Hasta La Gadget!

Liquavista has teased us with the potential of its electrowetting displays for years, but we hadn’t gotten to peep its panels post-acquisition until now, at SID 2011. In addition to the several screens we’d seen before, there was a new monochrome model that operates at low frequencies (down to sub-hertz levels) to cut down on current consumption. We also laid eyes on its chromatic displays, but in comparison to Mirasol’s tech, electrowetting has a ways to go to match the image quality of IMOD. However, Sammy said that its reflective screens can be constructed with minimal mods to existing LCD manufacturing plants, while making Mirasol requires fresh fab facilities. Such a factory isn’t exactly cheap, and Mirasol’s large-scale production plant won’t be around until 2012. So Samsung might snatch the market if it gets there first, and the rep we spoke with said the company hopes to have products shipping this year. While we wait for their hopes and dreams to come to fruition, view the vid after the break.

Continue reading Samsung entices with elecrowetting displays at SID 2011: coming to consumers later this year?

Samsung entices with elecrowetting displays at SID 2011: coming to consumers later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another week, another look into the wild, mysterious world of Mirasol. We met with the company for an extended period here at SID 2011, and while the smartphone concept shown above was certainly intriguing, it’s the behind-the-scenes story that truly piqued our interest. If you’ve kept even a loose eye on display technologies, Qualcomm’s Mirasol branch has no doubt caught your eye — in fact, the company seemed overwhelmingly sure that it’d ship consumer products soon after we met with ’em at CES 2010. Yet here we are, nearly 1.5 years later, without a single Mirasol product available on the open market. It begs the question: why? We found out. As the story goes, Mirasol’s been shipping displays to partners for years, and it really did have confirmation that partners would be punching products out onto the market soon after 2010 began. But then, the iPad happened.

No, seriously — that’s the story. Apple’s sudden and calculated tablet launch caused Mirasol’s stable of partners to “reevaluate” their launch strategies, and that reevaluating led to the shelving / delaying of every single promising product in the pipeline. One angle in particular seemed to catch everyone off guard; prior to the iPad’s launch, most companies (and consumers, for that matter) reckoned that people wouldn’t even consider reading on an LCD. Digital bookworms would want E Ink, or better still, a colorized alternative like Mirasol. Come to find out, people actually don’t seem to mind reading on LCDs, and in fact, they seem downright appreciative of the extra functionality baked into modern day tablets. As you can imagine, all of that spelled trouble for a display technology like Mirasol. So, where do we sit today? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Mirasol showcases 4.1-inch smartphone concept at SID 2011, promises ‘converged e-reader’ this year (video)

Mirasol showcases 4.1-inch smartphone concept at SID 2011, promises ‘converged e-reader’ this year (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got the lowdown on Toshiba’s latest four-inch LCD a couple of days ago, and today at SID 2011 we got up close and personal with the pixel-packed display. It’s one thing to read about a 367ppi screen that shows native 720p video, and it’s quite another to experience it in person. We can report that it is, in fact, as awesome as it sounds — onscreen images were clear, crisp, and chromatically brilliant. Pixel density enthusiasts will also be happy to hear that Toshiba confirmed the display will make it to market this year. Of course, the rep wouldn’t tell us which phone will take the iPhone 4’s crown as the ppi champ, though we imagine it’ll be something powered by little green bots. See the new king in action in the video after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba declares victory in pixel density war: 367ppi coming to a phone this year (video)

Toshiba declares victory in pixel density war: 367ppi coming to a phone this year (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba just fired its own salvo in the pixel density wars at SID 2011. The company is showing off a range of LCDs for cellphones that top out at an almost imperceptibly fine 367ppi on its 4-inch HD (720 x 1280) model. Beyond just cramming more red, green, and blue dots in each inch, these panels also top the bar-setting Retina Display in the contrast department with an impressive 1,500:1 ratio. The company also brought a smaller 3.3-inch screen with a resolution of 480 x 864 to Display Week that hits a respectable 300ppi. They’re not quite as impressive as these HAST LCDs, but who really needs to put 1080p in their pocket? (Want is a different story.) Of course, Engadget is on the scene and, if you’re lucky, we’ll let you live vicariously through us as we tour Toshiba’s booth — you know, as a reward for your loyal readership.

Continue reading Toshiba enters pixel density fray with 367ppi LCDs for cellphones

Toshiba enters pixel density fray with 367ppi LCDs for cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung demoed some fascinating AMOLEDs at this year’s CES, including 4.5-inch flexible and 19-inch transparent displays — neither of which, sadly, will reach the market any time soon. But the innovation train keeps on rolling, and Sammy’s Advanced Institute of Technology now has a prototype foldable display, which may or may not be the same reference design spotted at FPD 2008. Its two panels have a closing radius of only 1mm, meaning they practically touch when closed, yet show no visible crease when opened. In fact, the developers performed 100,000 folding-unfolding cycles to test the junction; the negligible 6% decrease in brightness was invisible to the human eye. They used commercially-available silicone rubber to achieve that seamless look, and the prototype featured a protective glass cover which could also function as a touchscreen. Obviously there’s a market for touchscreens you can fold up and put in your pocket; here’s hoping Samsung can make them available sooner rather than later.

Samsung’s foldable AMOLED display: no creases, even after 100,000 tries originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 May 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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