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Monthly Large Format Commercial Displays Sell Through Report - Tables

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Rumors: Samsung giving up on direct-emission, to develop RGBW OLED TVs?

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:55:51 +0000

There's an interesting article in HDTV Magazine about Samsung's and LG's OLED TV program. The author says that an LG Executive old him that Samsung has given up on direct-emission OLED technology and will instead opt for LG's WOLED (RGBW) in their upcoming OLED TVs. According to the article, this is because of issues with manufacturing and scalability.

I personally find that hard to believe, but of course, like the article's author says, "anything can happen". Months ago, when we learned that LG will use a WOLED design in their TVs, it was assumed that we'll see some ugly marketing battles between those two different OLED architecture. So perhaps this is all there is to this rumor. Hopefully we'll hear something from SMD soon.

LG's OLED-TV has Smart TV & Cinema 3D, is 4 mm thick

rasmus@flatpanels.dk (Rasmus Larsen) — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:49:01 +0000

LG has unveiled the 55" product that will ship later this year. It will be called 55EM9600 and is just 4 mm thick. To cost around 8000 Euro...

PTC conservative about 2012 revenue growth

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:04:33 +0000

Lighting solution driver IC specialist Princeton Technology (PTC) holds a conservative view on revenue growth in 2012 due to limited expansion of the automobile market and lack of significant growth in the consumer electronics market.

Taiwan market: Sony to launch mirrorless single-lens digital camera and 6 Cyber-shot models

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:03:13 +0000

Sony on May 23 unveiled the NEX-F3, an entry-level mirrorless single-lens digital camera, as well as six Cyber-shot series digital cameras for launch in the Taiwan market in early June, according to Sony Taiwan.

LG's Global OLED Technology hires new management to fully monetize its OLED patents

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:49:13 +0000

Global OLED Technology (GOT) announced today that it hired a new management team to "lead its efforts to fully monetize its OLED patent portfolio". GOT's new president and CEO is Daniel S. Carlineo, Esq.

The new team can "comprehensively cover the full scope of a patent monetization program – from inventing, prosecution, and acquiring new IP assets to licensing and litigation" according to Mr. Carlineo, the new CEO.

UK carriers see very high Galaxy S3 pre-orders

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:38:21 +0000

We already heard reports that Samsung got nine million pre-orders for the upcoming Galaxy S3 already, but today we got some confirmation from UK carriers. Carphone Warehouse says that the S3 is the "quickest-moving pre-order of the year so far" and Vodafone UK say it's the most pre-ordered Android device to date. The S3 is also available unlocked in the UK, for £499.95, or $808 (that's a sim-free, 16GB model). According to Amazon it will ship on May 30.

It seems that the S3 is set to surpass the company previous best-seller, the Galaxy S2 which in February 2012 passed the 20 million units mark.

UMC holds groundbreaking ceremony for new facilities at 12-inch fab

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:26:40 +0000

United Microelectronics (UMC) on May 24 held a groundbreaking ceremony for the fifth and sixth phase (P5 and P6) construction of its 12-inch plant located in southern Taiwan. Equipment move-in for the new facilities is scheduled for the second half of 2013, according to the foundry.

Irony abounds in 1Q12 DRAM market as Elpida dethrones Micron from third rank, says IHS

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:22:32 +0000

In one of the more ironic developments ever to transpire in the DRAM market, now bankrupt Elpida Memory in the first quarter managed to outperform the overall industry and its close competitors, allowing it to rise one position to take the third rank among global suppliers. But if that were not incongruous enough, the company that Elpida displaced from the third rank was Micron Technology – the supplier most likely to acquire Elpida. IHS iSuppli has commented.

LG launches their 55" OLED TV, price will be about $10,000 in Europe, shipments due "well in time for X-mas"

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:22:19 +0000

As we reported a couple of days ago, yesterday in Monte Carlo LG officially launched their OLED TV, the 55EM9600. The TV is pretty similar to the set unveiled at CES, although it's a bit thinner (4 mm) but heavier (10Kg). LG says that UK pre-orders will begin in July while shipments will begin "well in time for Christmas". The price isn't set yet, but it will be about €8,000 in Europe (which is about $10,000). LG is apparently quite proud of this TV, calling it the Ultimate display and saying that it represents the greatest leap forward in display technology ever:

LG's TV uses a WOLED (RGBW) design on an Oxide-TFT backplane. LG Display can currently make around 48,000 monthly 55" panels in their pilot 8.5-Gen production line.

