LG Unveils a Gigantor 100-Inch Laser Projector: You're Gonna Need Bigger Walls

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969872/lg-unveils-a-gigantor-100+inch-laser-projector-youre-gonna-need-bigger-walls

Conventional video projectors have remained largely a niche market for dedicated home theater enthusiasts on account of their difficult installation. However, a new breed of "home projector" has developed over the past few years into an increasingly viable alternative to flat panel televisions. And if LG's new 100-inch class LG "HECTO" Laser TV is any indicator, the LED/Plasma debate may be moot.

The 1080p HECTO system uses a specially designed screen and an Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector that sits under it. The obvious advantage is that you can set up the system like a normal flat panel display rather than having to mount the projector on your ceiling or maintain a clear line of sight from the back of the room. The projector needs less than two feet of space from the screen to function and is bright enough to work in normally lit living rooms rather than darkened home theaters.

The projector itself is outfitted with dual 10W speakers, a trio HDMI ports, audio out, and a RS-232 interface. And like the rest of LG's premium device offerings this year, the HECTO will offer Smart TV functionality—including web browsing and VOD—as well as integration with the new Magic Remote and WiDi compatibility. Most impressive pehaps is the HECTO's Methusala of a bulb. It reportedly lasts five time longer than conventional mercury lamps—a stunning 25,000 hours.

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Toshiba's New 20-Megapixel Image Sensor Is a Remnant of the Megapixel Wars

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5971212/toshibas-new-20+megapixel-image-sensor-is-a-remnant-of-the-megapixel-wars

Toshiba's new TCM5115CL 20-megapixel image sensor is the highest-resolution ever built for the tiniest point-and-shoot cameras. Uh oh, are the megapixel wars back?

For a while there, the wars over who could cram more pixels onto tiny image sensors seemed to have died off. Indeed, for years, megapixel counts were a showy and misleading spec used by camera manufacturers to entice buyers who don't know any better. But when it comes to the 1/2.3-inch image sensors used in bottom-of-the-line cameras, almost all manufacturers these days have settled on a 16-megapixel, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. The spec is a nice compromise between resolution and light-capturing efficiency for the cheap point-and-shoot cameras these sensors are used in.

Well next year, Toshiba will roar onto the marketplace with a new 1/2.3-inch image sensor with 25-percent more pixels. Sure, this sensor could be a huge breakthrough in image quality that allows Toshiba to stuff more pixels onto the same space without losing quality.. But what a 1/2.3-inch sensor really needs is better performance out of the pixels it already has. Oh well, we'll reserve judgement until the new sensors ship next August. [Businesswire]

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LG 'Hecto' laser TV projector to debut at CES 2013, promises a 100-inch screen from 22-inches away

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/26/lg-hecto-laser-tv-projector-to-debut-at-ces-2013-promises-a-1/

As LG continues its slew of CES 2013 pre-announcements, the latest is a new display technology it's bringing to the projection arena, an ultra short throw laser projector. Capable of creating a 100-inch screen from just 22 inches (56cm) away, the "Hecto" Laser TV a 1080p shooter that can change the way owners design their home theater. If you'd like to use it as an all-in-one home theater to go (the screen is included, picture after the break), it also has a digital tuner and 10w speakers built-in, with three HDMI inputs, an RS-232 port and Smart TV capabilities controlled by LG's Magic Remote. As you can see above, it follows LG's "Dynamic Arc Design" with a max height of just 5.7-inches. It carries a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio with WiDi and Miracast compatibility and LG claims the laser system will run for up to 25,000 hours without replacement. There's no word on pricing or release date, although it likely won't be value priced. We expect to get a few more details when we see it in Las Vegas, check the press release after the break for all the information currently available.

Continue reading LG 'Hecto' laser TV projector to debut at CES 2013, promises a 100-inch screen from 22-inches away

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Nubia Z5 unveiled in China with quad-core chip, 5-inch 1080p display and 7.6mm thickness

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/26/nubia-z5-launch/

Much like many Chinese smartphone brands these days, ZTE sub-brand Nubia had prematurely given away the main selling points of its Z5 ahead of its Beijing launch today, but there were still some surprises. As you probably already know, here's yet another five-inch 1080p Android phone featuring Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with a 13-megapixel F2.2 main camera (with five-element optics by Konica Minolta, plus separate touch focus and touch exposure in the app) and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. For multimedia consumption, the Z5 supports WiFi Display and MHL output should you wish to beam content to a larger screen; whereas on the audio side you are spoiled with either Yamaha or Dolby Digital Plus. But wait, there's more!

Gallery: Nubia Z5 hands-on

Gallery: Nubia Z5 press event

Continue reading Nubia Z5 unveiled in China with quad-core chip, 5-inch 1080p display and 7.6mm thickness

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Nubia

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Spin Magazine Is Finally Dead, Long Live Spin Online

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5970548/spin-magazine-is-finally-dead-long-live-spin-online

Subscribers to Spin Magazine got a letter in the mail yesterday informing them that the print version of the magazine had ceased publication. We knew this was coming when the rag was put on hold over the summer, and now it will officially never be published again, we couldn't be happier to see Spin be relevant again.

The Daily Swarm reports that that Spin subscribers are receiving letter informed that the magazine was dead and that the rest of their subscription would be fullfilled with—wait for it—issues of Car and Driver. Ew. Car and Driver, really? Here's the letter:

Shortly after acquiring Spin over the summer, Buzzmedia did a round of layoffs and announced that there would be no November/December issue of Spin, while it figured out what the hell to do with the struggling property. But while the demise of Spin might have been sealed right then, Buzzmedia was downright cryptic about it.

Sad as we are to see the mainstream music monolith go the way of Newsweek and countless other magazines, this really is the best way for this type of information to be served. If music blogs have taught us anything it's that culture news and reviews should be read instantly when they're most relevant. General interest magazines like Spin and Rolling Stone just can't keep up with the speed and niche expertise of blogs.

For all its history, Spin spent the last decade one-step behind the story, and its voice was too general for anybody to really care. At the same time, Spin online has been getting constantly better—if you haven't, go check it out. [The Daily Swarm]

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