K video, High Dynamic Range (which Netflix announced during LG's press conference earlier), Wide color Gamut and Immersive Audio -- we'll see if that's enough to keep the UHD goose laying golden eggs.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung, Sony, LG
ASUS is bringing optical zoom to a reasonably sized smartphone
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/asus-zenfone-zoom-ces-2015/
The last smartphone to feature an optical zoom camera was Samsung's Galaxy K Zoom, but we didn't like it -- no thanks to its inconsistent camera performance plus poor battery life (the bulky body didn't help either). Merely hours away from South Korea, Taiwan-based ASUS decided to have a go at making its own optical zoom-enabled smartphone, which ended up being its surprise announcement at this year's CES: the Lumia 1020 ZenFone Zoom. What we've been told so far is that this $399 device is the world's thinnest smartphone that packs a 3x optical zoom camera, and there's more: It's actually a 13-megapixel f/2.0 imager with optical image stabilization, precise laser autofocus (as used by the LG G3), full manual mode and dual-color LED flash.
While the 3x zoom here may not sound as impressive as the K Zoom's 10x offering, we're pretty sure that most of us would rather pick a slimmer phone instead of sacrificing pocket space for more zoom. In this case, the ZenFone Zoom's thickest point is at 11.95mm, which is quite reasonable when compared to the 20.2mm-thick K Zoom.
The illustration above shows how this camera module works: You can imagine it as a periscope lying flat against the round metallic plate (hence its size), and the front group of moving optics does the zooming, whereas the group behind it is in charge of focusing and optical stabilization. With the mechanics lying flat inside the phone's body, there's no protruding part when you're zooming.
The obvious trade-off with this technology is that the aperture starts from f/2.7 instead of the usual f/2.0 these days, and that 185-gram weight may take some getting used to (the OnePlus One, also packing a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, is just 162 grams heavy). The ASUS rep also admitted that this module costs a lot more to make, and they need to take more precautions to ensure that the mechanism is sturdy, but his team is doing all they can to meet the $399 price point.
Oddly, ASUS has left us in the dark with the type of chipset this phone uses, but we do know that it'll carry Android 5.0 when it lands in Q2. Let's just hope that ASUS will actually push this out before others catch up.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
Lenovo's skinny new ultraportable claims to be the lightest 13-inch laptop
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/lenovo-lavie-hz550-hz750/
It's impossible to convey in a photo how light Lenovo's new ultraportable, the LaVie HZ550, is. So instead I'll say this: When I first picked it up, I was sure I was handling a prototype; some sort of dummy unit without any actual components inside. In fact, though, the HZ550 is very real, and at 1.72 pounds, it's stupidly, record-breakingly compact; in fact, Lenovo claims this is the world's lightest 13-inch laptop. What's more, the company just announced what it says is the lightest 13-inch convertible notebook: a machine called the HZ750, which has a 360-degree hinge that allows it to fold back into tablet mode. At 2.04 pounds, it's lighter than any laptop with a touchscreen and rotating hinge has the right to be. Either way, even in a field of increasingly skinny notebooks, both of these stand out.
But let's back up for a minute. If the name "LaVie" rings a bell, it's because it was originally the brainchild of Japanese computer maker NEC, which is already known in its home country for making some pin-thin noteoboks. For four years, the two companies have been building laptops together as part of a joint venture, a deal that has allowed Lenovo to take a bite out of the Japanese PC market, the fourth largest in the world. What we're seeing now, though, are the first machines NEC and Lenovo are planning to sell outside the land of the rising sun. So while laptops this thin might already be commonplace in Japan, they're likely to be received in the United States as something of an oddity.
And odd they are. Not just because they're thin and light, mind you, but because they're actually quite powerful. Under the hood, you'll find surprisingly muscular parts -- none of this low-powered Core M business, but full-fledged fifth-generation Intel Core processors. Battery life, meanwhile, is rated for somewhere between seven and eight hours of video playback, which, if true, would put it on par with some significantly thicker and heavier laptops. An impressive thing, that -- especially since both machines will be offered with 2,560 x 1,440 screens. It isn't easy achieving long battery life when you have to light up quite that many pixels.
The two LaVies also surprisingly sturdy, considering how insubstantial they feel in the hand. That's largely thanks to a magnesium-lithium alloy, which makes the machine light, but nigh on impossible to bend in your hand. In addition, Lenovo had to get creative with the display. According to the company, the HZ750's touchscreen is directly bonded, and uses film instead of cover glass. Additionally, Lenovo used one of Sharp's IGZO displays, which at least partially explains those big battery life claims -- after all, Sharp panels are known for being energy-efficient.
On paper, then, at least, the LaVies seem like the ultimate no-compromise machines: super thin, super light and still very powerful, with long battery life, to boot. If there are any tradeoffs we can glean just by looking at the spec sheet, it's that the HZ550 -- the 1.72-pound machine -- doesn't have a touchscreen. Meanwhile, the HZ750, the one with the 360-degree hinge, can't pull off quite as many poses as the Yoga line. In this case, you can use it as a notebook (natch), or fold it back into tablet mode, but you'd be putting it into Stand or Tablet mode at your own risk. The reason: The HZ750 is missing the sort of rubber bumpers you'd typically find on a Yoga. Because rubber bumpers make a machine thicker than it needs to be, don'tcha know. Interested? These arrive in May, and yes, they're priced like the no-compromise machines they are: $1,299 for the HZ550, and $1,499 for the HZ750.
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