The Meta Summary

The Meta news has unfolded sort of backwards. We got the excitement first, then an intro, then some comparisons.... So, if you're new to the observation... this might seem like much ado about nothing. If you're a novelist, we started at the climax, and we're headed back to the start of the story.

So, let's back up -- and unfold this the right way around.


There's this company called Meta, that's creating some augmented reality glasses. Oh, check it out. There we are in a poster they have in their office -- apparently showing suppliers. (this only just barely blinked by in a Robert Scoble live video.) So far, not such a big deal. This could be interesting though.   (The Meta Connection)

Then, an alert blog viewer sees this comparison. That's Microvision's NOMAD on the right in the picture below.  ( Alert Reader, Meta and Nomad )

And the Meta Glasses in the Video Below. They look awfully similar, don't they? So, the two bits of information we have here -- they make me pretty confident that we're in the META device. Other things that I've seen about the way each works supports the theory that MicroVision is in there. Even more interesting.

Now, if you watch Robert Scoble's videos, he's usually calm and relaxed. When he sees something he'll say "wow, that's really cool." He's used to seeing really interesting new tech and sharing it with the rest of us. He's gotten a good reputation doing it, and has talked to a lot of movers and shakers in the tech world.

His reaction to what you have seen above is below. (Before he could say anything about it. Why are we excited about Meta? He sums it up.)

Look at it on the home page of the Meta website where they have a countdown clock.... with not much time left on the clock.

Augmented Reality decompression.
Posted by Robert Scoble on Thursday, February 4, 2016

Metavision Website

A collection of reactions to the Meta device Below

iPhone SE

Interesting. They have dropped the number (first with no number) and it's just the iPhone SE. 

I have no idea if it's significant, but it's something to keep an eye on. 

Do you call something "Special Edition" if there's nothing special about it, or if it's less special than your normal edition?

Design Trend

9to5Mac

According to 9To5Mac's sources, Apple decided to remove the "5" from the upcoming smartphone's name, in favor of calling it simply as the iPhone SE.

When it was previously reported that the device was going to be called the iPhone 5se, the "se" stood for special edition meaning that it is the successor to the iPhone 5s.

According to the sources, Apple removed the "5" to further simply its growing lineup of iOS-powered smartphones.

Launching a new device with the "5" may confuse people since it's currently the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s generation.

If this turns out to be true, this will be the first time that an upgraded version of the iPhone won't have a number in its name.

The META Connection

If you were -- as I was -- dubious that MicroVision was involved with META, I think we can erase a lot of your doubts.

Well, someone over on the Yahoo Message board pointed this out. There's MicroVision's name on this poster of people involved with Meta. Whether they're talking about customers or suppliers or both here, I'm not sure. Although I'm nearly certain MicroVision would be a supplier, not a customer.

So, a couple of days ago we saw the great similarity between the Meta headset and the NOMAD.

Now we see this connection.

I'm pretty sure that the only reason we'd be associated with META is because MicroVision is providing the display. I've looked through the old Nomad system and it has a very wide field of view, which was very lacking in other augmented reality systems Scoble had reviewed. I was assured that the new tech for that system that MicroVision has is a lot better.

Combine all of that (what Scoble says is a TRILLION dollar business) with PicoP --  I think we can officially say, we're in fat city.

We're in good company on that poster.

Here's a link to the Meta Facebook Page, and the video referenced above.

https://www.facebook.com/metaglasses/

Huawei opens Research and Development office down the road...

In its entirety so none of it will be lost.

Please check it out at the source.

Thanks Bart

Seattle Times

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies will open a Bellevue office in March that will eventually grow to 100 employees, the company confirmed Wednesday.

The research and development office will be staffed by up to about 100 people “sometime in 2017,” said company spokesman William Plummer.

Huawei’s lease is said to be about 11,000 square feet on the fifth floor of the Plaza Center in downtown Bellevue, according to Grant Yerke, a senior vice president at Broderick Group, a Bellevue real-estate company.

