Hasta La Gadget!

In conjunction with the Air Force, nanotech researchers at the University of Michigan have created a new super-efficient ultra-thin display technology. The new “plasmonic” technology is far more versatile than any currently available display technology and will allow for the projection of high quality images and video the size of a stamp.

The Air Force is interested in utilizing the tech to project virtual displays onto pilots’ windshields. For us civilians, the tech could also be incorporated into clothing to create wearable computer screens–your shirt could be your smart phone. It will also allow for very tiny displays. If people are still sending letters in 10 years, it may be possible that the post office could create a commemorative stamp for the 10-year anniversary of Avatar that will actually show Avatar.

And the displays will be very high quality. The tech uses pixels 10 times smaller than those of your average
desktop and more than eight times smaller than displays currently
available on most smart phones.

What makes the tech so versatile is its efficient use of light. The new technology quite handy at trapping and transmitting light–they make the current technology seem sloppy. For
example, in current LCD displays, only about five percent of the
backlighting makes it through to the viewer. The rest is lost in the process.

The nerdly whats and hows are a little
complicated, but for those who are interested, the deets are available over at Physorg.

Need a few new pixels to display your shiny new digital images on? LaCie‘s got you covered, with its new 324i offering a premium feature set to accompany a premium price. Aimed specifically at creative pros with the pockets to appreciate a 10-bit P-IPS panel, exceedingly wide color gamuts (102 percent NTSC; 98 percent Adobe RGB), a slew of input connectors (DVI-D, HDMI, component and DisplayPort), 178-degree viewing angles and an anti-glare coating. The 24-inch panel boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution, and the multifunction stand enables users to pivot the display for horizontal or vertical viewing. We gawked at it for a few minutes here at Photokina, and while the design is thoroughly corporate, the picture quality is indeed stunning. Other specs include a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a trio of USB 2.0 ports and an integrated cable manager; she’s on sale today for a stiff $1,249.99, but man, we’d almost pay it for that anti-glare action.

Continue reading LaCie pushes serious pixels on 24-inch 324i professional IPS display

LaCie pushes serious pixels on 24-inch 324i professional IPS display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just because it’s introducing its new 3DTVs to an unsupecting US populace this fall doesn’t mean Toshiba has forgotten about sets that come in slightly lower on the price and feature scale. The UX600 series that just launched this year is already getting a refresh — now dubbed the UL605 series, these LCD HDTVs keep the edge lit LED lighting, but in a slimmer frame. NET TV widgets are still in effect bringing DLNA access, VUDU, Facebook and Twitter, all of which connect easier to the 55- ($2,499), 46- ($1,699) and 40-inch ($1,399) TVs with an included WiFi dongle. After that, the SL400 series drops all extra frills for a simple edge LED lit TV with two HDMI inputs in smaller sizes from 19- to 32-inch versions for between $399 and $649. More details on spcs and pricing follow after the break, these should be popping up on shelves locally any day now.

Continue reading Toshiba slims down its LED lit HDTVs with UL605, SL400 series

Toshiba slims down its LED lit HDTVs with UL605, SL400 series originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s becoming progressively easier to land LCD monitors with IPS panels (as opposed to the decidedly less stunning TN panels), but given that there’s rarely ever enough competition to truly push prices as far south as we consumers would like, we’re welcoming LG’s latest with wide open arms. The outfit has just issued a new foursome — the IPS2062T, IPS226V, IPS236V and IPS231P — of LED-backlit displays, with sizes running 20-, 21.5-, 23- and 23-inches in order of mention. The larger three offer 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions with a six millisecond response time, and the whole lot offers a deceiving 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 250 nits of brightness and 178-degree viewing angles. You’ll find plenty of glossy black to go around, but sadly you’ll find plenty of questions when it comes to pricing and release dates.

LG does the IPS dance with IPS2062T, IPS226V, IPS236V and IPS231P monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we admire the impulse to best your South Korean neighbor and build the world’s thinnest X (in this case, the world’s thinnest full LED LCD TV bezel), you can’t help but notice the base at the bottom where all the components that used to be in the back have been crammed seems to grow ever larger with each passing tradeshow. Still, LG’s LEX8 8.8mm thick LCD is impressively thin and the picture quality, thanks to that localized “Nano LED” dimming, is stellar. Hit up the gallery for a requisite thickness comparo with an iPhone — next year we’re just gonna pack some razor blades for comparison shots.

LG LEX8 ‘Nano LED’ TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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