Sharp is getting smarter. The company is moving into the smart TV space with SmarTCentral. The smart TV platform brings industry-standard apps and functions to the entire Sharp 2012 TV line.

The platform should be familiar. In all honest there isn’t much new here. Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and all the other standard content apps are present. But at least Sharp is keeping up with the Jones.

The one somewhat novel function pairs live customer support with Aquos Advantage, Sharp’s product guarantee. Owners will be able to contact support directly from SmartCentral.

The smart TV platform comes on all the TVs Sharp is introducing at CES 2012 including the monster 80-inch.

Sharp. Everyone likes Sharp. They can do wrong, really, and they are taking the stage next at CES 2012. Their press conference, which is embedded after the jump, is set to kick off at 11:00 am PST. Expect thin LCDS and perhaps a thin LCD with Google TV built in. The event is expect to take 45 minutes. We’ll be there live as well, ready to post on whatever exciting products coming from The House of Sharp.

It seems Sharp saw good sales when the company launched the so-called AQUOS PHONE THE HYBRID 007SH on the Japanese market, the world’s first clamshell Android phone. Today, Sharp’s AQUOS PHONE IS14SH [JP] went on sale in Japan, and again they squeezed a ton of smartphone functions into a feature phone body.

The obvious target here are customers who want to type on a physical slide-out keypad but don’t want to miss out on the typical specs a Japanese Android phone is offering.

Here are the main features:

• 3.7-inch LCD touchscreen with 900×540 (QHD) resolution
• Android 2.3 OS
• 8MP CMOS camera with HD video recording support (720p)
• microSDHC card slot, microUSB slot
• IEEE802.11b/g/n Wifi
• GPS
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 1seg digital TV sensor
• e-wallet function (NFC)
• infrared communication
• size: 56×117×14.7mm, weight: 136g

In Japan, the AQUOS PHONE IS14SH will be marketed by mobile carrier KDDI au, but don’t expect to see this handset outside the country anytime soon.

Smartphones are soon to become thinner: Sharp has developed a 1/3.2-inch CMOS camera module that’s just 5.47mm high, making it the thinnest module out there. The so-called RJ63YC100 features 12.1MP resolution, optical image stabilization and is specifically designed for use in handsets.

Sharp says it used “proprietary high-density packaging technology” to make the back-illuminated module as thin as possible. The device supports full HD video shooting and is sized at 11.0×11.0×5.47mm.

The good news is that the camera is ready for mass-production, which (according to Sharp) is scheduled to start in January (100,000 units per month). The company will ship the first samples to cell phone manufacturers tomorrow, at US$154 each.

In September 2010, Sharp announced a 5.5- and a 10.8-inch Android tablet for the Japanese market, followed by a 7-inch version in August this year. After seeing they had no chance against the iPad 2, Sharp discontinued the first two “Galapagos” models, with the industry betting not on if but when they will stop producing the 7-inch tablet.

But Sharp isn’t ready to give up on the booming tablet market: the company announced yet another Android Galapagos model for the Japanese market yesterday, the Galapagos EB-A71GJ-B.

The specs are looking pretty good:

• Android 3.2 OS
• 7-inch LCD with 1,024×600 resolution
• NVIDIA Tegra2 CPU
• 1GB memory
• 8GB internal storage
• WiMAX
• Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n
• tethering possible
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 2MP inner camera, 5MP outer camera with LED flash
• microHDMI slot
• USB, microSD ports
• size: 195×122×11.9-12.6mm, weight: 396g

Sharp plans to start selling the device in Japan on December 9 for US$780.

Via PC Watch [JP]

Solar energy has just made one step forward: Sharp announced that it has developed a solar cell boasting the world’s highest conversion efficiency of 36.9%. This number is 1.1 points higher than for the company’s last cell, which was unveiled in October 2009.

The new 1cm² solar cell consists of three layers made of indium gallium phosphide, gallium arsenide and indium gallium arsenide (see below). Sharp says it was able to increase the conversion efficiency by using new materials and reducing the resistance of the junctions connecting the layers.

