Globally speaking, there is one clear leader in the LCD TV business: Samsung. The company commands a 23.2% share in this segment, with Sony (13.7%) and Sharp (7%) almost hopelessly behind (according to DisplaySearch). So in June this year already, Sony and Sharp inked a joint venture deal to produce LCD TVs together. And today, the Nikkei (Japan’s biggest business publication), reports that the two former arch rivals decided to further expand their alliance.

The newspaper says Sharp plans to deliver LED backlights to Sony for their LCD TVs as early as next month. Sharp has said it will start producing more LED-based products earlier this year, but the Sony deal is the first time another company is supplied with LED backlights. Backlights account for nearly 20% of overall costs in manufacturing an LCD TV. DisplaySearch projects that by 2013, roughly 40% of all LCD TVs on the market will have LED backlights.

Sharp and Sony will also join forces in R&D for next-generation backlights, the Nikkei learned. The goals are to cut costs and develop TVs with better picture quality and efficient power consumption. Both companies already started operating a Sharp LCD panel production plant in Osaka last month and suffer from losses in their LCD TV divisions.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Sharp Japan announced today it has developed a solar cell with the world’s highest conversion efficiency [press release in English]. The new product features an conversion efficiency of 35.8%, while Sharp only achieved 31.5% with the previous model. The latest model is a compound solar cell, in which two or more elements form photo-absorption layers (see the graphic below).

Solar cells of this kind are mainly used on space satellites and other special equipment. Sharp says this breakthrough is part of an initiative kicked of by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to promote R&D in the solar energy sector (NEDO was, by the way, established as early as 1980).

Sharp plans to commercialize the new triple-junction compound solar cell by 2012.

First up is this digital photo display which integrates a telephone and fax. You can see a visual address book, which allows you to dial recipients by picture. It can also display received faxes on screen, if you’re the faxing kind of person!

Sharp is working to integrate Internet content into some of its AQUOS televisions, and is currently testing digital newspaper delivery. Rather than read a physical newspaper, some Japanese can read the day’s edition right on their AQUOS TV:

At first I thought this was a pretty clever idea; but the more I thought about it the less impressed I was. I don’t know anyone who would actually use their television — no matter how big or how wonderful — to read a newspaper. I think folks I know are much more likely to use a Kindle or similar e-reader. Japan can keep the newspapers-on-TV idea!

And finally, solar powered cell phones. Not entirely solar powered, of course, but chargable through solar energy. Five minutes of sunlight provides one minute of talk time. That’s twelve minutes of talk time for an hour of solar charging. Not great, but not really terrible, either, if you’re the kind of person who consistently forgets to charge your phone.

And as a bonus, I got to play with the Sharp Netwalker PC-Z1!

This thing is nigh-unusable for me. But I still think it’s cool!

Next time I need a nice long nap I’m going queue up this video of some RussianFinnish dude going through the Sharp NetWalker PC-Z1. This monster video is 30 minutes long and involves such exciting scenes as “a finding the YouTube Player,” “Spreadsheet Clicking,” and “Having Sniffles on Camera.”

This video is truly akin to watching an old man try to fold a an old Chik-Fil-A wrapper on the bus: it’s vaguely disturbing but more fascinating in its controlled precision and unity of purpose.

Sharp has announced four new LCD TVs with some impressive specs for the Japanese market today [press release in English]. The TVs will be available in four sizes: 40, 46, 52 and 60 inches. All models are full HD and feature LED backlight for improved picture quality.

The TVs from the so-called LX series feature a fantastic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, extra-low power consumption levels (Sharp speaks of the lowest in the industry) and an RSS six-speaker system with duo bass sub-woofer and a 2.1-channel set-up (except for the 40-inch model).

The 60-inch flagship model will go on sale in Japan on November 25, and it isn’t cheap (price: $6,100). The other models prove that quality has its price, too: Sharp sells the 52-incher for $5,000, the 46-incher for $3,900 and the 40-inch model for $2,800. The company hasn’t laid out international distribution plans for the LX series yet.

The main idea is to use a special material that reacts to UV radiation. The liquid crystal molecules align in accordance with the direction of the radiation so that the screen can display dark blacks. Sharp says the the contrast ratio is enhanced by 60% to 5,000:1, compared with conventional LCD screens. The response time is even doubled, according to the company. The new technology also leads to a more efficient use of the backlight, which means you can save up to 20% energy when you watch TV.

Sharp says production of LCDs making use of the new system will begin in a Japanese plant as early as next month.

