Engadget

Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits

Jon Fingas — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EST

Nanowires, although they're building steam, still have to overcome the not-so-small problem of cost -- they often have to use indium tin oxide that's not just expensive, but fragile. Duke University has developed copper-nanowire films that could remedy this in style. The choice of material is both a hundred times less expensive to make than indium and is much more durable. It's flexible, too: if layered on as a coating, the nanowires would make for considerably more viable wearable electronics that won't snap under heavy stress. The catch, as you might suspect, stems from the copper itself, which doesn't conduct as much electricity as indium. The nickel will keep your copper electronics from oxidizing faster than the Statue of Liberty, however. Any practical use could be years away, but further successes from Duke could quickly see printable electronics hit the mainstream power and power our dreams of flexible displays.

Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)

Sarah Silbert — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:29:00 EST

Plastic Logic has getting by with some eastern love since last year, when RUSNANO's $700 million investment helped the e-reader maker land its Plastic Logic 100 in Russian schools. The latest fruit of that partnership is a prototype of its first flexible color e-reader display, which delivers 4,000-plus hues at a resolution of 75 ppi. The screen contains some 1.2 million plastic transistors, and it's able to bend without distorting images thanks to a top filter and a 150-ppi display below that flex at the same rate. Skip past the break for a demo clip of the tech in action, appropriately featuring some Matryoshka dolls.

Continue reading Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)

Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung teases flexible, transparent display in concept video

Amar Toor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:47:00 EST

Samsung's flexible display technology isn't slated to hit the market until 2012, but the Korean manufacturer is already giving us a glimpse of how it may transform our lives, with a freshly released concept video. Yes, it's just a concept ad, and a relatively brief one at that, but it still paints a pretty mouth-watering portrait -- one full of transparent, flexible screens, smartphone-tablet hybrids, and augmented reality. Check it out for yourself, after the break.

Continue reading Samsung teases flexible, transparent display in concept video

Samsung teases flexible, transparent display in concept video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean bendy memory could make plenty of trendy tech

Daniel Cooper — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:29:00 EST

Flexible displays aren't much good unless there's flexible memory alongside. It's been attempted before, but bending memory pushes the individual transistors so close that they begin to interfere with one another -- causing degradation and shortening the device lifespan to just a single day. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has solved the problem by pairing transistors with memristors, which are immune to such annoyances. By fixing both inside a flexible substrate, you can push them as near as you like without any electo-radiation spanners jamming up the works. This also means that the flexible RRAM behaves just like flash memory; maybe in the future it won't just be antennas sewn into our clothes.

Korean bendy memory could make plenty of trendy tech originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung to offer flexible displays in 2012, challenges Nokia to a twist contest

Brian Heater — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:15:00 EST

Flexible displays? Samsung's got 'em, too. A few days after Nokia showed off its Kinetic Device prototype under the blue lights of Nokia World, Samsung made mention of its own plans to unleash some bendy mobile devices on the world. A spokesperson for the company was scarce on details, but noted that the flexible displays are targeted for 2012. The technology, which was showcased at this year's CES, will initially be incorporated into handsets, with tablets following down the road.

Continue reading Samsung to offer flexible displays in 2012, challenges Nokia to a twist contest

Samsung to offer flexible displays in 2012, challenges Nokia to a twist contest originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polymer Vision drops the ball on its flexible display, literally

Donald Melanson — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:34:00 EST

Flexible displays may well be the future, but it's not hard to see that they won't truly be practical unless they're also as durable as they are flexible. Polymer Vision is well aware of that fact, of course, and it's now gone to some "extreme" lengths to demonstrate the progress it's made on that front. See the results for yourself in the video above.

Polymer Vision drops the ball on its flexible display, literally originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Primed: all mobile displays are not created equal

Zachary Lutz — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST

Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

The quality of a mobile phone's display is arguably the most important factor to consider when you establish a relationship with a handset. It's inescapable, really. Whether you're playing a rousing game of Robot Unicorn Attack or (regrettably) drunk-dialing an ex, it's the one interface element that you're consistently interacting with. It's your window to the world and your canvas for creation, and if it's lousy, it's going to negatively influence everything you see and do. Today, we're delving into the world of mobile displays, where we're aiming to entertain and edify, and hopefully save you from making regrettable decisions -- when it comes to purchasing new phones, anyway.

