Onkyo Japan has been releasing quite a few Windows-powered tablets in the past months, and the company yesterday announced [JP] yet another model. The TW2A-A25Z7CK features Windows 7 Home Premium as the OS (32 bit), and comes with a stylus, a stand/case, and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Onkyo’s so-called Slate PC has the following specs:

• 10.1-inch LCD screen with 1,024×600 resolution
• Atom Z670 CPU (1.50 GHz)
• Intel SM35 Express chip set
• 2GB memory
• 32GB SSD
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• two USB ports, a microSD slot
• 1.3MP web cam
• around 6 hours battery life
• size: 267×173×15.5mm, weight: 892g

Onkyo plans to start selling the Slate PC in Japan on December 2 with an open price model (“over US$780″).

Attention all Onkyo-using music lovers: if you’ve felt like your life has been too quiet as of late, a new update for the Onkyo Remote Android app may be just what the doctor ordered.

Onkyo has announced that they have added support for Spotify Premium to their free app, and that a handful of their network-enabled receivers and home theater systems will be updated to play nicely with it.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the units that, after a quick software update, will be able to pump out all your favorite Spotify jams:

Receivers: TX-NR609/709/809/1009/3009/5009 and HT-RC360/370
Home Theater Systems: HT-S7400/7409/8400/8409 and 9400THX

If you happen to use one (or more) of those components, then congratulations! The update is available to download now, so your sweet home theater system should be ready to blast all those carefully-crafted playlists in time for your Halloween party.

Even if your receiver isn’t listed, you can rest easy: Onkyo will be extending Spotify support to a few more models when November comes. Sure, the boat will have sailed on that Halloween party, but maybe you can make it a particularly musical Thanksgiving instead.

Onkyo just announced its latest flagship Blu-ray player: the $599 BD-SP809. This bad boy comes complete with 3D capabilities and a fancy-pants THX Blu-ray certification. It packs a USB port for media playback and an Ethernet port for local DLNA 1.5 support and online streaming services such as Netflix, Blockbuster, Film Fresh, and VUDU. Got to love that.

Around back there are twin HDMI outputs for multiple display support, component output, TOSLINK & digital coax outputs, and, of course, an RS-232 port of home automation integration. Marvell’s Qdeo technology handles the 1080p upscaling, noise reducing and deinterlacing. Yeah, this boy is packed and stacked with the latest Onkyo tech.

The BD-SP809 should hit Onkyo retailers this coming August with an MSRP of $599, which is quite a good deal when compared to its nearly identical Integra cousin. The Onkyo features the same THX certification, but sports one more HDMI port and the online media streaming support. The Integra on the other hand has a more powerful power supply, analog 7.1 audio outputs, but also a $100 higher prices tag. I’d much rather drop that cash on some Blu-ray discs.

Another day, another new tablet: this times it’s actually two tablets [JP] coming from Japanese maker Onkyo (they aren’t the company’s first ones). Both devices, the TW317A7PH (pictured) and the TW117A6PH, run on Windows 7 Professional and are primarily aimed at businesses.

Both tablets share the following features:

• Atom N450 (1.66GHz) CPU
• 2GB RAM
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• one SD card slot, two USB 2.0 ports
• 1.3MP web cam

The TW317A7PH comes with an 11.6-inch LCD with 1,366×768 resolution and a 32GB SSD (price: $980). The TW117A6PH features a 10.1-inch LCD with 1,024×600 resolution and a 160GB HDD (price: $736).

Onkyo plans to start selling both tablets in Japan next month.

Onkyo has added a new stereo receiver with networking capabilities to their lineup for 2011. The TX-8050 Network Stereo Receiver gets many of the new connection features found in Onkyo’s bigger multi-channel receivers like a USB port on the front and an ethernet port for connecting to multiple internet radio stations (Pandora, Rhapsody, Napster, SIRIUS XM Internet Radio, Slacker, Last.fm, Mediafly, and vTuner). The TX-8050′s network function also takes advantage of the Onkyo Remote App for iPhone, allowing owners to control functions of the receiver as well as picking which internet radio station to listen in on.

There’s also the C-7030 CD player in the press release, but since CD players are dead, there isn’t anything to write home about. Nothing innovative on this, nonetheless we welcome its further evolution.

Prices for the Onkyo TX-8050 and C-7030 are $399 and $249 respectively and will be available in late April.

