As they're actually flexible, they'll be perfect for covering satellites and other space-bound objects, and are even able to be folded around tight corners. Measuring 20 microns in thickness, Sharp's prototype was created by combining indium gallium crystals, gallium arsenide and indium gallium arsenide, growing them on solid substrate molecules before adding them to film. Sharp's hoping to manufacture them before 2012, for space shuttles and the like to generate energy from way up above us. [Nikkei via CrunchGear]

Eco-friendly is the general theme of Sharp's facility because it's all about creating and saving energy. From the energy-conserving LCD displays and solar panels being produced to the technology being used around the actual factory, Mama Nature's got plenty to smile about here.

Ok, maybe the whole place is a bit eerie with those hallways, but did anyone really think that LCDs would be built in a cheery-looking factory?

How do they do it? With a triple junction compound solar cell that uses three photo absorption layers made from elements like indium and gallium. I'll leave it to the physical chemistry geniuses among you to explain exactly what that means in the comments.

You might have heard of efficiency ratings that climb into the 40% range. Sharp even lists one in their press release. To clarify, those are different tests. Apparently there's a distinction made in efficiency ratings between concentrated and unfocused light. The more you know, right?

Don't expect to be covering your house in these soon, they're meant for use in satellites. [Akihabara via Engadget]

Between a general leeriness towards AT&T and spectacularly huge numbers involved, the whole thing sounds a little conspiratorial. Thing is, the price-fixing definitely happened:

South Korea's LG Display Co., Sharp Corp. and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. agreed last November to pay $585 million in criminal fines in a U.S. Justice Department probe of illegally price fixing on LCDs used in flat-screen televisions, cellphones and other devices.

This lawsuit is less about AT&T proving that some of the biggest LCD manufacturers in the world have been gouging them (and in turn, their customers) than it is about getting some kind of compensation for said gouging, which has been driving up prices of phones for quite a while now.

I mean, probably not by more than a few cents apiece, but still! Outrage! As a bonus, this is a rare chance to earnestly root for the Death Star. [WSJ]

Just how long will we have to wait? There's no information on that, but we do know that Sharp is going through some testing of the devices:

Sharp has already verified the reliability of the new blue-violet semiconductor laser. It confirmed that the laser operated for more than 1,000 hours under the temperature of 80°C with a pulse width of 30ns and an output of 500mW.

Sounds safe enough to me, but sadly that stage is nowhere near actual products shipping. Let's hope they hurry up, especially since we've had the discs collecting dust for a year. [TechOn via electronista]

SHARPÒ INTRODUCES TWO NEW ULTRA-PORTABLE
IPOD® DOCKING SYSTEMS
High-fidelity Sound and Convenience in an Elegant, Handheld Design

ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – Sharp today introduces two new iPodÒ docking systems for headphone-free music on the go. The DK-AP8P and DK-AP7P allow users to play music directly from any iPod or iPhoneÒ while simultaneously recharging the unit. Weighing less than 1.6 lbs, these 2.1-channel units feature premium sound quality, a long battery life and an ultra-portable design. An IR wireless touch panel remote control on the DK-AP8P adds flexibility and convenience, acting as a magnetic cover when not in use, while the DK-AP7P folds shut – protecting the units from damage during travel.

"As the popularity of digital music devices continues to grow, so does the desire for consumers to share their vast digital music libraries, whether traveling, in their backyard or in the comfort of the home," said Sean McBride, senior product marketing manager, audio, Entertainment Products Division, Sharp. "The introduction of the DK-AP8P and DK-AP7P strengthens Sharp's lineup of portable iPod audio systems and gives users the ultimate ease and convenience of high-quality music on the go, with an extremely small footprint."

The DK-AP8P and DK-AP7P join Sharp's existing lineup of iPod audio systems, including the DK-AP7N and DK-CL6N.

DK-AP8P and DK-AP7P

These small, yet powerful, made for iPod audio systems also work with iPhone and feature an ultra-portable design that folds closed for safekeeping when on the go (the DK-AP8P has a magnetic cover). A 2.1-channel speaker system houses all of the necessary components for an enjoyable listening experience, including the main drivers and subwoofer. With approximately six hours of battery operation and an AC adapter and soft carry bag included, these models are truly a portable solution to enjoying high-quality audio from any location.

The iPod terminal allows the user to charge and play music directly from any iPod or iPhone through the unit's full-range bass reflex speakers with HDSS™ (high-definition sound standard) sound technology. For optimum sound, the units offer ESound, a digital signal processing technology that improves the quality of compressed digital music. By enhancing the sound frequency and increasing the sound pressure, ESound mode corrects deterioration to the sound quality that plagues most compressed music. Both models also include a video output so that when connected to a TV, users can enjoy their favorite iPod videos and photos on a larger screen. Additionally, each unit features a 3.5mm stereo audio input for use with other audio MP3 players or PC audio for increased versatility.

