Dec/090
LCD price fixing fines so far reaches $860 million, shame CONSUMER gets NOTHING
It’s not every day we get to cite an official US Department of Justice news release, so it’s with a certain glee that we can announce the US taxpayer was last week enriched by another $220 million courtesy of the not-so-fine folks who swindled him out of that money in the first place. Joining the ignominious ranks of LG, Sharp, Hitachi and Chungwa Picture Tube, Taiwanese manufacturer Chi Mei is refunding the US state for the pecuniary impact of its collusive practices, which were primarily related to keeping prices artificially high and profits proportionately inflated. US companies directly affected by these ignoble activities include HP, Dell and Apple, but don’t you worry, AT&T has already started the inter-corporation scuffle, with Nokia piling on for good measure. Man, it almost seems like crime doesn’t pay
Sep/090
3D Laptops been developed by Dell and HP
After the IFA show in Berlin a few weeks ago, it’s clear that 3D is getting a big push by some powerful players in consumer electronics. Unfortunately, you won’t find many editors around here chompin’ at the bit to replace their new Full HD flat screens for a 3D-capable one… and we’ve seen the demos! Now a Commercial Times report has HP and Dell signed on with Wistron to produce 3D laptops — Lenovo and Sony are still negotiating. Of course, we’ve already seen desktop systems powered by NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D Vision solution. And rumors have swirled in the past regarding a possible HP laptop using 18.4-inch 3D panels developed by Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and a Wistron-developed 3D laptop solution based around NVIDIA’s Vision technology. Thing is, if 3D isn’t that compelling on screens 40-inches and above, how’s it going to woo consumers at this size?