In this edition of Primed, we'll be examining the different qualities and underlying technologies of several displays, starting with the ubiquitous TFT-LCD and moving through the nascent realm of glasses-free 3D and beyond. We'll also be addressing the importance of resolution and pixel density. Finally, we'll be scoping out a handful of upcoming technologies -- while some are thoroughly intriguing, others are just plain wacky. Go ahead... buy the ticket, take the ride, and join us after the break. It's Primed time.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: all mobile displays are not created equal

Engadget Primed: all mobile displays are not created equal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silver-ink pen freestyles handmade circuitry, paves way for flexible displays

Joseph Volpe — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:51:00 EST

We've never been the type to appreciate luxury pens, but if said pen was packing a silver-based ink solution that left behind a trail of conductivity... well, our pocket-protector would be very much at its disposal. Announced today, this evolution in penmanship tech has two great University of Illinois minds to thank -- Professors Jennifer Lewis and Jennifer Bernhard. That's right, the two Jennifers schemed up a desktop solution that could see flexible displays and disposable devices coming soon to your pocket (or garbage pail). By eschewing pricey inkjet printers for a low-cost hand-crafted approach, the creators hope future multimedia artists and the engineering-inclined will try their hand at innovative uses. We always knew the pen was mightier than the sword, but now it's just plain Mighty. See the circuit writer in action after the break.

Continue reading Silver-ink pen freestyles handmade circuitry, paves way for flexible displays

Silver-ink pen freestyles handmade circuitry, paves way for flexible displays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung to finally roll out flexible AMOLED displays for public consumption in 2012?

Michael Gorman — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:01:00 EST

Samsung's been a frequent source of frustration, teasing us with its fabulous flexible displays for years, while never giving us a date when we could buy one for our very own. However, word on the web suggests that Sammy is finally ready to unleash its pliant panels upon the world in Q2 of 2012. Apparently, the company's mobile display division opened a new manufacturing plant with Ube (who produces the plastic substrate for the screens) last month to mass-produce bendy AMOLEDs for watches and phones. Let the countdown to the ductile display revolution begin.

Samsung to finally roll out flexible AMOLED displays for public consumption in 2012? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polymer Vision's latest display rolls up, still doesn't ship out (video)

Sean Buckley — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:41:00 EST

Despite a litany of missed launch dates, bankruptcy filings, and corporate buyouts, Polymer Vision continues to trudge forward, and we're more than happy to ogle its latest flexible screen. This time, the new hotness is a six-inch SVGA display repeatedly rolled-up 25,000 times at a radius of only six millimeters. The resulting scroll is apparently slightly smaller than a dime. With that kind of repetitive endurance, this tech seems well suited for building that Readius-like eReader Wistron promised a while back; not that we're holding our breath, or anything.

Polymer Vision's latest display rolls up, still doesn't ship out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 03:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHK's flexible OLED is both literally and figuratively green (video)

Terrence O'Brien — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:57:00 EST

When it's not pushing Super Hi-Vision, the hopeful 7,680 x 4,320 successor to HD, NHK also dabbles in small, flexible OLED panels. The Japanese public broadcaster recently showed off a 5-inch prototype display that, while bearing a heavy green tint and very noticeable rows of dead pixels, was still a significant improvement over a similar screen it demoed in 2009. Sure, it's not quite as flexible or vibrant as Sony's rollable OLED from last year, but it does seem to suffer from fewer bad pixels -- an important step towards maturation. Don't miss the video after the break which offers some pretty nifty glimpses at a number of bendable OLEDs. It's clear the tech is still a little wet behind the ears, but we're definitely getting closer to a future populated with TVs that roll up for storage and e-readers that fold like a paperback.

Continue reading NHK's flexible OLED is both literally and figuratively green (video)

NHK's flexible OLED is both literally and figuratively green (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NanoPhotonica develops S-QLED, OLED to develop inferiority complex soon

Michael Gorman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:18:00 EST

Ahh, the wonders of OLED -- flexible displays, great viewing angles, and low power consumption. However, the folks at NanoPhotonica have "perfected" a quantum dot display technology called S-QLED that allegedly has superior picture quality, uses 30 percent less power, and costs three-quarters less than its OLED competition. The company is gearing up for mass production and is in talks with several OEMs to start producing S-QLED displays, but unfortunately there's no timetable for when they'll get to market. Guess we'll have to wait a bit longer to see just how perfect these QLEDs really are.