Coretonic shifts focus to small- to mid-size BLUs

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:17:32 +0000

Coretronic may see operations improve as it starts to focus more on small- to medium-size backlight units (BLU) instead of large-size monitor applications.

Asustek denies lowering notebook shipment targets for 2Q12

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:05:44 +0000

Asustek Computer has denied that it plans to lower its notebook shipments target for the second quarter of 2012 after it share prices were dragged down 5.34% on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) on May 23 amid weak sentiment triggered by the weaker-than-expected first-quarter results released by Dell overnight.

Oslux unveils LED for camera flash

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:56:33 +0000

Opto Semiconductors has added a new LED to its Oslux family that is specifically designed for camera flash in smartphones, providing white light that illuminates a specified target area. Due to its specially shaped lens that allows it to be discreetly fitted into the device, design compromises for flash applications are eliminated and there is a nice balance of design and function, the company said.

Computex 2012: ViewSonic to unveil 21.5-inch touch screen monitor

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:49:20 +0000

ViewSonic plans to unveil a 21.5-inch LED-backlight monitor with optical touch screen during Computex Taipei 2012 with volume shipments slated for September targeting the business sector.

Uncertainty causes solar firms to expand with caution

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:46:10 +0000

Europe and India are likely to conduct similar investigations as those carried out by the US against China-based solar firms, according to industry sources. Solar firms have been careful about choosing expansion locations to avoid getting taxed.

Taiwan market: LG aims to take up 8% in local smartphone segment

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:42:46 +0000

LG Electronics aims to double its share in Taiwan's smartphone market to 8% in 2012, according to Kim Byung Hyung, chairman of LG Taiwan. Having launched a 4.3-inch sub-NT$10,000 (US$338) Android model in the local market recently, the company plans to introduce a quad-core flagship model in July.

Touch controller maker EETI conservative about 2Q12 outlook

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:23:28 +0000

Touch panel controller IC vendor Egalax_Empia Technology (EETI) is conservative about the outlook for the second quarter of 2012 due to a low order visibility, according to the company.

NAND flash prices hope for rebound in 3Q12

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:21:30 +0000

While contract prices for NAND flash have continually dropped due to oversupply arising from weak demand, prices may rebound in the third quarter of 2012 if traditional peak demand emerges and therefore retail channels will replenish low inventory levels, according to industry sources.

China market: April mobile phone users reach 1.03 billion

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:25:43 +0000

There were 1,030.05 million subscribers of mobile communication services in China as of the end of April 2012, growing by 1.10% on month and by 14.40% on year, and 158.97 million (15.43%) of them were 3G users, according to statistics published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Lenovo FY2011 net profit hikes 73.1%

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:20:08 +0000

China-based PC vendor Lenovo recorded net profit of US$473 million for fiscal year 2011 (April 2011-March 2012), increasing on year by 73.1%, according to the company's financial report.

LCD driver IC design houses shifting more capacity to high-resolution parts for smartphone segment

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:04:46 +0000

LCD driver makers including Novatek Microelectronics, Himax Technologies, ILi Technology (Ilitek), Orise Technology and Sitronix Technology have seen shipments of their high resolution LCD driver ICs for smartphone applications begin to pick up in May, after a poor performance in terms of revenues in April, according to industry sources.

Taiwan market: Four operators to begin selling HTC WiMAX smartphones

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:02:45 +0000

Taiwan-based WiMAX operators Vee TIME, Global Mobile, Vmax Telecom and Tatung InfoComm will begin contract-bundled sale of the WiMAX/WCDMA dual-mode HTC EVO Design smartphone in the Taiwan market in June 2012, according to Vee.

Suntech gross profit impacted by US anti-dumping duties

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:57:13 +0000

Suntech Power, a China-based producer of solar panels, announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

Trina Solar announces 1Q12 results

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:53:54 +0000

Trina Solar, a China-based manufacturer of solar products, announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2012.

Hillcrest selected by TCL to bring motion, gesture and cursor control to Android-powered smart TVs

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:51:38 +0000

Hillcrest Labs has announced that TCL Multimedia, one of China's leading TV and consumer electronics brands, is using Hillcrest's patented Freespace motion software for TCL's Android-based smart TVs, including its flagship V7500 Android 4.03 smart TV, and motion sensing remotes.

TV Brands in India Struggle With Slow Growth and a Weak Rupee – Is Direct LED the Solution?

