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1seg posts

I-O Data's SEG Clip brings 1seg mobile TV to iPhone and PC


Softbank's own 1seg tuner / battery charger was a novel idea, but leave it to trained assassins at I-O Data to really expound upon the concept and concoct something nearly worthy of relocating to Tokyo for. The new GV-SC310 SEG Clip is a relatively vanilla USB 1seg TV tuner that plugs into one's PC in order to pull down some of Japan's finest OTA programming. Once captured, users with an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or iPod touch can download a TVPlayer app (shown after the break) that enables them to wirelessly watch whatever content they've stored. Think of it as TiVo for your iPhone, but only for those lucky enough to live in the Land of the Rising Sun. Not too shabby for ¥6,615 ($68), huh?

[Via Akihabara News]

Read - I-O Data press release
Read - Hands-on

LitPhone projector phone, new pocket PJs surface in Hong Kong


Outside of Samsung's W7900 Show and a few nondescript prototypes, the projector phone sector has been largely stagnant. Thankfully, it seems at least one no-name company is looking to make a name for itself by developing yet another entrant. The LitPhone, designed and showcased by China's own SCT Optronics, is a GSM handset that sports CMMB TV tuning, a touchscreen and a built-in projector with an undisclosed native resolution. Furthermore, the company also demonstrated its USB-powered PCLit mobile projector at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, which debuted alongside Join Technology's JP77 and WE3 Technology's WE8626. Have a glance at the whole bundle down in the read link -- just don't get those hopes too high about a US release date anytime soon.

Softbank's iPhone 1seg tuner / battery charger gets unboxed


If you're American, don't even pretend you care about this. 'Cause you don't care about mobile TV at all, and we've got the facts to prove it. For those parked in Japan, though, you have every right to get jazzed. Softbank's 1seg TV tuner / battery charger has finally been loosed on the carrier's home turf, and the lucky cats over at DVICE were able to acquire one and give it a whirl. Setup was said to be a breeze, the 1seg pickup was crystal clear and the device itself was satisfactorily lightweight. As for downsides, the entire app is in Japanese, and even with the extra juice, watching TV on the go zapped the life out in around an hour with brightness maxed. Check the full writeup and unboxing gallery in the read link below.

[Via OhGizmo]

Japanese iPhone gets official 1-Seg WiFi tuner and battery charger from SoftBank


Japan does love 'em some mobile TV. Now that 1-Seg digital goodness has been announced for iPhone users. The 80-gram tuner provides a TV fix over WiFi and doubles as a battery extender when plugged into the iPhone 3G's dock connector. Trendy sidewalk zombies, the streets are yours. We'll update you with prices and dates when known. One more pic for size comparison after the break.

Update: Official PR with specs (no price) is now out: 3 hours continuous 1-Seg viewing, 2-/4-hours charge via AC/USB, and available mid December along side a free 1-Seg application from the AppStore.

[Via Ringo-Sanco, thanks RS]

Sharp's 9225H brings the flip-open QWERTY action to Softbank


Not that we haven't seen relatively ho hum handsets get cracked open to reveal their sunny side (and full QWERTY keyboard) before, but Sharp's newly unveiled 9225H does more than just look pretty in two positions. Unwrapped at CEATEC 2008, the Softbank-destined mobile packed a 3.5-inch VGA screen internally, an inbuilt 1seg TV tuner, multimedia player, e-mail functionality, 2-megapixel camera and a microSDHC slot for loading up additional Iron & Wine tunes. There's no mention of a price, but feel free to head to the read link if you're in search of more images.

[Thanks, Mark]

Sharp develops "world's thinnest" 2.2-inch QVGA mobile LCD


We've already seen Hitachi launch the "world's slimmest" LCD TV today, so it's rather fitting that Sharp comes through and delivers what it calls the "industry's thinnest" mobile display. Granted, we've known this ultrathin 2.2-inch wonder was coming since April, but it's always reassuring to see plans actually emerge from the drawing board. Nevertheless, this wee unit measures in just 0.01-millimeters thinner than a 1.9-inch version that AU Optronics was touting earlier this week (that's 0.68-millimeters for those keeping score), and it features a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 320 x 240 (QVGA) resolution, 176-degree viewing angle and an eight-millisecond response time that should be suitable for mobile TV viewing. Regrettably, there's no sign of an actual release date, but those browsing the aisles at FPD International 2007 can reportedly catch it up close and in person.

[Via Akihabara News]

Sharp 911SH does one-seg for Softbank

Sharp is showing off a nifty little (if you can call 22 millimeters of thickness "little") one-seg clamshell with a pivoting screen for Softbank customers, the 911SH. The phone apparently looks to displace the outgoing (and similarly-styled) 905SH, though it's not much of an upgrade -- the camera remains unchanged at 2 megapixels, Bluetooth carries over, and the Aquos-branded screen rocks the same 400 x 240 resolution, though it gets upped to 3 inches. The major draws here, then, appear to be the switch from miniSD to microSD expansion (if you can really call that an upgrade) and the availability of seven tasty colors.

[Via Mobilewhack]




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