10/21, 12:20pm
AT&T sues AU Optronics, more
AT&T has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday against Samsung, LG Display, AU Optronics and other LCD makers for allegedly colluding on fixing the price of display panels in the US. According to a Wednesday Bloomberg report, AT&T claimed Samsung and six others have formed an illegal international cartel meant to "restrict competition in the United States in the market for LCD panels." In its complaint, AT&T claims this conspiracy has included communications and meetings during which defendants agreed to eliminate competition and fix the prices of LCD panels that were coming to the US.
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10/01, 4:50pm
Nokia now a member of Wireless Power Consortium
The Wireless Power Consortium on Thursday announced that cellphone maker Nokia has become one of its members. This is expected to result in quicker development and the more widespread use of the Qi wireless charging standard the Consortium is working on. With the addition of Nokia, the company has backed the open standards that would be shared among many makers of cell phones and other portable electronics devices.
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09/30, 4:40pm
Dell, LG, Lenovo suffer criticisms
Activist group Greenpeace has released a new edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranks major high-tech corporations in terms of their alleged environmental friendliness. Among the companies favored by Greenpeace's press efforts is Apple, which the group notes recently disclosed its carbon emissions. Apple has risen in rankings from 11th to 9th, aided not by the disclosure but by being the "most progressive" computer maker in terms of removing product toxins.
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09/03, 4:35pm
Philips intros subtitle shifting Blu-ray players
At the IFA 2009 show on Thursday, Philips has introduced four new Blu-ray players, including the flagship BDP9500. It has a number of video processing technologies Philips collectively calls Qdeo, which reduce noise, enhance color, and improve contrast, fine detail and depth. It also allows users to manually move where their subtitles appear on screen, and is DiVX Ultra and BD-Live compatible.
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09/03, 4:05pm
Third-gen Aurea gets active frame, Net TV
Philips on Thursday introduced the third generation of its Aurea LED edge-lit LCD HDTV, which sports a 40-inch panel with 1920x1080 resolution and a unique transparent Active Frame with Ambilight Spectra that includes 250 LEDs to light it up. The frame can match the color of the images on the screen itself.
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07/27, 4:10pm
Philips V808 Android Phone
Dutch electronics firm Philips is launching into Android phones of its own in the near future, PCOnline has confirmed today. The Chinese site says the V808 will have the familiar 480x320 touchscreen common to many Android phones and should also have a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture. If true, the phone would focus more heavily on GPS than usual and come with newer GPS software as well as a mounting kit.
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07/17, 4:00pm
Philips Xenium X830 photos
Specs and photos for an upcoming handset from Philips, the Xenium X830, have surfaced on Friday, revealing a handsome, if entry-level device. It will support quad-band GSM voice networks and GPRS and EDGE data connections, but the phone's headline-grabbing feature is its battery's 1.5 months of standby time and 10 hours of talk time. A 3-inch, 320x240 color touchscreen acts as the interface, and there is a decent 5-megapixel camera with autofocus integrated into the device.
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07/17, 1:30pm
Millenniata disc archiving
A Springville, IL tech company is hoping to make data loss on backed up DVDs a thing of the past, with its invention, dubbed the Millenial Disk. On September 1st, Millenniata promises to release an archival optical disc that is nearly identical to a run-of-the-mill DVD that is capable of holding corrupt-free data for 1,000 years, when stored at room temperature compared to modern DVDs being reliable for less than 10 years. The key to this longevity is the use of hard, persistent materials in the layers of the disc, the details of which are considered secret.
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07/13, 3:10pm
LCD makers price fixing
The European Union's antitrust regulators have charged Philips Electronics, LG Display and a number of smaller, unnamed LCD makers with corroborating on fixing the price of LCD monitors, Philips announced on Monday. According to a Monday report, the EU antitrust regulators began their investigation in 2006, along with their US counterparts, and has now concluded that the involved firms knowingly kept pricing high. Philips said it would vigorously fight the accusation and claimed that it sold all of its shares in LG Display in March, eliminating possible incentives to illegally collaborate in the future.
