Pixel density enthusiasts, pay close attention, because science is ready to blow your minds -- the University of Michigan has developed an LCD technology that can display their logo in a space just nine microns high. By creating a filter made of microscopic metal gratings with differently sized holes just a few hundred nanometers wide, researchers discovered they could precisely capture wavelengths associated to red, green and blue light, producing pixels roughly eight times smaller than those in the iPhone 4's famous screen, and entire images that could practically fit inside a single dot of Kopin's microdisplay.

Meanwhile, OLEDs (which don't require filters to produce their color) saw a nanotech breakthrough of their own last week, as a group at the University of Florida have discovered that carbon nanotubes can revitalize a once-inefficient but promising vertical stacking technique. Layering thin sheets of aluminum, carbon nanotubes, organic material and finally gold on top of a glass substrate, scientists have created OLEDs that promise to be cheaper, faster and require one-tenth of the power of those using polycrystalline silicon, and could theoretically be printed as a flexible display as well. Here's hoping we'll see the fruits of these fellows' labors soon -- we can't wait to pen a follow-up to this epic fight.

Nanotechnology enables ultra high-def LCDs, cheaper stacked-electrode OLED screens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York State filed suit today against several of the largest LCD manufacturers, citing concerns of price fixing schemes. Those under scrutiny include Sharp, LG, Hitachi and Samsung—the latter being the most popular LCD brand in the country. More »

You may or may not be aware, but Apple has a penchant for announcing new iPods in early September, as it has for years. With just over four weeks to go before the most likely (but nigh confirmed) press event week is upon us, expect the rumor mill to ratchet up appropriately. Here's one care of Mac Rumors; the gang's been sent some pictures from parts supplier iPhonerevivers that allegedly show a new iPod touch LCD screen And sure enough, in place of an earpiece is a slot perfectly suited for that oft-rumored (and possibly email-based) front-facing camera. It's not the first time we've seen this piece -- the resemblance to early July's leak doesn't escape us -- but these photos are decidedly fresh and from a different source. Mounting evidence... or are we all just being had? Wouldn't surprise us if we found out for sure before ides of September.

Apple iPod touch LCD screen with front-facing camera slot spied? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure it's the kind of distinction that only matters in some celeb's rented-for-the-day mansion, but Luxurite is proudly claiming to be the first company offering anything as big as its 82-inch Glass TV (42-inch pictured). So named because its glass panel front flicks from see through (for more convenient TV watching) to a mirror when it's turned off, listed specs show a 1080p resolution, 120,000:1 contrast ratio (yeah, right) and 3 HDMI inputs. Price? Don't even ask. Well-heeled UK customers looking to spice up their bathroom, wet bar or other areas can get details on how to place a custom order beyond the read link.

Luxurite's custom 82-inch Glass TV is just the thing for your episode of Teen Cribs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tired of smacking your LCD around just to get the backlight to function for a few minutes? Acer feels your pain, and it's offering up a new trio of monitors here in the US for those suffering the ancient panel blues. The new S1 series checks in between 13mm and 15mm thick, and the company is making 'em available in 20-, 21.5- and 23-inch sizes. As you'd expect, the whole lot offers white LED backlighting, an Energy Star 5.0 sticker, 12,000,000:1 (dynamic) contrast ratio, 5ms response time, 250 nits of brightness and 16.7m colors. The bigger two offer a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution (while we're left to wonder on the little guy), with connections including VGA, DVI and HDMI (23-inch only). They'll be splashing down soon on US shelves for $169.99 (S201HL), $219.99 (S211HL) and $269.99 (S231HL).

Continue reading Acer debuts S201HL, S211HL and S231HL LCD monitors

Acer debuts S201HL, S211HL and S231HL LCD monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome back to our "worst kept secrets" hour, where HTC has seen fit to release a PR blast informing the world of what it already knew: the Desire and Nexus One are getting Super (duper) LCD displays to fill demand that Samsung's AMOLED division cannot. Interestingly, HTC's statement says nothing of the Droid Incredible, a close sibling to these 3.7-inch devices, but the global Nexus One and Desire are getting hooked up "later this summer." CEO Peter Chou has also helpfully explained that the visual experience on the new SLCD screens is "comparable" to AMOLED, but offers better battery performance. Color us curious to see and hear more.

Continue reading HTC makes Super LCD screens for Desire and Nexus One official

HTC makes Super LCD screens for Desire and Nexus One official originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To cut a long story short, Onkyo's LPF10M01 is basically a netbook's screen sans (most of) the netbook. 10.1 inches of LED-backlit LCD get covered in a 1,024 x 600 pixel array and are backed up by 250 nits of brightness and a 500 to 1 contrast ratio. The big selling point here is the inclusion of an HDMI input -- still something of a rarity in picture frames -- which sidles up alongside a USB port, SDHC and Memory Stick card reader, and 512MB of integrated memory. We're fancying the flexibility of using it as a secondary display or as part of some truly minimalist desktop environment, but doubt many will be won over by the austere 140 degree horizontal viewing angle, which narrow down to a zany 110 on the vertical axis. Anyhow, it launches on August 6 in Japan for around ¥19,800 ($227).

Onkyo busts out HDMI-connected 10.1-inch picture frame originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's hard to believe that it's been almost two and a half years since Pixel Qi spun off from OLPC and promised to bring its dual-mode, power efficient display to laptops, tablets, and e-readers. For those who haven't followed our small obsession with the 3Qi screen technology (shame on you!) it promises the best of both worlds: full-color graphics in a normal LCD mode, but also the ability to turn off the backlight to morph into a grayscale, e-paper like display. And while we've seen it demoed at tradeshows (and more tradeshows!), we haven't been able to get our own grubby hands on the much-lauded display. Until now, of course.

No, the 3Qi display still isn't shipping in any commercially available products, but Pixel Qi is at long last offering a $275 10.1-inch screen replacement kit for netbooks through MakerShed. Needless to say, we jumped -- nay, leaped -- at the chance to finally get the display into our laboratories, roll up our sleeves and get to crankin'. That's right, we got out the screwdriver, wrangled up an old Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 netbook and swapped in the 3Qi display for Lenovo's glossy panel. You're surely sitting on a metric ton of questions. Was it hard to swap out? Has the screen been everything we've ever fantasized about and more? Is it really 80 percent more power efficient than standard LCDs? We've got plenty of answers as well as a step-by-step how-to after the break.

Continue reading How-to: install Pixel Qi's 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it's worth it)

How-to: install Pixel Qi's 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it's worth it) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' VG236H was quietly announced back at CeBIT, but the 23-inch 3D monitor is just now getting around to making itself known to worldwide retailers. On sale now for a penny under $500 (which includes the complete $180 NVIDIA 3D Vision kit), this 1080p display has also managed to hit the test bench over at Hot Hardware. Critics over there found that it was amongst the nicest looking TN (boo) panels out there, and that the third dimension had no issue popping out on command. In fact, they had little to complain about, noting that it "consistently hit the mark in their testing [while producing] a fantastic image, whether it be 2D, 3D, work or play." Granted, it's not like you've too many options when it comes to snagging a 3D LCD, but at least we're hearing this particular one is worth a look (or three).

Continue reading ASUS' 23-inch VG236H 3D monitor gets reviewed: pricey, but a real looker

ASUS' 23-inch VG236H 3D monitor gets reviewed: pricey, but a real looker originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your eyes aren't deceiving you, that's a touchscreen being tracked through water. More »



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