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HDTV News: Sharp’s LC-65SE94U HDTV is setting a new standard in today’s television market. The Special Edition AQUOS SE94U Series sets a new standard for large-screen flat-panel LCD TVs. Instead of single-colored bezel, the LC-65SE94U sets a new design with its graceful, artistic form that enhances any room’s decorations.With its FULL HD 1080p resolution, enhanced black levels, and a fast response time, it also produces breathtaking picture quality.

With the AQUOS LC65E94U, you get Sharp’s next generation Advanced Super View/Black TFT Panel with Multi-Pixel Technology. This technology divides each pixel into two sections and develops an advanced driving system to deliver more natural and accurate color reproduction when viewing the screen from virtually any angle.

With this, it improves extreme-angle viewing by about 60 percent. Not only that, but the contrast ratio is 27,000:1 and the fast 4ms response time make your favorite action scenes as clear and smooth as they should be.

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Electronista: Creative may finally be launching into touchscreen media players with its rumored ZEN Share player, say tips from alleged insiders. While the name is no longer certain, the device is claimed to be the first to rely on touch navigation. The new player would also break ground as the first Creative player to sport the company’s X-Fi sound processing hardware, which helps restore missing detail from the compressed music files most likely to be used on a portable device.

The Wi-Fi sharing feature said to be at the heart of the new ZEN may also be different than expected, according to the claim. Rather than simply following the practice set by Microsoft’s Zune, which limits sharing to local users and limited tracks, the feature is said to be “revolutionary” and unlike anything seen so far. No word has been received as to whether sharing or any additional features will rely on Internet access.

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Engadget: O2 is picking up the iPhone in Ireland, selling the 8 gigger for €399, and the 16GB for €499. Tariffs range from €45 for 175 minutes to €100 for 700 minutes, and all plans include 1GB of data.

Some tipsters have pointed out that O2 Ireland makes no mention of Visual Voicemail on its iPhone pages, which is odd considering the fact that O2 UK highlights the feature.

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NaviGadget: SnowRanger from Mountain Dynamics is a set of maps that can be downloaded to Garmin or Magellan branded GPS navigation systems.

They have the resort maps for 64 North American, and 420 European ski resorts which include everything from trails, chairlifts, parks, lodges, parking lots and much more.

North American version runs on both Magellan and Garmin whereas European maps currently only work on Magellan navigation systems. Also you can buy regional maps for most of the regions if you don’t feel like paying too much.

They work on Garmin Nuvi’s too. All you have to do is insert the SnowRanger memory card into your device, and check the box on the next screen to show ski maps. When you are on or near the slopes your nuvi will start showing the correct map.

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The Register: Vinyl record fans with a love for the PC no longer have to rely on manufacturer Ion for USB turntables, because Sony has stepped up to the mic and spun out a USB model of its own.

The PS-LX300USB isn’t particularly stylish, but then how many turntables are? Nonetheless, an up-and-coming Fat Boy Slim can scratch to their heart’s desire at 33-1/3 and 45rpm speeds.

A USB port’s built-into the turntable and Sony’s throwing-in its own Sound Forge Audio Studio software for editing your mixes on a PC, before exporting them to an MP3 player.

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T3: After 1.4million sales in Japan and due to hit Europe April 25, the Wii Fit is the latest in a now very long line of games and peripherals flooding the market for the world’s most popular console.

If you’re still carrying around the extra weight of Crimble and with an onslaught of chocolate eggs looming large at Easter, the Wii Fit could be the answer to shedding some pounds without technically leaving the sofa. The game comes bundled with a specially developed Wii Balance Board. Wireless and pressure sensitive, it detects weight and shift in body balance in any direction so you can control your on-screen character while embarking on the most exercise you’ve had since the annual school cross country run.

Nintendo promises the four training categories in the shape of Aerobic Exercise, Muscle Workout, Yoga and Balance Games will develop body balance control, burn fat, help to improve muscle tone and condition and increase aerobic stamina.