Press Release

Japanese PC maker Onkyo, which rolled out three Windows tablets in its home market earlier this year, has unveiled an Android-based tablet that will go on sale (again, in Japan first) this week. Dubbed SlatePad TA117 [JP], the device features a slew of nice features.

Here are the main specs of the TA117C3 (Onkyo also offers another model, the TA117C1, with just 512MB RAM and 8GB flash memory):

• 10.1-inch LCD screen with 1,024×600 resolution
• Android 2.2
• NVIDIA Tegra 250 processor (1GHz)
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB flash memory
• one HDMI interface, two USB ports, one micro SDHC slot
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 1.3MP camera
• internal mic, speakers
• 3-axis acceleration sensor
• 6.5 hours battery life
• size: 267x173x14.8mm, weight: 800g

No word on an international release (in Japan, Onkyo will be offering the SlatePad with an open price model).

I thought we’d get a Hello Kitty tablet before anything else, but today Onkyo Japan has announced a Snoopy-themed Windows tablet [JP, PDF] for the local market (Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit, to be more exact).

Buyers will get a rebranded Onkyo device with a Snoopy drawing on the back, a Snoopy stylus, and a special “Peanuts” case. Onkyo also throws in a set of special screensavers, Snoopy wallpapers, icons, a Snoopy calendar etc.

Technically, the tablet features a 10.1-inch LCD with 1,024×600 resolution, an Atom N450 CPU (1.66GHz), 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, two USB slots, an SD card slot, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and a web cam.

The Snoopy tablet, which weighs 990g and has a battery life of about 4 hours, can be ordered now online [JP] and will be shipped in March next year (price: $960).

It’s Japan-only and a limited edition, which means non-Japanese Snoopy fans will have to contact specialized online services like Rinkya in order to get one.

There’s three different models of course, two with 10.1 inch displays, and one with a 11.6 inch screen. The TW11A4 has a 10.1 inch screen, 160GB hard drive, and a 1.66 GHz CPU with a GMA 3150 graphics chipset. The TW217A5 has a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 CPU, Intel GMA 500 graphics, and a 32GB SSD. This model weighs in at a mere 1.9 pounds. Finally, the TW317A5 has a 11.6 inch screen, an Atom N450 CPU, and Intel’s GMA 3150 graphic chipset. This model also has a 32GB SSD, and 1GB of RAM.

No word on pricing on any of these models, and again, we have no idea if or when they’ll ever show up in the US. I suspect they might be based on another company’s design, and we might see them with a different brand name. You can see the press release here, but it’s in Japanese.

[via Liliputing and SlashGear]

Onkyo Japan announced [JP] the LPF10M01 today, a digital picture frame whose main selling point is its HDMI port. Apart from displaying photos, the 10.-1-inch frame can be used as a sub display for computers, to view movies, watch digital TV etc.

Spec-wise, buyers can expect 1,024×600 resolution (Onkyo says it’s the highest in the industry), LED backlight (good for 20,000 hours), 250 cd/m2 brightness, 1.5W×2 stereo speakers, an SD/SDHC/MMC slot, a USB port, and a contrast ratio of 500:1. Files supported are JPEG, AVI, MPEG-4, MP3, and WMA.

Onkyo plans to start selling the frame in Japan on August 6 for $230 (in black and white, including a remote control). No word from the company yet regarding international sales plans.

Here’s your chance in case you want to surprise your daughter or little sister with a geeky present: Onkyo in Japan has announced [JP, PDF] a super-cute, kid-friendly, and Miffy-themed netbook today. It’s not only the hardware itself that’s covered with Miffy designs, but Onkyo (in cooperation with Bandai Namco) is shipping it with Miffy-powered software as well.

For example, Onkyo promises pre-installed Miffy wallpapers, screen savers, a Miffy calendar, Miffy widgets, icons etc. (see below for a selection).

Spec-wise, buyers can expect a 10.1-inch LCD with 1,024×600 resolution, an Atom N450 (1.66GHz) CPU, 1GB RAM, a 160GB HDD, two USB ports, Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, an SD/Memory Stick Pro slot, a 0.3MP web cam, Windows 7 Home Premium or XP Home as the OS, and 2.5 hours of battery life. The Miffy netbook is sized at 265×192×27mm and weighs 1.1kg.

The device went on sale today, but it’s Japan-only and limited to just 300 units (prices: a whopping $905 for the XP version, $1,017 for the Windows 7 model).

Onkyo in Japan announced [JP, PDF] a new “digital media audio system” for iPod and PC owners today. The system consists of the ND-S1, a so-called digital media transport interface/cradle, and the DP-M1, a set of active speakers. Onkyo already offers the ND-S1 (even outside Japan), which serves as a link between your home theater or PC and your iPod.

