Pioneer outsources its plasma production

Seems like Pioneer's tie-up with LCD rival Sharp is not the last controversial news from the staunch plasma advocate. In a recent report from Japanese newspaper Asahi, the company said it plans to shut down its Kagoshima plant and focus on manufacturing 50-inch and larger plasma panels. After the planned March 2009 closure, supplies for its 42-inch and smaller panels will instead come from competitors Matsushita Electric (read: Panasonic) and Hitachi.

We're still awaiting official word from its local Asia office on the implications which include directions for its plasma TVs, as well as competitiveness and performance issues for these premium panels. Stay tuned.

Via News.com | Photo credit: Pioneer

Color me Centro

Palminfocenter uncovered this image of a series of five GSM Centros all in different colors on a training site for Palm retailers. When the company first announced this model for the European market during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the color shown was the matte black one. AT&T in the US also recently announced its version, which is the one on the far right--the white one with green numeric keys.

With an Asia-Pacific launch imminent, which color do you think we will get? The dark blue one in the center, the white one with a partially gray keypad or the striking red one? Let us know which one you'd like to see here, or if you honestly couldn't care less.

This Samsung notebook is hot... for all the wrong reasons

It may be an old 2002 model, but this particular Samsung laptop is still hot property... literally.

According to Reuters, a Samsung P10 started to smoke after about 3.5 hours of use and cause some minor burns. Not as spectacular as the Dell fireball in the airport, but still a cause of worry. However, it was also mentioned that said user had placed the portable on a pillow, which could have blocked the ventilation vents and caused overheating. Since Samsung portables are no longer being retailed in Asia Pacific, we have contacted the Korean maker regarding support should users in this region experience the same issue.

Via Reuters

An arcade machine of a different scale

Hailed as the pinnacle of 1980s arcade gaming, e-retailer Hammacher Schlemmer's 150 Classic Game Tabletop Arcade is a must-have for arcade junkies and the closest you can get away without carting home the real McCoy. Like its genuine counterparts, the authentic-looking console has an eight-way joystick and oversized button controls to recreate that nostalgic play and feel.

Best of all, it offers 150 vintage games, including PacMan, out-of-the-box, rendered on a 19-inch LCD encased in a space-saving chassis. Audio fidelity-wise, the US$2,496 system is loaded with 2.1 speakers complete with dedicated subwoofer. Powered by a streamlined HP computer, it will also readily support PC-based games and playback music via a preloaded Jukebox software.

International shipping is available. However, this is estimated at close to US$400 each unit. Ouch!

Via Bornrich.org | Photo credit: Hammacher Schlemmer

Things you don't read: The fine print

If you haven't already heard, several online forums were abuzz last week regarding a Small Claims Tribunal's ruling against Nokia in Singapore. After a tussle that lasted about three months, the court ruled in favor of Ms Tan who goes by the moniker of "xiaoyun", for a sum of S$778, due to a faulty phone she purchased last year. Although that's just the condensed version of the whole fiasco, it raised important issues about the terms and conditions of limited warranties which most people hardly ever read.

According to Nokia, the replacement of faulty products due to defective materials, design and workmanship isn't obligatory and is viewed on a case-by-case basis. Samsung and Sony Ericsson, on the other hand, will replace a product covered under its limited warranty if the said device is found to be irreparable.

For Nokia and Samsung, the warranty period is valid for 12 months at the time of purchase by the first end-user of the mobile device, and six months for accessories and consumables such as the battery and charger. Likewise for Sony Ericsson, although it said that the accessories which come with the purchase of a new handset are covered for one year.

Although Ms Tan's encounter was an unfortunate case, it makes us wonder if phone-makers should enforce one-to-one exchanges if a product is found to be faulty (due to manufacturing defects) within a certain period of time after purchase. What say you?

Picture credit: Nokia

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