Samsung's LED LCD HDTV Lineup: The 9000 Does 3D and Has a Video-Previewing Touch Remote [HDTVs]

Samsung's LED LCD televisions are here and the flagship 9000 is a doozy. It's the only one they're calling 'ultra thin', has 3D support in late 2010 and a touch remote that shows you content from other video sources!

The thinness (it's as skinny as a pencil) is achieved by shoving lots of guts into the pedestal, which doubles as a wall mount. The set can convert 2D content into 3D, although I'm sure of dubious quality. The remote looks rather Apple-ish in UI, but it can show you, as I said before, content from other sources, like live TV while watching a Blu-ray on the big screen. It has 240Hz tech, which we've never noticed as important in image quality, but it's there (needed for 3D). No word on sizes or prices, yet. There's Samsung app support, but platforms like these are never really well supported. The frame is very shiny.



The rest:

8000 Series: Not as thin as the 9000, it uses edge lit technology and has what Samsung claims is the advantage of backlighting with localized dimming. 240Hz. No prices or sizes. 3D, and treatment to upconvert 2D to 3D. Samsung apps.

7000 Series: No edgelit with localized dimming advantages as in the 8000. 240Hz. No prices or sizes. 3D, and treatment to upconvert 2D to 3D. Samsung apps. 'Touch of Color' translucent frame from last year, with a new 4 legged stand.

6500 Series: 120Hz, 'touch of color' finish. DLNA streaming capabilities. Apps. No 3D. No prices or sizes. Coming the first half of 2010, unlike the above which are coming in '2010'.
5000 Series: Focus on low power usage, including a low power monitor. DLNA, and USB port media playback.
[Gizmodo]

Cheap, Printed Solar-Powered LEDs Could Change 1.5 Billion Lives [Solar Power]

Photovoltaic cells printed on sheets aren't news, nor are LEDs and ultrathin lithium batteries. What's news is a combination of the three which can help give light to 1.5 billion people who live in impoverished areas without access to electricity.
Frederik Krebs came up with this combination of solar panels and LED lights which, while definitely a work-in-progress, could bring cheap light to some of the world's poorest regions. I call the lamps a work-in-progress because despite being durable enough to last several years, they run at a mere 1% efficiency. But with the expected final cost of $7 a piece, they're full of life-changing potential, despite that low efficiency.

Some prototypes of the lamps are currently being tested in Zambia. As seen in the picture, the solar panels are left laying flat during the day and then rolled up (and secured with snap-button) into a cone-shaped lamp. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results of the prototype tests and a final product, because no one should go without artificially lit nights.
[Gizmodo via IEEE Spectrum via Pop Sci]

Victor JVC announces a very pretty, very thin home theater sound system

Victor JVC has announced [JP] a new home theater sound system for the Japanese market today, consisting of a set of two speakers (SP-FT1/FT2) and the corresponding amplifier (AX-FT1/FT2). And the system is very pretty, mainly because the speakers are just 30.8mm thin and weigh 0.85kg each.

At 31mm, the amplifier is a tiny bit thicker and weighs 0.73kg.It features 20W×4ch(4Ω) average power output and Dolby Digital DTS and AAC support. You can either hang the speakers up on a wall or use a stand that Victor JVC throws in.

The sound system will go on sale in Japan at the end of this month. No announcements for markets outside Japan were made, but Japanese buyers will have to pay $260 for the amplifier and $220 for the speaker set. The system will be available in black and white.
[CrunchGear]

JVC's LT-32WX50 Is Insanely Thin, Insanelier Expensive [Displays]

I'm not sure you could ever call a 32-inch monitor portable, but if you could, the JVC LT-32WX50 fits the bill. Aside from the LCD's 1/4-inch (6.4mm) depth, the display weighs but 12.5 pounds.
And with a 4000:1 contrast ratio along with a 90 percent of Adobe RGB color gamut, the picture should be pretty great, too, fed into 2 HDMI inputs along with a VGA if you'd prefer.
Of course, there's always a catch.

For one, we don't know the resolution beyond that it's 'exceptionally high.' That could mean 1080P. That could mean 4-bajillion-K. That could mean...you know, it's not defined. Plus, it's $3,000 this November. I'm can't know the precise amount of satisfaction you receive after inviting friends into your office only to turn your monitor on its side so that your guests can pretend to ooh and ahh at your extravagance, but it can't be better than what $3,000 can buy you in the recreational chemical and escort industries. Trust me.

JVC Announces Super Slim & Light Flat Panel Monitor
32-inch LED backlit monitor measures just ¼-inch deep
ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – JVC today announced a super slim LCD monitor for home theater use that measures a mere ¼-inch (6.4mm) deep across most of the panel and weighs just 12.5 pounds (5.7kg). The new 32-inch class LT-32WX50 will be available in the U.S. in November.
The new monitor's super slim profile is made possible by the use of JVC's edge LED backlighting system.
It offers a 4000:1 contrast ratio and wide color gamut for exceptionally high resolution of both video and still images.
The monitor's shallow depth makes it ideal for consumers who want the design flexibility such a slim design allows. It also lends itself to a variety of commercial applications. Another attribute is that fewer material resources are used in making the monitor, reducing the product's environmental impact.
Key features of the LT-32WX50 are:
• Taking advantage of JVC's unique LCD panel edged-light LED backlight system, the LT-32WX50 is stunningly thin - just 1/4-inch* (6.4mm) deep at its thinnest point, with a slim module inset along the bottom third that houses the monitor's inputs and other connections;
• Six picture settings: home, retail, movie, monitor, SLR photo mode, game;
• It covers a wide color gamut – 100 percent of sRGB and 90 percent of Adobe RGB;
• It uses approximately 50 percent fewer material resources and eliminates the use of mercury;
• JVC's high definition picture engine is designed for reproducing both video and still images;
• It includes two HDMI connections along with analog RGB (D-Dub, 15-pin); the display can be controlled externally via RS-232C;
* When measured from the front surface of LCD panel to the rear surface of the cabinet.
The JVC LT-32WX50 will be available in November for less than $3,000.

Dell Adamo XPS: Thinner Than Air [Notebooks]

What happens when Dell's Adamo and XPS laptops get set up on a date, have a few too many drinks and end up rocking the bed? The slimmer-than-Macbook-Air, 9.99 mm Dell Adamo XPS.
Dell is revealing next to nothing about its new best of breeds lappie today. All the micro site tells us is that it is 9.99 mm or .39 inches thin. Dell is cleverly showing it off today being 9/9/09 and all.
For a bit of measurement comparison, the original Adamo was .65 inches thin. The Macbook Air is 0.76 inches at its thickest point and 0.16 inches at the front. The Adamo XPS will be all around thinner than the Air it seems and from the single picture it sure looks it.
I hear the Adamo had a pretty brutal walk of shame. We are looking forward to details on the illegitimate child since we have no idea what is inside, what size the screen is or if it will cost less than a hybrid. [Dell Adamo XPS]