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

Philips 2011 results show declines for the company-- with a net Y-o-Y losses reaching €1.29 billion in 2011, down from 2010 profits worth €1.45BN.

Q4 2011 also shows Y-o-Y declines reaching €160M, which Philips blames on "higher loss from discontinued operations" and the failure to sell the ailing TV division.

The 3 divisions Philips describes as "growth businesses"-- Personal Care, Health and Wellness, and Domestic Appliance-- show "high" single-digit Y-o-Y growth in Q4 2011. Meanwhile Q4 Consumer Lifestyle sales are up by 1% Y-o-Y.

Philips also sees growth in Lighting, with sales growing by 7% Y-o-Y with sales in Lamps and Automotive, as well as LED-based products.

In reaction to the report the company gives caution warnings for 2012, particularly when it comes to European territories. Philips hopes to reach profit margins of 10% for 2012, in comparison to 7.4% in 2011.

Go Philips Q4 And Annual 2011 Results

Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as senior VP of Retail, where he will be heading global Apple retail operations.

He replaces Ron Johnson (creator of the "Genius Bar") and will be reporting directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Apple's global retail operations currently consist of 361 stores, with plans to open 40 new stores in 2012 (30 of which outside the US).

Before joining Dixons in 2007 Browett held a number of positions at Tesco, including Tesco.com CEO.

Meanwhile Dixons is replacing Browett with current Group Operations Director Sebastian James, who has been working with the retailer since 2008. Dixons UK & Ireland also gets a new CE with Katie Bickerstaffe, who was previously responsible for the launch of the KNOWHOW service scheme.

Go John Browett Joins Apple as Senior VP of Retail

Go Dixons Board Changes

Anticipating future growth in demand for wearable, portable devices for entertainment and enterprise, Epson unveils its first generation of see-through multimedia glasses.

The Moverio BT-100 offers the ability to watch a variety of content through transparent lenses, ensuring users can remain aware of their surroundings, while viewing content in total privacy.

The pocket-sized control unit with its Android 2.2 platform offers web browsing capability allowing users to watch a variety of content from most websites including MPEG 4 videos, files or applications and side by side 3D viewing on the move. As well as powering the BT-100, this smartphone-sized box has dedicated buttons for common functions and a touch-sensitive trackpad for ease of use.

Developed with travel environments in mind, the Moverio BT-100 draws from Epson's expertise in imaging technologies and delivers a perceived image equivalent to that of a 320” display viewed from 20 meters away. The QHD display resolution, which equals to a quarter of Full HD, ensures that the experience is similar to watching a big-screen projection, even in confined environments such as airplanes and trains.

The Moverio BT-100 is very easy to use and comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, control unit, detachable headphones, 4GB SD card, internal1GB memory and a carry case.

"The BT-100 is the first generation of this kind of innovative conceptual product that we are committed to developing further and delivering real customer value."

Go Epson Moverio BT-100

Despite the excitement for OLED TV technology generated by CES 2012, IHS iSuppli predicts such TVs will be seeing "limited" global shipments during the next few years due to high prices.

Why the high prices? Manufacturing challenges and expensive materials, according to the analyst.

iSuppli estimates global 2012 OLED TV shipments will reach just 34000, before growing to 2.1M units in 2015-- or only 1% of the global flat-panel market. Even if AMOLED sets do provide a superior viewing experience to LCDs, prices will remain too high to result in large quantities of consumer sales.

Both LG and Samsung announced a 55" OLED HDTV at CES, both featuring similar specifications. The majority of AMOLED technology applications tend to go into smaller smartphone displays, with sizes smaller than 10". While similar in specifications (and looks), the LG and Samsung OLED TVs use different technologies using various materials and manufacturing processes.

Go AMOLED TV Market Slowed by High Prices, Manufacturing Challenges (IHS iSuppli)