Yerke noted that the space is not large enough for 100 people, but the company may have an option to expand.

Plummer said he couldn’t share further details now about the future office or the company’s current presence in the region. He could not immediately confirm the location of the Bellevue office.

Huawei follows Salesforce into the Bellevue market, where Yerke said a “broad spectrum” of business tenants, not just tech companies, are searching for space.

Plans for the new Huawei office were first reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Huawei, based in Shenzhen, China, has emerged as one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers and is also a force in telecommunications equipment.

The company lists a Bellevue and a Kirkland office on its website, and more than 40 people in the Greater Seattle area have LinkedIn profiles that say they work at Huawei.

LinkedIn job postings show Huawei has 39 open positions in Bellevue.













Rachel Lerman: rlerman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter @rachelerman.

Alert Reader -- Meta2 and Nomad

An alert participant on the Yahoo message board, came up with this question... and this looks like a very compelling comparison. 

Of course, you need to judge for yourself, but we'll make it easier.

"Anyone Notice A Remarkable Similarity Between Meta 2 and MicroVision's Nomad displayed at CES 2016?"

MicroVision's Nomad is the picture on the right, below. Meta2 is the video above. (and you can see it before the video plays.) 

Incidentally, the picture on the left(above) is their "short-throw" mount, that has a curious similarity to the dimensions of the SONY "agent" personal assistant.

RoBoHon -- Now Speaking English

Nice find Joe!

Sharp -- Foxconn 6.2 Billion - Delayed

Wall Street Journal

Bloomberg

Last Minute Delay



"Atsushi Osanai, an associate professor at Waseda Business School, said the Sharp-Foxconn deal plays in favor of Apple, which prefers to buy a component from multiple suppliers for better bargaining power. Apple buys display panels for its iPhones and iPads from LG Display Co., Japan Display Inc. and Sharp. INCJ’s bailout plan had involved merging Sharp’s display business with its rival, Japan Display Inc., according to people familiar with the plan.

“Apple wouldn’t like Sharp and JDI to join forces because keeping as many vendors as possible can give them greater leverage over price and other negotiable conditions,” said Mr. Osanai."

MicroVision is All over the Future of Communications

This is powerful. Watch them in order.

PicoP will be everywhere -- if you have any doubt about SONY's resolve with PicoP, this should remove it.

SONY Future of Communication -- UPDATED

From ArsTechnica

There's also the Xperia projector, a small box with a speaker and camera on top that lets your browse the web or view your schedule via a touch-enabled projection. The best thing Sony had, though, was the Xperia Agent, a cute robot-like device that's essentially the personification of Sony's Assistant. Aside from the blinking eyes and quirky movement of its head—which are, yes, totes adorbs—the Agent is able to project your daily schedule, weather, news, and other information onto a nearby surface using a surprisingly sharp laser projector.

For those interested in more regular mobile products, Sony also introduced the Xperia XA, Xperia X, and Xperia X performance (the latter in Asia only) phones. We'll have more on Sony's new phones up on Ars soon.

Sony's Vision of the Future at Wall Street Journal

ANDROID CENTRAL

Full Video of SONY presentation at MWC

SONY MWC Event -- Live

You can see it at this Link -- And a recording of it will probably be there in the morning. 

0730 GMT

PcAdvisor -- UK

Oukitel U7 Pro at MWC

Hat's off to James for noticing this one.

There's nothing other than noticing that an item noticed before should be revealed this week. This may or may not have a projector or MicroVision. Stay tuned.

ChinaGadgetReview

Oukitel vs iPhone6

Chinese Phone Built in Projector

Leaked Sony Phone called "Xperia PP10"

I have no idea of anything here, except to call a phone a "PP" anything under the circumstances is interesting.