The DK-AP8P and DK-AP7P feature a piano black finish. The current DK-AP7N is available in two eye-catching color combinations, sporting a glossy black body with either white or red accents.

DK-CL6N

With this clock radio music system made for iPod, users can wake up to their favorite playlists, direct from any iPod or iPhone (in airplane mode). The DK-CL6N charges and plays music from the docked iPod or iPhone (in airplane mode) with high-quality sound through the system's 4 watt, 2.0-channel audio speaker system. The alarm clock function includes a sleep timer with snooze and dual alarms for ultimate convenience. An AM/FM tuner allows users to program up to 10 favorite radio stations. The unit also features an electronic equalizer that customizes sound based on the music genre and has a five-step mode to accurately adjust the sound for any type of music.

The DK-CL6N is designed for the home or dorm room, featuring a compact design with a blue illuminated clock display. The unit also supports MP3 music players as well as streams video files from iPod video via the video output jack to the television.

All models feature low power consumption and comply with Energy StarÒ standards.
Pricing and availability

* The DK-AP8P will be available in September for a for a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $189.99
* The DK-AP7P will be available in September for an MSRP of $129.99

[Sharp]

The Netwalker, also called the PC-Z1 in the official literature, seems to be somewhat pocketable with its 6.3 x 4.2 x .9-inch build. The thing is the ultimate tweener with an ARM Cortex-A8 based processor, 4GB of on board storage, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, but no 3G or WiMax. It reminds me a lot of the UMID mBook M1, but with a slightly bigger keyboard.

Sharp, maybe you should make some coffee. It has become pretty evident in the last few years that devices like this have failed more times than not, especially for an above $400 price point. The Netwalker looks cute, but people will buy smartphones or netbooks. [Sharp Japanese via Engadget]

Flip it open, and you have an ordinary, full color clamshell. But closed, its "memory" LCD takes advantage of a low-power backside that's black and white only.

This outer display can be programmed to support a number of apps and animations, but the most notable is definitely its rudimentary (but effective) self-portrait preview. Instead of displaying your actual face on the screen, you just see whether or not your mug is properly framed. (You know, before you flip open the phone to check yourself out in full color.)
I'm still partial to touchscreens that eliminate the need for a dual-sided display entirely, but the Mirumo 934SH is certainly neat. [+D Media via DVICE]

The larger 40V-, 46V-, 52V-inch models are the ones equipped with an improved "High-Picture-Quality Master Engine." These are full-HD (1080p) models, while new 26-inch and 32-inch DX2 TVs have a resolution of 1366 by 768.

The DX2 range also has an "Image Select" mode that automatically adjusts the picture and sound to match your room's brightness, and the content you're watching.

Just a quick one really, as—apart from a September ship date for Japan-no pricing was announced, let alone U.S. availability. Sharp, Sony and Haier do have Blu-ray TVs on this side of the Pacific, though. [Sharp via Akihabara News]

Like Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and even Vizio, these sets are backlit by a grid of LEDs. But unlike those models, these don't dim parts of that grid to provide crazy contrast—that is, they don't do local dimming. (For more, check out our Giz Explains on LED TV technology). The lack of local dimming could mean that, in tests, the blacks in bright scenes won't be on par with the best of those TVs above. Sharp's excuse was that their X-Gen panel with 10-bit processing lets them align the pixels in crazy ways for good black levels, so they don't need local dimming. And admittedly, here, the blacks look pretty good, but I'd want to see 'em side by side with a local-dimming set.

Sharp is, however, promising local dimming on future sets—along with lower-end edge-lit models, and super high-end ones with RGB LEDs, like Sony's XBR8, for better color, but you'll have to pay more to get the nicer LED systems. That's right kids, buying an LED TV is going to get more complicated in the future. But that's all for CES 2010 and beyond. And at least, by 2010, Sharp's LCD TV product manager Anthony Favia told us, you'll see LED TVs hit "price parity" with traditional CCFL sets. For now, we have the LE700, a step in the right direction. Here's the size price/breakdown:

• $2799 for 52 inch
• $2199 for 46 inch
• $1699 for 40 inch
• $1099 for 32 inch

You'll notice as well that they don't do streaming video or use Yahoo's widget platform for services like Amazon or Flickr like Vizio's pimping—Sharp says they're looking into Yahoo, but obviously it'll be 2010 before we see TVs with it or any other video service. This is partly, they say, waiting for true HD streaming to be available. In the meantime, they've got the ahead-of-its-time but now anemic Aquos Net, though it doesn't do any video stuff.

