A new crazy idea has surfaced in Belgium: a contact lense with a built in, programmable LCD display.

Contact lenses already come in variations with graphics pre-printed on them, or lenses that change the color of your eyes.  These kinds of existing lenses are capable of everything from making your green eyes blue to turning your entire eye black.  But now, researchers in Belgium have revealed a prototype contact lense that features a built-in curved LCD display.

Currently the display can only show very basic graphics, however with the pixels covering the whole surface, future versions could display better graphics or serve a medical function as well. For instance, the lense could protect a damaged retina from sunlight.  It could even be used to dim the lense when going from a dark building out into the bright day’s sun.

You will not however be able to surf the web or anything crazy like that with these lenses due to them being directly on the eye surface, making them impossible to focus on.  However the possibilities are endless for cosmetic and medical purposes.

[ source ]

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Japan Display Inc., a merger of Toshiba’s, Sony’s and Hitachi’s small LCD businesses have worked with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan to create a low-power color display that works similarly to an E-ink kindle device.

Rather than using a backlit display like most traditional LCDs, the new reflective LCD display panels by Japan Display Inc. use an external light source to show clear images to the viewer, but what makes it special is its ability to play full HD color video.

Three components make up the display; a rear reflective layer and a front light control layer which hold together the liquid crystal layer. All three parts are used together to help display the images on the LCD panel. When light is reflected from the rear electrode, it passes through the crystal layer, which will create a single-shaded image, which will then be filtered by the light control layer to show color.

So how is this like paper? The technology itself can be extremely easy to view in highly lighted conditions like outside on a sunny day, or in a lit house similarly to older Kindle models, but unlike Kindle, the LCD display shows crisp paper-like colors.

There are currently two different models in development by Japan Display Inc., of which one is nearing completion, and it won’t be long before the technology is ready for mass production.

Both models have slightly different reflection rates and different pixel ratios, with the near-completed model boasting 768×1044 pixels, and the second model displaying 576×1024 pixels on the screen.

What makes the new tech even more unique is it’s impressive battery-saving qualities when displaying still images; power consumption is kept to around 3 mW when showing static images because of the displays ability to retain data once it has been written.

I don’t know what you think of Japan Display Incs.’ work, but to me this technology is almost like a super-advanced Etch-A-Sketch.

Do you think the reflective displays could become a standard for LCD manufacturers in the near future?

[Source]

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Samsung is known for incorporating new technology into their cameras and they have just introduced three new cameras into the company’s NX Series of compact, mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras – the NX1000, NX20 and NX210. Unlike other large sensor cameras which might require you to use an Eye-Fi memory card for getting online, the new NX models are coming with built-in Wi-Fi.

Coming equipped with Samsung’s own 20.3 megapixel APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) CMOS sensor, all the models feature ISO100 – 12800 sensitivity, one button upload to social networking sites, in-camera editing, 2D and 3D Panorama modes, the i-Function system which will allow you to control parameters at the lens, and are compatible with the full range of nine lenses.

The cameras will wirelessly link to a Samsung smartphone via the SMART technology and you can use the handset as a remote viewfinder, and the Samsung Mobile Link will allow you to enjoy the shots you have taken on internet enabled TVs or tablets. The models also feature Full HD 1080p H.264 video recording, and also offer an unusual 1920 x 810 pixel resolution setting.

Among the three new cameras, the above pictured NX1000 has the best resolution display at 921,000 dots on a 3-inch TFT LCD panel. Its 1030mAh battery promises 320 shots between charges and it will be available in black, white or pink in June, but no hints on the price tag. And no built-in flash, but you can attach external lighting.

The NX20 has a DSLR-like body and features an SVGA-resolution electronic viewfinder and a 3-inch, 614,000 dot AMOLED swivel display. It also comes with a fast 1/8000 shutter speed, a pop-up flash, and will allow you to take 360 stills between charges all thanks to its 1300mAh rechargeable battery. If interested, you can pick one up next month for $1,099.99.

The NX210 is also coming next month and it will take the place of the NX200. Featuring the same AMOLED display as the NX 20, the NX210 is coming with 8 fps continuous shooting. No built-in flash for this one as well, but external units can be attached. Similar to the NX1000, the NX210 has a 1030mAh battery for taking 320 stills in between charges. The camera comes with a price tag of $899.99.

So, which one has caught your eye?

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At the supermarket, we look at the price/kg or price/l when comparing similar products. But we can’t really do that when it comes to getting an AA battery. For getting those, people usually go for names they are familiar with, such as Duracell or Panasonic, or go after attractive terms such as ‘PLUS’, ‘SUPER’ or ‘MAX’. But Denis Hennessy had other ideas. He bought a pack of every AA battery type he could find to do an experiment to see which brand provides the most bang for the buck.

Hennessy had an Arduino and an LCD panel, and he designed a circuit which allowed him to measure how much energy each battery produced. He also added a temperature sensor and USB logging capability. The circuit measured the voltage across a fixed load every second until the battery reached 0.2V, while the LCD displayed voltage and the amount of energy generated, in Joules and watt-hours. With the data collected, Hennessy compared each of the batteries in terms of the cost per Watt-Hour.

And the result revealed that super charged names such as ‘super’ and ‘max’ don’t really mean much. The best performance was from RS Power Ultra, and the worst from the Panasonic Evolta.

Head here to know more about the experiment and you can recreate Hennessy’s test as he has posted the source code on GitHub along with the design and result files.