The plans now is to commercialize the solar cell in 2014 for use in “space satellites and for flight craft and land vehicles”.

Full HD resolution (1,920×1,080 pixels) isn’t enough for Sharp. The company has developed [JP] a TV that’s capable of producing images with 3,840×2,160 resolution and is ready to show the device to the public during the CEATEC 2011 exhibition that takes place next week near Tokyo.

The 60-inch 4K TV has been developed in cooperation with the I³ (I-cubed) Research Center in Kawasaki. I am assuming Sharp will share more detailed specs when they bring the prototype to CEATEC (so far, only the size and resolution have been revealed).

It’s not as impressive as that 85-inch TV with Super Hi-Vision resolution (7,680×4,320 pixels) Sharp showed in May this year, but in contrast to that model, the 4K TV has a (vague) sales date: sometime in 2012 and in Japan first, according to the company.

Via AV Watch [JP]

Update:
Here’s a video showing the TV in more detailed, shot by Diginfo TV in Tokyo (in English):

Is this finally the beginning of Japanese Android phones being made available outside their home market? Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo yesterday announced it has inked a deal with French telco Orange to bring a Sharp Android handset to Asia and Europe.

The handset in question is a pretty nice one, the AQUOS PHONE SH80F (pictured), that Sharp introduced (together with Docomo) in Japan back in May.

In Japan, the device is called “AQUOS PHONE SH-12C” and comes with Android 2.3, two 8MP CMOS cameras, 3D video recording in 720×1280 resolution, a 4.2-inch naked-eye 3D display with 960×540 resolution, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and an HDMI connection.

I’m assuming that for the European version, Sharp will axe the infrared connection, e-wallet function, and digital TV tuner (no details yet).

Orange says they will introduce the AQUOS PHONE SH80F in France as early as October 6, before rolling it out in “Asia and Europe”. The company has over 200 million customers worldwide.

Sharp, the market leader in Japan’s mobile market (over 25% share), has been talking about exporting its handsets for years.

Sharp has been producing quite a few nice Android phones for the Japanese market lately (with a 25% share, it’s the leading manufacturer over here), and today, the company introduced [JP] another great-looking handset, the AQUOS PHONE 102SH.

Local carrier SoftBank will start distributing the phone in Japan in December as part of its fall/winter line-up. And there can be now doubt that subscribers can get a real monster with this model.

Here are the main specs:

• Android 2.3
• 4.5-inch naked-eye 3D LCD screen with 720×1280 resolution and 329dpi pixel density
• 12MP CMOS camera with full HD video recording
• compatible with SoftBank’s “Ultra Speed” high-speed data communication service (max. 21Mbps)
• TI OMAP4430 dual-core CPU (1GHz)
• RAM: 1GB, ROM: 2.2GB
• waterproof body (IPX5/7, IP5X)
• IEEE802.11b/g/n Wifi
• Bluetooth 3.0
• DLNA support
• microSDHC card slot
• infrared connection
• e-wallet function
• digital TV tuner
• W-CDMA, GSM
• size: 128×65×9.7mm, weight: 135g

Will this phone ever make it outside Japan? Maybe: back in May, Sharp said they would introduce the AQUOS PHONE worldwide at some point in the future…

About a year ago, Sharp decided to enter the rapidly growing tablet market with the terribly named Galapagos, two Android devices sized at 5.5 and 10.8 inches that went on sale in Japan last December. The company then launched a 7-inch version on the Japanese market last month and announced that model will hit the US “this year”.

But sales must have been really bad for the initial models, the 5.5- and the 10.8-inch versions, as Sharp Japan today announced [JP] it will stop taking orders for the Galapagos in those sizes from September 30. The company said, however, that it will continue to offer the 7-inch version in Japan (where it costs US$587).

