May 21 - 1:25pm EDT   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. [full story]

November 18 - 8:50am EST   Japanese electronics company Funai's research and development arm, the Funai Electric Advanced Applied Technology Research Institute, has developed a reflective display without a backlight, unlike conventional LCD displays. The company, which makes Sylvania-, Symphonic- and Emerson-branded LCDs, says the new display uses just one percent of the electricity per square centimeter needed by conventional LCDs. In place of the backlight, the display uses dyes that change color when exposes to an electric current. Fittingly, Funai says the clarity can be compared to that of characters printed on a piece of paper. [full story]