Two big Japanese electronics companies, namely Hitachi and Mitsubishi, are to stop producing parts of their product portfolio domestically: Hitachi announced [JP] it will end production of plasma and LCD TVs in Japan, marketed under the Wooo brand, by September this year.
The company owns a plant in Gifu prefecture in central Japan that churns out about 100,000 TVs per month (pictured: a… → Read More
The deal has been in the making for months, but today Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi made the mega merger official. The three companies signed definitive agreements with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) to integrate their small- and medium-sized display businesses.
Under the deal, semi-public INCJ will hold 70% of Japan Display, Inc., a new company that will run the operations. → Read More
The CEATEC 2011 exhibition in Japan is just one day away, and Hitachi is already showing one of its coolest products: the company has been working on glasses-free 3D projection systems for years and is apparently making progress.
The newest version [JP] uses a set of 24 projectors, lenses, translucent half mirrors to superimpose 3D images on an object in the real-world. In the picture above… → Read More
Back in February this year, Hitachi Displays took the wraps off a super-advanced LCD for smartphones that boasted a 4.5-inch IPS LCD with 720 x 1,280 resolution. Fast forward to today, and the company is now announcing [JP] the development of a very similar panel with (almost) the same quality that costs “10-20%” less than touch displays currently used in smartphones.
This new panel shares the… → Read More
Yesterday, we reported about Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba planning to establish a joint venture for small and mid-size LCD panels in Japan. And today, the three companies, plus major shareholder Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, made the plan official.
As reported, the semi-public organization will control 70% of the venture (to be set up by the end of the year), with the other partners… → Read More
Quite big news from Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba today: according to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun [JP], the three companies today decided to merge their LCD businesses, at least for smaller and mid-sized screens used in smartphones, handheld gaming devices and tablets.
If the report is to be believed, a joint venture will be set up by the end of the year. What’s interesting is that the… → Read More
Just last week, Hitachi decided to pull the plug on their domestic TV production business by year-end, but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t go out with a bang. A total of six Hitachi Wooo TVs were announced [JP] in Japan today, with the 50-inch 3D model P50-GP08 stealing the show. → Read More
After Pioneer decided to shut down its TV business in 2009, Hitachi yesterday announced they are ready to stop producing and outsourcing all production of TVs to makers in Taiwan and other Asian countries. And even though Hitachi said they will continue selling TVs in the future, this sounds very much like a long goodbye. → Read More
Hitachi announced [JP] a new mobile 3D screen today: the IPS-based LCD is sized at a respectable 4.5 inches, doesn’t require glasses to view pictures in 3D and has 400 cd/m2 brightness in 2D mode and 470 cd/m2 brightness in 3D mode. But perhaps the biggest selling point is the fantastic resolution of 1,280×720. → Read More
While the nuances of this enormous, enormous business deal are certainly lost on this poor tech blogger, I thought it worthwhile to mention that three major Japanese tech companies are considering merging their LCD production divisions, presumably to compete more effectively against major rivals like Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, and big Chinese OEMs. What would the result be? Probably even more… → Read More
It’s nice to have a few hundred gigabytes in your bag and when the first guys to the wireless hard drive party, Seagate, released the Satellite, they piqued my interest by allowing those gigabytes to be streamed onto iOS devices as well as almost any laptop or cellphone. Now, however, Hitachi seems to have hit the sweet spot with their wireless drive with built-in access point and… → Read More
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (which was just acquired by Western Digital) has announced the company’s first USB 3.0 external hard drives, the so-called Touro Mobile Pro Portable Drive and the Touro Desk Pro External Drive (the bigger one in the picture). What’s special about these devices is the personal cloud-based back up solution they come with. → Read More
Hitachi announced [JP] the CP-A300NJ (pictured) and the CP-AW250NJ today, the latest addition to their short-focus projector line-up. What’s special about these two models is that they are, according to Hitachi, “the world’s smallest and lightest” short-focus projectors: the devices are sized at W345×H85×D303mm and weigh just 3.8kg. → Read More
Never heard of iVDR? You are probably not alone. The iVDR (Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage) standard for portable HDD carts was established in 2002 by eight top Japanese electronics companies, but it never caught on. One of these companies was Hitachi, which still produces these devices, for example the iS500 announced [JP, PDF] today. → Read More
Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Displays yesterday announced [JP] that it has developed a new LCD display for smartphones whose quality reaches the “limit of what is discernible to the human eye”. And a look at the spec sheet reveals that big H is indeed prepping quite a display. → Read More