In other words, between more diverse (and cheaper) LED models and streaming video on their sets, Sharp's really pointing to 2010 as the magic moment. Sharp's VP of marketing Bob Scaglione promises that Sharp will become "the most aggressive" player in LED TVs. It's too bad about this year, though.

The Aquos LED TVs look really classy in person, though. I'll give Sharp that much right now.

SHARP INTRODUCES AQUOS® LED

Breakthrough New Line of LED Backlit LCD TVs Bring Superior Brightness and Image Quality Combined with Industry's Lowest Power Consumption for True Value

NEW YORK, July 7, 2009 – Sharp Electronics unveils, for the first time worldwide, AQUOS LED, an LCD TV series that provides the ultimate in picture quality and value, offering consumers the lowest power consumption of any available LCD TV. A new series of LCD TVs that combines Sharp's award-winning AQUOS LCD technology with a Full-Array LED backlight system, the new LE700 AQUOS LED series delivers unprecedented image quality and energy-efficient, eco-friendly performance. This Full-HD 1080p LCD TV series, available in 52- (LC-52LE700UN), 46- (LC-46LE700UN), 40- (LC-40E700UN) and 32-inch (LC-32LE700UN) screen class sizes (52 1/32", 45 63/64", 40", and 31 35/64" diagonal respectively), introduces a newly-developed X-Gen Panel with advanced pixel control for extremely deep black levels.

The AQUOS LED series also includes Sharp's AQUOS Net™* capability, a service that gives users instant access to customized Web-based content as well as real-time customer support.

"Sharp demonstrated the unlimited possibilities of LCD, bringing the first LED back-lit AQUOS LCD TV to market last year, and we continue to advance the category today," said Bob Scaglione, senior vice president and group manager, Product and Marketing Group, Sharp Electronics Corporation. "With the introduction of the AQUOS LED series, we are bringing consumers an affordable display solution with superior picture and environmental performance that provides a true value. Sharp is able to deliver a price-competitive yet high-performance product by producing many of the key components of the TV, including the LED components and the LCD panel."

Superior Picture Quality

The proprietary AQUOS LED system incorporates Sharp's UltraBrilliant LED backlight technology that illuminates the TV to extremely high brightness and contrast levels. The system includes a full array of LEDs evenly dispersed behind the diffuser, resulting in more uniform colors and brightness across the entire screen, as well as improved color purity for the smoothest picture possible. Additionally, this series uses Sharp's proprietary next-generation Full HD 1080p X-Gen LCD panel with 10-bit processing, designed with advanced pixel control to minimize light leakage, producing extremely deep black levels. The X-Gen panel also provides a wider aperture to allow more light to pass through the panel, resulting in higher peak brightness. The panel provides Spectral Contrast Engine MC for an extremely high Dynamic Contrast Ratio of more than 2,000,000:1 for crisp picture quality and vibrant colors, as well as a special dejudder feature (on the LC-52LE700UN and LC-46LE700UN) that results in the smooth reproduction of film content.

Rounding out this premium picture, the series offers Fine Motion Enhanced technology for 120Hz Frame Rate Conversion and a fast pixel response time of 4ms, providing the ultimate medium for high-definition viewing, ensuring viewers never miss a detail. For flexible room placement, the series has impressive 176-degree viewing angles, enabling the color reproduction to appear bright and vivid from virtually anywhere in a room.

Eco-Efficient Design

In addition to a first-class picture, the AQUOS LED series was designed to bring overall value to the consumer, with several eco-friendly improvements enabled by LED technology. The UltraBrilliant full array LED backlight enables precise light output with higher luminance per watt so less power is needed. The TV is also equipped with a system designed to lower power consumption during use by adjusting the screen brightness based on the level of brightness in the area of installation. In fact, this series offers the industry's lowest power consumption of any LCD TV currently available on the market.** The LC-52LE700UN consumes 105W, exceeding the EPA's ENERGY STAR criteria for TVs: Version 3.0 by 68 percent; the LC-46LE700UN consumes 90W, exceeding ENERGY STAR guidelines by 63 percent; the LC-40LE700UN consumes 75W, exceeding ENERGY STAR guidelines by 60 percent; and the LC-32LE700UN consumes 55W, exceeding ENERGY STAR guidelines by 52 percent.