Continue reading NanoPhotonica develops S-QLED, OLED to develop inferiority complex soon

NanoPhotonica develops S-QLED, OLED to develop inferiority complex soon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IMEC creates flexible microprocessor with organic semiconductors -- computational clothing right around the corner

Michael Gorman — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:23:00 EST

Organic semiconductors have been teasing us with the possibility of computationally-inclined clothing for years, but until now we could only dream about our pants being the computer. That dream is closer to reality than ever, as researchers from IMEC have created a cheap (potentially 1/10th the cost of silicon chips), bendable microprocessor by layering a plastic substrate, gold circuits, organic dielectric, and a pentacene organic semiconductor to create an 8-bit logic circuit with 4000 transistors. Executing 6 instructions per second, these things won't be challenging Watson any time soon, but the chips should prove useful in creating cheaper flexible displays and sensors to tell us whether that week-old chicken in the fridge has gone bad. The trick was to overcome individual organic transistors' variable switching voltage thresholds -- as opposed to silicon's predictable nature -- that eliminated the possibility of organic-based logic circuits previously. But by adding a second gate to each transistor, IMEC was able to control the electrical field in each to prevent unwanted switching and usher in the dawn of plastic processors. The zenith of nerd fashion can't be far behind.

IMEC creates flexible microprocessor with organic semiconductors -- computational clothing right around the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung creates first full-color quantum dot display, threatens to make Dippin' Dots obsolete

Tim Stevens — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:19:00 EST

We haven't been serving up quantum dots news for quite as long as we've been regaling you with tales of quantum computers, which is just as good because we're about to tell you the technology is still at least three years away from showing up in something you can buy. But, it is getting closer, with Samsung demonstrating a four-inch quantum dot display with full color. Quantum dots are nanocrystals that emit light when they get excited, perhaps on Christmas morning or when waiting for the list of school cancellations on a snowy morn. The size of the crystal dictates the wavelength of light emitted, and by laying precise grids of different sized crystals Samsung creates RGB pixels of the sort needed to make a display. Pixels can be applied directly to glass or to a flexible surface, and in theory they'll be far more efficient than an LCD while brighter and longer-lasting than OLED. Right now, however, they don't achieve any of those benchmarks, which is unfortunately where we circle back to the whole "three years away" thing.

Samsung creates first full-color quantum dot display, threatens to make Dippin' Dots obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung buys Liquavista, dives headfirst into electrowetting displays

Sean Hollister — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:12:00 EST

Samsung's got a reputation for building crazy awesome display technologies, and it just added another one to the stack -- with the buyout of Philips-spinoff Liquavista this December, it's gained quite the foothold in electrowetting. In case you're not familiar, electrowetting has been repeatedly pitched to us as pretty much the Holy Grail of displays: flexible, colorful, unbreakable, outdoor-readable e-paper screens with high refresh rates and low-power consumption that can be manufactured on existing assembly lines. We'll have to see if the theories equate to meaningful products, but we imagine ownership by Samsung can't hurt one bit, especially as the company says it will "expand its leadership in next generation display technologies by pioneering the application of electrowetting in e-Paper and transparent displays." Sounds like a commitment to us. PR after the break.

Update: Seems that The Digital Reader actually figured out about the deal yesterday -- read the original scoop at our more coverage link!

Continue reading Samsung buys Liquavista, dives headfirst into electrowetting displays

Samsung buys Liquavista, dives headfirst into electrowetting displays originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises

Tim Stevens — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:54:00 EST

Hey, remember when Taiwan's ITRI said that flexible TFT-EPD displays would be ready for smartphones by 2009? Yeah, well, keep that in mind when reading about this new 6-inch flexible display the company says will be released in a line of e-readers "very soon." It's called the FlexUPD, a 1mm thick AMOLED with a 5cm folding radius, 150nits brightness, and "unbreakable" construction. ITRI is also talking up its switchable 2D/3D display that we saw earlier, able to display both types of content simultaneously and do so without the requirement of goofy glasses. That tech is called i2/3DW and is set to "revitalize the [display] industry by revolutionizing the concept of 3D viewing." You keep on believing, ITRI, we'll just keep on waiting.

