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Super High Aperture: it's why the new iPad's Retina display is so dense
Super High Aperture. Heard of it? Probably not, but thanks to Apple, you'll probably long for days when you didn't in just a few months. According to an in-depth look from the folks at DisplaySearch, the aforesaid technique is the primary reason that Apple was able to shove 2,048 x 1,536 pixels into the 9.7-inch panel on the new iPad. Not surprisingly, it wasn't Apple that conjured up the magic; instead, it was crafted by engineers at Sharp and JSR (a display materials maker from Japan), but it'll be the iPad that makes an otherwise geeky achievement something that the mainstream covets. According to the science behind it, SHA is "a method of increasing aperture ratio by applying approximately a 3 [micrometer] thick photo-definable acrylic resin layer to planarize the device and increase the vertical gap between the [indium tin oxide] pixel electrodes and signal lines." Reportedly, there are also "at least twice as many" LEDs in the panel compared to that on the iPad 2, further suggesting that there's way more battery within the new guy than the last. Technophiles need only dig into the links below to find plenty more where this came from.
HP acknowledges complaints about the HP Envy 15's color calibration, will release a tuning utility in the 'coming weeks'
If you remember, we had some mixed feelings about the HP Envy 15's IPS display when we took the laptop for a spin earlier this year. On the one hand, it offers wide viewing angles, deep contrast and rich saturation. (Not to mention, when are we ever going to complain about 1080p resolution on a 15-incher?) Still, as many disgruntled forum posters have pointed out, the color calibration seems off against other displays, with reds skewing orange and purples veering into bluish territory. At the time, we reached out to HP for comment and were told to sit tight while the company investigated the issue. Well, today we got an answer, and while the outfit is stopping short of admitting any sort of defect, it is willing to concede the color tuning is different, to say the least. Better yet, it's promising a fix for those incapable of un-seeing it. In a statement, HP's PR team said: HP understands that some customers have expressed concern regarding the appearance of the color red in the ENVY 15 full High Definition (HD) panel, and we wanted to reassure our customers that this panel is functioning properly. HP ENVY Series notebooks use optional premium LED-backlit display panels that have a higher color gamut (range of viewable colors), brightness and viewing angles than many display panels. This means that some colors may appear differently than they do on other displays. A company rep added that over the "coming weeks" HP will release a tuning utility that will allow users to adjust the color settings, making those reds redder, et cetera. It's still unclear how extensive these options will be (after all, HP is still steering the most discerning customers toward its DreamColor offerings), but something's most likely better than nothing, right?
Viota ICS tablet has 9.7-inch IPS display and costs $120 wholesale, we go hands-on (video)
It's no surprise that notebooks, Ultrabooks and tablets were pretty much the flavors of the day here at CeBIT, and we've already picked out a few choice selections. So, we're bringing you a second OEM Android tablet, but we liked the sound of it so much, we just had to give it a try. Chinese manufacturers certainly seem to be embracing the 9.7-inch form-factor, and that's what we have here. That translates to a 1024 x 768-pixel display, which benefits from in-plane switching (IPS) for improved viewing angles. Sadly, it's another absolute fingerprint magnet, so you'll need to keep your cloth handy or learn to live with it. We barely handled it at all, and we'd already given the feds enough to catch us several times over.The innards are pretty modest, with a "Boxchip" A10 1.5GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4 gigs of internal memory, but it seemed to run just fine. We were handling an engineering sample at the show, which meant there were a few visual blemishes, but reps promised that they won't find their way into production versions. Unlike other budget (and some not-so-budget) slabs, this one has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a relatively impressive 5-megapixel shooter around the back, supported by a 6,000mAh battery -- which the makers promise provides up to 8 hours of use. Getting out on to the internet can be done via WiFI (802.11b/g/n), or over 3G by popping in a SIM. The all-plastic finish has a few quirks, like the power button sitting next to the camera, but it doesn't look all-together bad given what you're paying -- well, what OEMs will be paying, at least, considering that this tab won't be shipping directly to consumers. As always, we took it for a quick spin, which you can see in the video just after the break.
