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<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>Issue No. 280 Friday November 2, 2007<br>Subscribers: 9467<br>SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO GADGET WATCH:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up">
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<br>Name: Sharp AQUOS P series<br>Category: Home Audio/Video<br>Price: Open Price; 22 inch estimated at 180,000 yen, 26 inch at<br>200,000 yen, 32 inch at 240,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: November 22, 2007<br><br>The Gist: Sharp has announced the 'AQUOS P' line of LCD
<br>televisions and is scheduled to release three models next month<br>in Japan. The model sizes are 22-inch, 26-inch, and 32-inch.<br><br>The release is notable because all three models are support Full<br>HD/1080p (1920x1080) resolution. As a result, the 26-inch and
<br>22-inch models are the industry's first screens of such sizes<br>that support Full HD resolutions. Of course, with these smaller<br>screen sizes, it's likely that a lot of the pixel detail will be<br>lost when you sit too far away. That's why Sharp has suggested
<br>these models as second TVs/displays, perhaps placed in a bedroom<br>or connected to a PC.<br><br>For connection to your PC, you'll use the DVI-D port with HDCP<br>support or the mini D-Sub 15-pin port. The unit's stand is also
<br>designed such that a keyboard can be stored inside. If you want<br>to connect the screen to additional devices, you can also take<br>advantage of two HDMI ports, a D5 port, S-Video, Composite, and<br>i.Link. It has an integrated terrestrial digital/BS digital/110
<br>CS digital tuner, as well as integrated 5W x 2ch speakers.<br><br>Additional features include support for 'AQUOS Familink' for<br>connection with other A/V components in Sharp's product line,<br>picture-in-picture for simultaneous display of PC and TV
<br>signals, as well as the ability to choose between 'zooming'<br>non-1080p signals or just leaving them as-is.<br><br>More info: <a href="http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/071029-a.html">http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/071029-a.html
</a><br>================================================================<br>================================================================<br>Name: Sony Cybershot DSC-T2<br>Category: Digital Still Camera<br>Price: Open Price; estimated 43,000 yen
<br>Release date in Japan: November 22, 2007<br><br>The Gist: Sony's latest Cybershot is the feature-packed DSC-T2.<br>Its big selling point is an integrated 4GB of memory, allowing<br>for 'about 40,000 images' according to Sony.
<br><br>Slated to be available in white, green, and black colors, as<br>well as pink and blue on SonyStyle, the DSC-T2 is an 8.1MP<br>compact digital camera. Since the 2.7 inch TFT LCD screen on<br>the back is a touchscreen, there are not many buttons on the
<br>body of the unit. This touchscreen also allows images to be<br>edited by drawing on the screen; Sony has included various<br>paint pens, 30 stamps, and 15 frames. It's nice that your<br>original images will remain the same; edited images are saved
<br>separately in 640x480 or 3MP resolutions.<br><br>The camera's software has a few features worth mentioning.<br>The first is the 'Album Function', which automatically groups<br>pictures based on their recording data and recording frequency.
<br>Within this Album function, images can be displayed index-style,<br>calendar-style, and list-style. The idea here is that since you<br>have 4GB of memory, you'll end up storing a lot of pictures on<br>the camera itself. The included PC software, 'Picture Motion
<br>Browser', even allows you to move pictures from your PC to your<br>camera for storage purposes. That '40,000 images' figure Sony<br>stated is somewhat misleading, because apparently the camera is<br>only capable of storing 24,000 of its own pictures. The
<br>remaining 16,000 images will have to come from your PC. Of<br>course, the counts provided are for 640x480 images. If you<br>record your images at this camera's highest resolution, 8.1MP,<br>you're looking at roughly 5MB per image; that works out to
<br>roughly 820 pictures.<br><br>Since many pictures end up on the internet these days, it's<br>nice to see the 'Picture Motion Browser Portable' feature<br>included on the camera. This one makes it possible to
<br>resize/upload images to various internet services without using<br>any special PC software. In other words, you simply connect the<br>camera to a PC connected to the internet, and then you use the<br>camera's integrated software to handle the rest. Anyone who has
<br>ever uploaded or even emailed pictures knows that selecting<br>them, resizing them, and uploading them can sometimes be a<br>hassle (or not even possible if you're using a machine without<br>the appropriate software). The camera also allows pictures to
<br>be 'marked for upload' to the internet, so the next time you<br>connect the camera to an internet-enabled PC, a lot of pain will<br>be eased. Such a feature should be particularly useful if you<br>frequently travel overseas but don't take your own computer.
