You know that fancy flat-panels can display more colors than the human eye / mind can even interpret, right? Thanks to our hard-wired limitations, a certain facet of boffins across the way are developing a method that would scale back the amount of colors used in an OLED screen in order to shave energy usage even further. Johnson Chuang of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia has worked with colleagues in order to conjure up sets of colors that "slash the power consumption of an OLED panel by up to 40 percent, with minimal effect on how people perceive an image." In theory, at least, this breakthrough could lead to longer battery life in cellphones, PMPs and all manners of portable devices. As Chuang puts it: "Say you're running low on battery and you want to use Google maps to get home; switching to an energy-aware color set could make your battery last longer." Don't pretend that doesn't interest you.

Just in case our comparatively brief overview of the D5000 wasn't enough to sway you either way, why not have a gander at DPReview's astonishing 33 page critique of Nikon's first-ever DSLR with an articulating display? Within, you'll find oodles of sample shots, comparison to rival cameras and enough analysis to make you feel like a bona fide expert upon leaving. If you're looking for the long and short of it, however, you'll find a conclusion that essentially matches up word-for-word with our own summary: the articulating display is a bit of a personal preference, but every other aspect is rock solid. If you're not down with ponying up for the marginally more expensive D90 and you can't bear the thought of buying Canon glass, there's hardly a better option on the market right now. Dig in below if you still need more proof.

Think your cellphone display packs a lot of pixels into a small space? Pssh. Kopin Corporation has just announced the smallest VGA color-filter liquid crystal display, checking in with a 600 x 480 resolution and a 0.27-inch (diagonal) size. The feat was accomplished by shrinking the color dots to 2.9 x 8.7 µm from 3.75 x 11.25 µm, and according to the company, it's a huge step in reaching its goal of creating a "2,048 x 2,048-resolution display in a size smaller than a typical postage stamp." Already, the firm has stated that it can concoct SVGA (800 x 600) displays at 0.34-inches, XGA (1,024 x 768) displays at 0.44-inches and and SXGA (1,280 x 1,024) displays at 0.56-inch using the same color dot size, which will apparently be used in digicams, camcorders and possibly even handsets. And you thought that D90 panel was something to ooh and ahh over...

Turns out Pixel Qi's CTO Mary Lou Jepsen reads Engadget, or at least the posts relevant to her company and her invention, the 3Qi screen. In addition to a side-by-side comparison of the display against the Kindle and a few other devices, in an interview with techvideoblog, she can be seen going through our most recent post and answering some of our readers' questions, including clearing up what seems to be a pretty big misconception that the screen uses e-ink for being visible in direct sunlight -- "it's standard LCD, just clever design," she explains. In one scene, she demonstrates that even in those very bright situations when the screen looks to go monochrome for visibility, you can still see a hint of color, with the full "Pleasantville" experience entering the more she moves the hardware into the shade. As for reports of the tech adding a $200 premium, she dismisses this as a misquote and infers that it was more of an example price for a laptop that'd be using the technology. There's a lot of fascinating tidbits here, including some talk on the nature of the display and laptop industries. As it stands, mass production begins this Fall, and even though you're seeing that Acer logo on the demo unit, Jepsen says it's just a prototype built into a laptop they bought at Radio Shack and that no manufacturing partners have been confirmed. Make sure the closest star isn't beaming down at your screen and head on after the break for the both videos.

Read - Mary Lou Jepsen answers user comments
Read - Pixel Qi vs Kindle vs Toshiba R600 vs regular LCD tablet

How do you make an otherwise plain, unassuming monitor one that's worth paying attention to? You make it run off of sheer joy, that's what. Sadly, we've yet to see an LCD that gets all the juice it needs from the smiles on our faces, but NEC's 22-inch MultiSync E222W is unquestionably a step in the right direction. Said panel is said to utilize 50 percent less power and contain half the amount of mercury compared to traditional LCD monitors, and as for specs, you'll find a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 250 nits of brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a five millisecond response time, DVI / VGA sockets and a 4-way adjustable stand. Check it this July for $269.

