For a stereo, the Wall of Sound isn't massive. But for an iPod dock, it's gargantuan.
Pitched as "the world's most powerful iPod speaker," the Wall of Sound is a US$4,500, handcrafted iPod dock with a stocky 3x4-foot (approximately 914mm by 1219mm) frame that weighs in at 225 pounds (102kg).
Read more »
LG's 15-inch OLED TV, which is set to go on sale in Korea by December.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)
On the heels of announcing a 15-inch OLED display going on sale in Korea this December, LG predicts that prices for panels using the coveted technology will fall below those of LCD panels in seven years.
"Forty-inch and larger OLED panels will be fairly expensive in 2012, but they will be available in the market," said Won Kim, VP of OLED sales and marketing, at a trade show in Japan yesterday. "OLED panels will cost less than LCD panels in 2016." Read more »
Nintendo executive Satoru Iwata in a post-earnings Q&A said a weak software lineup has contributed to the Wii's sluggish performance. (Credit: GameSpot)
Though it once appeared to be a tiny sales juggernaut, Nintendo's top-selling Wii console has struggled in 2009. In July, the Japanese publisher reported April-June revenues that slid 40 percent from a year prior to 253 billion yen (US$2.81 billion). Nintendo didn't fare much better during its July-September quarter, saying Thursday that sales fell 34.5 percent to 548 billion yen (US$6.09 billion) during the first half of its fiscal year.
Nintendo's slipping performance has not gone unnoticed by the publisher's president. As reported by Japan's Mainichi Newspaper and translated by GameSpot, Nintendo executive Satoru Iwata told analysts and investors as part of a post-earnings Q&A that a weak software lineup has contributed to the Wii's sluggish performance.
Read more »
An overview of Hitachi's offerings. (Credit: Philip Wong/CNET Asia)
Hitachi is showcasing its latest lineup of home appliances and consumer electronics at its ARTE exhibition in Singapore. Some of the more interesting products include smart refrigerators which release antioxidant vitamins, washing machines that minimize cloth tangles and wrinkles, as well as its latest 03-series HDTVs. The latter consists of two LCD TVs featuring the company's newly developed glossy black panels, luxurious touch sensor buttons and an eye-catching decorative light.
The 32-inch L32N03A offers HD-ready screen resolutions and humble 10,000:1 dynamic contrast, while the 42-inch L42N03A ups the ante with a full-HD panel plus 20,000:1 dynamic contrast. In addition, both models have three HDMI 1.2 inputs with film-centric 24p signal compatibility plus a digital audio output for enhanced sound playback via a home theater. These two HDTVs are now available in Singapore, though regional availability is pending final word from the company.
Read more »
These days, what separates Blu-ray players from one another has less to do with how they play Blu-rays--they all do that pretty well--and more to do with the sort of extra features they offer. Many players, for instance, can access a variety of online entertainment options such as YouTube and Picasa. Unfortunately, JVC's latest player doesn't have any of those online features. In fact, it can't even access the online extras found on some Blu-ray Discs.
JVC has released an entry-level Blu-ray player, the XV-BP11 (US$200), which--surprisingly--only complies with the older Blu-ray Profile 1.1 standard. That means it's not capable of playing back any of the Internet-enabled BD-Live content that is included on some Blu-ray Discs. Now, we'll admit that virtually all of the BD-Live content we've seen is disappointing, but that's still not reason to get an underfeatured Blu-ray player when there are Profile 2.0 players for US$100.
Read more »