Continue reading ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises

ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liquavista displays get flexible, 'unbreakable,' still rather theoretical (video)

Tim Stevens — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:19:00 EST

The next generation of display technology is still that, next, but despite being a future away it continues to get better. Liquavista keeps wowing us with various demonstrations of its electrowetting technology offering full color, high refresh rates, visibility in all lighting conditions, and low power consumption to boot. Now they're bendy too, with the company releasing footage of a prototype that's flexible. It's also said to be "unbreakable," demonstrated by a person wearing latex gloves gently tapping on the screen -- because, you know, that's about as tough as it gets outside of the lab. Video is after the break, along with full PR, but in neither will you find any hope of seeing this tech for real before the second half of next year.

Continue reading Liquavista displays get flexible, 'unbreakable,' still rather theoretical (video)

Liquavista displays get flexible, 'unbreakable,' still rather theoretical (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG putting 9.7-inch color, 19-inch flexible e-paper displays into production

Donald Melanson — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST

LG's shown off plenty of display prototypes that may or may not ever wind up in actual products, but it looks like two of them are about to get real -- a recent SEC filing has revealed that LG is expecting to put both a 9.7-inch color e-paper display and a 19-inch flexible e-paper display into mass production by the end of the year. Details beyond that are expectedly light -- including any word on what type of products they'll be used in -- but the 19-inch display is apparently the same one we first saw back in January (pictured above). That could conceivably be used for a newspaper-sized device, or possibly things like digital signage, which might be a tad more likely given the constraints in tacking a touchscreen layer and other components on top of the display.

LG putting 9.7-inch color, 19-inch flexible e-paper displays into production originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP's McKinney hints that a flexible display Palm device could happen

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EST

Speaking at MobileBeat in San Francisco today, HP's Phil McKinney chatted up the company's flexible display tech, which uses rugged Mylar-infused sheets similar to those found in solar panels and can display video while still being bistable the same way E Ink is -- in other words, it'll hold an image without power. Thankfully, this seems to be more than a pipe dream sitting in a lab somewhere, because McKinney went on to say that "these are the kinds of display technologies that will change what we think of in form factors, both in products from Palm with flexible displays, and with HP." In other words, it's entirely within the realm of reason to imagine a bendy webOS device that gingerly sips battery juice -- or stops sipping it altogether -- while you're reading the morning news. We wouldn't expect it any time soon, of course, but it's encouraging to hear a conservative industry behemoth like HP start to talk like this. In the meantime, can we just get a new Pre, guys?

Gallery: HP's flexible display at MobileBeat 2010

HP's McKinney hints that a flexible display Palm device could happen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba flexes its paper-thin LCD muscle, moves the world (video)

Sean Hollister — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:10:00 EST

Toshiba's found an interesting use for flexible LCD technology: user input. At SID 2010, the Japanese display manufacturer showed off an 8.4-inch wide, 0.1mm thick SVGA panel that could be grabbed and physically bent to zoom in or out using Google Earth. While it's a far cry from 6DOF and perhaps not as entertaining as controlling the time-space continuum with forefinger and thumb, the bend sensor seems like an obvious addition to the gamut of crisp, rollable, data storing, energy generating flexible tech already in development. It's also worth noting that Toshiba isn't the only one working on the idea; IBM filed a patent application for "flexible displays as an input device" back in 2006. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Lennart]

Continue reading Toshiba flexes its paper-thin LCD muscle, moves the world (video)

Toshiba flexes its paper-thin LCD muscle, moves the world (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink shows off brighter, crisper, more flexible displays

Donald Melanson — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:46:00 EST

It's easy to forget that E Ink is an actual company and not just a display technology, but the company was out in full force at the recent SID 2010 conference to remind folks of that fact, and show off some of its latest and greatest prototype displays. Chief among those is a new color display that promises crisper, brighter colors, though still not quite full color -- something that's apparently achieved by applying a filter on top of a regular black and white E Ink panel, which itself has blacker blacks and whiter whites than before. Also on display was a new "fully flexible" display (not color), and another black and white display that was apparently able to playback Flash video -- although E Ink curiously wasn't allowing anyone to film it in action. The folks from MIT's Technology Review did manage to capture a brief look at the rest of them on video, however -- hit up the link below for their report.

E Ink shows off brighter, crisper, more flexible displays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG flexible display patent application includes fever-dreams of future devices

Nilay Patel — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:20:00 EST

We're still a ways out from real-world applications of flexible displays, but LG is preparing for the future: it's just filed a patent application that details changing a flexible display's touch sensitivity depending on the state of the display, and it's included some intriguing drawings of potential devices with the application. Specifically, the patent application includes claims referencing cylindrical, prism, folding, "rolling," "freestyle," and "hybrid" body shapes, which all sound pretty intense -- especially the hybrid body, which is a "combination of the folding body and rolling body." Of course, patent applications don't always turn into granted patents, let alone shipping products, but if you're in the mood to stare wistfully at line art and dream about the future, the full PDF is at the source link.

