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Samsung's Galaxy Tab will come with Gorilla Glass screen
It might not share the Galaxy S' vibrant Super AMOLED display, but there is one way in which the Galaxy Tab's visage is identical to its elder smartphone sibling: both are protected by Gorilla Glass. Corning has just dropped a quickie press release to announce that Samsung's upcoming 7-inch tablet will benefit from its scratch- and impact-resistant alkali-aluminosilicate goodness. Guess now Samsung's ad advising us to stuff this slate into our pants pockets makes a lot more sense. [Thanks, Olivier]
Samsung Galaxy S sporting Gorilla Glass to protect that precious AMOLED
Remember this horribly painful video? The Gorilla Glass protection on the Dell Streak is undoubtedly a selling point, and now Corning, the maker of said glass, has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S (which includes the Vibrant, Captivate, Fascinate, and Epic 4G in its brood) employs the same alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield. The glass is similar to the "helicopter windshield" stuff Apple uses on the iPhone 4, which was rumored to be Gorilla Glass at one point, and while neither tech is impervious to shattering, they certainly can take a beating -- but just try and do that pen stab torture test while we're not looking, alright? We don't have the stomach to witness another beautiful Android handset so roughly handled. PR is after the break.
Stab-proof Gorilla Glass coming to TVs near you in 2011
If you go to Corning Inc's website, you'll see the company advertises its seemingly indestructible Gorilla Glass as being available for LCD TV sets, but to this point, no major manufacturer has taken up this tempting offer. That's all about to change, apparently, as Corning has recently announced plans to massively expand its production capacity (see press release after the break) and is now predicting it'll secure its first deal this fall. The benefits of going Gorilla are increased durability, strength and scratch resistance, which some are arguing could be a big selling point to display makers keen on doing away with plastic bezels and exposing edge-to-edge glass surfaces. Of course, the disadvantage is that we'd have to pay up to $60 more for a panel with the extra-tough stuff inside, but then having the option is better than not, right?
Dell Streak's supposed US packaging is gorgeous, unboxed with elegance
Well, the Brits ain't gonna be happy when they see this in the AM. What we're looking at here is presumably the Dell Streak's final US packaging -- a far cry from the cardboard boxes that the Englishmen are given (and let's not forget the silly photoshop error on the top). If the features list is correct, this five-inch Android phone is definitely headed to AT&T's 850MHz 3G band for now (hang in there, T-Mobile fans). Other than that, the accessories and the phone itself look identical to what we've got in London, but we totally wouldn't mind getting hold of this sexy acrylic box -- it'd make a pretty cool cradle, don't you think? Head over to the source link to feed your eyes. Update: Here's another found on eBay. [Thanks, Johnny S.]
Acer working on frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard?
Would you believe that Acer is working on a frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard? As far-fetched as the idea might be, it's certainly plausible, expected even. The idea, as rumored by DigiTimes, involves doing away with the display's frame by printing colors directly onto the back of the display's reinforced glass substrate from Corning (a la Gorilla Glass presumably). Coupled with a touchscreen keyboard, the rumored device should be impossibly thin by traditional laptop comparisons. Keep in mind that we've already seen this Frame Zero concept pictured above from Fujitsu and Acer's arch-rival ASUS has been showing off its dual-display laptop prototype with touchscreen keyboard for months. Even the OLPC XO-3 plans to eschew the clickity keyboard in favor of a touchscreen version. And anyone who has ever seen a scifi movie knows that tactile keyboards and display bezels have no role to play in our computing future anyway, so we might as well get things started now -- or in the second half of 2010 according to DigiTimes' sources.
Sonim XP2 Spirit gets hammered with Engadget
At the MWC Pepcom event earlier in the week we bumped into Sonim and its almost indestructible handset, the Sonim XP2 Spirit. The XP2 is a seriously tough set with the display covered in Gorilla Glass from Corning, a magnesium core, and a shell crafted with hardened rubber and fiberglass, all backed by a rather bold unconditional 3-year guarantee: you break it, they replace it. Sonim gave us an opportunity to try to destroy the thing, and... well, how could we turn down an offer to try and smash a phone? So with hammer and nail we give it an honest go -- follow on to the video after the break to see who wins.