GSMarena

A new, unannounced Sony smartphone - allegedly dubbed Xperia PP10 - has leaked ahead of this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC). The leak comes from the usually reliable tipster @evleaks, who shared the device's image on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/evleaks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sharp - Foxconn Decision in Next Two Weeks

Watching this deal unfold... We probably won't know anything different or new until the deal is done in a couple of weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal

TAIPEI—A decision on a takeover of Sharp. Corp. by Taiwanese iPhone assembler Foxconn Technology Group will be announced in two weeks, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said, saying he had just finished three days of discussions with the Japanese tech company.

Sharp is considering bids from Foxconn and Innovation Network Corp. of Japan. Foxconn last month raised its offer to ¥659 billion ($5.5 billion), according to people familiar with the matter. That compares with an offer from INCJ that these people say is worth no more than ¥300 billion.

Mr. Gou declined to comment on the discussions, saying the companies had agreed to a quiet period until the end of the month. He also declined to comment on reports that some Sharp board members who favor Foxconn’s bid may be excluded from the final vote.

“I can say that 99.9% of reports out there are speculation or rumors purposefully made up that are very different from the real situation, that is all I can say,” Mr. Gou told reporters.

Foxconn deal having an effect in India

Apple and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

What I'm seeing below, I'm still trying to get a handle on -- I don't know anything, but this seems really interesting.

If you can explain more, please use the contact form to point me in the right direction.

I think this could be interesting because a PicoP engine would be a source of electromagnetic interference, and shielding the device from it would be required.

Still thinking about this one. -- Let me know what you think!!

I'm also aware that if they were to employ remote charging, that would probably require EMI shielding as well. (I'm highly dubious that feet-away wireless charging is going to happen, but a pad is certainly possible.)  Master Herald on wireless charging

• APPLE & Electromagnetic Shielding
• BGR -- Apple & Electromagnetic Shielding
• 9to5 Mac Apple & Electromagnetic Shielding

SOURCE

More Details About iPhone 7, iPhone 5se Emerge
by Gadgets 360 Staff , 17 February 2016




A new report claims that Apple for the first time is opting for EMI (electromagnetic interference) shield technology to be used on a variety of its chips on the upcoming iPhone 7. Additionally, a Taiwan-based website reports that Wistron along with Foxconn will be the primary suppliers of Apple's long-rumoured iPhone 5se.

Apple is said to be using EMI (electromagnetic interference) shield technology to major chips including RF (radio frequency), connectivity chips, AP (application processor), and modems which is expected to increase the iPhone's performance while reducing electromagnetic interference experienced by chips.

The report from Korea IT News also adds that Apple was until now applying the EMI technology to its PCB (printing circuit board) and connectors. The reason to opt for EMI (electromagnetic interference) shield technology for major chips in iPhone 7 was to prevent unwanted signals to occur due to electromagnetic interference. It adds that StatsChipPac and Amkor are the two companies responsible to handle EMI Shield technology on chips in the iPhone 7. It also says that the EMI shield process will be carried in South Korea.

In other news, the much-rumoured iPhone 5se will have Foxconn as well as Wistron as suppliers. A Digitimes report says that Apple has been considering separating its order to different ODMs to "avoid risks." Wistron is said to get small portion of the 4-inch iPhone orders from Apple this year.

All these leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt as Apple has not mentioned anything about the upcoming device and the leaks legitimacy remains questionable. A recent report said that Apple will debut its next iPhone and iPad models on March 15.

Meta Unveiled

Q: Is MicroVision in Meta?
A: I don't know.

Meta looks amazing. We'll wait for more details, here's a few links to check out in the meantime.

When I can find good video of the event, I will post it immediately. If it's soon, it will be here, otherwise in a new post.





UploadVR

METAVISION

MetaBlog

Forbes

Freepatents online
(MicroVision Patents containing word "meta")  -- A Google search for "MicroVision + Meta" points here.