LG flexible display patent application includes fever-dreams of future devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP flexible display unfurled on video

Donald Melanson — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:59:00 EST

HP has been working on flexible displays for some time now, but it looks like things are starting to get a bit more real. Not real as in actual products, mind you -- but real like a big, flexible display spotted out in the wild. Doing the honors for this one is Hardware.info, which not only snapped shot above, but captured some of the action on video (head on past the break for that). Interestingly, HP doesn't actually see these panels being used in truly flexible or rollable displays -- the material itself would only survive being rolled up about a half dozen times -- but instead sees them being used to simply make displays thinner and lighter.

[Thanks, Frank]

Continue reading HP flexible display unfurled on video

HP flexible display unfurled on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia patent application points to flexible phone displays

Donald Melanson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:15:00 EST

It may still be quite a ways from realizing its ambitious Morph concept, but it looks like Nokia has been toying around with the idea of flexible displays as of late, as evidenced by a just-published patent application (first filed back in 2008). Covering a "user interface, device and method for a physically flexible device," the application details (among other things) how a flexible display might be used on a phone to do things other than make it more portable. Most interestingly, that includes bending the phone into a particular shape to perform a specific task -- Nokia suggests rolling it into a can to search for a bar or pub, or bending it into a bowl to search for a restaurant. Not exactly the most imaginative examples, to be sure, although we're sure Nokia will have plenty of time to come up with some more interesting uses before any such phones actually hit the market.

[Thanks, Anand]

Nokia patent application points to flexible phone displays originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AUO demonstrates 6-inch flexible electronic paper, pledges production for next year

Tim Stevens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:29:00 EST

If e-paper is ever really going to have a chance against tree-paper it's going to have to get a lot more flexible. We've seen multiple demonstrations of bendable wares from LG and even big daddy E Ink, but AUO is the first to pledge mass production of the stuff (since the Readius went bust), starting in 2010. The company has demonstrated a 6-inch flexible display offering 16 shades of gray and a contrast ratio of 9:1, which sounds terrible but is actually slightly better than the Kindle's 7:1. The company is also showing off a 20-inch non-bendy version that should also hit production sometime next year. When will either get the hammer treatment? That remains to be seen.

Filed under: Displays

AUO demonstrates 6-inch flexible electronic paper, pledges production for next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's CEATEC concept party includes Walkman bracelet and 0.2mm thin OLED (video)

Darren Murph — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:13:00 EST

We've yet to see a trade show where Sony left its Rhode Island-sized booth at home, and CEATEC is no exception. Aside from pushing its 1080p 3D installations with an epic amount of force, the company also had a smattering of swank new concepts on display that caught our eyes. A 0.2 millimeter-thin flexible OLED display was alive and displaying content, while an ultrathin Reader mock-up looked more like a MID and less like a Kindle. Without question, the two items that took our breath away were the all-panel laptop (which tossed the traditional keyboard in favor of a single, swooping display) and the Walkman bracelet, which did little more than talk dirty to us and get our imaginations working overtime. Unfortunately, all the good stuff was behind bulletproof glass with practically zero information to digest, but you can indulge your senses anyway in the gallery below and video after the break.

Gallery: Sony's CEATEC concept party includes Walkman bracelet and 0.2mm thin OLED

Continue reading Sony's CEATEC concept party includes Walkman bracelet and 0.2mm thin OLED (video)

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets, Laptops, Wearables

Sony's CEATEC concept party includes Walkman bracelet and 0.2mm thin OLED (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Display showcases 11.5-inch flexible e-paper

Darren Murph — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST

We're still years away from commercialized color variants, but LG Display is proving that bigger ain't really a thang. In fact, it recently showcased an 11.5-inch sheet of flexible e-paper at SID 2009, which could obviously be used in the Kindle XXL. Sadly, few (and by few, we mean none) details were given regarding an eventual launch date, but hey, at least it's around, right?