ASUS Transformer Pad 300 hands-on
Right after ASUS wrapped its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference, the hundreds of journalists present all honed in on the Padfone -- that 4.3-inch handset whose various accessories can turn it into a 10-inch tablet with a full QWERTY keyboard dock. After the crowds thinned, though, we spotted a red tablet sitting by itself in the corner. That would be the Transformer Pad 300, ASUS' new low-end slate. On paper, at least, it's a slightly emasculated Prime, with a 10-inch IPS (but not Super IPS+) display and 16GB of storage, not 32GB or 64GB. Otherwise, the key specs remain the same: a quad-core Tegra 3 chip, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.0, 1280 x 800 resolution and dual 8MP / 1.2MP cameras. (Some models will also have an LTE radio, but that's something we'll have to revisit in a full review.) In any case, we wondered if the 300 would be identical to the Prime in looks as well (those fancy press shots don't always tell an accurate story). Surprisingly, it isn't! Check out the photos below and see if you can spot the differences, and then follow past the break for some quickie impressions.
ASUS outs lower-end Transformer Pad 300 tablet with 16GB of storage and a 1280 x 800 display
Remember when we said ASUS was adding another tablet to its stable? Let's bump that number to an even two. ASUS just announced the Transformer Pad 300, a lower-end match to the new Infinity Series (and also made a quick appearance earlier this month). Hilariously (if rapidly aging gadgets can ever be funny), the 300 is, for all intents and purposes, a watered-down version of the original Transformer Prime -- until recently the most lustworthy tablet. So far as we can tell, the only differences are that it offers different color choices (blue, white and red), a slightly downgraded display and optional LTE. Also, the back is made of plastic. Once again, it has a Tegra 3 chip, 8MP / 2MP cameras, HDMI and a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display. Interestingly, this guy has a regular 'ole IPS screen, not the 600-nit Super IPS+ panel used on the original Prime and the new Infinity tab. The 300 also comes with a fixed 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), whereas the original Prime packed 32GB at the lower end. Still, ASUS won't skimp on some things: it ships with ICS, like its brother, and promises up to 10 hours of battery life (that's 15 with the optional keyboard dock, which is an hour less than what the Infinity Series claims). No word yet on availability, so expect some further announcements in the coming months with pricing specific to different regions.
ViewSonic adds ViewPad G70, E100 and P100 to its tablet collection
In addition to the ICS phone trio, ViewSonic's also just announced three new tablets ahead of the MWC party. Pictured on the left is the 7-inch "super light, super slim" ViewPad G70 -- to be sold alongside the E70 -- featuring Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD expansion, a two-megapixel imager and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, along with various ports including mini HDMI, micro-USB and mini-USB. Oddly enough, ViewSonic hasn't confirmed the G70's processor specs, but we'll let you guys know when we do.Another ICS tablet in this lineup is the 9.7-inch ViewPad E100. While we're still waiting for its press shots, we're told that this slate packs a 1,024 x 768 IPS display, a 1GHz chip, and the usual selection of connectivity like HDMI, USB and microSD. All of this comes in a package weighing 620g and at 9.1mm thick.Last but not least, we have the Windows 7-powered ViewPad P100 pictured on the right, featuring a 10-inch 1,280 × 800 IPS display, a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 and a camera on both the front and the back. No deets on pricing and availability just yet, so stay tuned as we scan the MWC show floor next week.
