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HDTV UK: Three of the world’s largest screen manufacturers, Sony, Sharp and Hitachi, have shown that consumer electronics corporations do have a conscious.

The three manufacturers are working together to study the development of technology that will reduce power consumption from LCD TVs.

Environmental concerns have never been higher on the agenda. Although the latest LCD screens use less energy than similarly sized CRT models, manufacturers are creating ever-increasing screen sizes with higher resolutions – which means power consumption is also rising.

The aim is to halve the power consumption of flat screen TVs by the year 2011. Technologies being studied include the use of energy saving methods for image display, and the use of LEDs for backlighting screens.

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eMarketer: US and European mobile subscribers who use maps and other navigation aids on their handsets will total more than 43 million in 2012, according to Berg Insight.That is up from four million users in 2007 and represents a 60.8% compound annual growth rate.

“Record shipments of personal navigation devices in Europe and the US have introduced the benefits of GPS for motorists,” said André Malm, a telecoms analyst at Berg Insight, in a statement.

“Now the major players in the mobile industry are in hot pursuit of delivering the same experience for pedestrians, commuters and travelers on the handset display,” he said.

Revenue from mapping subscriptions and advertisements is expected to reach €512 million by 2012 from €96 million in 2007, a CAGR of 39.8%.

Mr. Malm said that ad-supported mapping services will be required to stay competitive.

“Maps are already available free of charge from a host of sources on the Internet,” he said. “Soon navigation will reach that stage, too, pulling away the very foundation for premium-rate mobile propositions.” 

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The Register: Accessory specialist Gear4 has created two audio systems with chic appeal. The BlackBox and BlackBox Mini would both sit well in a Tate Modern exhibition, but could also provide you with some decent audio too.

BlackBox is the house-bound daddy of the two, while the Mini is essentially a portable and smaller version of it. The asthetics of both units will quickly grab your attention, as they look a little out of this world, thanks in part to their hidden LED displays, touch-sensitive controls and front mounted displays that come to life when users approach.

Two speakers are built into the BlackBox, which helps it pump out a maximum of 24W, so it won’t replace your main stereo, but it’s good enough for a small house party and is in league with TwinMos’ Boom 1 2.1-channel iPod audio system. The Mini is much the same, although it’s audio qualities aren’t stated, but it comes with a carry case because it’s designed to accompany you to the beach, on road trips or generally anywhere you might need portable and decent quality music.

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PMP Today: PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite edition is out now in the UK. Boasting a lighter (by 33%) and slimmer (19%) version of the old PSP with some added goodies like multi-format video out and an improved RAM, PSP Lite/Slim retails for €187.

For this price, PSP users will expect to get the most out of the faster loading time and that improved RAM is of course always a welcome upgrade in any device with a CPU.

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Slashgear: The first, the LiquidFM transmitter is designed to work with mp3 players, specifically the iPod. It has the standard headphone jack connector, but there is also an in-line USB port for charging while you listen to your tunes.

The LiquidFM transmitter also utilizes Kensington’s ClearFM technology so it can output high quality sound even over the FM radio. It also has QuickSeek and RDS which helps decrease the time it takes to find a clear station and the RDS tech displays track info on compatible head units.

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GPS Tracklog: Reuters is reporting that a pink nuvi is on the way, at least in Europe, where they say it will be available before year’s end. 

There had been a rumor before that Garmin was getting ready to launch a nuvi aimed at women; now another source is citing it, it might be true.

Furthermore, the report says that analyst Jeff Evanson of the investment banking firm Dougherty & Company “expects an upgrade of Garmin’s C300 series later this month.”

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NaviGadget: VDO Dayton’s new PN 4000 and PN 6000 navigation systems includes digital TV reception as well. Presented at the IAA International Motor Show Cars, in Frankfurt, these portable navigation devices, will come with a DVB-T receiver as a standard feature – a feature that still is of no use in the U.S. But if you were in a European country that broadcasts digitally you could enjoy your favorite TV channel on a 4.3″ screen with the PN 4000, and a 5.3″ screen with the PN 6000.The two new models belong to a family of navigation systems that includes the older VDO Dayton PN 2050 and PN 3000. Both PN 4000 and PN 6000 offer high resolution maps rendered in 2D or 3D, and have a 16:9 aspect ratio display. You can also get live traffic info if you choose to get the optional RDS/TMC traffic receiver.

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Electronista: Samsung’s vaunted F700 touchscreen phone will likely go head-to-head with the iPhone during its European launch, according to an announcement by the company. Now called the F700V Croix based on the cross-like shape of its interface, the phone will be headed to Vodafone and offer the pan-European carrier an opportunity to compete with Apple’s device. The completed version runs on a slightly larger, 3.2-inch touchscreen and still includes 3G access using HSDPA, albeit with a slower theoretical 3.6Mbps peak download rate. Its front and rear cameras will also remain for video calling and capture.

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Akihabaranews: Yamaha presents the “Mobile Speakers” from the NX range.

The NX-B02 features BlueTooth connectivity, good to stream audio files from a PC, PDA… equipped with BlueTooth as well… and two 6W speakers. Second on the list is the NX-U02; no BlueTooth here but USB 2.0 instead, then comes the NX-A02 with no BlueTooth, no USB2.0, but a good old audio jack!

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Absolute Gadget: Thrustmaster has a new pad for use with the Wii Virtual Console that does away with bothersome wires, meaning you’ll no longer have to juggle the Wiimote while playing Super Mario Bros.The T-Wireless is the first wireless conventional style controller for the Wii thanks to a 2.4GHz dongle that plugs into the console giving it a range of around 10 metres.

As well as offering rumble-force feedback the T-Wireless also features a turbo and slow motion button and a mapping function letting you save button configurations.  

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Mobile Magazine: As if cruising through the streets of Paris was sexy enough, the HP iPAQ 312 Travel Companion portable GPS unit comes with maps that feature 3D representations of all the landmarks. We’ve seen three-dimensional maps before, but they’re usually just showing you where to go. By contrast, when you check out a map on the iPAQ 312, there are actually virtual buildings there.

The 4.3-inch QVGA display is a touchscreen, making the user interface relatively intuitive. Powered by Windows CE 5.0, the HP iPAQ 312 Travel Companion gets powered by a Centrality Titan 600MHz processor and a 1700mAh lithium ion battery. Other features include Bleutooth 2.0 for handsfree calling and an SD slot for memory expansion.

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MacNN: Marware has released four new cases for Apple’s latest iPod series, available for immediate purchase from Marware’s website. The new iPod nano cases include the Sport Grip, the Sportsuit Runabout — a neoprene wrist case – , the Sportsuit Convertible — which allows you to wear your iPod on your arm, your hand, attach it to a belt or shoulder strap, or carry it as a stand-alone case in your pocket or bag.

The company also announced a variety of soft and hard cases for the new iPod classic.

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