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07/01, 4:30pm
Philips prices 21:9 HDTV
Philips has priced its 56-inch, 21:9 aspect ratio Cinema 21:9 HDTV it first introduced just after CES in January. While release dates are still unknown, the TV will cost the equivalent of about $7,400 in Europe. The unique aspect ratio results in a complete absence of horizontal black bars without distorting the image found in movies that are shot in the widescreen format.
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06/25, 4:45pm
Philips Blu-ray Soundbar
Philips in Singapore on Thursday announced its expanded home theater lineup for 2009, with the HTS8160B Soundbar new among them. The compact home theater setup includes a Blu-ray disc player, which has DVD and CD playback support as well, and built-in speakers, along with a separate subwoofer. While specific numbers such as power ratings are unknown, the system has what Philips calls Ambisound HD speakers and support for Dolby True HD audio format and 7.1-channel surround sound. The high-end product also sports an iPod/iPhone dock as well as a touchscreen remote control.
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05/21, 1:25pm
Vizio sues Funai again
the second time this year, flat panel HDTV maker Vizio has sued competitor Funai. Made official on Wednesday, the Vizio lawsuit is seeking an injunction of the sales of the offending Funai hardware in the US and unspecified monetary damages, arguing Funai has infringed on a number of patents held by Vizio related to manufacturing, importing and distribution of HDTVs. Vizio is seeking "millions in damages" for profits from the past sales of infringing products from Funai.
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05/07, 7:15am
Philips unveils new series
Philips on Wednesday evening unveiled its stylish new FlatTV 6000 and 7000 series that feature an ultra-thin bezel surrounded by a rounded acrylic edge. The new televisions are available in sizes between 32- and 52-inches, and deliver 1080p resolutions using a 120Hz ClearLCD panel. Philips boasts what it says is the "fastest refresh rate on the market" on its LCD panels at 2ms for improved viewing during high-motion content as well as improved shadow detail and black levels in dark scenes.
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04/15, 1:00pm
Philips puts an end to 3D
Electronics giant Philips is drawing a close to its public efforts in 3D imaging, a Dutch site reports. The company is noted to be closing its 3D Solutions division entirely, and putting an end to the production of displays using its WOWvx technology. The technology is unique in the industry for simulating 3D on an LCD TV, without requiring viewers to wear special glasses. The cost and/or inconvenience of such glasses has traditionally been a major obstacle to the adoption of 3D displays.
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03/31, 10:35am
Greenpeace shifts rankings
Several companies have shifted positions within Greenpeace's quarterly tech industry rankings, the latest report from the environmental group states. One of the notable increases in rank belongs Apple, which has risen four spots in the list to reach 10th place. All of the company's major products, barring power cords, are now claimed to be free of PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs); Greenpeace criticizes the company, however, for using "unreasonably high" threshold limits in counting products as free of the chemicals.
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03/25, 12:55pm
Philips GoGears US-bound
Philips has announced that three of its GoGear media players are scheduled to arrive in the US. Among these is the ViBE, which uses a 1.5-inch display and a battery capable of 25 hours of music or four hours of video. While audio file support is mainly limited to MP3 or WMA files, it can also handle Rhapsody subscription tracks, and Audible audiobooks. Other integrated features include an FM tuner with 20 presets, and automated conversion of Internet video. The player should ship in April, at a cost of $50 for 4GB or $60 for 8GB.
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02/26, 3:10pm
DealNN: iPod docking
Today's featured deal at DealNN is on the Philips shelf bar audio system. It has been reduced from $179.99 to $129 at Amazon.com. This 100-watt audio system includes a shelf bar speaker with built-in iPod dock as well as a wireless subwoofer.
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02/25, 9:25am
Pana Philips Sony Blu-ray
Panasonic, Philips and Sony today published plans to create a single licensing firm for Blu-ray discs. The new, unnamed company will let companies visit just one place to get rights to make Blu-ray burners, movie players and discs and as a result should lower the costs of the licenses themselves. The group estimates that the cost of a license should drop "at least" 40 percent versus today's approach, which requires talking to each of the three partner companies individually.
