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.

Sharp to cut LCD production in Osaka plant by half originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading KDDI's INFOBAR C01 coming soon: ten keys and very Japanese (video)

KDDI's INFOBAR C01 coming soon: ten keys and very Japanese (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's earnings season, which adds a businessy angle to this week's Engadget HD podcast but that's not dimming our spirits when we've got new Harmony remotes from Logitech on the (distant) horizon. Verizon, Netflix and Apple also have numbers to talk about, but if spreadsheets aren't your thing we've also got our impressions of the Boxee Box Live TV dongle and advice ahead of Super Bowl XLVI this weekend.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

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00:02:10 - Logitech's Q3 2012 report confirms Revue is sold out, Harmony remote refresh 'in the coming months'
00:05:43 - Verizon releases Q4 results, sees jump in revenue, broadband subscribers, net loss

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Engadget HD Podcast 284 - 01.31.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes, if my mom isn't around, my dad will let me have a half of beer with my dinner. It tastes really yucky, but he says it will put hair on my chest, so I'm always diligent in drinking every last drop. Sometimes it makes me feel happy, but then I get really angry and shout at my action figures and fall asleep. And then my head hurts. I don't know why anyone drinks this stuff.

But in any case, you can make your own beer with the Mr. Beer Home Brewing Kit, which at $20, is a whole 50% off. You'll probably end up with a lot of hair on your chest. -AC More »

After the FBI shut down Megaupload, millions of people were locked out of files they had uploaded to the service. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is calling bullshit on this, and along with Carpathia, MegaUpload's hosting service, they've started MegaRetrieval.com, a new site meant to call attention and serve those affected. More »

Apple reported a monster first quarter last Tuesday that sent the company’s stock skyrocketing over the past week. Apple’s holiday quarter was the most profitable quarter ever reported by a technology company, and the second most profitable quarter reported by any U.S. firm. With a market capitalization that now sits in excess of $420 billion, Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world, and with more than $97.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents at the end of calendar 2011, Apple has amassed an unbelievable war chest that is unrivaled among its competitors. Business blog MBA Online recently put together an infographic to help us visualize just how big Apple has grown since it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy in the late 90s. Among the graphic’s bullet points are the facts that Apple’s year-end cash pile is enough to buy an iPad for each and every person living in Canada and Greece combined, and it’s also enough to pay off the entire public debt of eight countries within the European Union. The site’s full infographic follows below.

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Google on Monday announced that the company would combine individual privacy policies from a variety of its products into one main policy. Critics of the change were worried that Google was now collecting more data than before, and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee demanded answers. The Mountain View-based company has now responded to Congress and defended its decision to change the policy. Read on for more.

In a 13-page letter to several members of Congress, Google answered the lawmakers’ questions and addressed concerns. ”Last week we heard from members of Congress about Google’s plans to update our privacy policies by consolidating them into a single document on March 1,” Google’s director of public policy Pablo Chavez wrote on the company’s blog. “Protecting people’s privacy is something we think about all day across the company, and we welcome discussions about our approach. We hope this letter, in which we respond to the members’ questions, clears up the confusion about these changes.”

Google maintains that while the policy will be changed, users will continue to have custom controls over what Google can and can’t do. According to the company, Google collects three types of data from users: log data, account data, and service data. Log data is anonymous and consists of a computer’s interaction with Google’s services. Account data is all the user information stored for each individual, and service data is information that relates to a particular product, such as Google Maps, however it is “not necessarily associated with any users.”

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Dutch researchers are looking to catapult crime scene investigation into the 21st century through the use of augmented reality (AR). The prototype system, designed by the Delft University of Technology, employs a pair of AR goggles, two head-mounted cameras and a portable laptop rig to allow investigators to build virtual crime scenes by tagging evidence and placing objects they are viewing. After mapping an area, additional law enforcement personnel can review the investigator's work and request additional information -- asking the CSI to define or place additional objects. Researchers hope that the 3D renders will be used as court-admissible evidence in the near future; the technology is set to be tried on a real Dutch crime scene later this year. We can see it now: Lieutenant Horatio Caine whips off his shades and tosses on a pair of (equally stylish) crime-fighting goggles... YEAAAAAAAAH!

AR goggles take crime scene technology to CSI: Miami level originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FurniGadget: N+ew freezes your e-waste into a stool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cycling in cities is a great idea: it's quick, cheap, and you even get some exercise. But the number of people that don't wear a helmet is frankly terrifying. Maybe this folding helmet will help change that. More »

Say hello to The Bold Team. Sadly, this animated foursome is RIM's attempt to capture the youth market. They urge the younger generation to "Be Bold". Something tells me it won't work. More »

Global smartphone vendors including Samsung, HTC, Nokia and LG are expected to launch new smartphone models in the second quarter to avoid competing directly with the iPhone 4S, according to Digitimes. “Mainly due to hot sales of the iPhone 4S, Apple recorded the largest global smartphone market share of 23.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011, followed by Samsung with 23.5% and Nokia with 12.6%,” the publication’s supply-chain sources said citing data from Strategy Analytics. “Based on previous experience, sales of iPhone 4S will remain at peak in the first quarter of 2012 and then begin to decline.” Samsung, HTC, Nokia and LG are all expected to unveil new smartphone models this year’s Mobile World Congress on February 27th, but devices supposedly won’t begin rolling out until the second quarter.

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Apple has hired Dixons Retail chief executive officer John Browett to run its retail business as senior VP of retail. Browett will assume his new position in April and will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and on expanding Apple’s presence around the globe. “Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,â€� said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.â€� Browett has been the CEO of Dixons Retail since 2007 and has also served as the CEO of Tesco. He earned a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School. Apple’s full press release follows after the break.

John Browett Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail

CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2012—Apple® today announced that John Browett will join the company as senior vice president of Retail, reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Browett comes to Apple from European technology retailer Dixons Retail, where he has been CEO since 2007. Beginning in April, he will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and the continued expansion of Apple retail stores around the world.

“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,� said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.�

Prior to joining Dixons Retail, Browett held a series of executive positions at Tesco plc including CEO of Tesco.com. Earlier in his career he advised retail and consumer goods clients at Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Wharton Business School.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Continue reading McAfee updates Mobile Security to 2.0, keeps you protected on the go (video)

McAfee updates Mobile Security to 2.0, keeps you protected on the go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's a common human trait that, when faced with a series of calamities, the brain will retreat into a fantasy world in which everything is the exact opposite of reality. Could this be the inspiration for RIM's four new cartoon characters, which the company hopes will spread its "Be Bold" marketing message? The pattern certainly seems to fit. From left to right: there's GoGo Girl, who "saves the day with a brilliant strategy" (translation: we don't have a strategy). Then comes Justin Steele, who's "always ready to stick up for his friends" (translation: we don't have friends). Trudy Foreal "isn't afraid to call it as she sees it" (translation: our shareholders are complaining). Finally, the adventurous Max Stone is "able to jump out of a plane" (translation: we're going to crash).

RIM: It's okay, we have superheroes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The newest version of Firefox is now available for the PC and Mac. Its newest features include a Forward button that remains hidden until you actually need it, support for full-screen APIs, and better extensions management. [Mozilla via the Verge] More »

Rejoice! Lego has sent us all the official images of all the Lego Lord of the Rings minifigs. That includes the first look of the awesome Gollum, the Ringwraiths, the Uruk-hais, Moria Orcs and the Mordor Orcs. More »