Augmented Reality Sandbox

Scraped this one due to the source:

This is interesting. I saw this concept at CES in with Intel. When I showed the PicoPro, they loved the idea, and wanted it for their application -- saying it was exactly what they needed to use this.

Outside of teaching geography, there are good possible gaming and other applications for this concept.

Please go visit the source: Indiana University Southeast -- AR Sandbox

Maker Club plans to build augmented reality sandbox

Tony Pacheco

An augmented reality sandbox is shown at the Maker Club monthly meeting. 3-D topographical maps can be made in the sandbox by using a Kinect sensor and a projector.

Tony Pacheco, Staff Reporter
February 16, 2016
Filed under Campus, News

The Maker Club may soon bring a sandbox that would act as a topographical mapping tool to IU Southeast.

The Maker Club met Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. for its monthly meeting in the IUS Library, room 216, to discuss current and future projects. The members discussed various topics during the meeting, included setting up a date to build an augmented reality sandbox and repainting the arcade cabinet in the Life Sciences building, room 111-A.

Creating an augmented reality sandbox

The augmented reality sandbox concept was developed at the University of California, Davis, according to the university’s augmented reality sandbox webpage.

One major use of the sandbox is that it could be used to create 3-D topographical maps out of sand by using a projector and a Kinect sensor, Lukas DiBeneditto, informatics senior, said.

“By digging your hand in the sand you can change how the projection changes what the depth that is shown on it,” DiBeneditto said. “Essentially it was designed at universities to learn about geological processes.”

DiBeneditto said getting the software to work is the Maker Club’s goal before adding on to it later.

“We would like to get the geology department involved eventually,” DiBeneditto said.

DiBeneditto said the club will meet Saturday, Feb. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the IUS Library, room 216 to work on the sandbox.

Repainting the arcade cabinet

The Maker Club members hope to repaint the arcade cabinet in the Life Sciences building, room 111-A, Matthew Wayne, computer science junior, said.

Wayne said the arcade cabinet was a collaboration between the Association for Computing Machinery, the Computer Security Group and the Maker Club.

“Basically it can run pretty much any game on it,” Wayne said. “It is a fully working arcade cabinet.”

Wayne also said the Maker Club members plan to paint the sides and, if given the opportunity, paint the front as well.

Changing and embracing technology

Originally called Hackerspace, the Maker Club focuses on robotics, electronics and 3-D printing, DiBeneditto said.

Joe Dukes, computer science major, said the name was changed because of the negative connotation of the word hacker.

“Hacking is really just disassembling things and reassembling them in different ways,” Dukes said.

DiBeneditto said the Maker Club is a hands-on club that focuses on the physical aspects of computer and information technology.

“It basically gives experience to the students at IUS to focus on the interests that they have,” DiBeneditto said.

Also, DiBeneditto said that although there were already computer science-focused clubs on campus, he wanted something similar for the informatics department.

“Informatics is a new field and it is being defined as we go,” DiBeneditto said.

DiBeneditto said informatics is an interdisciplinary science that takes a lot of different fields and puts them together by acting as the intermediary between technology, computer science professionals, and the user and seamlessly blends it together.

“I like that aspect,” DiBeneditto said. “Plus it’s fun, you get to build stuff.”

The Maker Club meets the second Saturday of every month at 2 p.m. in the IUS Library, room 216. However, the club members plan to increase the meeting times in order to meet the needs of the club’s projects. Students can join Maker Club by contacting DiBeneditto at lwdibene@ius.edu or by attending a meeting.

Indiana University Southeast -- AR Sandbox

MPCL1 Launched in India

Business Standard

Sony launches portable mobile projector at Rs 26,990

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi  February 16, 2016 Last Updated at 15:07 IST

The MP-CL1 comes with a built-in speaker and can be used to display content from smartphones or tablets

Sony on Tuesday launched its portable mobile projector, the MP-CL1. The handheld projector, which retails at Rs 26,990, uses a laser light source to deliver high definition resolution images (1,920 x 720p) with high contrast (80,000:1) for accurate colour rendition.

