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Samsung SyncMaster P2770HD has built-in TV tuner, sex appeal

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 11th 2009 at 8:58AM

Remember the Samsung P2370HD monitor? Well, this is it at 27 inches. How's that for concision? Oh, you want more -- well, Samsung must've expected you to, because it's also added a TV tuner and a HDMI input to its latest Full HD display, to go along with a 5ms response time and a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. There's also a pair of 3 watt stereo speakers that can simulate 5.1 channel sound -- good for emergencies or if you just can't stand speakers cluttering up your desktop. Filling out the goodie bag are Picture In Picture and Picture By Picture modes, which should make good use of the extra real estate on the screen by combining, for example, your desktop with a TV source. The price is set at 549,000 Won (or about $473) for Korea, though global availability looks imminent so don't rush to import it just yet.

Read - Samsung Korea press release
Read - Product page

Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 28th 2009 at 12:23PM

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

ASUS Designo MS gets handled, gushed over

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 21st 2009 at 12:31AM

ASUS' stylish Designo MS monitors might not be quite on the same diet as the world's thinnest LCDs, but they're plenty svelte enough to collect glances of envious admiration. Suffering from a rather severe case of techno-lust, the Electric Pig crew got to handle a 23.6-inch sample and couldn't stop talking about the sex appeal of the exterior -- they were even big fans of the circular stand on the back of the display, which we suspect will have as many supporters as detractors. In spite of packing a full 1920 x 1080 resolution, the MS246 failed to impress with the quality of its output, but then if it was as gorgeous on the inside it'd have an Apple sticker on the front. Right? We kid, honestly. Calm down with a gallery of images at the read link.

Dell SX2210T adds touchscreen functionality to 1080p panel (Update: multitouch!)

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 20th 2009 at 3:17PM

You asked, questioned and implored -- why, with all these underpowered touchscreen all-in-ones prowling our lands, can we not get a decent standalone touchscreen monitor? Well, somebody somewhere listened, and somebody else, presumably elsewhere, leaked. Presenting the entirely unofficial, but all the same real, Dell SX2210T: a 1920 x 1080 21.5-inch panel that has HDMI and DVI inputs alongside an integrated 2 megapixel webcam and microphone for your Skyping convenience. If its 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms grey-to-grey response time sound familiar, it's because the non-touch sensitive SX2210 has been available for a while already. From the support documentation we're looking at, you'll need to hook up an extra USB connection for the touch interface, which doesnt appear to be multitouch, but we can always hope for a miraculous firmware update down the line, right?

Update: More info has surfaced on this monitor, which can now be purchased for $469 from Dell's online store, and will come with multtitouch panning and zooming when attached to a Windows 7 machine.

[Thanks, Bruce and dennispg]

Pixel Qi e-ink / LCD hybrid display to debut on tablet next month?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 17th 2009 at 3:11PM

It's been far, far too long (read: four months) since we've heard a peep from the gentle souls over at Pixel Qi, but it looks like the long, heart-wrenching wait for the hybrid display that's bound to revolutionize Western civilization is nearing an end. According to the startup's CEO herself, Mary Lou Jepsen, the primetime-ready 3Qi display should make its glorious debut on an undisclosed tablet to be announced next month. For those out of the loop, this transflective display contains both e-ink and LCD properties, one for outdoor reading scenarios and the other for multimedia viewing. The amazing part is that toggling between the two is as simple as flipping a switch, which obviously means great things for battery life on whatever device it's shoved into. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more, but do us a favor and cross your fingers for good luck. Toes too, por favor.

[Thanks, Tom]

Poll: Has your Zune HD screen been unresponsive?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 24th 2009 at 5:35PM

While penning our Zune HD review, we were initially quite baffled by our inability to do much of anything with it after installing Microsoft's newest firmware update. Our concern had been properly kiboshed by assurances from the company that we'd gotten a fluke unit... and by the properly working replacement we received to finish the review with. Now, however, it seems as if we weren't alone in our glass cage of emotion, with gaggles of irate Zune HD users emerging from the woodwork in order to express their disappointment online. Hop on past the break for a video of the issues we were having, and if you're seeing something eerily similar on your own device, drop a vote / comment below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Poll: Has your Zune HD screen been unresponsive?

BlackBerry Storm 2's voodoo-powered screen torn apart, raises more questions

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 25th 2009 at 8:59AM

If the Storm 2 seriously uses newfangled piezoelectrics to provide localized tactile response on its display -- something the original Storm lacked with just a single clicky button mounted underneath the screen's center point -- then how come we're coming to find out we've got four buttons mounted near the corners this time around? At this point, this picture posted of the Storm 2's sensitive innards probably raises more questions than it answers -- we're clearly looking at four buttons here, which as CrackBerry says would facilitate the "multi-press" necessary to engage key modifiers like Alt just as you would on a regular keyboard. The problem is that this doesn't even being to explain how or why the screen hardens up like a rock when the phone is off, because the four buttons plus traditional capacitive touch sensitivity would realistically get the job done without alien technology. We're looking forward to a thorough briefing from RIM once the phone gains some official recognition, but until then, let the theories fly.

[Thanks, Doughy]

TG Sambo announces trifecta of Full HD 16:9 monitors

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 10th 2009 at 10:04PM

TG Sambo is all set to refresh its display line with four new models, three of them proudly pimping full 1080p panels and making your 4:3 display look all the more tired and washed up. The 24-inch TGL 2400A, 23-inch 2300A and 21.6-inch 2250A all have an integrated digital TV tuner, 2ms response time, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (which probably means real contrast is around 500:1), HDMI, DVI, VGA, and menu presets for internet, movie and gaming use. There's also a similarly outfitted 2000A version, which alas loses the 1920 x 1080 resolution. Only the price for the biggest 'un is known at present: 449,000 KRW ($336), but the PR indicates "the second half of the market strategy is to attack," so we'll go ahead and assume availability is coming shortly.