[Via iTech News]

Samsung's been kicking around its 14.1- and 31-inch OLED TVs since CES 2008, but it seems as if things are turning for the better at SID this week. In a press release outed today, Sammy told the world that it's exhibiting "production-ready" AMOLED TV sets, though the sizes are the same as the ones we've seen before. The 31-incher really has our attention, with it being the planet's first OLED with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a color gamut of over 100 percent NTSC and an 8.9 millimeter slim enclosure. So, when does "production-ready" morph into "in production?" Bueller?

[Via OLED-Display]

DuPont's been dabbling in OLED advancement for years now, and while the world waits for the introduction of market-ready big-screen OLED HDTVs, engineers at the miracle-working company are toiling away to make sure those very sets last quite some time. For anyone following the OLED TV scene, you'll know that luminance longevity has been a nagging issue, but if new developments pan out, stamina will be the least of our worries. In fact, the firm has crafted a green light-emitting material that can purportedly push onward for over a hundred years... continuously. Furthermore, the same scientists have engineered a new blue light-emitting material with a luminance half-life of 38,000 hours along with a red light-emitting material with a life of 62,000 hours. Unfortunately for the laypeople out there, we can't imagine this stuff being even marginally affordable -- but hey, it's great news for the sybarites!

And once again, Dell's website earns its informal title as the number one source for all Dell leaks. Though still not official for the US, the company's 20-inch ST2010 HD monitor has reared its widescreen head in the customization options for the Studio XPS desktop. Comparing its additive fees with the others on the list, we'd wager the retail price will end up somewhere in the $130 to $150 range. No indication on when we can pick up the monitor sans gaming rig, but it can't be too far off now.

[Thanks, John]

Cuttlefish are one of the most intelligent creatures in the sea, able to change their shape and color to escape predators -- but, they aren't smart enough to escape us, and they taste good, so they also go great with risotto. Scientists at MIT, however, decided not to eat their cuttlefish, instead using them to inspire the tech inside a new type of highly-efficient display. The screen is just one micron thick and contains a layer of poly-2 vinyl. Left alone it's clear but, when exposed to an electrical charge, its thickness and reflectivity can be controlled to create color. Just a few volts are required to form an image but, like e-ink, its design means backlighting is not an option. Viewing angles are also quite poor at this point, so this is one display tech that may take a long time to belly up at retail. Master of disguise video after the break.

Color shifting has been a pipe dream for about as long as alchemists have claimed their studies to be legitimate, but now a brilliant team from the New University of Lisbon can finally say a breakthrough has been found. Essentially, these inventors have conjured up a transistor that changes the color of practically any surface (paper, glass, plastics, ceramics and metals, just to name a few). For what it's worth, this same team already has quite a bit of display cred, as it has developed technology currently used within Samsung panels. With the help of a few good men and woman at the University of Texas at Austin, the team was able to register for a patent right here in the US, and with any luck, they'll be giving OLEDs and e-paper a run for their money before we can snap our fingers twice and run around the block. Check a video (narrated in Portuguese) after the break.

[Thanks, Nelson]

So far as we can tell, Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 was supposed to have a 720p screen option from day one, but after the ridiculously weird launch, we're not at all shocked to see that said selection is just now being offered. Starting right about now, prospective Mini 10 buyers can upgrade that stock 1,024 x 576 display to one with a native 1,366 x 768 resolution, or plenty to watch bona fide 720p content. The pain? Just $35 -- but you'll have to keep waiting if you're looking for inbuilt GPS, a TV tuner or a certificate of authenticity autographed by this guy.

[Thanks, JC]

FED's dead, baby -- at least for Sony. The company's spin-off Field Emission Technologies, whose sole purpose was to develop the displays, is now closing its doors. Blame goes to difficulty in raising funds for manufacturing. After years of teasing and an actual demo unit just a few months ago, it's a little sad to the technology's biggest proponent shutter. Goodbye, FET, we hardly knew ye.

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor on offer, ready to take you (and your mind) to a dimension rarely seen on typical computer LCDs. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!

Special thanks to iZ3D for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
  
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) 22-inch iZ3D 3D LCD monitor. Approximate value is $399.
  
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Thursday, March 19th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.