<br><br>A final interesting feature of this camera is the 'Scrapbook<br>Function'. When the 'Scrapbook Button' is pushed, a photo album<br>based on picture recording dates and recording frequency will be<br>
created.<br><br>In terms of recording abilities, the camera offers a maximum<br>resolution of 3264x2488 pixels, 3x optical zoom, optical image<br>stabilization, 8cm macro mode, and maximum ISO3200 sensitivity.<br>Sony's successful 'Smile Shutter' feature-which automatically
<br>releases the shutter when a subject's smile is detected-is also<br>present.<br><br>When the 4GB of internal memory doesn't cut it, the T2 also<br>offers a Memory Stick Duo slot for compatibility with the<br>format. The battery pack will last for about 280 pictures
<br>under CIPA standards. The T2 is also compatible with Sony's<br>'Cybershot Station' docking station and assorted cables,<br>enabling high definition of output to your display using<br>D-terminal or Component connectors.
<br><br>More info: <a href="http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DSC/DSC-T2/">http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DSC/DSC-T2/</a><br>================================================================<br>================================================================
<br>Name: Hitachi Wooo UT series<br>Category: Home Audio/Video<br>Price: Open Price; 32 inch estimated at 230,000 yen, 37 inch at<br>330,000 yen, 42 inch at 430,000 yen<br>Release date in Japan: December 2007 - April 2008
<br><br>The Gist: It's difficult to call Hitachi's new 'Wooo UT' series<br>of LCD TVs 'TVs' at all, given that they don't actually contain<br>a TV tuner. Hitachi has blurred the line between TV and display
<br>even further with their latest move. The 'Wooo UT' series<br>separates the tuner (the 'tele') and screen (the 'vision') and<br>tuner into two distinct pieces of hardware, then connects them<br>
again with an HDMI cable or wirelessly.<br><br>Hitachi's objective here was rather simple: they pulled the<br>tuner out from behind the LCD screen in order to make it<br>thinner. As a result, the screen is now 35mm at its thinnest
<br>point, and 39mm at its thickest. In the UT lineup is the 32-inch<br>UT32-HV700 with a resolution of 1366x768, as well as the 37-inch<br>UT37-XV700 and 42-inch UT42-XV700 with resolutions of 1920x1080<br>pixels. The models will be released in December 2007, February
<br>2008, and April 2008 (respectively).<br><br>This isn't the first time we've seen a TV with its tuner as a<br>separate unit. Only a few weeks ago in<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/gw276">http://www.japaninc.com/gw276
</a> we looked at Sony's upcoming XEL-1<br>organic EL TV that takes advantage of this same concept. But<br>Hitachi has seemingly taken things a step beyond Sony. While<br>the tuner and display portion are separated in the XEL-1,
<br>they're still physically connected to one another and cannot<br>be separated (at least by the regular consumer). In these<br>Hitachi models, however, the tuner portion is completely<br>separate from the displays, and is connected using only an HDMI
<br>cable. In this sense, buyers not only get the benefit of a far<br>thinner screen because it doesn't have a tuner or other<br>connectors, they get the freedom to put the tuner and screen<br>in whatever positions they please. So at least we understand
<br>part of the sales name for this product: 'WonderxFree,Woo.'<br><br>The tuner unit itself is called the 'Wooo Station,' and one<br>such Wooo Station is thankfully included with each display.<br>If you're anything like me and hate cables, you'll appreciate
<br>that Hitachi has you covered with the 'TP-WL700H' wireless-izer<br>for the Wooo Station. This makes it possible to connect the<br>display portion and tuner unit wirelessly, using Ultra Wideband<br>technology from as far as 9 meters away. Sound good? Certainly,
<br>but you'll need to pay about 90,000 yen for this privilege, as<br>the TP-WL700H isn't included. Hitachi estimates a bundle rate<br>of 10-15% for this wireless adapter. The Woo Station contains a<br>terrestrial digital/BS digital/110 CS digital tuner, and analog
<br>tuner. It's equipped with three HDMI inputs (supporting 1080p),<br>a D4 input, a Composite input, and two analog audio inputs.<br>Of course, it also features the HDMI output that goes to the<br>display, as well as an optical audio output. One final feature
<br>of the Wooo Station is an iVDR-S slot; for more information<br>about this hard drive-based format, please refer to<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/gw275">http://www.japaninc.com/gw275</a>.<br><br>All three of the displays use IPS panels. While the 32 and 37
<br>inch models use panels developed and manufactured by IPS Alpha<br>Technology (a joint venture by Matsushita, Toshiba, and Hitachi<br>Displays, now wholly owned by Hitachi), the 42 inch model is<br>using a panel from a third party. 'Picture Master Full HD' is
<br>the name of the image processing engine in these new screens,<br>featuring '3D Digital Color Management,' whatever it may be.<br>Look for the 32-inch model to hit mid-December, and the other<br>two models to follow in early 2008.
<br><br>More info:<br><a href="http://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2007/10/1023.html">http://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/month/2007/10/1023.html</a><br>================================================================
<br>================================================================<br>STAFF<br>Written by: Liam McNulty<br>READ PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS<br>Gadget Watch online archive:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/gadget_watch">http://www.japaninc.com/gadget_watch
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