Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been awhile, but earlier this year Hitachi unveiled a beautiful new 4.5-inch IPS LCD sporting 1280 x 720 resolution, a 1,100:1 contrast ratio and a retina display-like 329ppi. Well, in the time since, Hitachi’s been hard at work on a virtually identical version of that screen that uses amorphous silicon instead of low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) as its backplane material. What’s the difference? Well, amorphous silicon’s much cheaper to produce than LTPS, and the company figured out a way to use it in its new panel with only a scant drop in performance — the new one’s got a lower 1,000:1 contrast ratio, but all the other specs are the same. So, the screen’s a comparative bargain while still providing 4.5 inches of 500-nit HD goodness. Thanks, Hitachi, we always did like eating our cake and having it too.

Hitachi’s 4.5-inch IPS HD display delivers 329ppi on the cheap courtesy of amorphous silicon backplane originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Medion announces LifeTab P9514 tablet, mysterious Android smartphone at IFA

Medion announces LifeTab P9514 tablet, mysterious Android smartphone at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As we approach the rumored September or October launch date for the next batch of iPhones, the web’s been spiced up with photos of alleged parts for an “N94” iPhone prototype. We’ve been rather skeptical about them until the above photos landed in our inbox, courtesy of our friends from uBreakiFix. A little while back we’d already heard from our other sources that the N94 is set to be a cheaper version of the current iPhone 4 (probably the 8GB iPhone 4 mentioned by Reuters last week), which would explain why all these components and cables look super familiar. The only notable difference here is the funny dot right next to the sensor location above the earpiece — the dotted pattern is very much like that used by the microphone and the webcam LED indicator on Mac computers, but obviously the latter is more likely the case here.

That said, do bear in mind that according to the mark along the bottom of this part, we’re apparently looking at an “EVT1” (Engineering Verification Test) piece from March 3rd 2011 (making it about three months older than the white N94 back covers that made the rounds last week, assuming they’re legit). Additionally, when our sources last checked around June and July, the N94 had yet to hit the DVT stage, so it’s hard to determine whether these parts will remain the same in the final design, or whether the N94 will even make it to the production line at all.

On the other hand, our sources pointed out that an elusive N97 device — previously reported by the Wall Street Journal as a tiny iPhone — had already reached “DVT” (Design Verification Test) stage back in June, though there’s little information about it other than that it’s been tested with various cellular technologies (though plagued by some bugs related to switching between specific frequencies back then), plus it may sport a camera module supplied by Sony, which was semi-confirmed by Howard Stringer himself back in April. Whatever the N97 ends up being, hopefully we’ll have something at least as slim as our little souvenir from Beijing.

Continue reading iPhone N94 prototype’s front assembly leaked, set to be an iPhone 4S?

iPhone N94 prototype’s front assembly leaked, set to be an iPhone 4S? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese monitor maker Iiyama just blessed the market with a new pair of panels sporting a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 8ms response and a special ECO mode that reduces power consumption by up to 60-percent. The 24-inch XB2472HD-B and 27-inch X2775HDS-B both rely on an LED-backlit VA display (better than your bargain LCD, but not quite as nice as an IPS display) and have your standard trio of HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs. The primary difference between the two screens is the 24-incher’s slightly higher brightness (300cd/m2 versus 250cd/m2) and the 27-inch model’s 4-port USB hub and integrated speakers. The XB2472HD-B should start shipping by the end of the month for ¥24,800 ($323) with the X2775HDS-B to follow in September for around ¥34,800 ($453).

Iiyama introduces XB2472HD-B and X2775HDS-B VA-based desktop displays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs doesn’t like fingerprints any more than you do, and given the man’s focus on aesthetic perfection, we suspect that smudged displays are the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Apple has certainly flirted with oleophobic anti-grease displays in the past, but a newly surfaced patent application takes the whole thing to a new level. “Direct Liquid Vaporization for Oleophobic Coatings” outlines an intense process for the application of a grease resistant coating, whereby the substance is “placed in a liquid supply system coupled to a vacuum chamber,” pressurized, vaporized, and then deposited. Take that, finger grease.

Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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