LG Optimus 4X HD unveiled: Quad-core Tegra 3, Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.7-inch display
If LG failed to impress so far with the Android 2.3 phones it's shown off in the run up to MWC 2012, perhaps the Optimus 4X HD can turn things around. This 4.7-inch beast will hit Europe in the second quarter and is its first to feature a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 as its benchmark destroying CPU, a 4.7-inch True HD IPS LCD (1280x720) plus what appears to be a lightly customized version of Ice Cream Sandwich. Perhaps the only logical followup to its Optimus 2X that kicked off all the dual-core madness, it also includes a 2,150mAh battery, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Despite that huge screen, at a depth of 8.9mm it's only slightly thicker than the superwide 4x3 Optimus Vu. Just like the Fujitsu prototype we spent some time with at CES, the Tegra 3 features a 4+1 "Companion Core" design, with a fifth low power unit available to take care of more mundane tasks without draining the battery. This is all pretty close to the leaked "X3" specs we'd heard, however there's no mention of NFC or HSPA+ just yet, only DLNA and MHL. Check out the full press release after the break for a few more specs.
LG Spectrum hands-on (video)
We got our first glimpse of Verizon's latest LTE family member, the LG Spectrum, yesterday at the manufacturer's event. At the time, however, we weren't given an opportunity to get our own smudge marks on the glossy black device. That's all changed now, as we've spent time on the showroom floor getting know this Android handset -- a veritable twinner of the LG Nitro HD. So click on past the break as we parse through our first impressions.
Panasonic intros 2012 LED line-up, 47 and 55-inch WT50 and DT50
Ready for a bevy of new Panasonic TVs? 2012's lineup shifts almost entirely to LED, with 14 out of the 16 new sets using the tech. There's a metric ton of info packed into one release, but highlights for this year include larger IPS LED TVs and a 25 percent reduction in power consumption across the line. Most impressive are the 47 and 55-inch DT50 and WT50. Differentiated primarily by design -- the WT50 has a super-narrow metal frame and a crescent stand -- they're both IPS LED panels with Viera Connect and can convert 2D content into 3D. And both have four HDMI ports and three USB ports. PR detailing all awaits you after the break.
Panasonic outs 'world's smallest and thinnest' 4K x 2K IPS LCD monitor
The world's smallest and thinnest 4K x 2K monitor? According to Panasonic, you're looking at it. Unfortunately the company conveniently also left out its actual size, but what looks to our eyes like a 15 or 17-inch display that's also only 3.5mm thin? Alright, we'll bite. For those that can do math, that's an array of 8 million pixels and vibrant from all angles thanks to IPS-Pro technology. That's great Panasonic, but put it in a tablet or a laptop and we'll show you the greenbacks. Update: Turns out it's 20.4-inches, and rocks an official total of 8.29 million, hit the official PR after the break to see for yourself.
LG Spectrum eyes-on
Sports, sports, sports, sports. Hey, it's LG spectrum, a good phone at sports! LG showed off its 4.5-inch handset today, during its CES kickoff press event -- and when we say "showed off," we mean exactly that, the company had two models on-hand, and it wasn't letting us poor members of the press actually get our paws on the thing. From our vantage point, however, it really does look to be a solid piece of hardware. It's fairly skinny, in spite of that large display. The body of the thing is pretty straight-forward -- it's a large slab, with rounded corners and a border around the edge that forms a bit of a lip at the point of contact. The top bit of the bezel rocks the Verizon logo and a small, front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera. Below the display are three buttons, the menu and back white touch buttons and a silver home button that adds a bit of flourish to an otherwise drab bezel. That 4.5-inch IPS HD LCD is clearly the centerpiece of the thing, and given the company's ESPN partnership, it was keen on using it to show off sports. And we have to say, the tiny basketball players looks pretty crisp -- high-def may be the key to watching video on such a relatively small screen. Well, HD and squinting. Flip it over and you'll see a subtle checkered pattern on the glossy rear. At top, a good deal of real estate is devoted to the 8MP camera, including a large, silver border. A white LG logo is smack dab in the center, and a not-so-subtle reminder of the phone's 4G LTE capabilities graces the bottom, along with two small speaker grills. All in all, this is shaping up to be an extremely solid phone -- sports-lover or no. It'll hit on January 19th for $200.