Motorola Droid and Dell Adamo latest to get Gorilla glass
Corning's darn-near-impenetrable Gorilla glass certainly isn't new -- in fact, we spied it in a few of Motion Computing's tablets just a few months ago -- but it's still not commonplace on mainstream gizmos. Yet. SmartPlanet sat down with Dr. Donnell Walton, senior applications engineer at Corning, in order to discuss the merits of the display technology as well as its importance in the gadget space. The discussion also mentioned that both Motorola's Droid and Dell's Adamo (not to mention Cowon's S9 PMP) are sporting the glass, which acts to make displays "damage-resistant." Not surprisingly, the company is seeing huge demand in the smartphone arena, where touchscreen-centric phones are being shoved into pockets at random and then costing manufacturers big bucks as return rates creep up. It's a pretty interesting read if you're into that type of thing, and yes, we did just give you permission to try and split your Droid display wide open in a moment of frustration. Just don't count on Motorola to accept that as a valid excuse for your RMA. [Thanks, Jeff]
Elmira-Corning, NY viewers to finally get ABC and CBS in high-def
Just in time for the NFL playoffs and March Madness, TV viewers in the Elmira-Corning, New York area will suddenly have lots more to cheer about when firing up the tube. ABC affiliate WENY-TV, alongside CBS affiliate WENY-DT2, will finally deliver programming to locals in high-definition "within the next week or two." The addition of ABC and CBS in HD to the area has been a long time coming, and it's actually being pushed back a few days as the network waits for a few last minute hardware acquisitions to arrive. HD channel additions are always welcome, but getting broadcast stations in high-def... now that's something special.
Corning battons down the hatches for rough LCD waters
Even if the economic climate favors RPTVs for one last hurrah, things are looking grim for LCD demand -- just ask Corning, which has backed off of its previous financial guidance for the near-term future. The global economy being what it is, production from Taiwanese manufacturing plants in particular has decreased demand for the LCD glass substrates "more precipitously than expected," and similar pains are being felt at the Samsung Corning Precision Glass operation in Korea. The news gets more ominous still when the company cites uncertainty in both LCD supply chain and retail sales as reasons to decline any updated guidance for Q4 2008 or 2009. It's not all doom and gloom, of course -- this environment can play in your favor if you're in the market for a new TV.
TWC adds three more HD channels in Jamestown / Binghampton, NY
While Time Warner Cable has been boosting HD lineups in overcrowded areas of New York and New Jersey for a few months now, folks in the less traveled portions of NY have gone without. Granted, it's no onslaught of 50, but we have received word that Disney HD, ABC Family HD and Toon Disney HD have just landed on EPGs in Jamestown, Binghampton, Corning and Elmira, NY (along with surrounding areas). So, we can expect the other 47 soon, right TWC? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Greg]
Corning considers the color of its crystal, chooses TV glass
If you ask folks around Engadget HD to name a luxurious work of art, chances are you'll hear something like "Samsung LN70F91BD." Outside these walls, though, if you ask around a crowd of a more wine-and-cheese bent, you might get a response like "Verre de Soie Steuben Vase." Those two worlds have Corning glass in common, at least for a little while longer. On one hand, Corning is the largest supplier of glass substrates for flat panel displays. On the other, it also has a long history (since 1903) of glass artisanship in its Steuben brand. Times being what they are, though, Steuben is losing money and the flat panel display glass business accounts for about half of the company's sales, with growth expected to rise along with LCD's fortunes. Sadly, Corning is looking at either selling off Steuben or closing it down. We're hoping a buyer is found; as much as we love our TVs, we'd hate to see them associated with the end of artwork we've seen in the Corning Museum of Glass.
Corning recommends 65-inch LCDs for "average" American living rooms
For today's installment of "lost in translation," we have a recommendation from Corning -- a 65-inch LCD is just about right for the average North American home. We're totally on board with that, and it's not surprising that the substrate glass manufacturer is pushing LCDs. But the "average" figures used to come up with the recommendation leave us scratching our heads: a viewing distance of 6.5-feet in a living room measuring 8 x 9-feet. By most sizing charts we've seen, below about 9-feet viewing distance on a 65-inch display, you'll be wishing you'd purchased that 1440P set. And while we're doing the math, what's with the average living room size of 8 x 9-feet? That can't be the average size of the 21st century American living room, especially for the kind of consumer who can afford a 65-inch LCD.
Corning develops bendable fiber optic cable
Corning announced today that it has overcome a major roadblock in the proliferation of fiber optic lines around the world (or at least where Verizon wants to pay to put them in). For years, providers have been struggling against a deficiency in fiber optic cable which causes the pipe to vent light when bent or curved, or lose it entirely if twisted too far. Now, however, researchers at Corning have developed a new variant to keep data moving: tiny, nanostructure "guardrails" that surround the fiber's core. The "rails" keep light from seeping out, yet are flexible enough to be wound around a pencil while delivering a signal at full strength. Corning hasn't put the piping into production yet, but when it does, Verizon says it's ready to use it -- which means pretty soon we're all going to be talking like that annoying kid from the FiOS commercials.[Thanks, Larence M]
Sharp & Corning expand LCD production
After stumbling in the race to dominate LCDs due to a lack of production capacity, it appears Sharp is doing something about it. Corning has announced plans to expand an existing plant later this year, as well as an agreement to supply Sharp with 40" LCD screens. Also of note is that they are calling these new screens the most "environmentally-friendly" LCD glass on the market.The flat panel market continues the go big or go home trend, but have we seen the 32" LCD for $799 yet? (Actually, it appears there are a few.)