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:21:35 +0000

Two difficult trends have converged on the India LCD TV market. First, growth has slowed from 100% Y/Y in Q1’11 to 10% Y/Y in Q1’12, according to our research. More recently, the decline of the Indian Rupee to 56/$ (a 12% decline since the beginning of April), has caused input costs for LCD TV brands in India to increase.

LCD TV brands are struggling with the growing costs, which if passed onto the customers may further dampen the growth rate of LCD TV. At the same time, the TV brands have a pressing need to increase sales in the Indian hinterland, which requires a strong value proposition. With the combination of low-cost direct LED backlights and efficiencies in the LCD TV supply chain through the shift to “cells” there are now options for achieving just that.

Indian TV brands have indicated receiving offers at the recent Canton fair for 32” direct LED backlit LCD TVs for under $200 in volume. This would give brands room to price attractively even with the weaker Rupee. These low-cost direct LED sets can be marketed as “LED” with the implication of improved technology. This should attract customers particularly in rural areas and small towns who have not been exposed to much marketing for LED LCD TVs. The down side is that direct LED TV’s are thick and do not fit the conception of LED as a slim form factor set.

With Chinese OEMs showcasing their direct LED lineups for the Indian market at the Canton fair in April, it is possible that products will be in the market by July.

Solar wafer maker GET reports full capacity

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Lin Her-lon, chairman of Taiwan-based solar wafer maker Green Energy Technology (GET), has said that orders have been strong and capacity is fully booked. Lin added that the firm has been planning to rent solar wafer manufacturing facilities in China to lower total production costs.

TXC to increase TCXO capacity by 200%

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Demand for TCXOs has been rising due to increasing sales of smartphones, tablet PCs and 4G LTE wireless telecommunication systems. To accommodate demand, Taiwan-based quartz crystal device maker TXC plans to increase 2012 total capacity by 200% from 50 million units to 150 million units.

MILC to enjoy growth in both worldwide and Taiwan sales

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Global mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC) are expected to enjoy shipment growth as high as 20% in 2012, while the Taiwan market is expected to achieve a growth of 30% with volumes to reach close to 190,000 units as digital still camera (DSC) vendors such as Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Nikon have all been aggressively launching related products, while support from consumers is also rising, according to sources from DSC players.

Taiwan market: HTC recaptures top handset vendor ranking in April

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:25:00 +0000

HTC recaptured the top vendor ranking in the Taiwan handset market in terms of sales value in April with a 36% share, followed by Samsung Electronics with 25% and Apple with 18%, according to data compiled by retail channels.

Sony to ship in-cell touch panels for next-generation iPhone, say sources

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Sony is likely to become one of the in-cell touch panel suppliers for Apple's next-generation iPhone, which is expected to be launched in September or October, according to industry sources.

Asustek to launch three new ZenBook models in June

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Asustek Computer will launch three models of its ZenBook Prime lineup, the UX21A, UX31A and UX32VD, in June, featuring full HD IPS panels from Chimei Innolux (CMI). Asustek aims to ship 100,000 units initially, according to industry sources.

PC shipments may only see slight sequential growth in 2Q12

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:10:00 +0000

As Dell reported weaker-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter 2012 (February-April), some PC brand vendors pointed out that their orders from Europe's retail channel have suddenly turned weak and as a result, their shipments in the second quarter may not grow as strongly as expected.

Recycling PCs and Other Gadgets: Go Green in More Ways Than One

info@technologyguide.com — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:09:21 +0000

Want to get rid of an old PC, phone, or some other gadget? Here are places you can go to dispose of stuff in a "green" way. You might pick up a wad of cash, too.

How To Improve Laptop Battery Life

info@technologyguide.com — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:08:52 +0000

Battery life is still one of the single most important issues that people consider when purchasing a new notebook. But what can you do to extend the battery life on the laptop you own now? Cycle through our top tips for improving notebook battery life and save that laptop from the landfill for another year.

TXC optimistic about 2Q12 revenues

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:05:00 +0000

Quartz crystal device maker TXC believes second-quarter 2012 revenues to be better than the first quarter's. According to Peter Lin, president of TXC, the rising popularity of smartphones, tablet PCs and 4G networking will provide the firm more opportunities to grow. The market estimates TXC's second-quarter 2012 revenues will show a sequential increase of 10%.

Google 7-inch tablet PC to ship in June with initial volume of 600,000 units

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Google's 7-inch tablet PC, which the company co-developed with Asustek computer, is set to start shipping in June with initial shipments to reach about 600,000 units. The machine will be officially released in the market in July, according to sources from the upstream supply chain. However, Asustek has declined to comment.

Quarterly Large Area TFT LCD Shipment Report