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Apple iPad’s most striking feature, its gorgeous 9.7-inch touchscreen display, uses liquid crystal display technology — but with a few unusual twists — to present a vivid image and a wide viewing angle.

“The iPad’s display uses the same capacitive touchscreen technology as the iPhone and iPod Touch,” says Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for iSuppli. “At the same time, it offers a better picture quality than conventional LCDs.”

After months of speculation, Apple launched its tablet, the iPad on Wednesday.  The lightweight device (1.5 pounds) features a luminous touchscreen and a user interface similar to the iPhone. The iPad, which can cost $500 to $830 depending on the model, runs an expanded version of the operating system used in the iPhone.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPad’s screen as a LED-backlit with In-Plane Switching (IPS). Jobs was referring to a type of LCD screen that is more often found in HDTVs than it is in mobile devices.

So-called twisted nematic LCDs have dominated consumer laptop and phone displays. The viewing angle on these screens is limited, ranging from 110 to 120 degrees. When the screen is viewed outside this optimal range, its colors can look “off” and the overall image is faded or invisible.

In-Plane Switching helps fix those problems. In IPS LCD screens, the crystal molecules are oriented so their motion is parallel to the panel, instead of perpendicular to it. For viewers, the result is a very wide viewing angle — up to 180 degrees — with brilliant color.

“TVs have always used some variation of IPS in their LCD screens but now we are seeing this move to smaller computing devices,” says Jakhanwal.

The iPad’s screen, though, doesn’t have a wide aspect ratio, which is unusual in the TV-display world, says research firm DisplaySearch. Instead of a 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratio, the iPad screen uses a 4:3 ratio.

“Perhaps they were trying to find a middle ground between the requirements for books, magazines and newspapers and the requirements for video and gaming,” say analysts at DisplaySearch.

The iPad display has some other interesting features. It is arsenic- and mecury-free and has a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, which Apple had introduced in the iPhone 3G S. The iPad’s 1024 x 768 display resolution, at 132 pixels per inch, has chunkier pixels than the iPhone 3G S, which has a smaller display but a resolution of 163 pixels per inch.

But that may not be a fair comparison, says Jakhanwal. “If you have a smaller form factor, you need a higher resolution to better read the information on the display,” she says. Also, she adds, “the iPad has a more vivid display than a laptop screen.”

The iPad’s display is likely sourced from LG Display and Innolux, says iSuppli.

The biggest disappointment for tech enthusiasts is the lack of an OLED screen option in the iPad. That should be no surprise, say DisplaySearch and iSuppli. Display manufacturers just don’t have the fabrication capacity to create large quantities of big OLED displays, says Jakhanwal.

“The single supplier for active-matrix OLED screen today, Samsung Mobile, [its] current production capacity is all taken up by the mobile phone market,” she says. That means large volumes of very small screens.

“It’s unlikely they will scale back on that to produce lower volume, larger displays for Apple.”

Sony also produces OLED screens but in limited quantities, largely for its own products, like the Sony XEL-1.

Though Apple showed the iPad’s potential as an e-book reader, iSuppli and DisplaySearch remain skeptical about it. LCD screens, even in black-and-white mode, get washed out in bright sunlight. And if users turn on the backlight to improve the contrast, they are likely to draw down the device’s battery. On top of that, reading on an LCD means you’re staring into a light source, which produces more eyestrain than reading words by reflected light, as you do with printed pages or E Ink displays like those used in the Kindle, Nook and Sony Reader.

“Ultimately, reading for a few hours on a handheld LCD screen can be quite a strain,” says Jakhanwal.

See Also:

• Live Coverage: Apple’s Special Tablet Event
• Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In
• With iPad, Apple Still Has a Fatal Attraction for AT&T
• Give Us Your Personal Download On the iPad
• A Closer Look at Apple’s New Tablet, the iPad

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

We’ve harped about manufacturers constantly pushing nearly useless dynamic contrast numbers on us for so long that we half-expected this announcement to be about some phantom billion to one number. Well done Samsung, then, for focusing on the static (or real) contrast ratio of 3,000:1 on its sparkling new F2370H and F2380MX 23-inchers. These are certainly not the first panels to reach that plateau (check the Prad link below showing the Eizo EV2333 achieving 5,000:1 in testing), but let’s not argue over PR semantics. They do boast higher contrast than most and both come with 1920 x 1080 resolution and HDMI inputs, while the more professionally oriented 2380 model (see our hands-on here) also boasts height and swivel adjustments along with an extra DVI port. Priced at 397,000 KRW ($350) and 417,000 KRW ($370), the two new SyncMasters are coming to Korea soon and the rest of the world seems an inevitability as well.

Samsung unveils SyncMasters with the ‘world’s highest’ contrast ratio originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 3D revolution, whether you like it or not, is gathering steam. LG has just announced the world’s first mass produced Full HD 3D-capable monitor, which spans 23 inches diagonally and looks to sport a pleasingly minimal bezel. The company hasn’t spilled much in the way of further info yet, though the PR blurb (after the break) makes mention of Korea’s plans to introduce Full HD 3D broadcasts, as well as satellite 3D broadcasting trials set to take place in the UK and Japan. Based on shutter glasses tech — which seems likely to be the way forward — this panel benefits from such great buzzwords as a “copper bus line” and a “high performance 3D exclusive controller,” the benefits of which we’ll have to wait a little while longer to discover. CES 2010, here we come.

Continue reading LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors

LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone keyboard (or the lack thereof) has been a polarizing point for many, and while we’ve seen a workaround or two in our day, we’ve yet to see a solution to the lack of tactility as beautifully simple as this. 4iThumbs is a screen overlay that adds minuscule bumps on your iPhone display — bumps that correspond to where the keys are when using the vertical keyboard. ‘Course, these things are apt to bug you when using the horizontal keyboard (or no keyboard at all), but we’re guessing the heavy texters in the crowd won’t mind. Have a look at the videos below the break for a better idea of what you’re about to get yourself into. Oh, and be sure to pick up a pair of Awethumbs while you’re at it — we hear these two go great together.

Update: A horizontal version is available, hooray!

Continue reading 4iThumbs overlay adds a tactile keyboard to your iPhone… sorta (video)

4iThumbs overlay adds a tactile keyboard to your iPhone… sorta (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Dell and HP were busy holding a competition to see who could do a worse job of announcing their new optical multitouch displays, Albatron was crafting away a 42-inch monstrosity to completely steal their thunder. The optical part refers to a pair of CMOS sensors embedded in the bezel which are responsible for touch detection, a cheaper alternative to your typical capacitive and resistive tech, which requires an extra USB connection between the monitor and computer. Although some issues were found with Windows 7’s multitouch implementation, the promise of recognizing more than two fingers with the proper software support and the general responsiveness of the unit whet our appetite for more. Alas, nobody dares speak of a price, but a 1080p 22-inch model is already available for $450, in case you wanted to add to your touchy-feely shortlist. The video after the break contains the hands-on and a little mystery — why is there Bulgarian handwriting on the whiteboard in the background?

Continue reading Albatron’s 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

Filed under: Displays

Albatron’s 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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