LG Spectrum cranks out the Verizon LTE, coming January 19th for $200
We had a pretty strong hunch that the LG Spectrum, a rumored Verizon LTE handset, would stop by CES to say hello, and sure 'nuff, here it is. The new device is coming out on January 19th for $200, and has a lot to love: it offers a 4.5-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS display utilizing RGB, a Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8MP camera in the back with LED flash and 1080p video capture, a 1.3MP front-facing cam and HDMI mirroring with MHL. Verizon's boasting the Spectrum as the first and only device that features ESPN ScoreCenter content in HD, as well as a SmartMovie HD app that lets you create and edit videos directly on the phone. What about Ice Cream Sandwich? Nope, not yet. The Spectrum sports Gingerbread for now, but it should get the upgrade sometime in the first half of 2012. Given that most top-notch 4G phones on Verizon debuted at $300 in 2011, we'd say this is a breath of fresh air for anyone who wants some good specs. Check out all the details in the press release below.
LG introduces four new IPS monitors in 23 and 27-inch sizes, 2D to 3D conversion on tap
Another suite of monitors are ready to grace your desk and decimate your budget. LG has announced four new series of monitors here at CES, all using IPS panels to delivery good viewing angles and 2D to 3D conversion technology that will add some faux depth to your flat images. Top of the line is the DM92, a 27-incher with skinny bezels that's optimized for gaming, though we don't have any important figures like refresh rates and the like. There's a 23-inch DM82 with a "chic and futuristic design" clocking in at 23-inches and offering 7-watt speakers. The DM52 offers 27-inch and 23-inch models with "versatility and efficiency," which we presume means budget pricing, and then there's the D43, "optimized for cinema" with its "Super resolution" upconversion tech. We don't have full specs so we don't know just how super the pixel density is on that guy or the others, nor pricing, but we'll be updating with pictures and details as soon as we get them. Until then, dig into the press release below for all the marketing speak you crave.
Lenovo's 55-inch IdeaTV K91 is the world's first Android Ice Cream Sandwich TV
Back in late November last year, Lenovo's Chinese folks teased a certain IdeaTV or LeTV for launch this year, and now we finally get to see it in its full glory. Dubbed the K91, we're looking at a 55-inch IPS 3D HDTV running Android Ice Cream Sandwich (a first for smart TVs, yet not quite a Google TV), and inside it sits a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon APQ8060. Dig a little deeper and you'll also find 1GB of RAM, 8GB storage, SD card expansion, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 10M/100M Ethernet, HDMI and USB 2.0 connectivity (which is much needed for an external hard drive to store video content). As you can see in the pictures, the K91 will come with some Lenovo cloud services, including an app store (but the TV will have over 100 apps preloaded, anyway) and video-on-demand, along with voice control and facial recognition (mainly for child lock, we presume) using its five-megapixel webcam. As always, we'll get back to you as soon as we get information on dates and prices.
LG Fantasy Windows Phone meets Mr. Blurrycam for the first time, hit it off
Sometimes the story behind the Blurrycam images are more interesting than the photos themselves. In this case, a member of XDA-Dev purchased an early model of the LG Fantasy -- an upcoming Windows Phone likely to launch early next year -- from a tester in Romania. The only spec given from the lucky buyer so far is a 4-inch IPS display. From outward appearance we're expecting the Fantasy to be a midrange device, but there's no way of telling what kinds of secrets lay beneath yet. Chances are we'll learn more secrets in just a couple weeks at CES.
LG gets ready for CES with a new gang of IPS monitors
It looks like LG couldn't wait until next month's CES to share its very latest selection of monitors. They're all IPS screens, and include the D43 3D monitor, which offers a conversion mode from 2D images and a 3D hotkey. It's joined by the 27-inch, slim-bezeled DM92 and the DM82; a 23-incher with built-in seven-watt speakers. The DM52 straddles both sizes and will be up for grabs alongside the rest of LG's new display family starting February. Monitor mavens can consult the press release below.
