Thin
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LG's E90 monitor slims down to 7.3mm thickness by stuffing everything into its excessively glossy base
LG's just announced a new desktop visualizer for us all and it looks a promising proposition with its stupendously thin 7.3mm profile and minimal bezels surrounding the screen. But wait, it can't be all good news and it's not, as LG's also decided to apply an ultra-glossy finish to the E90, which should easily neutralize any understated appeal it might otherwise have had. As usual with these ultraslim displays, most of the electronics are encased in the E90's base, though the specs themselves don't seem to be showing any sacrifices. You're looking at an LED-backlit panel with a 2-millisecond response time, a 1920 x 1080 resolution (on the 21.5-inch E2290V), 250 nits of brightness, analog, digital and HDMI inputs, a 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and a €329 ($435) MSRP. It should be available at some point later this month, see video of its appearance at IFA this year after the break.
Nendo's ceramic circuit board speaker gives the rest of the audio world body image issues
We've seen slick hand-crafted ceramic speakers in the past, but this one millimeter-thick collaboration between potter Mitsuke Masagasu and design firm Nendo is in a different league. An entirely different league. The set is result of the so-called Revalue Nippon Project, created by Japanese footballer Nakata Hidetoshi to revive traditional Japanese art forms. Nakata selected five curators -- in this case the director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazaw -- who were then tasked with pairing a ceramicist and designer to collaborate on a one of a kind form. Not satisfied with simply being 31 times thinner than the emaciated Mythos XTR series as a sole basis for artistic impact, the speaker's ravishing circuit design is also made without a human touch. Instead, a computer-controlled process cuts thin slices from a ceramic substrate slab, fixes them with mercury vapor, and then mounts them via a robotic arm. Amazingly, sound quality is still also touted as being top notch. There are no plans however for these speakers to ever be mass produced, so if you were hoping to snag one as the ultimate accessory for your über-modern flat... well, let yourself down easy, alright champ? %Gallery-108170%
NEC develops thin, flexible and 'practical' Organic Radical Battery
NEC first announced its super-thin Organic Radical Battery (or ORB) technology a full five years ago, but it's now finally back with what it describes as the first "practical" prototypes of the batteries. While these new batteries are about twice as thick as NEC's first such units, they're still only 0.7 mm thin, and are apparently much more reliable while also delivering 1.4 times more output (specifically, a capacity of 5mAh). The key to that boost, it seems, are some newly developed, highly conductive cathodes, which consists of some solid organic radical material that were turned into a gel and then uniformly compounded with carbon materials. What does that mean for actual consumers? Well, if NEC has its way, the batteries could be a thin, flexible power source for things like smart cards, wearable devices, and flexible e-paper displays. Full press release is after the break.
LG Display snatches 'world's thinnest bezel' title from Samsung with new 37-inch LCD
They say two things about war: that it never changes and that nobody ever wins. Tell that to thin bezel fans, however, and they'll point you in the direction of the LG-Samsung tussle for the title of world's thinnest bezel separation. Samsung snatched the glory last month with its 55-inch Digital Information Display, but today LG is upping the ante with a nearly nonexistent frame around its new 37-inch LCD panel. There's 2.5mm of bezel on the bottom and right side of the screen, and 1.5mm on the top and left sides, resulting in a microscopic 4mm (0.16 inches) of separation. The panel's designed for outdoor advertising, can be stacked infinitely, and will get its debut demonstration at the FPD International 2010 show in Japan later this month.
Sharp's ultraslim BD-AV70 Blu-ray / BDXL player hitting Japan soon for over a grand
Remember that slimmer-than-slim Blu-ray 3D / BDXL player that Sharp demonstrated at CEATEC? Looks like the world now has a ship date and price, though you aren't likely to be keen on either. The unit itself -- which measures but 35mm thick and looks eerily familiar to the slimmed-down PlayStation 2 -- will tout a Blu-ray recorder while supporting BD 3D and BDXL playback, and there's even compatibility with OTA broadcasts for those looking to toast television to blank Blu-ray media. Naturally, a contraption this awesome is going to be reserved for the Japanese market, with reports suggesting that it'll ship anywhere between mid-December to early January. The real kicker, however, is the price -- at ¥85,000 ($1,047 based on today's exchange rate), we're surmising that only a handful of individuals can afford to give this thing the time of day. And that, friends, is a modern day travesty.