In addition to lower power consumption, the AQUOS LED series is built to last longer - as a solid-state light source, LEDs generate less heat and are more durable, leading to a longer lifespan – an expected 100,000 hours, two thirds longer than traditional LCD TVs.

This TV series also uses eco-friendly components and uses no mercury – LED is a mercury-free light source. The units house fewer components with a reduction of heavy metals, which makes for easy recycling and an overall carbon footprint reduction.

AQUOS Net

Included in the LE700 series*, AQUOS Net is an internet-based service that gives Sharp AQUOS customers access to personalized information. Viewers can check everyday information with a push of a button on the television's remote control, in either full screen or split screen. Currently available through AQUOS Net is content from Weatherbug to check the local forecast, NASDAQ for stock quotes, Accedo Broadband for casual games such as blackjack and Sudoku, UCLICK to follow daily comic strips, daily local NAVTEQ Traffic™ reports, AQUOS Gallery, which provides users with beautiful high-resolution 1080p images of scenery and nature, and a variety of web-based content from NBCU's broad portfolio.

Through AQUOS Net, consumers also have access to unparalleled customer support for their television, including the ability to have dedicated AQUOS AdvantageSM advisors connect remotely to their TV to assist in adjusting the TV's settings and optimizing picture quality for the best viewing experience. This interactive tool, known as AQUOS Advantage LiveSM, is easily accessible from the AQUOS Net home page.

Advanced Connectivity

These Full-HD 1080p models boast an array of connection options, including four HDMI™ (v1.3 with Deep Color) and two component video inputs, all of which are 1080p compatible, accepting signals from Blu-ray Disc™ players and advanced gaming devices. A true high-definition TV, each model houses a built-in ATSC, QAM and NTSC tuner for access to DTV and analog TV channels. The LE700 series also features an RS-232C input for custom installations and a PC input so the TV serves a dual purpose as a PC monitor. Additionally, Sharp's AQUOS LINK™ feature allows users to seamlessly control compatible, HDMI-connected products using a single remote control. The series also includes a USB photo/music player* for the convenience of high-resolution digital photo viewing and MP3 music enjoyment on the TV.

Availability

* The LC-52LE700UN will be available in July for a Manufacturer's Suggested List Price of $2,799.99
* The LC-46LE700UN will be available in July for an MSRP of $2,199.99
* The LC-40LE700UN will be available in July for an MSRP of $1,699.99
* The LC-32LE700UN will be available in July for an MSRP of $1,099.99

For more information on Sharp's full line of Liquid Crystal Televisions, contact Sharp Electronics Corporation, Sharp Plaza, Mahwah, N.J., 07495-1163, or call 800-BE-SHARP. For online product information, visit Sharp's Web site at sharpusa.com. Become a fan of Sharp AQUOS at www.facebook.com/SharpAQUOS.

Remote-controlled color-changing LED-baed lightbulbs are not new, but the 560-lumen Sharp DL-L60AV has a beautiful classic design and focus on only the white range, allowing you to change its temperature from eight different points.

As a bonus, these lights last for 40,000 hours, consume very little energy—only 4.1 or 7.5 watts, depending on the model—and doesn't attract insects:

These LED lamps emit almost no light in the 350-nm (ultraviolet) waveband that tends to attract insects, thus minimizing dirt and contamination of the lighting fixture from flying bugs and insects

Having experienced the mosquitos in NYC, I can really see that as a major selling point. [Sharp via Impress]

Following a stroke a genius (or possibly just a regular stroke), Sharp's designers have completely replaced this netbook's trackpad with a glass multitouch screen. Akihabara News gave it a try below, but their photos, first impressions and video still leave some questions.

Like, is there a another pointing mechanism? Akihabara's fiddling seems to reveal a touchscreen that is like almost any other capacitive panel, which is to so say sensitive, but not overly precise—and certainly not precise enough for typical mousing duties. Unless the center button is touch sensitive, or another section of the OS 9-reminiscent wristrest area has a Synaptics pad hiding out underneath it, the screen like the sole touch input mechanism, rather than a supplementary fun-screen like the Fujitsu LifeBook's. It's also unclear if the screen can be configured as a second monitor.

The rest is boring, filled out with a 1.6GHz Atom, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 1024x600 main display, 1.3mp webcam, etc. Pricing and release date are still somewhat up in the air, but it looks like it'll be Japan-only for a while, and should ship by late May. [Akihabara]

Actually, every single TV at Citi Field was made by Sharp—except, ironically, the monitors in the control room—which is why they wanted to show us the whole stadium, to make sure we saw every single TV. It's really nice! It almost makes me want to be a Mets fan, especially if I could hang out in a luxury suite and have Shackburgers delivered to me.