The ND-S1 supports various iPod versions and generations (including the iPod touch), but iPhone users are out of luck. Buyers of the set can connect it to their PC (only Windows XP/Vista and 7 are supported) via USB or directly to the new DP-M1 speakers, which feature 10W×2ch output and DAC (they are just 19.4cm high and 10.2cm wide).

Onkyo plans to start selling the system in Japan on July 31 for $430 (the speakers themselves will go for $260. The company hasn’t said anything yet regarding a release outside Japan (but as the cradle is already available overseas, it’s quite possible).

Onkyo in Japan announced [JP, PDF] a new notebook today, the Sotec MX1007A4. It has a 10.1-inch screen featuring 1,024×600 resolution and LED backlight, with Onkyo saying one of the two selling points is its thickness (the notebook is 22mm thin – 18mm at it thinnest part). It weighs just 1.16kg, too.

The other selling point is the battery life, which, according to Onkyo, stands at 14.4 hours from a single charge. The notebook is powered by an Atom Z515 (1.2GHz) and comes with 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard disc. Other specs include an Intel US15W chip set, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, an SD/SDHC slot, two USB 2.0 ports, an 1.3MP web camera, and a fingerprint sensor.

Onkyo plans to release the MX1007A4 in Japan on April 10 (price: $640). No word from the company yet regarding international sales.

I’m sure many of you remember the pretty cool-looking dual-screen notebook Japanese company Kohjinsha announced last month (it’s already available over here). As it turns out, another Japanese PC maker, Onkyo, thought the device is worthy enough to get rebranded and improved spec-wise. The result is the DX1007A5 [JP], which is slightly more expensive than the Kohjinsha original though.

So what’s new? The device still features two sliding, LED-backlit 10.1-inch LCDs (no touch screens) but with an improved resolution of 1,366×768 (instead of 1,024×600). Onkyo also beefed up some internal specs: The notebook now has 2GB RAM (Kohjinsha: 1GB) and a 320GB HDD (Kohjinsha: 160GB) but doesn’t offer the 1-Seg digital TV tuner anymore (which was usable only in Japan and parts of South America). And the body color changed to white.

Spec-wise, you still get an Athlon Neo MV-40 (1.6GHz) with a RS780MN chipset, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, WiFi, three USB ports, a 1.3MP web camera, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a reader for SD/microSD/MMC/memory sticks.

Onkyo also throws in Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. The battery life stands at roughly 4 hours.

At $950, the Onkyo version is $55 more expensive than the Kohjinsha original, but I’d say the plus in price is definitely worth it. Geek Stuff 4 U offered the Kohjinsha model to international buyers when it came out so they might be able to ship the Onkyo version to you as well (sales in Japan start at the end of this month). But please keep in mind this is a Japanese computer with a Japanese keyboard layout.

Onkyo Japan has announced a few notebooks today, all of which are in fact re-branded (but beefed up) models competitor Kohjinsha released earlier on the Japanese market. Perhaps the most interesting new model is the NX707A4 [JP], a 7-inch tablet netbook with an built-in GPS module.

The tablet is powered by Atom Z520 processor (1.33 GHz) and has an 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Intel US15W chipset, two USB ports, an ExpressCard/34 slot, SD/SDHC/MMC/Memory Stick Pro slots, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi and two web cams (3MP and 0.3MP) on board. The display is a touch screen with 1,024×600 resolution.

Buyers will get Windows 7 starter as the OS and can expect a battery life of about 3 hours. The NX707A4 weighs 720g and is sized at 193 x 132 x 22 – 30mm.

Onkyo will start selling the device in Japan at the end of this month (price: $680). The company hasn’t said yet if it plans to sell the tablet outside this country as well so you might want to contact import/export specialist Geek Stuff 4 U if you want to get one.

The Onkyo DV-BD507 is headed to America, everyone. The AV company went all offical on the player last month with European launch info, but was mum about a US release. Well, it’s here and it looks great – including the price.

The European and American-spec’d models seem to be the same. The unit is a Profile 2.0 BD-Live player featuring all the goodies that come along with the HDMI 1.3 spec like Deep Color and x.v Color. Plus, if a 1GB or higher SD card is inserted, the player can play back BonusView material. The MSRP is set at $449, which isn’t that bad for a mid to high-end tier Blu-ray player and should be available now.

