Hasta La Gadget!

By Casey Johnston, Ars Technica

Corning, the developers of Gorilla Glass, announced the launch of a new display material named Lotus Glass for use with LCD and OLED screens today in a press release. The company says Lotus Glass has more “thermal and dimensional stability,” which will allow it to better withstand the process of attaching high-resolution displays and implementing “tighter design rules.”

LCD glass substrates can require intense heating and cooling cycles to create screens, particularly for higher-resolution displays, Corning says. Lotus Glass has a higher annealing point than Gorilla Glass, meaning more heat is required for the material to relax internal stresses and forces.

Because Lotus Glass can withstand heat better, it’s in less danger of warping or sagging while “advanced backplanes” are applied. (Backplanes on screens contain the circuits that control the pixels on the screen.) Very hot temperatures aren’t required to make nice displays — for instance, AMOLED displays can use low-temperature (150 degrees Celsius) poly-silicone as a backplane — but more resilient glass could reduce the current rate of screen imperfections.

According to Corning, Lotus Glass will allow for screens with “higher resolution and faster response times.” We’re not sure it’s just the Gorilla Glass that is holding these specs back on the current crop of smartphones and tablets, but every little bit helps. Corning did not respond to requests for comment on which manufacturers, if any, it has locked down for Lotus Glass contracts, but its press release states that the glass “has been qualified and is in production.”

Photo courtesy of Corning

AOC’s latest may not have the IPS viewing angles of recent tablet offerings or high-end monitors, but this portable 16-inch screen connects — and powers itself — through just one USB port. Priced at $139, the AOC e1649fwu also includes a fold-up stand and can be propped up in both portrait and landscape. The 16:9 TFT screen packs 1366×768 resolution, and AOC promises that it won’t immediately suck all the life out of your laptop, though we’ll hold our judgement until we can get our hands on one. It could be a very canny addition to your portable office arsenal; it weighs in at a spritely 2.3lbs (just under over 1kg) and the 1.4 inch thickness means it may squeeze into some (admittedly more capacious) lappie bags. You’ll finally be able to look like you mean business while pluggin’ away in your own private corner at Starbucks after this launches next month.

Continue reading AOC’s 16-inch portable monitor sucks power, video from your USB port

AOC’s 16-inch portable monitor sucks power, video from your USB port originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Color us unsurprised that Ivy Bridge is destined to be faster and smaller than its predecessor, but unbeknownst to us is an interesting tidbit concerning the upcoming architecture’s GPU. The revamp will support resolutions in excess of 4K (topping out at a maximum of 4,096 x 4,096) — a sizable jump from the WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) limitation of its Sandy Bridge’s forebearer — opening the door to all sorts of resolution independent goodness. Guess that means you won’t need a discrete GPU in the future to power that bodacious (but pricey) pro-level display. Have a peek in the links below if you’re hungry for more.

Intel: Ivy Bridge GPU to support 4K resolutions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP may not have much going on when it comes to cellphones and tablets at the moment, but the company is hardly resting on its laurels. As if to prove it’s still got a bit of fire in its corporate belly, it unleashed a total of eight new displays today (nine, if you count the updated HP rp5800 Retail System). The trio of digital signage models, including the 47-inch multitouch LD4720tm, probably aren’t of much interest to you, but the four new ZR series Performance Displays and the more budget friendly LE2202x Essential display are worth at least a quick glance. The LE model is an LED backlit, 1,920 x 1,080 monitor with 21.5-inches of real estate and a 5ms response time. The ZR line are all IPS displays, ranging in size from 20 to 27-inches, with a resolution of 1,600 x 900 at the low end and up to 2,560 x 1,440 for the ZR2740w. The 2740 also sports the ability to display over one billion colors, while the three other models make do with just 16.7 million. The ZR2040w, ZR2240w and ZR2440w ZR2740w are available now for $189, $289 and $425 $729 respectively, while the ZR2740w ZR2440w is expected to follow in October for $729 $425. Those with less demanding eyes and occupations will be able to grab the LE2202x on September 19th for $179. Check out the galleries below, as well as the PR after the break.

Update: Our apologies, it’s the ZR2440w that won’t be shipping till october.

Dante Cesa contributed to this report.

Continue reading HP goes display crazy, unveils eight new models, four IPS panels (hands-on)

HP goes display crazy, unveils eight new models, four IPS panels (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Sony VGP-FL3D15A will provide glasses-free 3-D images by measuring the viewer's distance from the screen by webcam. Image courtesy of TechOn!

Sony’s just come out with a thin panel that lays over the screen of Vaio laptops to produce 3-D images without glasses. The software uses a built-in webcam to judge your distance from the screen and optimize the graphics.

It’s nothing new, but still pretty cool. Toshiba debuted similar technology with the Qosmio F755 3-D notebook last month. Sony and Toshiba use similar facial depth technology, where two images are projected simultaneously, one for each eye.

Sony unveiled the 3mm panel, the VGP-FL3D15A, at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show in Berlin. The panel arrives on the heels of an announcement that Sony, Panasonic and Samsung will unite behind standardized 3-D glasses.

Sony’s IFA spread was all about 3-D. The company also announced a touch-screen PC with 3-D screen, a 3-D capable media player and a 3-D projector.

The sheet will be available next month in Europe for $183. The Vaio S series laptops will retail for around $1,000.