Sharp Japan today said [press release in English] it supplied a total of 2,176 high-quality solar cells to a research team developing a sun-powered racing car at Japan-based Tokai University. The cells used for the car are usually powering satellites and measure 77 x 39mm, which translates back to a total area of about 6m².

They’re made of rare metals, have an output of 1.8 kW and boast an energy conversion efficiency of 30%, which Sharp says is the highest level in the world (conventional crystalline silicon solar cells typically have a little more than 15% efficiency). The car, dubbed Tokai Challenger, can reach a top speed of 150km/h.

Sharp says a team from Tokai University will field-test the car in the so-called Global Green Challenge, a 3,000km race that’s exclusively held for “green” vehicles in Australia next month. One of the drivers has won the Paris to Dakar Rally in 1997.

This teeny, tiny little laptop is really teeny. It almost unusable and, as to be expected from Japanese laptops like these, not really meant for the Shrek-like Western mitts. The woman who showed it to me was really nice.

It runs Ubuntu and has a tiny screen. No specs but seriously – what are you going to do with this? Prop up a table leg?

In Japan, Sharp has been known for their ultra-mobile Zaurus for quite a while now, and today, the company added a new mini device to its line-up of mini laptops, the PC-Z1 [press release in English]. Marketed as a “Mobile Internet Tool”, the PC-Z1 comes with a tiny 5-inch TFT LCD (a touchscreen) and measures just 161.4 x 108.7 x 19.7 ~ 24.8mm (weight: 409g).

The touchscreen offers WSVGA (1024×600) resolution. Sharp threw in a 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU, 512MB RAM (fixed), 4GB flash storage, microSDHC support for up to 16GB, 802.11b/g WiFi, Flash Lite support, Open Office, a QWERTY keyboard and somehow managed to squeeze in two USB ports. The battery lifespan for the Ubuntu-powered device is 10 hours. There is also a “quick launch” function, which makes the device boot in three seconds.

Sharp says the device is targeted as users who look for a device that rolls Internet access, an electronic dictionary and an e-Book function into one. The PC-Z1 goes on sale in Japan on September 25 for $450 (in white and black). Sharp hasn’t said anything about international sales plans yet.

The screen (800×480 resolution) serves as a status indicator, address book, FAX display, clock and – perhaps most importantly – a photo frame. It’s equipped with 128MB of internal memory and infrared, meaning it can receive, store and display pictures you transmit to it with your cell phone. In addition, the frame supports SD/SDHC cards as well as memory stick and memory stick PRO.

Too bad the $400 combo is Japan-only (release date: September 25).

I am seeing more and more TV/Blu-ray combos in Japanese electronics stores, and today Sharp announced [JP] a total of 13 new LCD TVs boasting a built-in Blu-ray recorder. The AQUOS DX2 series consists of screens measuring 26/32/40/46 and 52 inches.

The 40/46 and 52-inchers are full HD, feature a contrast ratio of 15,000:1 and aren’t really cheap, costing $2,800/$3,800 and $4,800. The smaller TVs feature 1,366×768 resolution and a contrast ratio of 7,000:1 (the 26-inch model is priced at $1,700, while the 32-inch screen will cost $1,900).

Sharp unveiled the DX series back in May, but those TVs didn’t come with Blu-ray functionality. The DX2 series goes on sale in Japan on September 9 (all models). Plans for overseas markets havent been announced yet.

The consolidation process in the Japanese home electronics business goes on and on. Today former rivals Sharp and Sony said [JP] they reached a final agreement to launch an LCD panel joint venture in Osaka, after having failed to ink the deal last month. In March already, Sharp said it wants Sony as a partner for its plans to boost the production of LCD TVs.

Sharp will start operating a plant for the production of LCDs on its own in October. The subsidiary is to be turned into a joint venture by March 2010. Sony is expected to take a 34% stake and cover 34% of the $4 billion total cost. In return, the company will get some of the LCDs produced in the Sharp plant in Osaka (and another one in Southern Japan).

The deal is focused on midsize-LCD screens, particularly 32-inch models. So far, Sony bought its panels from AU Optronics in Taiwan and from a joint venture company it established with Samsung.

Sharp is also expected to merge its Blu-ray business with Pioneer’s Blu-ray division on October 1 this year. In addition, the company is in talks with Toshiba to step up the production of solar panels.

I would say that it’s a good sign for the worldwide economy that Sharp is increasing its LCD panel production by tens of thousands of screens per month. Sharp is after all one of the largest provider of OEM LCD screens which get sold not only under the Sharp brand but many others too. The company is raising it’s forecasted output from 120 million to 127 million as the LCD demand rises in developing nations.

