The other night we saw a bunch of Samsung’s curved 4K TVs
The future is slowly arriving, with the advent of phones with radically curved screens
In an unusual bout of frankness, a Samsung official has acknowledged that the Galaxy Gear smartwatch lacks, you know, whatever the Korean is for je ne sais quoi. As reported by the Korea Times, the unnamed official said:
“We’ve acknowledged that our Gear lacks something special. With more investment for user interface and user experience, Samsung devices will be better in terms of customer satisfaction.”
We’re not sure if the source of the quote is Samsung’s VP of strategic marketing, Lee Don-joo, but this exec is quoted in the same Korea Times article as saying that the watch is “definitely receiving a warm response” and that improvements would stem from software tweaks and the hiring of new UI experts, rather than from the development of a whole new device. He described the Gear as part of Samsung’s drive to create new categories of “wow product” and, in virtually the same gasp, he also reiterated that Samsung would launch some sort of heavily curved — or perhaps even partially bendable — smartphone in Korea next month.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Samsung
Via: Unwired View
Source: Korea Times
Samsung may well be the first company to actually deliver on the endless promise that flexible displays are on the way, with a limited edition Galaxy Note III with a plastic OLED screen said to be in production.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, LG is planning to launch a flexible OLED smartphone before the end of 2013. More »
LG gets patent for mobile UI that reacts to flexible displays, encourages origami
Posted in: Today's ChiliAs often as companies love to toy with flexible displays, we’re seldom told how we’d control that newfound freedom. Are we supposed to make e-paper cranes? Credit LG for some forward thinking — it’s just receiving a US patent for a 2008-era user interface invention that would use a bending screen to its advantage. The implementation includes two displays, one of which flexes while the other accepts touch; bend or fold the first display, and the touchscreen changes to suit the context. Having two closely linked displays would also let the panels run either in unity or independently. Suffice it to say that the technology is unlikely to roll out as-is on a smartphone, if ever: LG’s attention has swung towards having one big touchscreen as of late. However, the interface does give the Korean firm a place to start if it develops devices to match its new flexible batteries.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile
LG gets patent for mobile UI that reacts to flexible displays, encourages origami originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG Chem develops very flexible cable batteries, may leave mobile devices tied up in knots
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe world is no stranger to flexible batteries, but they’ve almost always had to be made in thin sheets — that doesn’t amount to a long running time if you’re powering anything more than a watch. LG Chem has developed a flexible lithium-ion battery that’s not just better-suited to our bigger gadgets but could out-do previous bendable energy packs. Researchers found that coating copper wires with nickel-tin and coiling them briefly around a rod results in a hollow anode that behaves like a very strong spring; mating that anode with a lithium-ion cell leads to a battery that works even when it’s twisted up in knots. Join multiple packs together, and devices could have lithium-ion batteries that fit many shapes without compromising on their maximum deliverable power. Some hurdles remain to creating a production-grade battery, such as a tendency for the pack to shed a small amount of capacity whenever it’s put under enough stress. LG Chem is fully set on turning these cable batteries into shippable technology, however, and could ultimately produce mobile devices and wearables that really do bend to their owners’ every whim.
Filed under: Wearables, Science
LG Chem develops very flexible cable batteries, may leave mobile devices tied up in knots originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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