The short-throw, pocket-sized mobile projector – touted as a device which provides a new way to read, watch, connect and create – can display a screen size of up to 120 inches at a distance of 3.45 metres. The projector comes with a built-in speaker and can be used to display content from smartphones or tablets.

The MP-CL1 has a number of connection options, including connecting to a source via HDMI and interfacing with a smartphone or tablet device via MHL. Additionally, it sports a built-in screen mirroring function, which allows users to wirelessly mirror content from a smartphone, tablet device or PC via Wi-Fi.

The device’s processing system uses laser beam scanning technology to provide focus-free projection of HD images, even on uneven surfaces, and seamless viewing, claims Sony. Additionally, the device’s auto-focus feature allows the projector to keep constant and uninterrupted focus at various distances without the need for manual adjustments.

Scanning Fiber Projector

There was some discussion about a "scanning fiber" projector on the Yahoo Board. This is a link to a University of Washington paper about the tech.

I saved the link, have a look. Original Source, Wenku

Also important to note here that the technology that Scoble was so excited about was the Meta -- NOT Magic Leap, which is the only company I have heard of that was going to use the "scanning fiber technology."

Apple Reality Augmentation and MicroVision

This was sent to me a couple of days ago when I was unable to respond to it. 

That Apple has been working on Virtual and Augmented reality devices has been all over the tech press. That MicroVision is listed in those patents about those devices you've learned on a couple of message boards and here.

This is another case of having tomorrow's paper a day early.

It is interesting that they mention the IR projector in this case. This was something demonstrated at the suite at CES - MicroVision has a very cool IR projector that does 3D scanning. My knowledge of it is very limited, but I did see it in action scanning various objects -- I do not know if this patent is referring to the MicroVision projector/scanner or not. ( I know very little about it, except that the kind of technology they showed is going to be required to do Augmented reality and place imagery in the right places.)

Clearly, Apple is well aware of MicroVision -- more so than the general public.


Adaptive Projector 

Abstract Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus and methods for interactive reality augmentation, including a 2-dimensional camera and a 3-dimensional camera, associated depth projector and content projector, and a processor linked to the 3-dimensional camera and the 2-dimensional camera. A depth map of the scene is produced using an output of the 3-dimensional camera, and coordinated with a 2-dimensional image captured by the 2-dimensional camera to identify a 3-dimensional object in the scene that meets predetermined criteria for projection of images thereon. The content projector projects a content image onto the 3-dimensional object responsively to instructions of the processor, which can be mediated by automatic recognition of user gestures

---

Inventors:

Maizels; Aviad; (Ramat Hasharon, IL) ; Shpunt; Alexander; (Portola Valley, CA) ; Berliner; Tamir; (Beit Hashmonay, IL)

Applicant:	Name City State Country Type APPLE INC. Cupertino  CA  US
Family ID:	1000001472634
Appl. No.:	14/922222
Filed:	October 26, 2015

[0031] A suitable unit for use in the system 10 that bundles the 3-D camera 12 and the 2-D camera 14 is the PrimeSensor.TM. Reference Design, available from PrimeSense Corporation, 104 Cambay Ct, Cary N.C., 27513, U.S.A. The content projector 16 may be the PicoP.RTM. display engine, available from MicroVision, Inc., 6222 185th Ave NE Redmond Wash., 98052. In some embodiments, the 3-D camera 12 and the 2-D camera 14 may be integral with the content projector 16 as a modification of the PrimeSensor Reference Design. In one embodiment, the 3-D camera 12 is an integrated module that includes an IR projector, which projects a pattern of spots onto the object and captures an image of the projected pattern. Alternatively, the IR projector, may be embodied as a separate module (not shown). The IR projector may be realized according to the teachings of U.S. Provisional Applications 61/372,729 (filed Aug. 11, 2010) and 61/425,788 (filed Dec. 22, 2010), as well as in PCT International Publication WO 2010/020380, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. These provisional and PCT applications also teach how to reuse the scanning hardware to project both the IR required for depth mapping and the visible content. 


