Sony has just confirmed Kazuo Hirai as its new CEO and President, validating rumors that have been swirling for a few weeks now. Outgoing CEO Howard Stringer, meanwhile, has been appointed Chairman of Sony's Board of Directors. The Hirai era officially begins April 1st, while Stringer will assume his new role as Chairman sometime in June.
Remember that brand-spanking new production facility in Sakai City, Osaka that Sharp just christened a few years back? Japan's Nikkei business daily reports that Sharp will be cutting output at that factory by a whopping half for a month or maybe longer -- its second major reduction in a year. The Sakai factory typically makes 1.3 million 40-inch panels per month but was running at 80-90 percent capacity after being idled in April. Sharp continues to be impacted by the same cutthroat competition in the LCD market that has affected Japanese rivals like Hitachi and Sony as the high yen continues to push up pricing for domestically produced goods while dragging down overseas revenues. Sharp, which recently announced its 2012 lineup, is now thinking about reconfiguring the plant to make panels with higher resolutions and other features during the slowdown.
Many Japanese thumbs still love that classic ten-button keypad, so they should feel right at home on the newest model in KDDI's designer INFOBAR range. The 3.2-inch, 854 x 480 touchscreen shows off the same tile-based custom UI as last year's A01, once again running on top of Gingerbread and a single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor. The rear camera captures eight megapixel stills and HD video, while dual-mode GSM / CDMA connectivity makes it worth taking abroad -- if only so foreigners can remark on its checkerboard aesthetics (available in three different color schemes) and 1Seg TV tuner. Just make sure you're still in Japan on February 3rd, or you'll miss the release. Click onwards for a video tour.
