Nanosys unveils Quantum Dot Enhancement Film for LCDs, promises all kinds of colors

Another day, another step closer to quantum dot reality. Today, Nanosys unveiled its new Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF), marking the first time that the nanotechnology is available for LCD manufacturers. According to the company, its optical film can deliver up to 60 percent of all colors visible to the human eye, compared with the 20 to 25 percent that most displays offer. To create QDEF, Nanosys’ engineers suspended a blend of quantum dots within optical film and applied it to a blue LED, which helped get the nanocrystals excited. Once they started hopping around, the dots emitted high-quality white light and a rich, wide color gamut, without consuming as much power as white LED-based materials. No word yet on when we can expect to see QDEF in consumer displays, but Nanosys claims that the film is “process-ready” and easy for manufacturers to integrate. For now, you can amuse yourselves by comparing the two frogs pictured above and guessing which one is covered in quantum dots. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nanosys unveils Quantum Dot Enhancement Film for LCDs, promises all kinds of colors

Nanosys unveils Quantum Dot Enhancement Film for LCDs, promises all kinds of colors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

AT&T bringing red HTC Inspire 4G to Radio Shack, purple Evo Shift to follow?

Why, yes, that is a red HTC Inspire 4G you’re looking at. A friendly tipster provided us with these dummy unit images, adding that AT&T is planning to launch the jazzy model at Radio Shack. No word yet on when that’ll actually happen, nor do we know how much they’ll cost when it does. Our same source claims that a purple Evo Shift is also making its way to the Shack, so you know where to go to get your flashy phone fix this summer.

[Thanks, Dave]

AT&T bringing red HTC Inspire 4G to Radio Shack, purple Evo Shift to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video)

Yesterday, we found out that E Ink Holdings won’t be releasing a new electronic paper display until 2012 and now, we know why. Turns out, the Pearl manufacturer has been busy refining its screen tech acumen, and extending it to a variety of different surfaces. The Digital Reader recently caught up with Sriram Peruvemba, E Ink’s VP of global sales and marketing, who confirmed that his company has developed a SIRF display that can be printed on cloth, effectively turning any t-shirt into a flashing, black-and-white billboard. E Ink’s engineers have taken a similar approach to Tyvek cloth, creating a display that could make your vanilla postal envelopes a little more dynamic. And, as you might expect, the company has been experimenting with an e-ink screen capable of supporting colorful, full-motion video — though it looks like E Ink still needs to smooth out some of the grainy kinks in that one. All three demo videos are available for your viewing pleasure, after the break.

[Thanks, Nate]

Continue reading E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video)

E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Digital Reader  | Email this | Comments

ColorWare takes the green from your wallet and puts it on your iPad 2 (video)


Yup, it’s here — the moment all (eight) of you have been waiting for. The Apple iPad 2 finally hit the ColorWare config tool, so you can play around with that palette and make something just as hideous as we have here. And, if you feel so inclined, you can even add the thing to your cart, hand over $910 (for the base 16GB WiFi config) and wait “about 4 weeks” for your creation to arrive in the mail. While you’re at it, pick up a pair of limited edition chrome Beats. We’re shocked to see that they’re still in stock, given that modest $1,000 price tag.

Continue reading ColorWare takes the green from your wallet and puts it on your iPad 2 (video)

ColorWare takes the green from your wallet and puts it on your iPad 2 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear  |  sourceColorWare  | Email this | Comments

Nokia announces pink N8 with Symbian Anna, neglects to give us a release date

It must be hard for Nokia to keep consumer interest in Symbian going while simultaneously developing a whole new ecosystem, so we’ll forgive the unimaginative move to just do a pink version of the N8. That handset already benefited from the widest set of color options among any smartphone flagships, and will soon be adding a very T-Mobile-friendly shade of light red to its anodized aluminum case. Judging by those curvy icons on its 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, the pink N8 will also feature the latest version of Symbian, dubbed Anna, though Nokia unfortunately fails to tell us when we may expect this mildly refreshed phone to arrive. Then again, we suspect it’ll be pretty hard to miss whenever it does show up.

