On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

MartinLogan enters the headphone market with the Micros 70 and 90-- reference in-ear and on-ear headphones the company claims deliver the same quality audio as their bigger electrostatic brothers.

The Mikros 90 is the flagship model, with leather and polished aluminium construction and replaceable soft ear pads. MartinLogan says the ear pads isolate over 92% of surrounding ambient noise, with 35mm drivers producing a frequency response of 6Hz to 22kHz.

The headphones are 98dB sensitive, with maximum SPL rating of 112dB.

The included inline remote/microphone carries Apple approval, and is also compatible with most other smartphones.

Meanwhile the Micros 70 have solid aluminium construction, with metallic end caps isolating ambient noise. The package includes a selection of eartips (x3 bulb tip sizes and x2 flange tip sizes) and an in-line remote/microphone compatible with devices carrying a standard 3.5mm 4-conductor socket.

Go MartinLogan Reference In-Ear and On-Ear Headphones

If one is to believe "officials" from component suppliers in Asia, Microsoft is testing out a smartphone design-- even if said officials are not sure such designs will even head to mass production.

According to the Wall Street Journal one of the Microsoft smartphones being tested measures between 4- and 5-inches, making it similar in size to either the iPhone 5 (4-inch) or the Samsung Galaxy S III (4.8-inch).

Rumours of a Microsoft smartphone are not exactly new. Last month, the China Times, BGR and The Verge simultaneously reported on Microsoft plans to take on Apple and Samsung (and its own vendor partners!) with a Surface-branded smartphone.

In reaction to the rumours Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells the WSJ "we're quite happy this holiday [season] going to market hard with Nokia, Samsung and HTC... Whether we had a plan to do something different or we didn't have a plan I wouldn't comment in any dimension."

Former CE giants, the big Japanese vendors are further becoming shadows of their former selves-- both Panasonic and Sharp forecast massive losses for 2012 and beyond.

Sharp forecasts full-year losses worth $5.6 billion and warns "material doubts" surround its ability to survive. The company also reports greater-than-expected net Q3 2012 losses of $3.1bn.

The losses also include a $1.1bn charge for company restructuring costs.

Meanwhile Panasonic expects fiscal 2013 losses to total $9.6bn due to write-downs from solar-power, battery and mobile handset businesses. It had earlier hoped for profits-- hopes dashed following Q2 2012 losses worth $8.7bn.

As a result Panasonic already plans to exit the European smartphone market following a short-lived attempt with the Eluga handset back in April. The Eluga was the first Panasonic mobile launch in Europe since 2005.

According to TrendForce WitsView global medium- and large-size LCD TV demand will remain soft in 2012, with shipments reaching 206 million units with "small" 2.7% Y-o-Y growth.

Growth should be more positive in 2013-- the analyst predicts shipments will reach 215m units with 4.4% Y-o-Y growth.

The Korean vendors (Samsung and LG) dominate the 2013 market with 33% share, while Japanese (Sony, Sharp, Toshiba et al) share declines further to 21-22%.

The analyst also predicts LED LCD TV penetration will "surge"-- from around 70.3% in 2012 to 85-90% in 2013, as customers set to replace their 32-inch LCD TVs to larger, cheaper 40-inch models. Vendors are also introducing new size categories, such as 58-inch.

3DTV penetration in 2013 should rach around 25-26%, up from 19.9% in 2012, while direct LED penetration should grow from 10.5% to 18-20% in 2013.

When it comes to Smart TVs, WitsView says the device category remains "limited" in both software content and operator support, meaning sales will remain low-- unless Apple launches the much anticipated iTV/Apple TV. The integration of 4K resolutions and PC-style functionality might also boost Smart TV sales, but only if the industry resolves its technology- and interest-based conflicts.

Go TrendForce: A Surge of Replacement for LCD TV in 2013?