Just like in the rest of the world, the iPad is the tablet to beat in Japan: Tokyo-based market research firm BCN estimates that the Apple device commanded 64.8% of the Japanese market for tablets in July.

Sharp Japan announced [JP] the Aquos Quattron 3D LC-70X5 for the local market yesterday, a follow-up of sorts to the LC-70LE735U that’s been available in the States for a few months now. Just like that model, the LCD measures 70 inches, can produce 3D pictures and offers Sharp’s “Quattron Quad Pixel Technology” for better display of colors.

The main selling point of this new model is the full array LED back-light that Sharp markets as “Mega Brightness Technology”. According to the company, the backlighting in the LC-70X5 is twice as strong as in the previous model, obviously resulting in brighter pictures (see below for an example).

The TV features full HD resolution, THX 3D, 15,000,000:1, dynamic contrast ratio, two USB ports, four HDMI ports, Ethernet, web connectivity (VOD), wireless to connectivity to other Aquos devices like smartphones and Blu-ray recorders, recording on external HDDs, and 176-degree viewing angle.

Sharp plans to start selling the device in Japan on September 25 (price: US$10,400).

Sharp Japan announced [JP] the i3board PN-L702B for the Japanese market yesterday, a 70-inch electronic whiteboard targeted at businesses and schools. The device is essentially a 70-inch touchscreen (LCD) that comes with a Stylus pen and special software, enabling users to make notes or draw on the screen, scroll or change the size of objects by using gestures.

The whiteboard can be used to display any type of content (including video) transferred to it from a Windows XP/Vista/7 PC (via USB) or directly from the web via the LAN port. It features full HD resolution, LED backlight, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness, and an HDMI port.

Sharp plans to start selling the i3board PN-L702B in Japan on September 20 for US$9,700. A smaller (60 inches) version will retail for US$7,100.

Sharp in Japan updated their line of AQUOS LCD TVs with the so-called Freestyle AQUOS F5 series [JP]. The four TVs in that series, sized at 20/32/40 and 60 inches have a few common selling points: they are extremely thin, light (one of them is “portable”), and networked.

The 60-inch flagship model (pictured above and below) comes with a UV²A panel with full HD resolution, LED backlight, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 176-degre viewing angle, 2x10W speakers, an HDMI interface, two USB ports (connecting external HDDs is possible), and Ethernet. It weighs 21kg and is 2.1cm at its thinnest part (3.5cm at the thickest).

The 32- and 40-inch models share the main specs but are much lighter (8.5kg and 5.5kg, respectively), prompting Sharp to choose the term “freestyle” for the series (the company says they can be moved and installed anywhere).

Like the 32-inch AQUOS, the 20-inch model only offers 1,366×780 resolution. The smallest TV in the series is based on a model Sharp showed earlier this year and weighs just 2.5kg . For an extra $80, users can attach a hook to it to make it really portable (see below).

What all the models have in common is IEEE802.11n/IEEE802.11a Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity to Sharp devices, for example AQUOS Blu-ray players or smartphones, and to various video-on-demand services and YouTube.

Sharp plans to start selling their new TVs in Japan from next month (prices: $4,930 for the biggest model, $1,950 for the 40-incher, $1,430 for the 32-inch model and $1,040 for the smallest one).

Sharp just did the unthinkable. The RW-T107 Gingerbread tablet is actually useful and gives businesses a new way to interact with consumers with a built-in NFC and RFID reader. This is the future, kids.

The tablet itself is of the 7-inch Gingerbread variety. It’s of a standard build and includes microUSB, a HDMI port, SIM card slot, and a headphone jack. Sharp expects to release 5,000 a month starting next month and it will likely be reserved for the commercial market and not hit the consumer channels. It’s only meant for the Japanese market where RFID payment cards are commonplace and NFC mobile wallets are gaining traction.

Think of it this way: You’re in Japan (this tablet is only for Japan) and have your FeliCa money card. A sales associate will be able to process your transaction with just this tablet. Or maybe you have a membership card for some random arcade; you can check your bonus points on one of these tablets. It’s like an untethered customer interaction system.

