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

Japanese camera maker Olympus reports fiscal 2011 losses total $426 million, citing the Thailand floodings and unfavourable exchange rates.

The company also admits to hiding losses worth $1.7 billion for over 20 years, as it prepares to question the board members following the firing of whistle blowing former CEO Micheal Woodford.

The first gaijin CEO for Olympus, Woodford raised questions about consulting fees worth $687M sent to a company owned by mystery owners in the Cayman island, alongside other accounting irregularities-- opening an investigative can of worms in the process. The scandal became public in October 2011, and the company has since sued 19 executives for the cover-up.

Investigators even mention they are looking into possible ties to organised crime...

Olympus camera sales are still going strong though-- with digital camera sales growing by 7.2% Y-o-Y, even as smartphones eat into the digital camera market.

Go Olympus Fiscal 2011 Briefings

Go Putting the Olympus Scandal into Focus

Oregon Scientific enters the kid-centric tablet market with the MEEP!-- an Android-powered 7" tablet ideal for your customers' offspring.

It carries a Neonode zForce touchscreen inside a tough design, together with a rubber silicon sleeve for extra protection. Internet connection come through wifi, and parents can monitor their children's internet usage via parental controls adjustable through internet enabled devices.

An SD card slot allows the expansion of internal memory. Oregon Scientific says a MEEP! accessory range (including musical instruments) will also be available soon.

Go Oregon Scientific Announces New Tablet for Kids

Go Oregon Scientific

STMicroelectronics announces the STCF04, an integrated mobile camera LED flash module emitting as much as 40 Watts of light-- as much brightness as an outdoor security floodlight.

The module is supercapacitor-powered and packs high-power white LEDs, with 8 user controlled flash levels and 12 brightness levels for flashlight use.

Current smartphones usually carry decent photo taking capabilities, but tend to lack flash technologies-- making them not too ideal for customers wanting to take photos in low lit environments.

OEMs will be able to order the module by Q1 2012 once STMicroelectronics starts production.

Go STMicroelectronics Breaks Through LED Camera Flash Limitations

A recent patent application shows some ideas from Apple on immersive glasses-free 3D displays-- with the sketches of a system gauging depth to display 3D images by tracking user eye movements.

Titled "Three Dimensional User Interface Effects on a Display by Using Properties of Motion,” the patent suggests the use of device compass, GPS, accelerometer and gyrometer to calculate the viewer's frame of reference. All these sensors add to a front-facing camera handling eye tracking duties.

The theoretical system even factors ambient lighting in the whole 3D view equation, and can also find implementation in desktop displays.

Currently Apple sells no devices with 3D displays. The only current mobile device carrying a 3D display worthy of note is the HTC Evo 3D, which uses parallax barrier for glasses-free 3D.

Go Three Dimensional User Interface Effects on a Display by Using Properties of Motion