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02/20, 4:40pm
3DFusion intros 3D display
3DFusion announced on Thursday that it will debut its 3DFMax stereoscopic 3D display at next week's Digital Signage Exposition 2009. The display does not require glasses to show three-dimensional-like images. No other specs are available on the 3DFusion TV set, including contrast, brightness, resolution or even size, though the set is capable of displaying conventional 2D images. At the core, the display uses Philips' WOWvx 3D technology and 2D Plus Depth format.
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02/20, 4:00pm
Philips intros Net TV
Philips has recently announced its 8000-, and 9000-series HDTVs, along with the Cinema 21:9 set announced last month, will have built-in access to the Internet. The service will be called Net TV and will allow users to browse the Internet using their remote control. Philips has partnered up with numerous websites to offer services custom-tailored to be viewable through the TVs.
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02/20, 1:35pm
Philips Tapster BT headset
Philips has recently unveiled its latest Bluetooth headset, the SHB 7110, also appropriately named the Tapster. It uses touch sensitivity to operate its functions, including for adjusting volume and answering and ending phone calls. Phones that support voice dialing can also be made to ring up contacts without ever touching the handset. It works with all HSP- or HFP-rated Bluetooth handsets and is also Bluetooth A2DP compliant, allowing it to receive stereo music from supporting portable devices like cellphones and computers.
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02/19, 3:10pm
Philips GoGear Ariaz
Philips in an out-of-season event today revamped its GoGear media players with a pair of new models that are higher-end than usual. The GoGear Ariaz is pitched to audiophiles as a boost in audio quality with Philips' FullSound audio engine improving the frequencies and sound stage of compressed files. A bundled set of noise-reducing headphones also improve sound by focusing attention on the music.
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01/26, 3:50pm
Philips to cut 6,000 jobs
Philips Electronics said it will cut its global workforce to the tune of 6,000 because it posted the first quarterly loss in about six years, according to a Monday report. At the same time, the company stopped the buy-back program of its shares. The 1.47 billion Euro ($1.9 billion) loss in the fourth quarter of 2008 is partly due to a write-down of Philips' Lumildes diode light business as well as the downgrading of its shares in NXP Semiconductors and LG Display. Net losses for 2008 amounted to 186 million Euros (nearly $242 million).
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01/15, 12:05pm
Philips Cinema 21 9 HDTV
Taking advantage of the calm after CES, Philips today kicked off the launch of its Cinema 21:9 HDTV line. The LCD series will be the first to use the extra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio of many theatrical releases and thus fit many movie adaptations to the screen without any of the borders that come from a non-native size. It should still handle 16:9 content and will "fill" the screen, according to Philips, though whether this involves any cropping or stretching of the picture isn't clear.
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12/19, 3:50pm
Wireless Power Consortium
A new organization hopes to make wireless power a widespread option for electronics in the near future. The Wireless Power Consortium hopes to develop a universal standard that would use contact plates to power portable devices by magnetically inducing an electrical charge in an attached device. The move would let users charge devices simply by placing them on a particular surface, including hidden ones, and could avoid the risk of over- or underpowering a device by using conflicting hardware.
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12/17, 5:15pm
Philips flagship remote
Philips has recently announced the upcoming release of a new flagship universal remote for home theater systems, the Prestigo SRT9320, which features both a 2.8-inch color touchscreen and physical buttons as the interface method. The remote is able to control as many as 20 separate devices and Philips promises users will not need a PC to program it.
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12/13, 12:00pm
Philips CES iPhone Audio
Philips has sought to preempt its usual CES presence by announcing a quintet of digital audio systems headlined by a newer generation of iPhone and iPod docks. The Docking Entertainment System DC350 offers a relatively rare vertical clock radio that not only plays iPhone and iPod audio but also carries its own Bluetooth link for making hands-free calls from the iPhone or any other Bluetooth cellphone. The 6W system comes with a remote and should be available in January for $150.