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I4U: NEC announced a new 52-inch (132cm) LCD HDTV today called the LCD5220. NEC uses a “U” shaped backlight for even lighting and heat distribution in the set. The 5220 is capable of full 1080p resolution.

The TV can also display 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i as well. The bezel of the TV is very thing and the set can be used in a TileMatrix video wall of up to 25 displays. The set is also sealed to keep out smoke, dust and other contaminants.
The TV also features SpectraView II color calibration and a variety of input options.

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idealo: Most home cinema manufacturers put a lot of thought into natural sounding surround sound and high resolution picture, but not too much in modern furnishings. Though few customers, who invest a few hundred pounds in a 5.1 speaker set, set up their high end TV entertainment centre in a rubbish filled dump of an apartment, where design doesn’t matter. LG Electronics proves with their HT-762PZ home cinema system that high value technology can be successfully combined with demanding design.

The optically striking elements of the 5.1 art design speaker set from LG Electronics are the two vertically formed front speakers, although an additional speaker and the DVD receiver also fit excellently in any modern living room furnishing. The technical specifications convince as well. The DVD receiver also reads other audio and video formats like SVCD, VCD, DivX or MP3. The receiver achieves a total performance output of 700 Watts. This is split between 110 Watts on each of the three front and two back speakers. 150 Watts are left over for the subwoofer. The home cinema set supports HDMI with 1080i scaling, progressive scan, Dolby Digital, as well as Dolby ProLogic 2. The LG HT-762PZ is immediately available for around €695.

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Crunchgear: PS3’s PlayTV add-on — essentially a DVR for the PS3 — will go on sale in Europe in March for about €100. Not word on US availability.

There are also reports that content recorded by PlayTV will not be copy-protected and that you will be able to drop video onto MPEG-2 compatible devices without DRM.

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PMP Today: This is just a mock-up of the Asus ZX1 Lamborghini PDA Phone since no pictures of it exist as of now, but it’s got some interesting specs well worth waiting for at CeBIT in Germany. The Asus ZX1 is a high-end, touchscreen smartphone with a flat display and an interface similar to the iPhone or the HTC Touch.

Lamborghini’s colors will be used for branding so chances are the phone will come in glossy black and yellow. The Asus ZX1 will run on Windows Mobile 6 Pro and will have a 520 MHz Qualcomm CPU, 3G+ data support, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Watch out for its release in Europe during summer for 650 EUR.

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Electronista: Sony is investing in a flat TV manufacturing plant Sharp is building for LCD panels, according to a report today. The €2,3 billion plant is due to be operational by March of 2010, with construction commencing this past December. The plant will be two-thirds owned by Sharp and will manufacture 40-, 50- and 60-inch (102cm, 127cm, 152cm) flat panels. Japanese daily newspaper Nikkei claims that Sony will contribute about €612 million to the venture, though neither company has confirmed that number.

Sony President Ryoji Chubachi and Sharp President Mikio Katayama were scheduled to speak at a joint news conference in Tokyo in the latter part of the day to shed more light on their joint venture.With growing demand for flat-panel TVs around the world, the move is seen as a profitable one for both companies, as it gives Sony another source for its TVs, in addition to its supply from another joint venture with Samsung, while Sharp’s investment is lightened.

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The Register: The phone, which is now available to buy in the UK, retains the i620′s slider design. Specifications provided by Vodafone are annoyingly vague, though the network provider does state that the i640 is a tri-band GSM/GPRS handset that also does 3G. It also has a two-megapixel camera and integrated memory card slot.

The i620, which came to Vodafone in July last year, has all these features.

From the pictures provided, it’s probably fair to assume that the i640 still measures 95 x 60 x 16mm and has a 320 x 240 pixel resolution display. Battery life seems to have been given a little boost on the i640, though, jumping to six hours talk time and 380 hours standby life, compared to 4.3 hours talk time and 350 hours standby on the i620.

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