Hitachi Japan today announced [JP] two new models that will be added to their so-called “i.μ’s” line of portable audio players. Both devices offer 4GB of internal memory, play MP3 and WMA files, and are available in various “pop” colors. → Read More
Projectors might be great for movies and essential for presentations, but they are rarely sexy. A notable exception currently showcased at CEATEC 2010 is the ultra-short throw LCD projector (the follow-up model to the CP-A200) showcased at Hitachi’s booth or rather the combination of the device and a whiteboard with touch control. → Read More
I don’t think thickness in LCD screens is that big a problem anymore, but the thinner, the better, right? Hitachi, or to be more precise, their subsidiary Hitachi Displays, is currently working on an LCD touch screen [JP] that’s about 30% thinner than existing models. According to Japanese business daily The Nikkei, the first prototype panel is just 1.5mm thick. → Read More
It’s not as cute as Muratec’s MKR-003, but Hitachi’s new transportation robot looks pretty sophisticated, too. Much like the MKR-003, Hitachi’s model, dubbed “Intelligent Carry” [JP], can move around and take care of simple chores autonomously. Hitachi has developed a special algorithm called “SLAM” (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) that helps the robot in sizing up its environment quickly… → Read More
Once upon a time HDTVs fascinated me. I loved the depth of the colors and amazing detail they produced. But that was 7 years ago when they were new and exciting. Now I walk into Best Buy and my eyes glaze over when staring at their wall o’ HDTVs. I just don’t care anymore. They all look the same. That is until the Hitachi LE42S704 came into my life. Now, watching HDTV is a sport again. → Read More
Accusations of price fixing like those now being filed in New York are nothing new, but as it turns out, the penalties don’t really stick. LG and Sharp paid hundreds of millions in a settlement back in 2008, Hitachi had its own scandal in 2009, and Sharp is already the defendant in a Dell lawsuit also alleging price fixing. Samsung seems to be the new kid on the block, but I think they can… → Read More
The Hitachi Life Studio is supposed to be the next generation of portable drives. Aside from the odd addition of a magnetic flash drive to the front of the case, this clever little drive includes media management software from Cooliris that essentially offers an “easier” way of browsing all the media on your computer. The drive also includes Hitachi’s own back-up software… → Read More
Hitachi has recently shown a new version of its humanoid robot EMIEW2 (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate2), which can scoot around on broken ground (the robot handles bumps that are up to 1.5cm high), recognize and distinguish between different human voices and converse with people. → Read More
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies announced the Travelstar Z5K320 today, a new line of 2.5-inch mobile hard drives that are just 7mm thick. The HDDs will be available in capacities of 160GB, 250GB or 320GB. Hitachi says the new HDDs are the slimmest, lightest, and fastest in the industry (at least in this combination). → Read More
Mind-reading devices are nothing really new, but Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) apparently sees a huge potential for that market in the near future. The MIC will join forces with selected private tech companies to develop and commercialize robots and consumer electronics that can be controlled through thought. The project kicks off this fiscal year and is supposed… → Read More
Sony, Panasonic, NEC and now Sharp: All of these Japanese tech powerhouses are playing the 3D game now, but what about Hitachi? The biggest (sales-wise) of them all has been working on a glasses-free 3D projection system and sells a 3D cell phone in Japan (pictured), but Hitachi has been relatively quiet in terms of 3D.
Today, however, Hitachi Displays announced [JP] the development of a new… → Read More
Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering small gadgets, cars or even buildings. It’s not a surprise to see a number of companies currently working on improvements. Just a few weeks ago, we reported about Japan-based Eamex, which claimed their prototype battery can be charged and discharged over 10,000 times and can be used for about 20 years.
And now Hitachi is claiming a new material they… → Read More
We last blogged about EMIEW2, a two-legged robot made by Hitachi, in July 2008. The main selling point was (and still is) an array of 14 microphones integrated into his head, enabling him to identify three different human voices simultaneously.
But up until now, EMIEW2 tended to easily fall over on bumpy surfaces, which isn’t really ideal for a humanoid that’s supposed to one day serve as a… → Read More
Last week it was Sony, and today it was Hitachi announcing [JP] a flood of new flat-screen TVs for the Japanese market. Hitachi does sell TVs outside this country, too, so chances are the four plasmas and seven LCDs find their way into other markets as well. (Some models will be offered in different colors, which is why you see more than 11 TVs in the picture above.)
The company has divided their… → Read More
Major Japanese oil wholesaler Nippon Oil and Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Plant Technologies are developing a technology that’s supposed to make it possible to mass-produce eco-friendly jet fuel from Euglena, single-celled organisms that live in ponds and lakes.
To be more exact, both companies are cooperating with and acquired shares in a Tokyo-based venture called Euglena, Inc., which is trying… → Read More
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