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11/14, 6:30pm
DealNN: SD memory
Today's DealNN deals include a variety of products ranging from flash cards to LCD HDTVs. Starting at $9 is the Transcend 2GB SD memory card from Abt.com. The Kensington WiFi finder plus is priced at $14 at NothingButSoftware.com. Buy.com is offering the PolkAudio miDock Portfolio iPod speaker system for $37. The James Bond ultimate collectors set on DVD is available at Amazon.com for $89. Lastly is the Philips Magnavox 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV price at $399.99, at SecondAct.com.
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11/11, 4:25pm
Philips intros iPill
Electronics maker Philips, which is also one of the world's biggest hospital equipment providers, has announced the development of an intelligent pill that uses a tiny microprocessor, battery and wireless radio to control the also built-in medication reservoir, according to a Tuesday report. The purpose of the pill is to release the drug in a specific area of the body, with a sensor that gauges acidity in the stomach to determine its exact location.
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10/30, 4:55pm
Philips updates GoGear PMP
Philips has updated its GoGear SA2925/97 portable audio players with the GoGear SA2940, which adds a 1.5-inch OLED color display. The display can show album art other status information such as track progress and battery status, but the specs are otherwise identical to the outgoing model's, and include 4GB of internal memory, 30 hours of battery life, a bult-in equalizer, and support for MP3, WAV and WMA audio files.
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10/25, 2:00pm
Philips GoGear LUXE
Philips has hoped to boost its GoGear portable audio player line with the GoGear LUXE, a unique player built expressly to tie in with a phone. The device is designed to be wearable as a fashion item and to serve as a Bluetooth headset; the LUXE not only pairs wirelessly with a phone to warn of incoming calls but carries dual microphones of its own to answer the call with active noise canceling. A one-line display shows incoming calls without having to fetch the phone from a pocket.
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10/02, 4:40pm
Philips intros 3D HDTV
At the Biz-Ex conference in Hollywood on Tuesday, Philips introduced 56-inch prototype HDTV panels that are capable of displaying 3D images thanks to their 3,840x2,160 resolution and proprietary technology. Unlike the recent 3D plasma setup from Panasonic, the Philips system does not rely on special glasses to bring 3D images to viewers. Instead, the Quad Full Autostereoscopic 3D HDTVs rely on high-speed data delivery and four times the pixels of current maximum HDTV resolution.
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09/15, 11:40am
Studios Form DECE
Several movie studios and hardware manufacturers have unwrapped plans to produce a universal approach to copy-protected video that would escape a dependence on any one format and would also loosen some restrictions on video. To be called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), the initiative currently includes Fox, NBC Universal, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. as well as Windows Media creator Microsoft, Comcast and hardware makers that include Cisco, Philips and Toshiba. Best Buy and Verisign are also involved.
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09/02, 3:20pm
Philips Voice Tracers
Catering to both reporters and students, Philips today released three recorders as part of its Digital Voice Tracer lineup. The 860 and 880 are the Dutch electronics giant's first recorders to support recording while powered directly from the USB port, letting notebook owners capture long lectures or meetings without running down the smaller battery inside the Voice Tracer. USB on all the recorders, including the baseline 660, is used to offload the MP3 recordings to more permanent storage.
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08/28, 4:40pm
Philips HDTV, sound system
Philips introduced a suite of new electronics at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics show headlined by a new extremely thin HDTV thus far known only as the Essence. At less than 1.5 inches thick, the Essence features a 120Hz 42-inch LCD display with a response time of 2 milliseconds. Philips even includes a self-leveling mounting kit with the Essence, which moves the speakers, tuner and video and power connections to a separate hub in order to make the slim size possible.
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06/17, 4:25pm
Philips HDTVs Mid 2008
Philips USA on Tuesday refreshed its home theater lineup with a set of new HDTVs as well as a Blu-ray movie reader to match. Every new screen is now considered part of the Eco TV line, Philips says; exploiting the Dutch company's experience in lighting, each unit has an ambient light sensor that automatically dims the brightness in darker scenes. The technology not only saves power by keeping the display in check but also improves visual quality by giving a set's best possible black levels at any given point.