Upper Saddle River, NJ (7/28/09) — Onkyo has introduced a new, state-of-the-art, BD-Live interactive Blu-ray Disc Player, model DV-BD507. This full-featured player delivers outstanding high definition 1080p video playback and high resolution multichannel audio over a HDMI 1.3a. It has all the capabilities once could expect from a Blu-ray player, plus the high performance and build-quality consumers have come to expect from Onkyo products.

The Onkyo DV-BD507 plays Blu-ray discs with their full high definition 1080p resolution, including compatibility with the Deep Color and x.v. Color specifications of HDMI 1.3a. It is also capable of playing standard DVD’s and CD’s, with internal scaling of all video sources to 1080p. It can also process AVCHD video clips stored on a SD or SDHC card or DVD-R/RW.

The Onkyo DV-BD507 also features BD-Live (Profile 2.0) for enhanced interactivity through the internet, making additional and updated content available instantly. When used with an optional 1 GB (or greater) SD/SDHC card, the player includes BonusView features to allow for picture-in-picture capabilities while viewing the main feature.

The Onkyo DV-BD507 is currently available at a suggested retail price of $449.

Keith Hass, Director of Sales for Onkyo,

“We have worked diligently to position the brand where the product’s performance, capabilities, feature set and uncompromising build quality can be effectively and professionally demonstrated.

“The establishment of the relationship and placement of the product with Magnolia Home Theater is the culmination of these efforts.”

Expect to see Onkyo products, and hopefully some Integra items as well, later this year.

The first-gen Onkyo hasn’t exactly made a splash in the HTPC market - do you know anyone that owns one? – but maybe the new models will help the home theater namesake penetrate more markets. By ditching audiophile-grade amplifier along with a DAC, the price has dropped from 200,00 yen ($2,149) to 59,800 ($643) which should spur some sales. Still, the netop is equipped with enough power to run a media server thanks to the Atom 230 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB of ram. Just don’t expect to play CoD5 on it.

Onkyo Japan today announced the Sotec C1 Hello Kitty (C101K3W) [JP], a netbook designed for fans of the famous cartoon cat from Sanrio. Unlike other Hello Kitty PCs, this model has been modified not only design- but also hardware-wise (see the picture above).

The Hello Kitty C1 features an Atom N270 CPU (1.60 GHZ), 1GB of RAM, a 120GB HDD, a 10.1″ TFT display (resolution: 1,024×600), a web cam, a QWERTY keyboard (layout: Japanese/US) and three USB 2.0 ports. Windows XP (SP 3) and a Hello Kitty wallpaper are pre-installed.

Normally the computer is available as a limited edion only in Japan (where it’s already available) but people living outside Nippon can order the C1 from here ($890.95 plus shipping).

Today, the HT-S9100THX system was announced and it has its sights set on HD theater buffs across the country. The 7.1-channel system (130W/channel) includes THX’s Loudnes Plus technology and comes with four HDMI v1.3a ports. The more HDMI ports, the better, I say.

Audyssey and Faroudja handle onboard audio and video processing. Faroudja’s DCDi Edge technology bumps all component, composite, and S-video sources up to 1080i while Audyssey’s 2EQ automatically calibrates acoustical output for maximum eardrum popping. Moreover, Audyssey’s Dynamic EQ “algorithm adds moment-by-moment refinement of the receiver’s frequency response and surround levels in order to compensate for volume-dependent deteriorations in the listening experience, particularly at low volume levels.” Can anyone translate this into layman’s terms?

Additional info on the system can be found after the jump. The HT-S9100THX is available now for $1,099.

It features seven two-way speakers that are tonally matched to each other for optimal localization and seamless surround transitions. The front and center channel speakers each include a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter and dual 5-inch woofers constructed from Onkyo’s acclaimed A-OMF (Onkyo Micro Fiber) cones. The front and center channels are also magnetically shielded to prevent interference with video reproduction when placed near a TV. Side and rear surround speakers all feature 5-1/8 inch a-OMF woofers and the same tweeter found in the front channels to deliver a seamless 360-degree soundstage. Deep bass reproduction is handled by a powerful 12-inch subwoofer with an integrated 290-Watt amplifier.

You know what the world needs? No, not more gadget blogs; more iPod docks and Onkyo is pleased to help the cause. The CBX-Z20 AERO sound system is going to be released later this month and seems to be your standard AM/FM, CD, iPod radio. With the Onkyo nameplate though, the 50,000 yen player’s ($497 USD) sound and build quality should be above par.