[0074] This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except a convenient virtual surface is provided for projection of images and for access by the user. Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which illustrates a screen 136, typically of a mobile information device 138, such as a cellular telephone, e.g., a "smart phone" that is projected onto a virtual surface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Such devices are too small for convenient interaction and media consumption. The screen 136 incorporates a miniature projector 140 and sensing device 142, which have the same functions as the 3-D camera 12 and content projector 16 in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Projectors suitable for this purpose are available, for example, from Microvision. In this embodiment, the projector 140 projects an image onto a virtual projection surface 144, which is enlarged relative to the screen 136. 

Foxconn working to sweeten deal for Sharp - deal helps with iPhone manufacture?

Some may disagree, but I see the Foxconn news as all good. 

It's possible to contort the story into something negative, but very difficult. 

There's more at the source.

Foxconn seeks investment from SoftBank to boost bid

OSAKA -- Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry reportedly has sounded out SoftBank Group about joining its bid to acquire Sharp, aiming to sweeten the deal by bringing in a Japanese partner and a major buyer of the troubled manufacturer's mainstay smartphones.

     Hon Hai, the contract electronics manufacturer also known as Foxconn, plans to hold a controlling interest in Sharp, with SoftBank seen taking a roughly 10-20% stake. Having SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son himself buy into Sharp directly is likely on the table as well. Foxconn hopes that having the telecom company on board would boost Sharp's smartphone sales, contributing to its recovery.

Asia Nikkei


....and from aTechnj

"Financially strapped electronics giant Sharp Electronics Corporation is attempting to finalize a buyout/takeover from Japan’s Foxconn. This deal would potentially help Foxconn with the manufacturing of the Apple iPhone. Since Foxconn is Apples largest assembler of the iPhone and Sharp Electronics manufactures the glass this deal could benefit both parties."

QD Laser Glasses at Wearables

From AvWatchImpress

QDレーザは、RGBのレーザー光をMEMSミラーに照射し、網膜で直接映像を感じられる「レーザアイウエア」を紹介。カメラで捉えた映像をリアルタイムでディスプレイに表示するもので、視覚に問題を抱える人向けの補助端末として提案しているTranslated by Google:QD laser irradiates the RGB laser light to the MEMS mirror, introduce a "laser eyewear" can be felt directly image the retina. The image captured by the camera intended to be displayed on the display in real time, has been proposed as an auxiliary terminal for people who have problems in vision

• I'm nearly certain that this being produced in cooperation with MicroVision. 
• I had a chance to try one of their samples at CES (That looked like the blue one) 
• Tentative schedule was for march
• Not for everyone, but can apparently help the blind see -- (not all of them, but some of them.)
• Connected to Fujitsu?

Past Posts:

Retissa Laser Glasses

Fujitsu Laser Glasses

-- found by an alert poster on investor village.

Turn your home into a theatre during a blizzard

My good friend Joe found this one today at the Huffington Post. 

Of course the guy in the video isn't quite right... not ALL projectors have to be focused.

Huffington Post




"Make something with your hands -- in this case, a movie projector made out of a shoebox, magnifying glass and your smartphone -- and reward yourself by watching a movie afterward. If you're not feeling very motivated, Celluon's PicoPro ($349, Amazon) is a very sharp, easy to use handheld laser projector.

Interesting Language about Sharp - Foxconn deal

This could be meaning what we want it to mean or not. 

I don't know of any way other than PicoP where Sharp is a particular leader in display technology. (If you know some other way, please comment!)

Keep watching!

From ITpro (UK)
Takatochi Itoshima, chief portfolio manager at Commons Asset Management, added: "Foxconn's offer is expensive, which shows how desperately the company wants Sharp's technology."

