Tony Ibrahim

What we have here is the first tablet to feature an IGZO display; the very display that wowed audiences at IFA 2012.

There’s good reason for its warm reception. The Sharp-developed IGZO display delivers sharper picture than a traditional LCD screen and manages to do so using significantly less power. It is also more receptive to touch, recognising stylus strokes with pixel precision.

A conventional LCD screen besides Sharp’s IGZO display

The secret behind its incredible efficiency concerns the digitized layer that recognises touch gestures. Typically these require a constant stream of power, even when not in use. In comparison, Sharp’s IGZO display stays dormant up until the screen is pressed. According to a TechRadar report, Sharp’s new Aquos Pad will last 2.5 times longer than their previous tablet, despite using a relatively small 3,460 mAh battery.

The IGZO moniker is an acronym of its materials: Indium, Gallium, Zinc and Oxide.

The 1280×800 screen aside, the 7 inch Aquos Pad compares admirably to its rivals. It is equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and has 16GB of internal memory. It also has space for expandable microSD memory, Near Fields Communications technology and a 4G LTE modem.

Unlike Google’s Nexus, Sharp’s Aquos has two cameras: an 8MP snapper on its rear versed in Full HD recording and a front-facing VGA up front.

The only downside is it runs Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) and not the current-day Jelly Bean.

Sharp’s Aquos Pad will be available in Japan first come December. Unfortunately there’s no word on international availability, but SmartHouse has reached out to Sharp’s local representatives for more information. Check back soon for updates.

Update: Following is Sharp’s comment:

“Sharp Australia have advised that at this stage, there has been no word either way on an Australian release of this product.”

Premium AV Company Bang & Olufsen has released a new connected Smart TV distinguished by museum-worthy looks.

The latest addition to their bespoke television range is the BeoVision 11. Immediately the BeoVision 11 deviates from the norm by looking more like a square and less like a rectangle, housing six additional speakers below the 16:9 screen.

This 40″, 46″ and 55″ LED backlit LCD is the first in B&O’s range to have access to the company’s web portal, which hosts popular apps (including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter), local unspecified content and an internet browser. For easy internet browsing B&O has released a free BeoRemote application for Apple’s iPad and Android tablets, allowing owners to take advantage of their native touchscreen technologies and QWERTY keyboards.

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The Company’s CEO, Tue Mantoni, revealed Bang & Olufsen imagined the BeoVision 11 to be a TV that would unify an array of up-to-date digital entertainment.

“We want to provide our customers the same premium experience no matter whether they are watching TV, downloading a film, using the internet or trying out the latest video game. BeoVision 11 has been designed to keep up with everyone in the family – and to keep them amazed, with nothing between them and their content – as technology continues to evolve in new directions.”

Connectivity on the whole is pretty good with the BeoVision 11 as it features DLNA for multi-room audio, WiFi, 6 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports and 5 power link sockets, with 2 channels each for an external home theatre system.

It’s also characterised by a suite of picture enhancing software. Movies typically run at 24 frames per second which isn’t ideal for TV viewing. B&O has tended to this by interpolating where objects should be and blending the original frames for noticeably smoother playback. Additionally, it features an ambient light sensor which measures room lighting and automatically adjusts the TV’s brightness for ideal picture.

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The same level of intuition is displayed when switching between TV channels, internet sites and Blu-ray movies as the BeoVision 11 automatically tweaks its audio and visual settings to deliver the best possible experience.

There’s so much more to Bang & Olufsen’s range than intelligent technologies. The BeoVision 11 is evidence B&O believe technology can be art. Unlike Apple, who engineers products to satisfy the largest possible audience, Bang & Olufsen don’t compromise their vision, tailoring each product to individual preference.

B&O offer the BeoVision 11 with six different front fabric colours, a front frame in silver or black and a rear cabinet in black and white. If that isn’t enough, they also offer the TV in four stand option, including motorised wall brackets and floor stands.

Sennheiser has announced its first ever amplifier designed for dynamic headphones.

The new HDVD 800 is an amplifier designed specifically for headphones that can sample frequencies up to 24bit/192kHz. This allows it to transmit audio from high end sources without any loss of frequency.

Compatible with analogue and digital audio sources, it adopts a fully symmetrical layout for balanced sound transmission.

Although it comes with specially made cabling that enables the symmetrical connection to headphones, the headphones can plug into the amplifier via a normal 6.3mm jack. Digital sources are connected to the rear of the unit as an AES/EBU input, S/PDIF (optical and coaxial) or USB. The USB 2.0 audio standard offers 24 bit data transmission at 192 KHz.

Pricing for the HDVD800 will be revealed closer to its September launch.

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For the second time now Apple has submitted misleading evidence in its law suit against Samsung. In this instance, the manipulated evidence has come to light in its Netherlands proceeding, with Apple doctoring images of Samsung’s phones to better resemble its own iPhone 3G.

 Samsung’s lawyer Bas Berghuis of Simmons and Simmons, claimed Apple has been “manipulating visual evidence, making Samsung’s device appear more similar to Apple’s.”

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A Webwereld investigation found a doctored image of the Galaxy S sitting alongside an Apple iPhone on page 77 of Apple’s legal documents. In the image above, the Galaxy’s size and width has been reduced, so that it appears to be the same dimensions as the iPhone. The image is meant to act as an “example of the similarity relevant to copyrights.”

Although the image shows both of the phones sharing the same profile, the Galaxy S pictured is 6 per cent smaller. In real life, the Galaxy measures 122.4 x 64.2 mm, while the iPhone 3G measures at 115.5 x 62.1 mm.

Also, the Samsung is characterised by a 4 inch screen, while the iPhone has a 3.2 inch screen. Yet, in the image submitted by Apple, the Galaxy S’ touchscreen is the same size as the iPhone’s.

Mark Krul, a lawyer who specialises in IT and intellectual property law was shocked by the findings.

“It surprises me that for the second time incorrect presentations of a Samsung product emerge in photographic evidence filed in litigation,” he said. “This is not appropriate and undermines Apple’s credibility both inside and outside the court room.”

In Dutch Law, litigating parties are required to submit evidence that is “complete and truthful”, with Krul believing it is of particular importance when designs and copyrights are alleged.

Krul doesn’t presume that the images have been altered with malice on the part of Apple’s lawyers, but he does believe “Apple has certainly some explaining to do if only to clear itself from the appearance of improper behaviour.”

This is not the first time such reports has surfaced, with Apple evidence in its Tablet case distorting the Galaxy’s aspect ratio to match that of the iPads. Although an injunction preventing sales of the Galaxy 10.1 in Europe was granted, it has since been overturned.

Read: Apple Caught Faking Evidence Against Samsung

Despite Apple making a lot of noise about its designs being infringed, their claims have to be questioned when it has to tamper its evidence.

Apple is trying to squeeze more value out of its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air by equipping them with better components and dropping the prices.

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Apple’s introductory Macbook Pro with Retina display now comes with 128GB SSD memory and as of today will cost $1,649. The higher end model now features a new 2.6GHz processor and 256GB SSD for $1,849.

The stock 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro will have more powerful 2.4GHz processor, while the top of the line variant will come with a 2.7GHz quad core processor, 16GB of RAM and a $3,199 price tag.

The 13 inch MacBook Air will now come with 256GB SSD memory and will retail for $1,549.

Observes claim the price drops are a response to the Australian government’s IT pricing inquiry, where tech leviathans are charging more for the same products in Australia than they do in other countries such as the US. However, the pricing of Apple’s MacBook’s dropped accordingly in the US too.