[Via AVING]

Ask Engadget: Best 20- to 24-inch LCD monitor with HDMI / DVI?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 6th 2009 at 9:03PM

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Geoff, who is hoping to find a new LCD to serve two masters.

"I have a MacBook Pro and an Xbox 360 and I would like to get a 20- to 24-inch display that will support both devices. The speakers should be inbuilt, or there should be an aux out on the display to hook up external speakers. Help! Please!"

The glaring omission of a price limit here has us a bit scared, but we get the feeling Sir Geoff isn't looking to shatter the bank. Keep in mind that a speedy refresh rate will be needed for the gaming aspect, and it needs an HDMI and DVI socket at the very least. Get those gears a-grindin'!

Amazon drops $200 replacement fee for cracked Kindle screens

by Laura June posted Jul 16th 2009 at 10:06PM

In a little bit of about face, Amazon's nixed its hefty $200 charge to replace cracked Kindle screens, and now says it will do so for free. The change comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by a Kindle owner, who claims that the cover designed for the Kindle by Amazon caused a crack in the screen where it attaches to the device. Amazon's story had been that cracked screens weren't covered under the warranty, and while the company wouldn't comment on the lawsuit, which is still active, the company issued a statement saying that anyone "who has an issue with the cover attachment mechanism to return the cover and device for a free replacement so we can investigate further." The original plaintiff is asking that a federal court in Seattle make the case a class-action lawsuit, and his lawyers have said that they will still go forward with the complaint even though Amazon is dropping the fee. So what about you -- have you cracked up your Kindle screen?

Limited-color OLEDs could operate with 40 percent less power, look just as stunning

by Darren Murph posted Jul 8th 2009 at 9:23AM

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.

Nextar hops on the bandwagon with Z10 LCoS micro projector

by Darren Murph posted Jan 5th 2009 at 10:00AM

Just in case counting every last pico projector on or coming to the market was too easy for you, Nextar's hoping to boggle your hippocampus by adding one more to the furiously growing list. The outfit's LCoS-based Z10 is being launched alongside the equally portable PS-001 20-inch screen, and it'll check in weighing under 2.5-pounds and boasting a 640 x 480 resolution. As for additional specifications, you're looking at a brightness level between 7 and 12 lumens, a 360-degree lens shift capability with manual adjust and a 4:3 aspect ratio. To its credit, it will accept a litany of file formats and can be fed data via microSD / TF cards, a USB port and L/R audio ports. Both products are slated to hit retailers in the Spring for $299.99 and $39.99 in order of mention, and you can catch two more looks and the full release just after the break.

Continue reading Nextar hops on the bandwagon with Z10 LCoS micro projector

Nokia patent app suggests N97's form factor isn't complicated enough

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 13th 2008 at 8:16PM

Combining huge screens with usable keyboards in a pocketable package is the challenge phone manufacturers are eternally doomed to try to solve, leading to an endless stream of (mostly comical) patent applications for ridiculous form factors that will never see the light of day. That's where we think -- well, we hope -- Nokia's latest app comes into play, combining a portrait-oriented QWERTY keyboard with a wide display that somehow swivels behind the body of the phone when you only need a little bit of screen real estate. Looks cool on paper, but realistically, we think this thing would be the most unwieldy Frankenstein of a handset since the MPx were it ever to be produced. Tilt-slide on the N97 looks fine, guys. Seriously.

[Via Cellpassion]

PSP-3000 put under microscope, interlacing issue exposed

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 31st 2008 at 10:24AM

You know those complaints about the ugly, old-school looking interlacing lines that many (ourselves included) have reported seeing on the new PSP-3000? The specific issue has been uncovered -- but not by Sony. A group of concerned French gamers with a 40x microscope think it all comes down to that most mellow of colors: blue. LCDs are comprised of RGB pixels that, combined, form all the rainbow of hues in between. As you can see in the picture above, the PSP-2000's LCD (left) used pixels in a vertical orientation, and the blue pixels were fairly light in color. On the PSP-3000 (right), the pixels are now arranged horizontally, and the blue ones are far darker than before. The dark horizontal lines result in the heinous interlacing, an effect that any Command & Conquer player will tell you wasn't even cool in the 90's. Sony's already called this a "feature" and not a flaw, so if you absolutely must buy a PSP this holiday season the folks at Logic-Sunrise who took the above pics recommend you buy an older 2000-series -- while you still can.

[Thanks Pierce]

Sony "looking into" PSP-3000 screen interlacing problems

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2008 at 9:06AM

Ruh roh. Seems that swanky new LCD on Sony's PSP-3000 could be garnering more complaints than anything else. If you'll recall, the aforesaid system was touted as having a brighter, better screen than the PSP-2000, but now the PlayStation forums are filling up with irate PSP-3000 buyers who are experiencing unexplained scanlines and totally peculiar interlacing problems. As you can see above, the 3000's screen looks noticeably worse than that of the 2000, and while we always hope that these issues are contained, we have at least one Engadget staffer and a Joystiq comrade who can attest to this being real. SCEA has been contacted and is currently "looking into" the matter -- we won't dare say that r-word just yet, but this doesn't look particularly good on the surface. We'll keep you posted.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: A Japanese Sony Computer Entertainment representative has informed us that the interlacing-like lines are just "features" of the new LCD, and currently, there are no plans to fix it with a future software update since it is in the hardware.