It is thought that part of the reason Foxconn wants Sharp so badly is because of Apple's increased focus on innovative display technology, as exemplified in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with 3D Touch, Apple Watch with Force Touch, and which is expected to be a major feature of the iPhone 7 as well when it launches in September.

Read more:  http://www.itpro.co.uk/strategy/26000/foxconn-to-acquire-sharp-for-4-billion#ixzz3zgP46yDU

Mist and projections

Sony recently release something with Mist and projections.

The interesting thing about this is that an image can pop out in Space.

With PicoP it can happen quickly and with a very small power requirement.

\


Maybe this is precisely the kind of thing that SONY (and Qualper) were talking about when they talked about getting into signage. This is the kind of thing that could get HUGE demand. 

SONY Holograms on Mist

Sharp & Foxconn

Based on what I'm seeing this morning, this looks like it's going to happen.

I'm not sure what this means for MicroVision, but I can't think of any possible scenarios where it's a negative (except that the company is purchased too soon for too little) -- if Oculus Rift was worth 2 Billion -- we're worth more. Do the math and figure out what that means for the share price.

This is bad news for the people who were short Sharp. I think it will be even worse news for the people who were short MicroVision. 

Sharp has been there for some time, and Foxconn has owned some of it for a while. I ask myself WHY they want to buy the whole company now -- and there's one very significant thing that has changed recently.

Headline for MicroVision shareholders? "New MicroVision Partner: Foxconn"


Sharp Agrees with Foxconn on most points of takeover

Sharp Foxconn deal awaiting final details

"Foxconn is now only awaiting finalised details between the two parties, before buying the troubled Japanese display maker Sharp.

Foxconn’s lead zookeeper CEO Terry Gou said Foxconn has been given preferred negotiating rights, and is aiming to lock up a deal by the end of February.

The two companies are said to have reached a consensus on most matters, with what’s remaining being mostly legal and regulatory issues.

The rest is a process…I don’t see a problem completing this process,” Gou said."

Sharp Rally bad news for Short Hedge Funds

Sharp Corp.’s 42 percent increase since the beginning of the year has left hedge funds that have placed wagers on a decline in the stock of the Japanese consumer electronics maker in the midst of a bailout smarting.

Osaka-based Sharp is the most-shorted stock by the number of shares after Toshiba Corp., according to filings with the Japan Exchange Group. Shares of Sharp gained 28 percent in the last two trading days of last week in Tokyo to 176 yen, reaching the highest level since Aug. 31. That may spell losses for hedge funds including Lansdowne Partners LLP and Egerton Capital (UK) LLP, which have disclosed bearish bets on the stock since November.

Sharp's Stance on MEMS PicoProjectors

An alert person posting on the Yahoo Message board dug this up and it's good. 

This could be a very interesting feature of the possible buyout by Foxconn (or prevent that deal from happening.) 

The PicoP MEMS projector unit is a significant part of Sharp's strategy. This is the second supply chain for PicoP and they are going to aggressively promote it. 

(or FOXCONN will -- and FOXCONN's position in the cellphone manufacturing world is second to none.)

"Aggressive promotions of new businesses, the future key segments; for example, presenting the laser MEMS projector module at Wearable Expo in Tokyo" 

Sharp IR -- See page 14

A result like this was pointed out on this blog the day Sharp's RoBoHon made its debut.  -- An Innovative Smartphone Product

True Cellphone Innovation

IKEA Projected cooktop, table for life.

Just an interesting new use for projection.

IKEA projected cooktop

Induction is having its moment right now and IKEA found a way to evolve the latest craze in cooktops to bring cooking back into the kitchen. The cooktop, which is really more table by appearance and stove by function, has been dubbed the Table for Living, and was recently demoed at EXPO Milano 2015.


via GIPHY

Magic Leap - Augmented Reality

This is a topic that has come up before. It's possible that MagicLeap and MicroVision are connected. Whether they are or not remains to be seen. 