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

LG Display showcases 11.5-inch flexible e-paper originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype

Darren Murph — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EST

Make no mistake, wrapping your mind around the build of an OLED panel is mighty tough to do. Without getting you mired in technobabble, let's just say that indium tin oxide (ITO) has generally been a mainstay in every single OLED that was produced commercially. Now, a team of researchers from AGFA-Gevaert, IMEC, Holst Centre and Philips have prototyped a 12- x 12-centimeter flexible OLED lighting panel that swaps out the ITO for highly-conductive transparent resin electrodes. You see, it's been difficult for OLED builders to secure enough electrical conductivity of ITO in a low-temperature process, and this new methodology is perfectly suited for the coating method (which makes it ripe for printing). The resin itself is being dubbed Orgacon, and tests have shown it to have a 6x improvement over ITO in terms of electrical conductivity. Beyond that, the crews are keeping the secrets safe from the poachers of the world, but here's hoping this amounts to more than just jovial celebration in a far off laboratory.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modistech unveils flexible, ultrathin OLED light in Korea

Darren Murph — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:14:00 EST

We just heard that the OLED market was set to skyrocket in 2011, but don't tell Modistech. Said outfit has just revealed its own flexible, ultrathin OLED light module in South Korea, which honestly looks eerily similar to Samsung's "flapping" OLED panels from last fall. Details are pretty scant right now, but we're told to expect mass production within the next year, with public availability penciled in for -- you guessed it -- 2011. Hit the read link for a few more delightful looks.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

Modistech unveils flexible, ultrathin OLED light in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony shows off flexible OLED Walkman concepts on video

Nilay Patel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:02:00 EST

Looks like Sony Insider caught some footage of those flexible OLED Walkmans in action during a CES promo video hidden away in the booth. Looks like a pretty sweet riff on the Cover Flow-esque interface that's due to arrive on the NWZ-X1000, but there's not much else to go on -- let's hope Sony's spending more time getting the X1000 ready to leave that impenetrable glass housing than it is mocking up videos of fantasy tech. Video after the break!

Continue reading Sony shows off flexible OLED Walkman concepts on video

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony shows off flexible OLED Walkman concepts on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung shows off OLED display collection at CES

Darren Murph — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:40:00 EST

OLED displays were out in full force this year, with Samsung bringing plenty of its own to showcase to CES onlookers. We already had a chance to check out a snazzy folding OLED late last week, but CNET was able to capture a few more for good measure. The most notable were the 3.3-inch "3D" AMOLED display (with a WQVGA resolution) and the 7.01-inch AMOLED panel, which was seen sporting a 1,024 x 600 resolution and a 30,000:1 contrast ratio. Flip through the gallery below for a few more looks, but don't get your hopes up too high for any near-term release dates.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

Samsung shows off OLED display collection at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wrist-worn flexible OLED prototype is for the military, but kids like it too

Tim Stevens — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:18:00 EST

Flexible OLED displays are becoming more and more commonplace (and festive), despite not actually being available in any devices you can buy just yet. When that day finally comes, Universal Display Corporation thinks one of those gadgets will be something like the above: a wearable, flexible, 4-inch prototype screen that CES attendees will be able to check out and maybe even try on -- albeit uncomfortably. It's been developed with military applications in mind (they always get the cool stuff first), but bendy consumer devices are naturally envisioned as well. There's no word on when we'll start seeing them in passports or flexi-phones, but we're thinking we have a while to wait yet.

[Warning: PDF link; via OLED-DISPLAY.net]

Filed under: Displays, Wearables

Wrist-worn flexible OLED prototype is for the military, but kids like it too originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP and ASU demo bendable, unbreakable electronic displays

Darren Murph — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST

Well, what do you know? Nearly four years after Arizona State University opened its very own flexible display center comes this, a prototype device that's purportedly easy to manufactur, easy on the environment and practically as strong as Thor. HP and ASU have teamed up to demonstrate the fresh e-displays, which are constructed almost entirely of plastic and consume far less power than traditional computer monitors. The "unbreakable displays" were crafted using self-aligned imprint lithography (SAIL) technology invented in HP Labs, and while we'd love to see this in a pliable laptop at CES 2009, we suspect it'll be a few years yet before these slither out to the commercial realm.

Update: HP Labs pinged us with this tidbit on the image above. "This image from the Flexible Display Center at ASU represents what the flexible display, a paper-like computer display made entirely of plastic, could look like in the future."