Other markets will likely see similar devices as NFC penetrates the market. The platform allows retailers to rid themselves of checkout kiosks and interact more directly with customers. Of course’s there’s always the Apple Store solution and equip sales associates with credit card-reading iPod touches. But that’s not as fun as a fully-functional and Flash-enabled Android tablet.

Japan gets an Android-based “Yahoo Phone” [JP]: what may sound weird at first is actually not that surprising a news item, given that Yahoo is the country’s biggest website. Add to the fact that the country’s third biggest mobile carrier SoftBank, the provider of the phone, is Yahoo Japan’s biggest shareholder, and the emergence of such a handset makes even more sense.

The phone is manufactured by Sharp and is the rebranded version of the so-called “AQUOS PHONE THE PREMIUM SoftBank 009SH” [JP] the company showed a few weeks back. It features Android 2.3 as the OS, a 4-inch LCD with QHD resolution, an 8MP CMOS camera, Bluetooth 3.0, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, a microSDHC slot, a digital TV tuner, an e-wallet function, infrared communication, etc.

Buyers can expect to find selected Android apps and services from Yahoo Japan pre-installed on the device, for example Yahoo Japan Home, Yahoo Japan Auctions, a calendar, dictionary, Yahoo Loco (the company’s LBS), etc.

SoftBank subscribers choosing the phone become Yahoo Japan premium members for free for two years (instead of having to pay $4.50 monthly) and can also get additional points for every purchase made on Yahoo Shopping for the next two years.

SoftBank will start distributing the Yahoo Phone in Japan late next month.

Sorry for the small picture – we’ll add more when we get them.

They have been talking about this for years, but Sharp today officially announced they will bring their AQUOS PHONE brand to countries outside Japan. The press release (in English) is rather vague (no dates, prices or exact target markets), but Sharp says there will be a “global smartphone” that can be used anywhere, including China.

Sharp also explains that all AQUOS phones will come with an HDMI connection, DLNA support, and an advanced graphics engine.

This month, the company announced a total of six AQUOS PHONE handsets in Japan across three carriers. The two most interesting models are the AQUOS PHONE SH-12C (with 3D cameras, Android 2.3, and a naked-eye 3D display with QHD resolution/pictured) and the world’s first clamshell Android phone, the so-called AQUOS PHONE THE HYBRID 007SH.

If you thought Android and clamshell handsets won’t fit, think again: Sharp today introduced [JP] the so-called AQUOS PHONE THE HYBRID 007SH, a flip phone running on Android 2.3. It’s the first of its kind (at least by a major company), but that’s not all the device has to offer.

Sharp actually squeezed a ton of features into the phone:

• Android 2.3
• 3.4-inch naked-eye 3D LCD touchscreen with 854×480 resolution
• 0.7-inch OLED sub-display
• 16MP CCD camera with 1,280×720 HD video recording support
• waterproof body
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0+EDR
• GPS
• digital TV tuner
• digital wallet function (Felica/RFID)
• infrared port
• Micro HDMI interface
• Blu-ray recorder connectivity
• microSD/SDHC slot (shipped with a 2GB card inside)
• W-CDMA, GSM
• size: 113×51.8×19.3mm, weight: 140g

In other words, this thing is quite a monster.

The keyboard section can also be flipped to the back, so you can use the phone like this:

The AQUOS PHONE THE HYBRID 007SH will be distributed in Japan by mobile carrier SoftBank starting next month. An interesting experiment to see how Japanese consumers will react to a smartphone in a form factor they have been used to for over a decade.

Can you imagine owning a TV with 16 times the resolution of HDTV (or, in other words, about the same resolution as IMAX)? That’s 7,680×4,320 pixels, and today Sharp (in cooperation with Japanese national TV broadcaster NHK) showed a 85-inch LCD TV boasting that spec, also known as Ultra HDTV or Super Hi-Vision.

