NEC manages 16Gbps, tries to put a dimmer on Light Peak (updated)
If you didn’t know it, there’s a brewing interface war between the effortlessly backwards compatible USB 3.0 and the decidedly fresh break offered by Light Peak. Most people are fans of new stuff that works with their old stuff, but so too do people like stuff that’s really fast, and USB 3.0’s 5Gbps just can’t match Light Peak’s 10Gbps. Or can it? NEC says it can, indicating that its USB 3.0 NEC has demonstrated a new chipset managing a whopping 16Gbps (2GB per second) over a single cable, finding a way to overcome that standard’s signal interference problems to more than triple the USB 3.0’s held ceiling. It remains to be seen whether NEC’s technique will be integrated into the still young 3.0 spec, but that would certainly be the logical thing to do.
Update: TheLostSwede commented to point us to an English version of the press release that, in Japanese form, seems to have led to the Electronista story we used as a source. Apparently something previously got lost in translation as the release actually talks about a wholly new inter-chip serial interface offering 16Gbps speeds, not an extension to USB 3.0. This could provide the system internals to shovel bits to whatever new external interface reigns supreme.
NEC manages 16Gbps, tries to put a dimmer on Light Peak (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler
Do you care about color? We mean do you really care about getting the most true-to-life color reproduction on your monitor? Then you’ll probably be wanting an IPS panel, preferably with 99.3 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color spectrum and 100 percent of the sRGB stuff. What’s that — you’d also like more headroom than what these silly new 16:9 ratio displays can give you — yup, the PA241W has you covered with 1200 pixels of vertical workspace as well. A solid 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 360 nits of brightness, 8ms response time and 178-degree viewing angles flesh out the spec sheet, while a tilt-and-swivel ergonomic stand, USB hub and DisplayPort connectivity figure as the predictable extras. Less foreseeable is the generous 4-year parts and labor warranty, but then you’d want nothing less when splashing a cool $1,079 on a monitor. NEC is ready to ship it to you today, but if you’re feeling in a thrifty mood we’d suggest also checking out Dell’s competing model, which offers a similar spec at a much lower price point.
Gallery: NEC MultiSync PA241W
NEC MultiSync PA241W brings full 1920 x 1200 IPS glory to the well-heeled old schooler originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NTT DoCoMo will demo LTE prototype at MWC, launch service this year
Still on track to launch its LTE network this year, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has today announced that its first prototype handset designed specifically to handle all that bandwidth will be unveiled at MWC 2010. We already knew a cool $10.4 billion or thereabouts were to be spent on Japanese LTE deployment, and now we can break that figure down a little by noting that NTT will be spending between $3.3b and $4.4b on its infrastructure alone. All we know of the new phone so far is that it’ll be the product of the overall partnership with NEC, Fujitsu and Panasonic, but judging from NTT DoCoMo’s last prototype to grace these pages, we’re unlikely to be left wanting.
NTT DoCoMo will demo LTE prototype at MWC, launch service this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NEC’s new Mate ME desktop is 30% more efficient, 75% more recyclable, 100% less flammable
There comes a time when you have to stop chasing performance and start making good for the environmental damage you’ve caused — or do you? NEC’s latest Mate desktop offers 30% boosted efficiency over previous models despite offering better performance with Core i5 or i7 processors, consuming just 23 watts thanks to a redesigned motherboard and the use of SSD. It also features greater use of recyclable components and a shell composed of environmentally friendly yet flame-retardant plastic — important when your power supplies have been known for their explosive personalities. NEC is also announcing the new VersaPro VD laptop (pictured after the break), similarly equipped with Intel’s latest, and offering a new software tool for tracking energy consumption to “increase user awareness of energy saving.” Knowing is half the battle, friends.
NEC’s new Mate ME desktop is 30% more efficient, 75% more recyclable, 100% less flammable originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Blinking LEDs to give QR codes a run for their (ad) money
We’re still waiting for this so-called QR code revolution to hit North America, but our contemporaries across the Pacific are already looking to develop the next big thing. Reportedly, a smattering of mega-corps (including the likes of Toshiba and NEC) are joining hands in order to concoct a rivaling technology that requires even less effort to get content from billboards, books and posters to one’s mobile. The heretofore unnamed system utilizes blinking LEDs to send data to phones, and so long as an ad has enough room for a minuscule light, consumers can come within five meters of it and receive the associated information by simply pointing their handset in the direction of the light. If all goes well, the technology will be ready for commercialization by 2013, or just after phase one of the Robot Apocalypse.
Blinking LEDs to give QR codes a run for their (ad) money originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more
When two of Japan’s largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan — but for consumers in the local market, it’s nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo:
- Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a “jewelry quality” phone with a snap-on perfume holder for “an air of elegance.”
- LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don’t speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone).
- Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot — for some reason we don’t fully comprehend.
- Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera.
- Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret — the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever.
- Samsung SC-01B: Samsung’s Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup.
And from Softbank:
- Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is “4-inch 1024 x 480 display,” which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world’s first.
- Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride.
- Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it’s Softbank’s turn — and this time, it’s called the X02A. Not much more to it than that.
- Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T’s Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it’s a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard.
- Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics.
- Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung’s now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing.
- Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don’t think you’d want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors — hence the name, we think.
- Android: The simply-named Android runs — you guessed it — Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won’t be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn’t being revealed right now.
Both companies are also adding wireless digital photo frames to the lineup, and in Softbank’s case, a pair of data modems with support for 7.2Mbps on the downlink. We’ll admit — we didn’t think we’d live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan’s.
Read – Softbank Winter ‘09 / Spring ‘10 collection
Read – NTT DoCoMo’s new series
Filed under: Cellphones
NTT DoCoMo, Softbank announce grand total of 37 phones: Android, perfume holders, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.