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06/06, 4:15pm
Philips 22-inch 3D display
Philips is set to introduce a 22-inch 3D display at the InfoComm 2008 show on June 18. Based on an WSXGA (1680x1050) LCD panel, it is available in either a frame-mount or desktop configuration. The display uses Philips' WOWvx technology to provide 3D-like images without requiring users to wear special viewing glasses. WOWvx uses the company's 2D-plus-Depth (the 2D image and its depth map) format and combines it with the Declipse format developed especially for autostereoscopic 3D displays such as this one. Declipse provides additional "background" information for a more realistic 3D effect.
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05/14, 12:25am
Philips touch screen phone
Philips is preparing to launch two high-end touchscreen phones - the X800 and Xenium X-Connect - which feature large color screens and several luxury features. The X800 offers users a tri-band GSM/GPRS platform, which uses a 2.9 inch touch screen to display information, with a screen resolution of 240 by 400 pixels. It also features handwriting recognition, a 2MP autofocus camera, a MicroSD slot, Bluetooth, and an office document reader. Battery life for the unit sits at 850 hours standby, and 8 hours of talk time.
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05/07, 12:20pm
Philips touchscreen phone
Dutch electronics giant Philips is working on its own attempted competitor to the iPhone, leaked information suggests. A Chinese site, CCID, says it has obtained preliminary information on a new Xenium phone, called the X800. Like the iPhone the X800 is designed as a mostly touchscreen-controlled device, with any physical buttons relegated to essential commands; its physical differences consist mostly of a black backing and a more slender profile.
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04/25, 5:00pm
Philips M600 Music Phone
Philips on Friday unveiled its latest cellular phone, the dual-band GSM M600. The M600 is meant to appeal to music fans, as it offers SRS Labs' WOW equalizer technology to enhance sound quality and simulate 3D surround sound in the MP3, WAV and AAC format files it supports. Otherwise, the phone is optimized for music listening with dedicated navigation hotkeys, and an included set of in-ear headphones as well as up to 40 hours of music playback.
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04/14, 4:05pm
CTIA On White Space
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association today lent support to a movement for new wireless standards by asking that the US government officially license white space frequencies. The organization, which typically represents carriers, is opposing attempts by the Google-backed White Space Coalition to develop and used devices with the deliberately blank spectrum on grounds that the technology could create problems for existing services. By leaving little to no gap between one frequency band and another, new companies using the service could create interference on existing services or cut out space that could be used for background portions of established, licensed networks, the CTIA claims.
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04/08, 3:15pm
Philips Outsources HDTVs
Philips today revealed that it will stop its direct development HDTVs for North America. The Dutch firm now says it will outsource all of the work for both these sets and Magnavox models to Japan-based Funai. The company will handle both manufacturing sets as well as marketing them in the two western countries. The move is cited as necessary to turn around Philips' loss-taking HDTV business, which is successful in Asia and Europe but has struggled in the more competitive North American space through tight profit margins.
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03/24, 1:10pm
Google mobile broadband
Google has submitted a new proposal to the FCC to develop so-called white-space frequencies in the US, reports say. The frequencies lie in the spectrum between channels 2 and 51 in the television range, but are used by neither satellite nor cable providers; Google, one of the members of the White Spaces Coalition, is proposing that the FCC authorize the use of the space for a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans," according to a letter by company lawyer Richard Whitt.
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01/07, 4:45pm
Philips TV, audio products
Philips today introduced several new home and personal audio products, also a new line of LCD TVs. Pairing up with RealNetworks, the company’s new Streamium NP1100 relies on the 4.5 million track collection offered by Real’s Rhapsody network, as well as internet radio, and PC music libraries to bring audio to the home environment. The device uses a black and white display to show track information, and has a built-in WiFi receiver to connect with users’ home wireless networks. Philips expects to ship the NP1100 in May for $150.
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