Nokia announces pink N8 with Symbian Anna, neglects to give us a release date originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 06:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNokia Conversations  | Email this | Comments

Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000

Nikon has stirred up the camera crowds once again with its newly released D5100, filling the industry with the buzz of a new high-resolution articulating screen. In terms of consumer DSLR options, the D5100 has taken on the role of the mid-range model in Nikon’s product line between the D3100 and the D7000 and we think it assumes the part rather nicely. In terms of price, the D5100 fits right in as well, fetching an MSRP of $900 (vs. $700 and $1600, respectively for the two aforementioned camera kits). Of course, the D7000 lands you the better 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR lens, a larger and brighter viewfinder, built-in focus motor, weather-proof sealing, and a few other internal upgrades. But don’t judge too quickly, because we’ve had some time to play with Nikon’s latest creation and the D5100 can certainly shoot along with the big boys of consumer cameras — read on past the break for our impressions and comparisons with the D7000.

Continue reading Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000

Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch

Look, we all kinda, sorta know that Apple will finally admit it’s springtime tomorrow and let the white iPhone 4 fly the nest. But in order to sell white iPhone 4s, you’ve got to ship them first, and one small Belgian retailer has just received its first batch of the mythical pale device and lined them up for some loving photography. Not only that, but they’re even offering to sell you either the 16GB or 32GB over on their site (which, mind you, we can’t vouch for!), though they can only ship within the Benelux region. One more pic after the break.

Continue reading Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch

Apple gets its white iPhone 4 ducks in a row ahead of launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVan Roey (16GB), (32GB)  | Email this | Comments

B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video)

We’ve been waiting for this day: our little reader would finally become a big boy tablet — without having to resort to any sort of hackery. We knew it was coming and, as of now, owners of the Barnes & Noble Nook Color should be receiving notices that their devices are ready to drop those training wheels and run some proper apps. Flash web browsing, downloads, games, e-mail, it’s all here. Click on through for our impressions and a video of the update in action.

Continue reading B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video)

B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBarnes & Noble update  | Email this | Comments

White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK (update: gone!)

Looks like somebody pulled the trigger on an order page for the mythical white iPhone 4 a little early over at Three UK. The phone that had previously been listed on the carrier’s site for a long, long time (sans any ability to actually order it) has now sprouted up a page all its own with the magical option to “buy now.” We managed to get all the way through to an order confirmation page, so if it’s a mistake it’s a very thoroughgoing one. Calling up Three’s telephone ordering line and PR personnel brought us no closer to finding out the truth, but this particular order page was discovered via a tweet by a Three affiliate — whose tweets have since gone private — suggesting it was dug up from someone in the know. Our suspicion is that Apple’s finally about ready to dish this phone up to the people and Three has been caught testing out its order page ahead of the inevitable onslaught of white iPhone orders. Hit the source link to see the premature revelation for yourself.

Update: Three finally wised up to the fact nobody else was yet offering the pale phone for sale and has pulled the page. For now.

Update 2: Three’s official statement on the matter:

“This page is not live at the moment, it was built at the same time as the iPhone black page so that we have it ready when and should the time come to launch white. For now, it’s a hidden page that’s inactive.”

Continue reading White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK (update: gone!)

White iPhone 4 appears to be ready to order at Three UK (update: gone!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Recombu, SlashGear  |  sourceThree Store  | Email this | Comments

Gadget Lab Podcast: Amazon Wants to Sell You Android Apps

Michael Calore and Dylan Tweney bring you the gadget news of the week in episode #109 of our surprisingly popular podcast.

Top of this week’s gadget news is the fact that Amazon has finally launched its own app store for Android, cleverly called the Amazon Appstore for Android. It’s a more curated, easier-to-browse app store than the default Google Market. Of course, they’re being sued by Apple.

We also talk about a new app called Color, which is available for the iPhone and (if you can find it) for Android. It lets you take pictures and share them with random strangers in your vicinity.

We show off a web app that creates a Kindle-friendly interface for Google Translate, making your Kindle into a kind of universal translator.

Finally we take a look at Skullcandy’s Roc Nation Aviator headphones. These are stylish, comfortable, portable and have pretty good quality sound, though not quite worth the $150 pricetag.

At $0, they’re an outstanding deal, however. And you can get them for free, if you’re lucky: Thanks to the nice folks at Skullcandy, we have a pair of these headphones to give away. To enter our mini contest, just add a headphone-related photo to the Gadget Lab Flickr pool. (You’ll need to upload your picture to Flickr, then add it to the pool.) It could be a photo of you wearing your favorite headphones, a headphone mod, or maybe just an artsy photo of your best headphones. Be creative!

We’ll pick a winner at random from all the headphone photos we receive, and we’ll contact the winner via Flickr, so make sure that your contact info is up to date there.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our ugly mugs, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds. Thanks for listening and watching!

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast No. 109

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0109.mp3