Needless to say, the Sharp display is the first of its kind. Further technical details of the prototype are scarce at this point, but Sharp did reveal the 60Hz screen is 300cd/m² bright and is equipped with an RGB LED backlight.

NHK in particular is known for having worked on the technology for quite a while now. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while until we can actually enjoy Super Hi-Vision in our homes: NHK plans to start trial broadcasts not before 2020.

Via AV Watch [JP]

Update:
Our friends over at Diginfonews just posted a video that shows the TV in action (in English):

We covered NTT Docomo‘s smartphone line-up for this summer here, but Japan’s leading mobile carrier also revealed 11 new feature phones today. And here are all of them listed up.

Sharp SH-11C
(3.2-inch LCD, 8.1MP CMOS camera, dust- and waterproof body)

Fujitsu F-10C
(3.3-inch LCD, 12.2MP CMOS camera with full HD video recording, dust- and waterproof body)

Panasonic P-04C
(3.1-inch LCD, 13.2MP camera with AF, waterproof body embedded with Swarovski white crystals)

Panasonic P-06C
(3-inch LCD, 5.1MP CMOS camera, available in 12 “pop colors”)

LG L-10C
(2.8-inch LCD, 1.2-inch PMOLED sub-display with 128×96 dots, 3.2MP camera, simple design)

Sharp SH-10C
(3.4-inch/naked eye 3D touch display, 16.1MP CCD camera with full HD video recording, HDMI)

Fujitsu F-09C
(3.5-inch/ naked-eye 3D touch display, 16.3MP CMOS camera with full HD video recording, waterproof body)

Casio EXILIM CA-01C
(3.4-inch/naked-eye 3D touch display, 16.3MP CMOS Exilim camera with full HD video recording, dust-and waterproof body, DLNA support)

Panasonic LUMIX Phone P-05C
(3.3-inch LCD, 13.2MP Lumix camera with full HD video recording, world’s first phone with optical “anti-shake”, DLNA support)

Fujitsu F-11C
(3.3-inch LCD, 5.1MP CMOS camera, fingerprint sensor, pre-installed business card reader)

NEC N-05C
(3.4-inch touch panel, 8.1MP CMOS camera, IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, waterproof body)

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo has announced its summer line-up of cell phones today, and we have squeezed all their nine new smartphones (plus Fujitsu’s Windows 7/Symbian hybrid) into this article for your reading pleasure (click here for a list of all new feature phones).

Here’s the complete list:

Smartphones:

Sharp AQUOS PHONE SH-12C
(4.2-inch naked-eye 3D display with 960×540 resolution (“QHD”), two 8MP CMOS cameras, 3D video recording in 720×1280 resolution, Android 2.3 – more here)

LG Optimus bright L-07C
(world’s brightest cell phone display (4 inches, 700cd/m2), 9.5 mm thin, Android 2.3, Japan version of the Optimus Black- more here)

Samsung GALAXY S II SC-02C
(more here)

NEC MEDIAS WP N-06C
(update of the world’s thinnest cell phone MEDIAS N-04C, still 7.9mm thin, body now waterproof, now with Android 2.3)

BlackBerry Bold 9780
(more here)

Sony Ericsson Xperia acro SO-02C
(Japanized version of the Arc, with infrared, e-wallet function, and digital TV tuner)

Fujitsu F-12C
(3.7-inch “Bright Color Liquid Display” with 800×480 resolution, Android 2.3, 8.1MP CMOS camera with HD recording)

Panasonic P-07C
(4.3-inch LCD with 854×480 resolution, Android 2.3, 5MP CMOS camera)

Sharp AQUOS PHONE f SH-13C
(3.7-inch LCD with 540×980 (qHD) resolution, Android 2.3, 8MP CCD camera, comes with a Qi-certified charging pad for wireless charging)

Hybrid:

Fujitsu LOOX F-07C
(Windows 7 / Symbian dual boot cell phone – more here)