Motorola Xoom 2 review
Motorola's Xoom 2 arrives at a point where Apple's iPad (first- or second-generation...) still dominates the tablet market. The original Xoom was the first tablet to arrive with Android Honeycomb, an OS dedicated to the tablet form. In the months since we gave it a middling review, plenty more tablets arrived, faster, thinner, and more longevous (like the Galaxy Tab 10.1). So what now? Well, Motorola has recast its Xoom: it's made it faster, slimmer and lighter. They've beefed up the disappointing screen found on the original, it's now a Gorilla Glass-coated IPS screen that promises 178-degree viewing angles. But Motorola has also cut more corners than the four you see before you -- ones that it hopes customers won't miss. However, with a certain quad-cored, ICS-imminent transforming tablet already stealing the hearts of many an Engadget reader (and editor), does this slimline sequel do enough to make up for its past mistakes? Is there now enough in the Android market to make Google-powered tablets a viable alternative to the iPad? Is £396 ($620) now too much to pay for a 16GB Android tablet that's merely dual-core? We'll be sure to try and answer all these right after the break. %Gallery-140928%
AT&T's LG Nitro HD goes up for sale, LTE-enabled Gingerbread pep for $250
In case you forget that AT&T's latest LTE-equipped smartphone hit shelves today, consider this a friendly reminder from your mobile obsessed friends here at Engadget. We're talking about the LG's Nitro HD, the 4.5-inch device we lovingly handled last week -- loaded with a skinned version of Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, running atop its peppy 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 dual-core processor. If you'll recall, it's notably packing a 1280 x 720p screen resolution with an ultra-crisp looking 329ppi, an 8 megapixel rear camera (1.3 MP up front) and a healthy 4GB of internal storage supplemented by an included 16GB microSD card (expandable to 32GB). Thankfully, bloatware on the Nitro is at an all time low, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that's it's been confirmed to be loaded with the ickyness of Carrier IQ. Sure, it's not as tasty as an Ice Cream Sandwich, but if your hungering for LTE-enabled 4G speeds on Ma Bell, at least you now have a third option. It can be yours now for $250 with a two-year renewal of service, and you'll find more info at the source link below.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime review
Is there any tablet that's hotter than the Transformer Prime right now? (Please, don't say the Kindle Fire.) For weeks we geeks, early adopters and people who love their tech toys have been awaiting this, and none too patiently. Make no mistake: this will be one of the slickest products we test this year and it isn't just because the original Transformer had such an inventive design. The Prime is the first device packing NVIDIA's hot-off-the-presses Tegra 3 SoC, making it the world's first quad-core tablet. This comes with promises of longer-than-ever runtime and blazing performance (five times faster than Tegra 2, to be exact), all wrapped in a package measuring just 8.3mm (0.33 inches) thick -- even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1. Throw in specs like a Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass display, eight megapixel rear camera and a confirmed ICS update in the pipe and even we seen-it-all Engadget editors were drooling. All of which means we dropped just everything when a 32GB Prime showed up on our doorstep earlier this week, and soon enough, you'll have your chance to nab one too. ASUS announced today that the WiFi-only models will be available through online sellers the week of December 19th, and in retail the week after. (No word yet on 3G versions for the US just yet.) It'll start at $499 for the 32GB model -- not bad considering five hundred bucks is the going rate for a high-end tablet with 16GB of storage. From there you can get a 64GB number for $599, while that signature keyboard dock will set you back a further $149. Worth it? Read on to find out. %Gallery-140706%
The AOC Aire Pro: a 23-inch IPS monitor for $199
If your battalion of bargain-hunting web bots is doing its job properly, then you should already have been alerted to AOC's new sub-$200 IPS monitor. Oh, hold on, we're the bots? Right then, here are the key specs: you get Full HD at 60Hz spread over 23 inches, a meaninglessly high 50 million:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time, twin HDMI sockets and built-in speakers, all housed in brushed aluminum shell that's less than 0.4 inches thick. The Aire Pro is available from today and there's further info in the PR after the break. Will that be all?