Filed under: Displays

HP and ASU demo bendable, unbreakable electronic displays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

Darren Murph — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:17:00 EST

For those still thinking that flexible displays are far from being widely accessible, think again. E Ink has just announced that its Vizplex Imaging Film-based displays will be used in handsets by Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications. For starters, the Hitachi W61H (already available) boasts a 2.7-inch E Ink display that can scroll through 96 different images whenever a call is received or the clamshell is cracked open; the Casio G'zOne (shown after the jump) will feature the same technology on its secondary "silhouette display." Details beyond that are pretty scant, but the real news here is that these displays are finally making their way into reasonably affordable handsets. Open up the flood gates, we say.

[Via SlashPhone]

Continue reading E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

Filed under: Handsets, Others, KDDI, Casio

E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

Darren Murph — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:17:00 EST

Continue reading E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

Filed under: Cellphones

E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AIST unveils flexible display created with microcontact printing

Donald Melanson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:11:00 EST

Fresh from its efforts to disguise solar cells as plant leaves, Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (or AIST) is now boasting about some advances it's made in flexible displays, which it says will offer a whole host of benefits for e-paper-based devices. The big deal with this one is that all the processes needed to fabricate the organic TFT were done with microcontact printing, which allowed 'em to achieve a pixel pitch of 127μm even in its their initial 6x6-inch prototype, with the display also working effectively over its entire surface. That doesn't mean that it's quite ready for commercial use just yet, however, although the institute is promising to have A4-sized prototype ready by 2010, with actual e-paper products set to follow sometime around 2015.

Filed under: Displays

AIST unveils flexible display created with microcontact printing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung demonstrates e-passport with flexible OLED display

Darren Murph — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:24:00 EST

It's been a tick since we've heard anything noteworthy on the e-passport front (that's probably a good thing, truth be told), but Samsung SDI and German security printer Bundesdruckerei are out to break the silence. The two have teamed up to demonstrate a passport that boasts a "slim and bendable" OLED color display within a "polycarbonate data page." Predictably, the aforementioned display can be used to "provide a raft of information including a video of the document holder." It's also noted that the units will be heat-resistant, enabling officials to laminate the cards and make them less susceptible to manipulation. Information about a potential release date wasn't divulged, but it sure sounds like this stuff is dangerously close to being ready for use.

Filed under: Displays

Samsung demonstrates e-passport with flexible OLED display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 May 2008 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ITRI showcases a 10.4-inch flexible color LCD

Nilay Patel — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:03:00 EST

Hot on the heels of that flexible color e-ink display we saw a couple days back, here comes a flexible 10.4-inch LCD display that's less then 10mm thick. The display is being developed by Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and features two plastic substrate elements instead of a traditional glass one. ITRI says the display can reproduce 57 percent of the NTSC color gamut, but there's no word on when we might ever see these in production.

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Displays

ITRI showcases a 10.4-inch flexible color LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers devise thermally-activated flexible display

Darren Murph — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:01:00 EST

The race to create ~~bigger~~ smaller and better flexible displays now has yet another participant, but Weijia Wen and colleagues at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are putting a toasty twist on their iteration. The team has reportedly developed a "flexible, thermally-activated electronic display made from a mixture of metal nanoparticles and plastic," which costs far less than most similar alternatives to create and measures just 150-microns in thickness. Moreover, these units are able to change hues based on the surrounding temperatures, and while only fixed patterns are available for viewing at the moment, the crew hopes to implement an array of "thermal pixels" in the future for more dynamic opportunities. A display that warns you of an overheating machine / battery / toy -- who woulda thunk it?

[Thanks, Alan]

Filed under: Displays

Researchers devise thermally-activated flexible display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conceptual Flexi PDA boasts rubber hinges, flexible display

Darren Murph — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:19:00 EST

Just as Dell calls it quits on the PDA market and flexible displays become more and more common, it makes sense to see a concept device that takes advantage of both opportunities. The Flexi PDA, although still stuck on the drawing board, would present a rubber hinged handheld that could fold open much like a book, giving users a device that's a bit smaller and deeper than current alternatives. Additionally, the casing could easily be ruggedized in order to add water, dust, and shock proofing abilities for those with less delicate work spaces. As expected, this novelty would also pack a QWERTY keyboard, double as a cellphone, and triple as a media player should it ever hit the market, but for now we'll just have to settle with the above picture and a faint hint of hope.

Filed under: Handhelds

Conceptual Flexi PDA boasts rubber hinges, flexible display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2007 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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