(I have tried the Nomad -- which is more than a decade old, and has a far better field of view than the ODG augmented reality glasses -- which Scoble has called "the best" available now. I'm sure it's been substantially improved.) MicroVision Full-color

Thanks to Roger and others for the multiple heads-up on the Scoble video.

The bottom line is that MicroVision is a leader in AR patents. There is a lot of work going on in the space. If it's a trillion dollar product for Google --- if MicroVision gets even a percentage of that -- we're sitting pretty. (A trillion is a thousand-billion - so even a bit player would be in the hundreds of billions.)

Meta

PatentVue (Augmented Reality and Head Mounted Display Patents)

Magic Leap Lands Astonishing amount of venture capital

Scott Woltman (Hololens & MicroVision)

Augmented Reality decompression.
Posted by Robert Scoble on Thursday, February 4, 2016

From PatentVue (May, 2015) 

Sharp and Foxconn

If you've been here recently, you saw something about having tomorrow's newspaper today.

This story is ALL about having tomorrows news today. If you can piece the dots together and let them draw a picture for you things get really interesting. 

The story we have now, starts with Foxconn making a bid for Sharp. To many this is a shoulder-shrugging event. So what? Struggling Sharp will be purchased by Foxconn - a company that isn't struggling. In the lives of most businesses and people, this will not make any difference at all. Foxconn may assemble some of it's own computer products with the Sharp brand, Foxconn will assemble more components of mobile and other electronic devices -- LCDS, Opto-electronic components, camera modules and lasers

If you've been watching MicroVision and thinking that the company will never reach Apple -- the connection is no longer a great leap, or even a small step. We're a couple of pen-strokes away from having the preferred vendor to Apple offering TWO PicoP engines to other OEMS -- Sharp made that unambiguous by showing two at the recent wearables conference.

Yes, you have a copy of Gray's Sports Almanac Enjoy it. 

Recent articles:
Wall Street Journal Foxconn puts 5.5 Billion takeover of Sharp on Fast Track
Reuters -- Sharp considers Foxconn Preferred bidder

AppleInsider -- UPDATE


"Foxconn CEO Terry Gou flew to Osaka late Thursday, an industry insider said, adding Gou would like to finish the negotiations as soon as possible.

"He wants the deal to get done quickly," the person said. "I don't think the market would like it to have to wait another month."

Foxconn and Sharp do have some history together. (From Wikipedia) 

Japan[edit]

Foxconn and Sharp Corporation jointly run two plants manufacturing large-screen televisions in Sakai, Osaka. In August 2012, it was reported that Sharp, while doing corporate restructuring and downsizing, was considering selling the plants to Foxconn, which was believed to be receptive to the plan.^[41]

In March 2012, Foxconn agreed to acquire a 10 percent stake in the Japanese electronics company Sharp Corporation for US$806 million and to purchase up to 50 percent of the LCD displays produced at Sharp's plant in Sakai, Japan.^[14]

Foxconn is particularly noteworthy recently because of its relationship with Apple, but it has a long list of customers: (again from Wikipedia)

• Acer Inc. (Taiwan)^[51]
• Amazon.com (United States)^[8]
• Apple Inc. (United States)^[52]
• BlackBerry Ltd. (Canada)^[53]
• Cisco (United States)^[54]
• Dell (United States)^[55]
• Google (United States)^[56]
• Hewlett-Packard (United States)^[57]
• Huawei (China)^[58]

• Microsoft (United States)^[59]
• Motorola Mobility (United States)^[55]
• InFocus (United States)
• Nintendo (Japan)^[60]
• Nokia (Finland)^[52][61]
• Sony (Japan)^[62]
• Toshiba (Japan)^[63]
• Xiaomi (China)^[64]
• Vizio (United States)^[65]

So, ask yourself, what has changed recently that would make Foxconn willing to purchase ALL of Sharp?