anti-glare
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Nintendo 3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect
Supersized screens may be the centerpiece of Nintendo's 3DS XL, but a new Iwata Asks interview reveals that its top display packs some new anti-glare tech too. Takashi Murakami, from the company's Mechanical Design Group, notes that each of the LCD's three glare-prone layers were specially treated to reduce reflectivity from the original 3DS' 12 percent, down to three. According to head honcho Iwata, anti-reflection coatings have been on the Big N's radar since the GameBoy Advance era, but were typically abandoned because they were too pricey. The Q&A session also confirmed something we noticed when we put the handheld through the review gauntlet -- the larger display increases the parallax effect, which translates to a deeper looking 3D experience. If your current handheld's screen bounces too much light for your liking, the XL can take its place starting August 19th in North America.
'Invisible glass' could reduce display glare, fails as food-in-teeth mirror
There's nothing worse (seriously, it's scientifically proven) than catching some serious glare on your smartphone, unless you're checking for spinach in your teeth -- but thanks to Nippon Electric Glass' new "invisible glass," an overly reflective surface may be a problem of the past. According to our friends at Tech-On, the company has developed a new type of vitrine that reduces glare by using a special film on each side of the substrate, which allows more light to pass through the layers rather than bounce off the surface. Normal glass reflects around eight percent of light, while the new variety only rebounds 0.5 percent, dramatically reducing the luminous reflectance to around 0.1 percent or lower. Looks like your yearning to purchase this thing is finally justified.
Samsung P580 business laptop hands-on
Boy, Samsung's been keeping us busy today -- in addition to the Q330 and Q530, the company was also showing the P580 business laptop at the British Museum today. The particular unit we played with had a vibrant 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 matte screen, although a higher resolution and greater viewing angle would've made it a prettier package. To our further disappointment, the keyboard was nowhere as good as the Q-series' chiclet offering -- we kept pressing neighboring keys by accident, and the spacebar's right-hand side often failed to pick up our input. An isolated issue? Only time will tell -- you guys might have better luck when this bad boy eventually arrives in the stores.%Gallery-92795%
Samsung announces P580 business notebook with Core i3 / i5 and matte screen
Laptops with anti-glare screens are hard to come by these days, so it's nice to see Samsung adding a new option for us all. What you're looking at here is the P580 notebook, sporting a 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 LED-lit screen and keyboard with numeric keypad. Underneath the hood you'll find a Core i3 or i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (1GB GDDR3) graphics, Trusted Platform Module security, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and 2GB to 4GB of RAM. If you feel that the four chargeable USB 2.0 jacks (one of which is also eSATA) aren't adequate, then there's always the docking port that offers plenty more for your socket fetish. Not bad for a 2.5kg (5.51 pounds) package, and let's hope this workhorse trots in before long with appropriately alluring pricing. Full PR after the break.%Gallery-92739%
Apple said to be pulling all protective screen film products from its stores
You may now be able to choose from a wide assortment of protective screen films at Apple's online or retail stores, but it looks like that won't be the case for much longer. As iLounge is reporting from multiple sources (and we have also heard), Apple will apparently stop selling all protective screen film products starting in May. That includes both film-only products (whether they are used for protective or anti-glare purposes), as well as cases that have a protective film built into them. For its part, Apple isn't giving any reason for the move, or confirming it itself just yet, but it seems like it might not be the most popular decision if it is the case. As iLounge points out, the single most popular iPod "case" in the Apple Store right now is, in fact, a protective film for the iPod touch.
Apple allows matte screens on 15-inch MacBook Pros again
Hooray for all us big-window dwelling Mac users! If you're craving something other than Apple's standard glossy screen, the anti-glare matte finish is an option again on the Apple Store for 15" MacBook Pros. Except it'll cost you $50 extra and replaces the black border with a silver one. Small price to pay for reducing eye strain, says I.[via Engadget]
Apple reinstates matte display option on 15-inch MacBook Pro, charges $50 for it
We'd heard just under a month ago that Apple was mulling the possibility of adding matte display options to more than just its flagship 17-inch MacBook Pro, and lo and behold, it seems the anti-glare revolution has begun. Starting now (like, right now), those in the market for a new unibody 15-inch MacBook Pro can order one directly from Apple with an anti-glare widescreen display, packing 1,440 x 900 pixels and a LED backlight. Sadly, the privilege will run you an extra $50 over the traditional mirrored glossy panel, and it will replace that svelte borderless look present on glossy MBPs with a silver frame bezel (check here to see just what we mean). A brief look around Apple's international sites also shows it available elsewhere in the world for similar amounts, though we're still curious as to what machine will be next in line for the upgrade, er, "option." [Thanks, Pascal and Khattab]
Apple considering matte option on more Macs?
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple might be moving toward providing anti-glare options on more of its Macs, a move that would undoubtedly bring joy to anyone opposed to unbearable glare when using their machine in anything more illuminated than an underground cavern. The company moved to glossy displays on its iMac offerings, and then added them to both its 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros back in October at its Spotlight turns to Notebooks event, leaving only the 17-inch MacBook Pro with an anti-glare option. AppleInsider quotes people "familiar" with the company, who say that Apple is considering the option in response to its core business customers, and that the most likely candidates for the anti-glare treatment would be the 13- and 15-inch laptops. Do it, Apple -- do it for love, do it for ocular relief.
Sony's Moth Eye Blu-ray tech to reduce glare on flat screens
Sony may be putting some of its Blu-ray technology to a different, but still HD, use as the Nikkei reports it plans to cover LCDs , OLEDs, solar cells and anything else it can find with "Moth Eye" to reduce glare. By putting tiny bumps on the display film, it can apparently cut reflection to 0.1-percent or less, which is 1/30 the amount reflected by current displays, with the additional benefit of boosting light display, so screens can use less power. All in all this should make for better looking HDTVs, along with longer battery life for portable devices, and of course Sony will be willing to license it to other firms once it's available in 2010.[Via Trading Markets]
LG.Philips readying smudge-free computer displays
LG.Philips seems to never get bored with finding ways to better the displays our dear eyes scan so, so much, and we'll be straight up, it's hard not to get excited over its latest development. Apparently, the outfit has conjured up a method for ensuring that LCD panels resist smudges, and if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the technology should also enable the screen to shun dirt, dust, fingerprints and permanent ink. Essentially, the new panel "employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," but it isn't handing out any more secrets beyond that. Think you can handle even more good news? Mass production of said panels is slated for the first half of next year, so let the countdown to smudge-free mobile computing begin, eh?[Image courtesy of Tuff-As-Nuts]