So why watch the game on TV at home, when you could pay a lot of money to watch it live on TV at the stadium? You don't have 850 TVs, after all.

HDTVs:
• Sharp AQUOS 720p 32" TV for $480 (normally $580)
• Sharp 720p 32" TV for $460 (normally $550)


Portable Media:
• 1st Gen Apple iPod Touch 32GB for $310 (normally $400)
• Archos 605 WiFi 30GB for $135 (normally $150-200)

Peripherals:
• Logitech Harmony 676 Remote for $45 (normally $150+)
• 25% off Dell LCD Displays
• Seagate 1.5 TB External Hard Drive for $112 (normally $130)
• 3-Pack of 6' HDMI cables for $8 (normally anywhere from $30 to $80)

Gaming:
• 20% off on all consoles, games, and accessories at Dell

Cell Phones:
• Nokia E71 Unlocked for $290 (today only, normally $370)

Apparel:
• 2 Snuggies plus 2 book lights for $15 (normally $60)
• Up to 80% off men's apparel at Amazon
• Up to 45% off Adidas men's running shoes

We've known Pioneer's been having a hard time of things lately, especially when they confirmed they were leaving the plasma manufacturing business. They hitched their wagon to Panasonic, the leading plasma manufacturer, but apparently Panny just delayed the opening of a new factory, citing economic strains. So you can see how the #2 would get shoved aside, if all of Panasonic's capacity is tied up with its own product.

As for its DVD and Blu-ray group, the Nikkei says it plans to merge that with a division from Sharp as some sort of new business venture.

Gary Merson at HDGuru had been sniffing around this story, and today, Nikkei confirmed it with a report of its own. [HDGuru]

UPDATE: Here's Pioneer's official non-response to the news:

As a matter of policy, we cannot comment on rumors or speculation. As you know, we have publicly announced that we are actively evaluating our business. We started announcing changes in March, 2008 to increase efficiencies of our business operations. We are still in that process but do not have any further announcements at this time.

Like the Winter/Fall season's phones, these ones are sleek clamshells chock full of features the public probably won't use—like "Run & Walk," a mobile fitness program that offers fashion advice, a personal trainer as well as the usual calorie and step counters.

It's funny. I used to feel like Japan was on the cutting edge of designing cellphones and features. Now though, minus a few interesting novelties (the music program phone or that 3D phone), KDDI au's offerings all seem a little stale. [KDDI au]

Of course, it's a further sign that the economy being in trouble, and goes along with the generally more subdued feel of CES 2009; but no one scrapped any plans to show a 200-incher within the last six months, so there's more to it than that.

The current kings of ridiculous TV extremes—Panasonic's 150-inch plasma and Sharp's 108-inch LCD—represent the biggest physical pieces of glass that the factory can produce without imperfections. Usually, these massive pieces of "mother glass" are carved into a number of smaller panels, and they obviously don't build them bigger only to get bigger showpiece TVs for CES—the more smaller sets you can produce from a single run of glass means more efficient manufacturing and more money saved per panel.

So the short answer is: in the last 12 months, no one has had a bigger and better factory go online that can produce any bigger pieces of mother glass.

But here's an interesting tidbit: Sharp is currently building a new plant in Japan that's capable of producing a piece of mother glass that's 120 inches by 112 inches. If we know our Pythagorean theorem, that's just under 165 inches diagonal, which would take the crown from Panny's 150-incher.

But it's not going to happen. Sharp's Senior Product Manager for LCD TVs, Tony Favia, says that right now there are no plans to build a 165-inch TV from the new mother glass when the plant goes online in the spring of next year. When we asked why, Tony and several other execs basically just laughed at the idea of building a 165-inch set today.

Here's why—the logistics make it too ridiculous in any economy, especially the one we've got right now. Panasonic's 150-inch set still isn't even on sale. They've sold a few thousand of their 103-inch plasma (2007's plasma size king) and have announced intentions to sell the 150, but right now they're just intentions. A 150-inch TV requires a chartered 747 to ship—and they can only fit two in each 747. And on top of that, no one's there to buy these things. Sharp unveiled an 82-inch LCD prototype this year because 108 inches is simply too big and expensive at $129k, and they needed a middle step between that and their 65-inchers.

So where will the next size race come into play? OLED. Even though we didn't see much of that technology at CES this year either, the shipping logistics of a massive display that can effectively be rolled up into a shipping tube is where we'll see the next big size wars. Once manufacturers figure out how to seal the OLED filling into naturally more porous plastic, that's the war we'll have.

It better be soon, because without the HDTV size match, CES is a snooze.