Hasta La Gadget!

The current crop of smartwatches are a bit lackluster in my opinion, especially when it comes to their displays. Maybe the Futaba flexible OLED screen on display at this year’s CEATEC show will change this. This is basically a concept watch that uses a video display wrapped around your wrist.

With the right manufacturing process, OLEDs can be surprisingly flexible, which is a must if you’re trying to create a watch that has a screen which wraps around your wrist. The current display has a 256 × 65 pixel resolution on its 3.5-inch display, and the entire watch is 0.22 mm thick. Beat that, Apple!

This prototype watch seems to get its power and data from an external circuit board. How this would be integrated into an actual watch remains uncertain. Also, someone needs to tell Futaba that the case they set this into doesn’t look very cool. A bit of styling goes a long way. Maybe they should partner up with some of the TokyoFlash watch designers next time.

[via SlashGear]

Remember the good old days when it was Apple versus Samsung? Well now it looks like LG is after Samsung after all, and given that both Korean companies are competitors, we guess it isn’t too surprising. It has been reported that LG will be suing Samsung over the use of OLED displays, claiming that Samsung had infringed upon seven OLED related patents owned by LG. The devices named by the lawsuit include the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S2 HD, the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Note, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7. LG has filed the lawsuit in the Seoul Central District Court and as expected, they are seeking damages and a permanent injunction on the devices named.

No word on how Samsung will respond to this latest lawsuit, but this isn’t the first time LG and Samsung have gone after each other, with the latter company having accused LG of having facilitated an OLED tech leak in the past and has looked for an injunction on LG’s products as well. We’re not sure if this lawsuit will be brought overseas to international courts, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled so stay tuned for more updates.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Top 10 CES Gadgets, LG and Samsung could debut 55″ OLED displays next year,

Panasonic has revealed its latest micro four thirds camera, the LUMIX DMC-GH3, targeting a more ambitious breed of photographers who demand an integrated viewfinder and other DSLR features. Packing a 16.05-megapixel sensor, good for up to ISO 12,800 (25,600 extended), Venus Engine processor, WiFi, 3D noise reduction and onboard HDR photo creation, the GH3 includes both a positionable 3-inch 614k dot OLED touchscreen and a 100-percent field-of-view OLED electronic viewfinder.

The viewfinder also includes an eye sensor, which can automatically shut off the main display when it recognizes that it’s being used, thus saving battery life. There’s also 6fps burst shooting at full resolution (rising to 20fps in 4-megapixel mode) and the HDR mode works in the background so that there’s no delay to taking the next shot.

As for video, up to 1080p Full HD is supported, with Dolby Digital sound, an integrated stereo microphone, and twin 3.5mm jacks for headphones and an external microphone. Footage – recorded at up to 72Mbps (ALL-Intra) or 50Mbps (IPB), with frame rates of 60p, 30p, or 24p – can be stored in AVCHD, AVCHD Progressive, MP3, or MOV formats, and there are various manual control options as well as autofocus, autofocus tracking, and face-recognition autofocus. The touchscreen can be used for touch-setting autofocus points.

The pop-up flash is GN12 equivalent at ISO 100, though there’s a mount for a separate flash if it’s not powerful enough for your tastes. Panasonic offers an external flash with wireless and LED for video, as well as a battery grip. Video output can be delivered in real-time using the mini HDMI connection, with the choice of showing solely the camera’s view, or the menus as well.

Panasonic has also baked in WiFi b/g/n, used for transferring files either to the cloud or a computer, and there’s a remote app for controlling the GH3 wirelessly. If your phone or tablet has GPS, that data can be appended to each photo or clip too. Onboard controls can be reprogrammed, with five hardware function buttons and two software presets, and the whole camera is ruggedized against dust and splashes.

Joining the LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm, f/2.8 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. lens already available is a new zoom, the LUMIX G X VARIO 35-100mm. That offers f/2.8  and POWER O.I.S. as well, and both are dust/splashproof. Obviously any other micro four thirds lenses will work with the GH3, though you’ll need a mount adapter.

Panasonic is yet to confirm final pricing, but expects the new model to be on shelves by the end of the year with a roughly $2,000 tag.

Panasonic LUMIX GH3 official: WiFi, OLED viewfinder and 72Mbps HD is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Technical details of Sony’s rumored Alpha A99 have been overflowing. The actual camera, however, has been elusive until now. A press photo just spotted on Xitek (and passed along to Sony Alpha Rumors) is believed to be authentic and speaks volumes about Sony’s pro camera strategy: as shown, there’s no obvious space for an optical viewfinder, hinting that the company’s full-frame shooter is going with an OLED-based electronic eyepiece like that of its crop-frame A77 precursor. The image doesn’t show much more than that and a conspicuous orange ring to remind us that we’re gazing upon an Alpha, but it’s tough to ignore that more compact (and hopefully lighter) body. Whatever the cosmetics are like, rumors now assert that the 24.3-megapixel, translucent-mirrored A99’s early September release has been locked down to September 12th; if that’s true, it may give photographers as much reason to be happy that day as phone buyers.

Filed under: Cameras

Sony Alpha A99 poses for someone else’s camera, no optical viewfinder in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG and Samsung have had to live with each other as cornerstones of the South Korean economy, but that uncomfortable balance might just have been knocked off-kilter through an escalating legal battle. Samsung has filed for an injunction against LG for supposedly coercing 11 Samsung researchers (already indicted in July) into leaking the secrets behind its OLED screens, including 18 pieces of technology and 21 related documents. The accuser wants 1 billion won (about $879,771) in compensation for every piece of technology that might have slipped out. Suffice it to say that LG isn’t happy with being labeled as a thief — it notes that LG screens use white OLEDs instead of Samsung’s RGB technique, reducing its incentive to swipe anything Samsung makes. LG even contends that Samsung is just trying to hide its embarrassment at losing OLED TV demo units that were headed to IFA 2012. Without a clear resolution in sight, there’s every indication the legal dispute could become very ugly.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Samsung asks for South Korean injunction against LG for allegedly stealing OLED tech originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  The Korea Herald, Yonhap News Agency  | Email this | Comments