Sony Ericsson's SO903iTV Bravia mobile gets real

Don't you love it when the rumor mill actually produces some realizable results? While just about everyone had their doubts about the so-called "Bravia phone" that was supposedly coming down the pike, it looks like Sony, er, Sony Ericsson's SO903iTV will be the first handset to get the proper Bravia treatment. Aside from sporting a stylish red shell, landscape orientation, 3-inch widescreen display, and about every Sony-owned logo you can imagine, this mobile also gets a built-in TV tuner with "time-shift video recording." You'll also find a two-megapixel CMOS camera and a microSD card for loading up your media, but unfortunately for most of the world, we'll never get to touch it. Currently, the phone is set to launch solely on Japan's NTT DoCoMo, but given enough time, Sony might warm up to other markets in the future. Click on through for another shot.

Sharp's 1,000,000:1 Mega-Contrast Premium LCD vs regular LCD

Don't get us wrong, we love our high contrast HDTVs -- especially those among us lucky enough to have a 10,000:1 Sharp set and the like -- but if you've never experienced a 1,000,000:1 picture, you've never seen truly black black-levels. At CES 2007 Sharp was showing off their reference grade 37-inch Mega-Contrast Premium LCD, which had even deeper blacks than most SED sets we've seen to date (but not Sony's OLED set). Granted, this side by side comparison was with a mere 1,200:1 set that didn't exactly put up much of a fight -- we might have liked to have seen it alongside one of their 10,000:1 or 12,000:1 sets,

New Xbox 360 due for late '07 to handle IPTV?

According to a pre-CES briefing that Windows expert Paul Thurrott received from his Microsoft pals, the big M will be coming out with a new version of the Xbox 360 (Zephyer?) at the end of 2007, which will feature a larger HDD and some new hardware to enable that IPTV functionality Robbie Bach was talking about during the Microsoft CES keynote. It also stands to reason that such a Xbox 360 might be sporting a fancy new HDMI port and perhaps run just a wee bit cooler -- meaning HDCP and less fan noise, natural fits for home theater use. It still seems a bit unreasonable for Microsoft, which has been bragging about its 10 million strong installed base, to leave those early adopters out in the cold, but if that's the way it goes down we can't say we won't welcome the excuse to ditch the fan and disc drive hullabaloo of our current gen box.

[Via Digg; thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LG is about to get it right...

So LG has announced their dual-format HD DVD/Blu-ray player? Fantastic. Time Warner goes so far as to create dual-format discs? Pop open the bubbly. But you know something? It didn't take long for my initial feeling of elation to give way to 100% certified organic bile.

Absolutely none of this was necessary. Remember DVD, the little media format that could (and turns ten in a few months)? It seems like ancient history now, but it took some time for the various companies to agree on a single format back then. While it's something of a cliché to mention the Betamax/VHS videocassette format war these days, in the mid-1990s Sony had only just closed up the Betamax shop. I'd like to think that, with Sony still smarting, retailers unhappily clearing out excess Betamax stock and Betamax owners angrily trying to figure out what to do with their machines and tapes, the companies realized things go a lot smoother when everyone agrees at the outset.

It's hard to argue with the result. The DVD format was adopted pretty quickly and has gone on to remake the movie and home video industries; and we've now gotten to the point where DVD utterly dominates the home video landscape.

Then, just in case anyone though that was DVD's uptake was a fluke, there came the DVD+R/DVD-R debacle, where consumers had to decide which format they'd commit their data or video archives to. When Sony came out with the first multi-format burners, consumers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that the entertainment and tech industries had plenty of evidence to show that just agreeing on a single format is best for everyone involved, saving a lot of time, energy and money. But no, they had to go off into their separate rooms, and the results of that intransigence -- including the eventual appearance of dual-format players -- were predictable.

Years ago, Simpsons creator Matt Groening related his frustration with trying to make a Simpsons movie in the nineties. As he related it, during one of the meetings with all the%

A long-distance call on an Apple phone

my first post had too be cool so well here it goes....

A juicy Apple rumor is always sure to get bloggers salivating, and this one is no exception: reports began trickling out of Taiwan this week that contract manufacturer Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, has received an order to produce 12 million Apple iPhones.

Hon Hai produces iPods for Apple and makes mobile phone components. Taiwan's Commercial Times first reported the rumor, citing unidentified industry sources, and both Apple and Hon Hai have refused to comment.

The iPhone has long been a dream of Apple fans, and the latest incarnation of the rumor has the devices being announced at MacWorld in January.

Despite the lack of any solid details about a phone, bloggers had no problems voicing their opinion about the product's technology, advertising and business strategy.

Blog community response:

"Apple will face difficulties. Carriers are the ultimate power-players in this game, and they will exert control over revenue splits and pricing. Apple may be viewed as a competitor, and that could affect its inclusion in subsidized hardware plans. Regardless, millions already pay hefty price tags for their iPods, and that willingness will likely extend into the mobile phone realm."
--Digital Music News

"One of the rather interesting marketing aspects I've read about is the idea that the iPhone won't be tied to any specific carrier. Instead, it will be sold 'unlocked,' requiring you to insert a GSM subscriber identity (SIM) card. The downside: Apple won't get any subsidies or special deals from working with the likes of Cingular or T-Mobile. The upside: such an approach opens up most of the world as the target market instead of just the US."
--Blackfriars Marketing

"Apple already knows computers. I've noticed more and more cell phones have computer-like functionality, like email, web browsing, playing music, and showing movies. Apple already knows how to do all of this stuff simply, and more."
--Webomatica

"The introduction of the unlocked iPhone will do two things - it would basically get US buyers savvy to the idea of buying full priced unlocked phones. Secondly, it is going to cause a behavior change - of buying phones instead of freebies. It won't be a mass-market phenomenon in the early stages, but eventually (as shown by iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle), Apple will bring the iPhone prices down to a mass-market price point."
--Om Malik

TV still on the wall?Thats so last year

As cool as it looks in commercials, the idea of mounting a small fortune's worth of television on a wall pretty much scares us to death. Especially in earthquake country.

A saner alternative might be the Wenge TV Hi-Fi stand from high-end furniture dealer Anora Home, which is both practical and a tasteful addition to your decor. It takes its name from wenge wood, a distinct variety from Africa known for its use in such exotic creations as custom-made guitars and collector knife handles.

The TV itself is wedged between two boards of wenge, fixed on a base of aluminum and frosted glass. Around the edges is space reserved for DVDs, CDs, or a tumbler of 18-year-old Macallan. This thing is sounding better all the time.

(Photo: Anora Home)