sharp

Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers! Sharp and AT&T have seen fit to renew their relationship in the form of the Sharp FX Plus, a slide-out smartphone sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and on Walmart.com.

What's that, you say? Sharp?! It's true--while the electronics powerhouse is better known for TVs and other home electronics, the manufacturer does release the occasional handset. Compared with the original Sharp FX, the Plus variety is rounder, smoother, and smarter, now that it boasts Android as its engine.

While there are some nice touches to recommend the Sharp FX Plus--like its compact keyboard and good call quality--there are also some red flags in the too-short battery life and underpowered processor. Still, for just under $30, the handset is priced to sell, at least for shoppers on the lookout for a budget smartphone. Click here to read our full review of the Sharp FX Plus.… Read more

Apple is planning to invest $1 billion in a Sharp LCD plant, Reuters is reporting.

For several months, rumors have swirled that Apple is looking to invest heavily in Sharp's LCD plant. So far, however, the companies have not publicly said that they will, in fact, work together.

According to the news service, Apple's expected investment in Sharp's LCD plant stems from its desire to secure displays for its iPhones and iPads while limiting its reliance upon any single supplier. One such supplier, according to Reuters, is Samsung.

Apple and Samsung are currently waging a bloody patent battle … Read more

Making tablets with a very-high-resolution display in large volumes is posing a challenge for Apple, according to analysts and an Asia-based report.

Two analysts contacted by CNET today said that they don't expect a new version of the iPad, dubbed the iPad 3, until next year because of high-resolution display supply constraints. And a report today from Digitimes made similar claims.

"We have heard that panel makers have had trouble manufacturing panels at efficient yields with the resolutions that Apple is requesting," said Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch. "There's even been discussion of lowering the resolution to get better yields."

A 9.7-inch tablet display with 2,048x1,536 resolution "has been under development for some time," Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, said in reply to an e-mail query. Alexander said iSuppli has built its projections on a 2012 introduction of an iPad with this kind of very high-resolution display. Apple's iPad 2, announced back in March, has a 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 1,024x768. … Read more

Pioneer licensed the Elite brand to Sharp earlier this year, gaining at least the title of one the most highly respected line of HDTVs ever to be produced. In fact, even though Pioneer stopped making TVs in 2009, its Kuro panels are still regarded as the best-performing TVs and all new sets are compared against them.

Today Sharp announced the rebirth of the Elite brand with two high-end LED-based LCD panels, a 60-inch and a 70-inch model. The two TVs carry enormous price tags: $6,000 for the 60-inch PRO-60X5FD and $8,500 for the 70-inch PRO-70X5FD. To put those … Read more

It's without much fanfare that we learned about AT&T's Sharp FX Plus, a rather entry-level Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone that has been available since July 30. Like the Sharp FX before it, the FX Plus is positioned as a messaging phone targeting the younger set. However, it does get an upgrade with Android, and a much rounder body that smooths over some of its predecessor's rough edges.

In addition to a virtual keyboard equipped with Swype, the Sharp FX Plus has a slide-out QWERTY for composing longer texts and messages. The handset supports AT&… Read more

Unless you have $22,000 or more to spend, the 70-inch Sharp LC-70LE732U is the biggest flat-panel TV you can buy today--the competition maxes out at 65 inches. Moreover, it's a pretty good deal by giant-TV standards, available for less than $3,000 at press time. Sure, rear-projection models offer more screen size for the buck, but judging from past testing, they can't match the picture quality or design of this Sharp. The fact that it's one of the most popular TVs on CNET this summer proves that huge TVs are gaining mainstream appeal.

Compared with the … Read more

Editors' note: The chart doesn't list every streaming-media service available on each manufacturer's TVs; for the sake of simplicity, we chose those we considered most important.

Today, many TVs are able to connect directly to the Internet. A few of them include QWERTY keyboard remotes and actual Web browsers, but most lack these PC-like extras. Instead they're designed around a "walled garden" of apps like Facebook, Picasa, and casual games; streaming services like Netflix and Pandora; and an interface meant to be browsed using one thumb and a standard TV remote. Increasingly, they also offer app stores with paid and free apps as well as, in one case so far, actual shopping. … Read more

Editors' note: The lens used in recording the video above makes the television appear smaller than it really is in relation to the presenter, Scott Stein. Scroll down to see a photo that more accurately presents the 92-inch size of the TV.

Does a 92-inch TV sound like overkill to you?

To many, it may. But for the company that makes it, Mitsubishi, it's pretty much the only way to distinguish itself among its competitors and try to stay in the TV business.

Next month, Mitsubishi will officially start selling the behemoth of a television it first introduced at CES in January. … Read more

Apple's devices are "very difficult to make," says the head of Apple device supplier Hon Hai, but improvements in efficiency should start to "pay off" later this year.

Speaking yesterday at his company's annual shareholder meeting, Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou admitted that profit growth has been sluggish because of the difficulty in making iPhones and iPads, according to Bloomberg and other sources. Hon Hai's Foxconn unit directly assembles the popular devices for Apple.

Gou's statement confirms other reports that have pointed to manufacturing difficulties in ramping up Apple's latest devices. … Read more