PCWorld is stating that China alone will account for 24 million panels this year alone, which is a lot of screens. Hopefully US consumers will be able to account for a good chunk of sales too. But first we have to jobs.

Actually, it seems this is just the first barrage of new Aquos TVs; they’re planning on releasing many species of display over the next few months, including local-dimming LED-backlights, cheaper edge-lit ones, and I done heard tell of even some RGB LED arrays, which you will be paying through the nose for. As for internet services (streaming content, local weather and the like), we’ll be seeing those later as well.

So who’s going to buy these “beta” TVs? I sure wouldn’t if I knew there were far more options coming. I’m sure they’re very nice TVs, but it makes no sense for anyone to pick one up at this time. Here is the pricing and press release, anyhow:

* The LC-52LE700UN: $2,799.99
* The LC-46LE700UN: $2,199.99
* The LC-40LE700UN: $1,699.99
* The LC-32LE700UN: $1,099.99

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.

Hard disks and recording media to store data are great and all, but especially for sensitive information (such as corporate data) longevity and reliability are major problems. The usual recording media existing on the market last for a few decades max, but now Japan tries to develop a device that stores data for a thousand years.

The project is led by Professor Kuroda from Keio University (which yours truly attends, too) and researchers from Kyoto University and Sharp. In the experiments conducted so far, the team used a semiconductor chip as the storage medium and wireless communication technology to read data.

And this is possible at a high speed already. Reportedly, two hours of video can already be transferred onto the prototype in a split second. The researchers hope to have a practical version of the memory device ready by 2018. (There are no pictures of the prototype available anywhere on the web, that’s why you can see Kuroda-san’s face up there.)

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Sharp has developed an LCD screen that can display a total of five primary colors, two more than usually used. In addition to red, green and blue, the prototype features cyan and yellow color filters. The result: A screen capable of reproducing 99% of the surface colors existing in the real world through what Sharp calls “Multi-Primary-Color Technology”.

According to Sharp, colors that are difficult to render for LCDs currently on the market aren’t a problem for their model, i.e. the emerald blue of ocean water. Enhanced color reproduction usually results in higher power consumption, but the company claims it leveled this off by using an extremely economical backlight.

We are likely to see the new LCD in some selected areas first, for example in museums, industrial design or remote medical treatment systems. It’s currently being showcased at the international symposium of the Society for Information Display (SID) in the form of a 60.5-incher with 1,920×1,080 resolution and 2,000:1 contrast ratio (the picture shows a conventional Sharp LCD).

Japan will get a total of 40 new and shiny cell phones from the three carriers, all of which you can find over at MobileCrunch (line-ups of Docomo: part 1, 2/KDDI au/Softbank: part 1,2)

Here are my personal top 10:

Top 10: Sharp AQUOS SHOT SH-06A from Docomo

(AQUOS cell phone with 10MP CCD camera and 3.3-inch touch screen)

Top 9: NEC N-06A from Docomo

(Wifi cell phone (IEEE 802.11b/g compatible, 54Mbps maximum) with rotating touch screen and 8MP camera)

Top 8: LG L-06A from Docomo

(HSUPA cell phone (5.7Mbps maximum) with 3-inch touch screen, 5MP CMOS camera and quick access to various Google services)

Top 7: Sharp AQUOS SHOT 933SH from Softbank

(equipped with a 10 megapixel low-noise CCD sensor, a rotating touchscreen display and a 3.3-inch WVGA display)

Top 6: NEC 931N from SoftBank

(Wi-Fi cell-phone featuring a maximum performance of 54MBps, a rotating 3-inch touch screen and a 8MP camera)

Top 5: Fujitsu F-09A from Docomo

(touch screen with 3.4-inch rotating WVGA display (90 degrees) and 8.1MP CMOS camera)

Top 4: Toshiba T-01A (aka TG01) from Docomo

(alleged iPhone competitor with 1Ghz CPU, Windows Mobile and a 4.1-inch touchscreen, due out in Japan in June or July)

Top 3: Toshiba Biblio from KDDI au

(cell phone with integrated e-book reader, a 3.5-inch LCD screen featuring a 960×480 resolution, 7GB internal memory, QWERTY keyboard and Opera Mobile 9.5 including AJAX support)

Top 2: Sharp SOLAR HYBRID 936SH from Softbank

(solar-powered handset that lets you make a one-minute call time after 10 minutes of charging and features a 3-inch WVGA display)

Top 1: Hitachi Mobile Hi-Vision CAM Wooo from KDDI au

(yes, this is a cell phone and it lets you record video in 720p and at 30fps, and also features microSDHC/HDMI Mini interfaces and a 3-inch IPS screen (480×854))