HP's 2310e is less than an inch thick, packs 1080p display, asks for $289 tithe
After the 2310m comes the, erm, 2310e. HP has put its 1080p-resolving 23-inch monitor on a strict training regimen and returned with this new unit that checks in at under an inch in thickness. The 2310e brings as much gloss as a humanoid can handle, even going so far as to replace the usual buttons with touch-sensitive light-up controls. Speaking of light, the jumbo HP logo on the back blossoms in a lustrous white when you turn it on. If that doesn't curb your enthusiasm for this cake slicer, you'll want to know it has DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, 250 nits of brightness, a 5ms response time, and an admittedly meaningless 8,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Price is set at $289 and US availability is expected on September 29th.
LG teases world's thinnest (2.9mm) OLED television, other goodies ahead of IFA
We didn't catch any glimpses of an Optimus Pad or anything even close to the monstrous 180-inch plasma we've been hearing about, but a quick stroll through LG's still-under-construction facilities at IFA today revealed the kiosk for its insanely thin 31-inch 3D OLED television, whose price (if it ever even hits retail, that is) is likely to make even Black Card holders squirm. All told, LG's booth consumes an entire floor of one of Messe Berlin's many halls, so it's a big one; the emphasis is clearly on its flat panel TVs, though there are dedicated areas for its Blu-ray gear and store kiosk solution as well. More on all this after the show opens on Friday, no doubt! %Gallery-100860%
Shuttle's excessively thin XS35 nettop now shipping, 1080p Ion 2 graphics and all
It's been a long wait (nearly half a year, in fact), but Shuttle has finally transitioned the XS35 from a luscious HTPC promise into a retail reality. The 1.5-inch thick nettop is today rolling out to online retailers in the US and Canada, offering three preconfigured options to suit a variety of budgets. All come with built-in 802.11n WiFi, a dual-core 1.66GHz Atom D510 CPU, 5 USB ports, and a 4-in-1 media card reader, while the pricier two also include DVD-RW drives for good measure. The top XS35 spec gives you 500GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, a HDMI output, and the crowning glory of NVIDIA's scrumptious Ion 2 powering 1080p video playback. Newegg doesn't seem to yet have that SKU available, but it's priced the other two at $240 and $290, suggesting a price somewhere north of $300 for the complete package. Full press release after the break. Update: And sure enough, the Ion 2-equipped SX35 has also made its Newegg debut, yours for $380. Thanks, RatioTitle!
Sharp's 30-screen display features world's thinnest bezel separation (video)
We've all been impressed by multiscreen setups before. Thing is, the bezel dividing the displays is always a distraction to the overall effect. Sharp's new LED backlit PN-V601 60-inch LCD monitor hopes to resolve this a bit with a 2.4-mm bezel width on the right-side and bottom and 4.1-mm bezel along the left-side and top. The result is a meager 6.5mm display separation when inserted into a 5x6 matrix of 30 adjoining LCDs as demonstrated above at the product launch. Check the impressive results in the video after the break, it's a little like watching the opening scene of The Dark Knight through razor-thin chickenwire. Ok, not really, but it's worth a look anyway.
Amazon Kindle slimming down in August?
Color might still be out of the question -- both now and far into the future -- but Amazon seems fit to take out some of the Kindle's fat. Bloomberg has it on word that the company will debut a thinner version of its e-book reader in August, and the new workout regiment will also enhance its screen sharpness and responsiveness. No word on if this'll apply to current models or be an entirely different variant, but in addition to no color, we do hear it lacks a touch screen. Bummer, but if the price is right, we'll bite.
Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 upgrades to Atom D510, keeps NVIDIA Ion, 1080p playback, and ultraslim look
The world might be all abuzz about Ion 2 already, but we reckon we can still make room for an NVIDIA Ion nettop that measures a malnourished 21mm in width and offers full 1080p video playback. The successor to Lenovo's IdeaCentre Q110, the Q150 is built around a pair of Intel Atom options -- the single-core D410 or dual-core D510, both running at 1.6GHz -- and will come with Windows 7 Home (Basic or Premium) preloaded, built-in WiFi, a quartet of USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI output should you pick up the Ion option. The wireless Multimedia Remote with Keyboard is also optional, but Lenovo seems to rightly expect you to want one in order to match the stylishness of the machine. The starting price for this little beaut is listed at $249, with availability by the end of June, but expect to pay quite a bit more for the fully outfitted option above. One more intimate pic of the Q150 awaits after the break.
Mythos XTR-50 speakers exude aircraft style, remain grounded by price tag
Let's get this out of the way: at 38mm (1.5 inches) thick, these Mythos XTR-50 speakers are not the "world's thinnest," no matter what manufacturer Definitive Technology might have you believe -- JVC dropped 31mm satellites onto our secret wishlists just last fall. But unless you live in Japan, the Mythos XTR-50 may be the thinnest speakers you can actually buy. Made completely from aircraft grade aluminum, the enclosure houses six domed drivers and a tweeter, themselves shaped from aluminum, and connected with copper-covered aluminum wire. Why all the aluminum, you ask? The obvious reason is that -- in moderation -- it's lighter and stronger than alternative materials, which contributes to these satellites' luscious curves, but it also means that the entire assembly acts as a giant heatsink. Logical design -- who would have believed it. Too bad the units cost $700 each, and you'll need at least two -- if not five -- to get the full effect.
ASUS' ultra-thin RT-N56U router reflects on its CeBIT display
Frankly, it's not at all easy finding the new goodies at ASUS' CeBIT booth, but luckily we managed to catch word of this crazy spectacle of a router. Introducing, dear reader, the RT-N56U. It supports 802.11a/b/g/n, dual band support, 3G HSDPA USB dongles, printers and HDDs (via USB). Input methods include Two USB ports, four Gigabit LAN and one Gigabit WAN... no wait, this is impressive but inconsequential. It's just really, really thin -- and that's all that matters here, right? It's also quite reflective; just imagine trying to take a picture of a mirror behind a foggy window, and you'll understand our pain with product photography today. No details on price or release date. Video after the break. %Gallery-87371%
Acer not making a tablet, will focus on ultra-thin laptops
We're sort of loving Acer's new bad-boy vibe -- not only have company execs recently gone on record saying that US PC manufacturers will be dead within 20 years and that they want to "change the Microsoft-Intel environment" with Chrome OS, but now they're standing firm while everyone else races to do a tablet. At least that's the word from Acer Taiwan president Scott Lin, who told Digitimes that while Acer can certainly produce a tablet device, it doesn't fit into the company's business model. What's more, he doubts that other companies can simply copy Apple's hardware and succeed -- instead, Acer's going to focus on ultra-thin laptops, a category Acer expects to account for 20-30 percent of its business this year. Lin also said Acer will introduce some new models that are less then 2cm (.7 inches) thick -- assuming there's an ARM-based Chrome OS netbook in that mix, we can certainly see the super thin and light laptop category and the tablet category aligning as direct competitors in the near future.
MSI outs exceptionally exquisite X-Slim X420 laptop
MSI's just outed another in its X-Slim series laptops, this one dubbed the X420. The 14-inch, ultra thinny boasts a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 or SU4100 CPUs, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 graphics with up to 1GB of DDR3 VRAM, an up to 500GB SATA, and a choice of 4 or 8-cell batteries. Other features include Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel webcam, but the real conversation piece here is looks, in our opinion -- we're really digging the translucent, coffee brown profile of this Windows 7 thin and light. The MSI X-Slim X420 has a starting price of about $799 -- hit the links for a full review, too!
