Hasta La Gadget!

Motorola patent combines multiple devices to make one large display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Nexus One’s luminous OLED screen may be state of the art when it comes to display technology in smartphones but an iPhone’s LCD screen ranks better, according to tests by DisplayMate, a firm that calibrates and optimizes displays.

“The high-resolution, high-pixel-density OLED display on the Nexus One is beautiful, even stunning on first view, but there are lots of issues, problems and artifacts lurking just below the surface,” said Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate, on the company’s blog.

Since OLED displays are still so new, they are yet to be perfected for use in consumer products, which can result in a less-than-optimal experience, he says.

Organic LED displays, or OLEDs, are gaining favor among gadget makers because they can offer a brighter display at lower power than traditional LCDs. The Nexus One has a 3.7-inch screen and a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The iPhone 3G has a 3.5 inch display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels.

To test the Nexus One’s screen, DisplayMate used 24-bit native resolution 800 x 480 test patterns and 24-bit HD resolution test photos.

Their conclusions? The “peak white brightness” of the Nexus One is low for a display that used often in outdoor settings.  In terms of picture quality, the Nexus One  photos had “way too much contrast and color saturation, to the point of appearing gaudy,” says DisplayMate.

The Nexus One’s Gallery app also uses 16-bit color instead of 24-bit color, which results in poor images, says the firm.

Another reason for the Nexus One display’s performance could be the “PenTile pixel arrangement” that it uses, says Soneira. Instead of the three sub-pixels of red, green and blue for every pixel, the Nexus One’s display just divides each pixel into two. Every PenTile pixel includes a green sub-pixel, but the red and blue sub-pixels appear in alternating pixels, he says.

“In principle, that is only a minor issue because if red or blue isn’t available in a particular pixel, then the display driver can just use one from an adjacent pixel. But in practice, it makes things a lot harder for the software and makes it very likely that artifacts will creep into the on-screen images,” says Soneira.

DisplayMate suggests, among other things, Google improve the factory display calibration to correct color saturation and contrast.

Check out their complete two-part series discussing the tests conducted and the results for this Nexus One vs. iPhone 3G shootout.

Not surprisingly, the OLED Association isn’t happy with the results. The tests are flawed and just because the OLED screen does not react the same way as an LCD screen does not mean the former is inferior, Barry Young, managing director of the OLED Association told OLED-Display.net.

Photo: Comparing the Nexus One display to the iPhone/ DisplayMate

Along with its introduction of the HD 5830, ATI announced the HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 card yesterday, which predictably comes with six DisplayPort outputs and enables that hallowed six-screen gaming overload that the Eyefinity branding has been about since the beginning. Some lucky scribes over at PC Pro have been treated to a live demonstration of what gaming at 5,760 x 2,160 feels like, and their understated response was to describe it as “far more immersive.” No kidding. They did raise the spectral figure of those monitor bezels, however, pointing out that bezel correction — where the image “behind the bezel” is rendered but hidden making the overall display look like a window unto the game world — habitually obscured text and game HUD elements. In their view, the sweet spot remains a triple-screen setup, and we’re inclined to agree (particularly if they look like this). For those interested in getting their multi-monitor gaming up and running, we’ve linked an invaluable guide from HardOCP below, which breaks down how much you can expect from ATI’s current HD 5000 series of cards, and also provides a video guide to setting your rig up.

ATI’s six-screen Eyefinity madness reviewed, fatal flaw found originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Face it, folks — the days of windows being just windows are behind us. Before long, our panes will double as widget displays or makeshift televisions, and AIST has the prototype to prove it. The demonstration seems to utilize technology that’s far different than that seen in Samsung’s iceTouch PMP, but it’s certainly no less exciting. According to DigInfo, AIST is developing florescent glass suitable for excitation by near-UV LEDs, and by combining this [borosilicate] glass with LEDs, it’s possible to obtain transparent, flat light sources.” Better still, we’re told that the prevailing thought is that this here technology could be used to develop see-through displays as well as “light sources and displays that use solar cells without modification.” Anxious to see what a transparent LCD could do for you? Hop on past the break, mash play and let your imagination run absolutely wild.

Continue reading AIST shows off see-through display prototype on video

AIST shows off see-through display prototype on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want evidence for the old saying that there’s always something next to wait around for with technology? We’ve only just reviewed the most bodacious X200 Tablet from Lenovo, yet already there’s a capacitive multitouch display that promises to be that little bit better. LG’s in-cell multitouch technology places the touchy-feely parts inside — rather than as a film on top of — the LCD panel, which we’re told eliminates the loss of picture quality and brightness that regular multitouch results in. It only works with two fingers so far, but LG is still pretty pleased with itself for being the first to gain the Windows 7 Touch Logo sticker with this technology, which was previously limited to cellphone-sized displays. Mass production is set for the second half of this year, and we’ll go ahead and assume that local nemesis Samsung will be using every moment until then to offer its own competing models. Bring on the marginally better touchscreens! We’ve now got a video for you as well, you know where to find it.

Continue reading LG’s in-cell multitouch laptop displays get unveiled, certified with Windows 7 Touch Logo (video)

LG’s in-cell multitouch laptop displays get unveiled, certified with Windows 7 Touch Logo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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