nec

I bought a new LCD TV last week and didn't once think about how its energy output could affect the environment. I was just focused on getting the best TV I could afford. I'm not even sure if large-screen LCDs can be environmentally compatible. I'll have to do some research on my new TV when I get home, but at least NEC is attempting to give us options.

On Wednesday, NEC announced the 22-inch MultiSync EA221WM wide-screen LCD monitor. This is the second monitor in the company's MultiSync EA series, the first being its 26-inch EA261WM, … Read more

Seven new mobile phones have passed the LiMo Foundation's certification process, and the group has a few new members to welcome aboard.

The new phones, from Motorola, Panasonic, and NEC, are the latest to ship with Release 1 of the LiMo Platform, a Linux-based operating system for mobile phones developed by a consortium of wireless carriers, handset makers, and others. Panasonic and NEC's phones will be available in Japan through NTT DoCoMo.

There are now 21 phones in the world running the LiMo software, mostly in Asia. But a few, such as Motorola's Rokr E8, are sold … Read more

LG may claim to have the world's greenest LCD, but it might be tough to determine how much energy it actually conserves unless you can decipher the savings in your monthly utility bill. A new monitor from NEC, on the other hand, is outfitted with its very own carbon footprint meter to keep track of its ecological performance.

At first glance the MultiSync EA191M looks like a standard 19-inch LCD with a 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, according to Tech Digest, but it has an "eco mode" that limits maximum brightness to 60 percent. NEC says … Read more

It's kind of curious that a company would send out a press release just to announce the new shape of an LCD, but that's exactly what NEC has done. And not just any shape, mind you, but a heart--and Valentine's Day is 9 months away.

It's actually being touted as another way that LCDs can be configured and used, as Engadget observes, not unlike the circular version we saw last fall. These prototypes are being showcased to exemplify the versatility of the technology, as flexible TFT displays find uses beyond traditional rectangular screens.

One reason … Read more

NEC demonstrated its toughest laptop to date, the Versa S9100, at an event in Singapore. Despite its sleek frame, the company claims the top cover is built to withstand up to 300 kilograms (about 661 pounds) per square foot of pressure, more than the Panasonic ToughBook CF-W7.

However, apart from the addition of a hard disk sensor, the Versa S9100 does not include a water-resistant keyboard. Nor was it drop-tested like the ToughBook, though its data security features are much stronger with a fingerprint biometric sensor and TPM security chip combo.

Features aside, the biggest drawback was its price. At … Read more

Though Google's Android platform is getting a lot of attention at the GSMA World Congress, the LiMo Foundation is making news of its own. LiMo is a consortium of companies working to create the an open, hardware-independent, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. The foundation has about 30 members including Motorola, NEC, Samsung, Vodafone, Orange, LG, and NTT DoCoMo.

LiMo made several announcements at the show. Besides signing up new member companies, it showed off a number of cell phones using LiMo. They include the Motorola U9, Motorola Z6w (announced at GSMA), Motorola Rarz2 V8, Motorola Rokr E8 (announced … Read more

With its international focus, the GSMA World Congress offers great opportunities to see what smaller handset manufacturers are up to. We get enough Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia news, so it's nice to see a different perspective. Our U.S. readers might remember NEC's brief entry into the American cell phone market. In 2003 and 2004, the Japanese company put out two phones for the old AT&T Wireless, the 525 HDM and the 515 HDM, before departing the States for good. Their brief stay was disappointing, since we liked the two models we saw (the 525 … Read more

NEC continues to use its LaVie G laptop as a blank canvas for artistic expression, whether it be for cars or Hello Kitty. In fact, the Japanese giant seems to use any excuse at all to release yet another design for this hapless computer. Case in point: the fourth anniversary of its direct-sales Web site. We're not kidding.

To commemorate this landmark event, NEC is releasing a limited edition of "pimped" laptops with illustrations by Toshiko Kimura, according to Akihabara News. (Who? And what is it about the Japanese obsession with the word "pimp"?) Anyway, … Read more

Someone must have spiked the Calpico vending machines near NEC's R&D labs in Tokyo.

The company made a legitimate splash at Macworld with a giant curved-screen display, but then creativity began giving way to surreality a few days later with its liquid-powered "Flask" phone. Now things are getting almost Dali-eseque with an NEC concept gadget called the "Dew Life Recording Interface."

Apparently this dangling chrome sphere is meant to hang around the neck and visually record every moment of its wearer's life, according to Dvice, kind of like a portable video Twitter. … Read more