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

Apple already sells music via iTunes, but does it also want to take on steaming media? The Wall Street Journal reports the company plans to create a Spotify/Pandora-style music service.

The WSJ says Apple is already in licensing talks with record labels for the service, one allowing users to create online radio stations based on their choice of artist or song. It should be available as either iOS app or within internet browsers.

According to Nielsen, more adults in the US listen to music on Pandora rather than using iTunes. Pandora has 54.9 million active users, while European rival Spotify has 16m.

In comparison iTunes user (or accounts) total 400m.

Do not expect an official launch from Apple any time soon though-- the negotiation process should take at least several months.

Go Apple Seeks to Create Pandora Rival (WSJ.com, registration required)

For the first time in Europe, Sharp showed prototypes of its newly developed oxide semiconductor technology, known as IGZO. At IFA Berlin, Sharp showed how IGZO technology will enable even higher resolutions, lower power consumption, and higher performance touch screens, as well as narrower bezel widths for LCD display panels used in mobile devices such as smartphones.

This jointly developed new IGZO technology is an oxide semiconductor with a cocktail of indium (In), gallium (Ga) and zinc (Zn). Each pixel in an LCD screen is controlled by its own transistor and IGZO creates several favorable characteristics over the amorphous silicon used in today's LCD panels.

One prototype 6.1” screen on show at IFA squeezed in 2560 pixels by 1600 pixels, or 498 pixels per inch. Or 50% increase on the 326ppi screen used in Apple's iPhone 4S and roughly double that of the new iPad. The difference is clearly visible so it’s time to buy Sharp stock again.

Watch Sharp’s IGZO at IFA

Nokia reveals its latest stab at a return to mobile glory-- the Lumia 920, an upgrade on the Windows Phone-powered flagship smartphone, with a slightly larger display and improved specs.

Revealed at Nokia World 2012, the Lumia 920 fits earlier reports by being the first Nokia handset to carry Windows Phone 8, as well as a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.5-inch 768 x 1280 "PureMotion HD" curved glass display and 2000mAh battery.

Like the earlier Lumia models, the Lumia 920 comes in a sleek one-piece polycarbonate body in a variety of "vibrant colours." Meaning yellow, red, white, grey and black.

Nokia claims the LCD display is not only the "fastest ever shipped on a smartphone" but also "the brightest" yet, with colour tone and brightness automatically reacting to sunlight.

'Tis truly the season for device launches-- at a New York press event Motorola Mobility reveals 3 Droid smartphones, the Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD and the Razr M.

Company CEO Dennis Woodside describes the lineup as the first handsets from "a new Motorola" fully committed to the way of Android. As it has to be, seeing Google owns the company. Thus the new Razrs ship with Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean) and built-in Chrome browser.

Internals for the 3 handsets are identical, with differences being mostly display-deep-- 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear-facing camera (shoots up to 1080p video), Gorilla Glass display, DuPont Kevlar body, built-in NFC connectivity and microSD slot.