Samsung 9000 series LED LCD TV eyes-on (video)
Right in the middle of Samsung's CES front garden were these gorgeous ultra-slim LED LCD TVs, dubbed the 9000 series and comes with a fancy remote controller which we saw earlier. Even with a pencil stuck to the side it's hard to appreciate how thin it really is, so we've got you lovely peeps a video (including a pan scan of the booth front) and a couple more photos after the break. You're welcome.
LG's 6.9mm thin LED-backlit LCD hands-on at CES
Seagate has a 2.5-inch hard drive that measures 7mm thick. LG now has a big frickin' television that's even thinner. Today at the company's CES 2010 press event, the "future" of LG's TV business was briefly unveiled. At just 6.9mm thin, it's easily one of the slimmest sets we've ever had the opportunity to ogle, and when speaking with executives afterwards, they confessed that more details would flow (including a real model name and estimated pricing) later in the year. As for availability? You could actually see this mythical creature and its 10mm bezel on store shelves by the end of this year, though we got the impression that it may ship first in Japan before heading Stateside. Oh, and we're guessing LG will utilize that newly forged WHDI partnership to get this thing to operate wirelessly. After all, who has room for an HDMI socket when the whole chassis is slimmer than your pinky finger? %Gallery-81725%
LG announces "world's thinnest" 42-inch LCD panel
We're gearing up for CES 2010, which means the race to show off an even thinner "worlds thinnest" LCD TV panel is heating up -- and it looks like LG's taking an early lead by announcing a new 42-inch 1080p panel that's just 2.6mm (.1 inch) thin. The prototype LED-backlit 120Hz display weighs just under 8.8 pounds , but we don't have any other specs on it just yet -- but we're sure we'll find out far more 17 days from now in Vegas. Press release below.
Seagate's 7mm Momentus Thin 2.5-inch hard disk for slim, high-capacity laptops: a world's first
Any advancement in commercial storage is big news 'round here so we're stoked to learn of a new ultra-thin hard disk from Seagate meant to slake our jones for super-slim portable computing. Seems that Seagate's already sampling a 7-mm high disk as part of its Momentus Thin series of drives scheduled to be launched at CES in January. Impressive, especially when you consider that just about every 2.5-inch SATA disk we cover measures in at 9.5-mm high. Although Seagate doesn't give specifics, we assume the drive will be spinning a single platter. And knowing that dual-platter 2.5-inch disks currently max out at 640GB (or 320GB per platter), we expect Seagate to at least match that single-platter capacity, but probably improve upon it via a boost in areal density. Feel free to offer your guess in comments until all is revealed on January 5th.
Dell Vostro V13 is $450, .65 inches thick, available 'worldwide' today (update: video!)
You had to know Dell's comically secretive product launch strategy would eventually break down, and here we go: although the company is teasing an "unnamed $450 Vostro" to US media, Dell Singapore has just gone ahead and launched the thing officially as the Vostro V13, complete with specs. Oops. While Dell PR tries to put out that fire, we can dance in the rubble and tell you that Dell's putting everything it learned building the Adamo XPS to some more practical use in the .65-inch thick, sub-3.5-pound V13, which packs either a 1.2GHz Celeron, 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo or 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo with integrated X4500MHD graphics under that 13.3-inch screen. Sure, the design isn't as wild as the Adamo XPS, but the extra thickness means that it can accommodate an Ethernet port, along with eSATA, USB, an SD card slot and even a freaking ExpressCard slot. All this for just a confirmed US$450 on the low end? Okay, sign us up. Hit the Dell Singapore link for more pics and a nice 360-degree view. Update: Added a video after the break so you can hear Dell pitch the V13 direct. Update 2: It's now official in America, starts at $449 and can be had "worldwide" starting today. %Gallery-79806% [Thanks, Daniel]
