Here’s a new projector from Sanyo that’ll be here sometime in September for $1,295. It’s got two HDMI inputs, 1200 lumens brightness, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 12-bit digital processor.
Sanyo is touting the PLV-Z60 as a “price breakthrough” at just under $1,300. While that’s a good price for a projector that does 720p and has such a high contrast ratio, you can find competing 720p projectors for under $1,000.
The PLV-Z60 can project a 100-inch image from between 9.8 and 20 feet away thanks two a built-in 2x optical zoom. Other inputs besides the two HDMI ports include two component inputs, composite and S-Video connections, and 15-pin VGA port.
Also making its way into CG HQ is the Sprint Katana Eclipse from Sanyo. This too is a simple, yet effective flip phone. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s the tiny details that make this particular device stand out from the crowd. Said tiny details are the two light bars on the front flap that can be customized for contacts, messages, phone calls, etc. in one of 40 different variations that range from simple blinks to elaborate light shows. The colors include, red, green, blue, yellow, purple, orange and light blue.
The 1.3-megapixel camera is nothing to write home about and neither is the camcorder. It’s GPS enabled and has the ability to stream video via the Sprint TV service. It’s a simple device that makes and receives phone calls with a few added bonuses from Sprint’s array of services. I do, however, like the three external MP3 player controls.
It’s available now for $100 with a 2-year agreement. Specs after the jump.
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Today Sanyo announced that from September 12, they will be offering C and D-sized rechargeable eneloop batteries.
However, the lineup of AA and AAA-sized batteries will be expanded in Japan first. Sanyo hasn’t talked about release dates or prices for other markets yet. In Japan, one C-sized battery will cost $13 (D-size version: $15).
The batteries are rechargeable up to 1,000 times. Sanyo will roll out a universal charger, also on September 12, which is suitable for eneloop batteries of all sizes. It will be sold in Japan for $48.
Wii users may never have to take the batteries out of their wireless controllers again. Today Sanyo announced [JP] it has teamed up with Nintendo to develop a Wii battery and charger set that is based on the Eneloop concept. These low self-discharge NiMH batteries feature longer shelf life.
The Eneloop battery pack is placed on the back of the Wii controller. All you have to do after playing is to pop it into the charger stand and wait 220 minutes. The Wiimotes can then be used for up to 6.5 hours.
Up to 4 controllers can be charged by one AC adapter. Users don’t need to take off the silicone jacket from their Wiimotes as Eneloop cells are charged by magnetic induction (contactless recharging).
This is a great idea but it’s yet unclear whether Sanyo and Nintendo will offer the Eneloop set outside Japan as well (it hits Japan August 25th). Wii owners in this country will have to pay $23 each for the battery pack and the charger stand. The AC adapter will retail for another $9.
These Xacti cameras are real monsters. The earlier models shot in HD but this is full 1080i and it records directly to SD cards. It also takes 4-megapixel stills and can shoot up to 300 frames per second for slow-motion shots. It also has 12 subject face-detection and runs off of human blood. I made up that last part.
Generally, however, the Xacti line is showing just about everyone how to make a cool camera. Why are point and shoots so popular? They’re tiny. The Xacti hits that sweet spot between fully-featured video camera and “toy,” a place a lot of camera manufacturers haven’t found yet.
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Japan’s second biggest mobile phone carrier KDDI au yesterday followed DoCoMo and Softbank with their presentation of 12 new cell phones to be released this summer. The first models will be sold at the end of June.
Here is the complete line-up:
W62H from Hitachi
(equipped with a 2.8 inch OLED display featuring 480×240 resolution)
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Yesterday Sanyo announced it will install a new kind of air purification system in 26 multiplex movie theaters Warner operates in Japan. The system will be integrated into rooftop air conditioner units and features Sanyo’s so-called virus-washer technology.
Using electrolyzed water, the company claims the technology is able to to fight the activity of odors, bacteria, viruses and pollen. While existing air purification systems only cover areas of up to 100 sq. meters, Sanyo’s solution is said to be effective in spaces of up to 600 sq. meters.
Today, Japanese maker Thanko started selling its newest product, a portable media player powered by a small solar panel. The so-called “Solar MP4 Player” is Nippon-only and costs $95.
It supports MP3/WMA/WAV audio and AVI/RM/MPG/VOB/DAT/RMVB video files. Additionally, the player can serve as a voice recorder, an FM radio and it also displays JPEGs. Several games are preinstalled as well. The device is also usable as an audio book player.
The 2 inch TFT display comes with a resolution of 220×176. The player is equipped with a mere 4 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded via micro SD cards.
Thanko claims charging the player for 1 hour via its solar panel is enough to listen to 35 minutes of music or to watch 15 minutes of video.
Sanyo is offering a new digital photo frame on the Japanese market. The LVF-PF71 is priced at $145 (MSRP).
The LCD display is 7 inches in size (480×234 resolution). The frame is compatible with SD and Memory Stick memory cards. JPEGs can be viewed in intervals between 5 seconds and 24 hours.
The LVF-PF71 is 325 grams light and sized at 200×20×133mm.
Following the lead of Nissan and NEC, which both recently have started down this track, the German carmaker is looking into lithium-ion batteries to improve its hybrids and electrics. It sounds like the Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries in their cars are both heavier and more toxic than the alternative.
The Li-ion batteries would lower the weight of the car by hundreds of pounds, improving handling and mileage. You’ve already got them in your phones, media players, and so on, but adapting them for the high-capacity, high-throughput application of powering a car is a serious endeavor — which must be why Sanyo is pledging nearly a billion dollars over the next couple years to developing the technology.
Sanyo has announced the addition of two new LCD Multimedia Projectors, the PLC-ET30L and PLC-XT21/L, to their ‘T’ Series lineup. The PLC-ET30L has a full 1400 x1050 resolution with 10-Bit digital gamma correction and will ship for $6,495 without a lens, making it the new top of the line. The PLC-XT21/L is a value-priced, it will go for only $4,995 with a lens, projector with a XGA resolution of 1024 x 768. Both projectors are expected to ship sometime this month.
Behold! Either the woman in the photo is nine feet tall or I present to you the new champion of tiny projectors! The LP-XW60 weighs just 3.5 pounds and features a 400:1 contrast ratio with a 2,000-lumen brightness. It’s built mainly for business, not pleasure, as you’ll get a 4:3 aspect ratio and 1024×768 resolution.
SANYO was able to shrink the projector size down thanks to a new lamp that’s 39% smaller and a new lens that’s 29% smaller than the ones they’re replacing. The projector can output a 100-inch image from as close as about eight and a half feet.
It’ll cost around $800 — available next month.
SANYO Presents Industry’s Smallest and Lightest LCD Projector [Press Release]
As much as I love my DSLR, I often times wish I had a video camera for multiple reasons that I’m unable to divulge. The only problem is is that they’re entirely way too big or you sacrifice quality of video to have a smaller form factor. Here’s where the Sanyo Xacti HD700 takes the cake with 720p HD video and 7.1-megapixel photos. While I wouldn’t replace my DSLR with the Xacti altogether, I will be more inclined to take this device with me to a bar/club since it fits in my pocket. It’s a smooth operator with a very fast startup time of 1.3 seconds.
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