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Some tablets and smartphones ship with an AMOLED display. Newer ones are shipping with a “Super AMOLED” display. What so super about it, and what does all this alphabet soup even mean?

The short version is that a Super AMOLED touchscreen display integrates touch sensors with the glass surface panel, eliminating at least one layer of glass and with it, a layer of air. That’s what makes Super AMOLED super. Only Samsung makes it.

Super AMOLED schematic from Samsung

I said “at least one layer of glass” because AMOLED itself eliminates at least one layer in a display. The current Galaxy Tab, for example, uses a TFT-LCD (Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) screen. Until very recently, TFT-LCD has been the state of the art in thin color displays and is still the only cost-effective option in the vast majority of displays larger than a smartphone screen.

TFT-LCD has approximately four layers: a backlight, a TFT color filter, a touch sensor panel, and an outer glass screen. AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) eliminates the separate backlight. AMOLED, however, is known for having problems with glare and readability in direct sunlight, even relative to average LCD screens. By minimizing the number of reflective surfaces and power necessary to achieve vivid color, Super AMOLED was designed in part to address this.

Samsung introduced Super AMOLED to commercial devices this year with the Samsung Wave, which ran their own Bada OS. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones made the displays popular, and it’s since appeared on Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 handsets as well.

There are other advanced color technologies in the market, all of them super, and all of them extra-expensive: Super LCD recently joined Super IPS and Advanced Super View. But only Super AMOLED has really captured the popular imagination.

A 7-inch Android tablet with an AMOLED display would probably be a serious advance over its current LCD screen. But if it’s “just” AMOLED, something about it would just seem… less than super.

See Also:

• OLED Shortage Forces HTC to Switch Displays
• Samsung Omnia 7 Windows Phone Launches Early
• Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 Packs Intuitive, Visual Punch
• Samsung Android Phone Captivates AT&T
• Sporty New iPods Tout Tiny Touchscreens, Retina Display
• Better Than Retina: The Next Big Display Technology
• Samsung Galaxy Player, Better Than iPod Touch?
• Samsung Teases 10-Inch Galaxy Tab with Ultra-Light Resin Screen …

Does that look like a 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab to you? Sure does to us though Tech-on! is calling it an “electronic book reader” prototype from Samsung. Thing is, when was the last time you made a 3G video call using a dedicated ebook reader? The 10.1-inch panel is a 1.8-mm thick LCD prototype on display right now at the FPD International trade show in Japan. It features a 1,024 x 600 pixel panel resolution, 250nits brightness, 1,000:1 contrast, and covers 50 percent of the NTSC color gamut. Oh, and it’s said to be unbreakable thanks to the new 0.44mm / 28g resin panel (excluding the backlight unit) that replaces the typical 1.26mm / 130g glass LCD panel. And while this particular slim panel won’t be ready for commercialization for another two or three years, there’s nothing stopping Samsung from bunging a production-ready LCD into the 10-inch Galaxy Tab promised for 2011. Check the new LCD in profile after the break.

Continue reading 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab teased with prototype panel?

10.1-inch Galaxy Tab teased with prototype panel? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 03:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continuing a fine tradition of large, high resolution prototype displays, Samsung Electronics picked today to show off its latest innovation, in the form of the world’s first 70-inch, “Ultra Definition” 240Hz 3DTV. That UD tag indicates a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels that puts your current HDTV and even larger projection 1080p 3D units to shame. The big deal in this version is the super high speed silicon Samsung has developed to drive all those pixels fast enough to support smooth motion and 3D viewing — glasses still required, of course.

Continue reading Samsung shows off 70-inch ‘Ultra Definition’ 3DTV

Samsung shows off 70-inch ‘Ultra Definition’ 3DTV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you haven’t noticed, FPD International 2010 is just about ready to hit full-swing, and AUO is on hand with a stockpile of new kit. AUO Optronics just so happens to be a fairly substantial panel maker in the grand scheme of things, so people tend to pay attention when they roll out the planet’s largest Cinema Scope (read: 21:9 aspect ratio) 3D LCD TV. A 71-inch version of the aforesaid device is on hand for the public to gawk at, as is a 65-inch QFHD 4K x 2K lenticular lens 3D TV. The former boasts a 240Hz double frame rate, LED scanning backlight and optimized parameters for better motion flow, and unlike most three-dee televisions these days, this one works with polarized glasses — you know, the ones that are dirt cheap, don’t require batteries and haven’t been known to give people headaches. The latter is a glasses-free solution, but unlike the company’s next generation 3D notebook panels, you’ll need to be located in one of eight viewing spots to dig the effect. In related news, AUO is also trumpeting a 4-inch 3D interactive touch panel suitable for use with smartphones, portable game consoles and tablets, but unfortunately, no release information is being doled out for any of this stuff. A heartbreaker, really.

Continue reading AUO showcases world’s largest Cinema Scope 3D LCD TV, among other three-dee niceties

AUO showcases world’s largest Cinema Scope 3D LCD TV, among other three-dee niceties originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GO LED. GO GREEN. No, it’s not some whippersnapper’s 2010 Presidential campaign slogan, it’s the motto of ViewSonic‘s newest LCD monitor range. The VG36-LED series is comprised of two units as of now, the 22-inch VG2236wm-LED and the 24-inch VG2436wm-LED. Both of these guys boast LED-backlit panels, a native 1,920 x 1,080 screen resolution, VGA / DVI connectivity options, a borderline comical 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and EPEAT Gold certifications for all the Sierra Club members in attendance. You’ll also get a stand with more adjustments than your mother could ever figure out, and thankfully, neither one is positioned to break the bank — they’re available now for $229 and $259 in order of mention.

Continue reading ViewSonic introduces 22- and 24-inch VG36-LED monitors, tips hat to Ma Earth

ViewSonic introduces 22- and 24-inch VG36-LED monitors, tips hat to Ma Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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