| Foxconn investment in Sharp looking less likely due to LCD manufacturer's shrinking stock value Aug 6th 2012, 21:50  Foxconn's parent, Hon Hai Precision Industry, partnered up with Sharp earlier this year, taking a stake in Sharp's Sakai LCD manufacturing plant and investing another $850 million in the company. Unfortunately, that latter investment deal is in danger of dissolving due to Sharp's financial troubles. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sharp's shares have fallen enough in the months since the aforementioned agreement was consummated in March -- due to flagging sales and excess inventory -- that Sharp's given Hon Hai the option to back out of the deal. However, Hon Hai's still interested in buying ten percent of the Japanese company, and has expressed an interest in renegotiating the terms of the investment. So, it seems we'll have to wait and see if Sharp accepts Hon Hai's continued advances, but you can read more about the company's financial woes right now at the source below. Filed under: Displays Foxconn investment in Sharp looking less likely due to LCD manufacturer's shrinking stock value originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  The Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | Must See HDTV (August 6th - 12th) Aug 6th 2012, 21:33  This week continues to be all about the London 2012 Olympics, with most shows diving out of the way of NBC's ratings juggernaut. We do have a few premiers and several season finales though, so give the schedule a close look to make sure you don't miss a favorite's wrap-up. Also on deck is a healthy slate of preseason football, while we've got most of the national broadcasts listed, you'll want to keep an eye out for your local team. Also worth noting? A slew of flicks hitting Blu-ray this week including personal favorites Clue and Adventures in Babysitting. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Olympics
For a second week in a row, it's all about the Olympics, in one way or another. Either you're watching and keeping up with early starting schedules from London or you're not watching, and your favorite summer shows are on hiatus. No matter which side you're on, things wrap up this weekend with the Closing Ceremony, although not soon enough for NBC to try to slipstream two sitcom premieres off of the Games' popularity with Go On and Animal Practice.
(All Week, NBC & NBCOlympics.com) Shark Week
Discovery's Shark Week kicks off its 25th year Sunday night with two specials,including Air Jaws Apocalypse and Impossible Shot. This time around the big hook is internet integration since it's hosted by "internet celebrity" Philip DeFranco, has tie-ins with Discovery's iPad app for second screen info, and encourages voting on the Facebook / Twitter page to determine what the robotic Sharkzilla will crush next. Whatever, as long as they bring the sharks, we'll always be there.
(August 12th, Discovery, 9PM) Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
Produced by Chris Rock, this comedy series has been pushed as hard by FC as NBC is pushing its new premieres for the week, but with Chris Rock as a producer and the network's track record (Louie, Wilfred -- we'll forget Brand X and the Charlie Sheen show) we actually might check it out. Six episodes long, its run begins this week broadcasting Bell's commentary and sketch comedy -- check out a quick behind the scenes look embedded after the break. Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 6th - 12th) Filed under: Home Entertainment Must See HDTV (August 6th - 12th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Rumored HTC Verizon phablet may land soon, with 1080p screen and 1.5GHz Snapdragon Aug 6th 2012, 21:09  Samsung and LG have already embraced the tiny-tablet form factor. It only makes sense that HTC would want to carve out a niche of this niche for themselves. Rumors of a five-inch HTC device have been circulating for some time, but now a report from DigiTimes is lending some credence to those murmurings, and a mysterious handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer has popped up over at GLBenchmark. According to unnamed sources the company has been working on a flagship level (One XXL?) device with a stunning 1794 x 1080, due to be released in either September or October. If you're taking that claim with a grain of salt, we don't blame you. But, an entry for the HTC 6435LVW that just popped up at GLBenchmark.com seems to fit the billy pretty nicely. It has the same listed resolution, which we assume is actually a 1920 x 1080 panel with room set aside for Android's soft keys. The device info has it running ICS, version 4.0.4 to be specific, on a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 -- which should make it quite the powerful piece of hardware. The software build also singles it out as a Verizon handset, which means it'll be packing an LTE radio as well. Whether the rumored stylus is included, a la the Flyer, remains to be seen, but, we shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out for sure. Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs Rumored HTC Verizon phablet may land soon, with 1080p screen and 1.5GHz Snapdragon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  CNET | GLBenchmark, DigiTimes | Email this | Comments | | 116 years of Olympic medalists compared Aug 6th 2012, 20:46  If you've paid any attention at all to the Olympics over your lifetime one thing may stand out to you -- every four years, records seem to crumble. We're getting faster and stronger, not because of evolution, but thanks to science. High speed video has us refining our form, nutritionists are finding the most efficient diet and coaches are timing training schedules for peak performance. Just how much of an impact has this had on athletic achievement? Well, the New York Times decided to plot every medalist from the last 116 years of Olympic games in the 100-meter sprint, the 100-meter freestyle and the long jump. Though records aren't actually shattered every year, there's a clear trend of improvement (with the exception of the long jump). In fact, this year's last place sprinter in the final round would have edged out 1896's gold medalist by more than half a second -- and he was battling a groin injury. Hit up the source links to see 116 years of medal winners compared, and the more coverage link to see how athletes are squeezing every last bit of performance from their bodies as we approach the limits of human capability. Filed under: Science 116 years of Olympic medalists compared originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | New York Times 1, 2, 3 | Email this | Comments | |