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Although all tablet lovers are waiting anxiously to know all about what’s new from Apple, at least some of you are looking forward to play with the Tablet P, Sony’s unique clamshell Android tablet. The dual-screened device, which was announced last year, is finally making its way stateside via AT&T on March 4^th.

Just to refresh your memory, the Tablet P boasts a pair of 5.5-inch LCD screens which work independently or combined into a single large screen. So, when folded, that will be a 10-inch device in your pocket.

Running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with the company’s software additions (upgrade to ICS has been promised to arrive in a few months), the Tablet P also features a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear cam and just 4GB of storage with a microSD card slot for cards of up to 32GB. You will have access to many apps optimized for the dual screens of the tablet from the company’s Select App, and of course Android Market is always there. And it is PlayStation Certified as well.

Via AT&T, the Tablet P will be available for $399 with a 2 year contract. It is a 4G device and you can choose from two monthly plans: $35/mo for 3GB of data or $50/mo for 5GB. But if you choose the latter, after two years you would have spent $1600. But you can get the device contract-free for $549 and select a pre-paid data plan that suits you.

But forget about all that if you have marked March 7^th on your calendar.

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The reason why most people don’t go after budget devices is that those devices won’t be too impressive on the specs side. But you all should check out the teXet TM-7025, which is a new affordable Android tablet just released in Russia.

Although it is a drawback that the new tablet runs only Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, ICS has been “promised.” But, get this, the new device is coming with 3D video playback. And it boasts a Boxchip A10 Cortex A8 1GHz processor along with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot for expanding memory.

It features a 7-inch capacitive TFT LCD display that looks pretty stylish. But for a better viewing experience, you can connect the device to your HDTV via its miniHDMI connector.

Other features include Wi-Fi, a miniUSB port, a 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, an accelerometer and a 3,100 mAh Li-Ion battery. You can also connect the tablet to a 500 GB hard drive without the need for extra power. It’s just 12.1mm thin and weighs in at only 13 ounces.

And all that will cost only 5,999 rubles (around $200) in Russia. Now that’s a pretty cheap tablet. And if it’s coming to the US, there is a possibility that it will be available with an even cheaper price tag. We will surely let you know if this one reaches the gates of FCC.

The post Russian teXet TM-7025 Budget Android Tablet Is Just $200 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

In general, I like Lenovo products, especially stuff from their business line. The company is continuing a similar approach with a couple of new additions in the form of the ThinkPad Edge E425 and the ThinkPad Edge E525. These are meant to provide a “slimmer, more polished design” to go along with enough juice to keep your business running on the go.

The two versions are much the same, except the Edge E425 has a 14-inch screen, while the E525 has a 15.6-inch screen. Both are powered by the AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) with VISION Pro Technology, integrated AMD Radeon discrete-class graphics, and an optional fingerprint reader for business-level security. Storage options go up to 750GB and RAM gets up to 8GB. The usual USB, DVD, media card reader, and HDMI are in tow as well.

They’re also including something called Lenovo AutoLock. The integrated webcam detects when the user walks away, locking up the PC in his or her absence. Sometimes, you forget to log out from your workstation or you just need to step away for a moment. Pricing for both the E425 and E525 will start in the $549 range when they ship later this month.

In related news, Lenovo also announced the 14-inch ThinkVision LT1421 Wide, which serves as a mobile monitor to accompany your laptop on the go. That also ships this month with the price tag set at $219.99.

[Lenovo]

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A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to check out the Samsung transparent AMOLED display at CES. That’s just a prototype, but what about stuff that will eventually make it into the hands of real customers? Well, that’s starting too, because Samsung has just started to mass produce some see-through screens.

They’re not the AMOLED wonders that I saw, but the transparent LCD panels are almost as impressive. They’re going to come in your choice of either black and white or full color, but both 22-inch panels have a resolution of 1680×1050 and a contrast ratio of 500:1. The monochrome edition has better transparency (over 20%) than its color counterpart (over 15%) though.

What’s interesting is that these transparent LCD panels don’t have any traditional backlighting, relying instead on ambient light to make the images viewable. That allows them to consume 90% less electricity… except you’ll need some more ambient light to make them usable at all, of course.

I somehow doubt that these panels will be all that useful to the average consumer, but imagine walking past a display window at the mall and in addition to seeing the featured product, you get this transparent LCD highlighting some of its selling points for you. Pretty sweet. Something like the Aston Martin smart phone concept may be closer than we think.

[Read]

The post Samsung Starts Mass Production of Transparent LCD Panels: Windows Are Billboards appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

If you’re digging the prospects of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but would much prefer to have a bigger display, it seems the Korean giant has another trick up its sleeve. Samsung is willing to unveil its new 10.1-inch LCD panel that measures a mere 1.8mm in thickness.

It did so at FPD International 2010/Green Device 2010 in Chiba City, Japan. One of the key differences with this LCD panel is that it uses a 0.09mm-thick resin substrate. If it were not for backlighting, the panel itself would only be 0.44mm thick. The new version is also 28 grams, compared to the 130 grams of the current LCD.

So, why should you care? Because there has also been a leak of a bigger Samsung Galaxy Tab. Sammy had a notebook and an e-reader at the trade show with the new display, but what’s to say they’re not really working on putting it in a tablet instead. After all, the leap from the e-reader to tablet is only a couple of tip-toes.

Personally, I think the existing seven-inch tab hits a pretty magical sweet spot in terms of size. At ten-inches, I’m almost inclined to get an 11-inch or 12-inch notebook instead to gain functionality. That said, I’m sure there’s a market for something a little bigger. Just look at the other thing, oh, what’s the name of it again?

Source: nikkeibp

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