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RiTdisplay begins producing inexpensive a-Si AMOLED displays for smartphone makers
Sure, you'd expect to find an amorphous silicon backplane behind your LCD, but RiTdisplay has now begun producing a-Si AMOLED displays that, according to the company, are a world's first. Developed in conjunction with Ignis Innovation, the 3.5-inch panel was first unveiled at last month's SID Display Week, where it beamed images in 320 x 480 resolution. RiT says its a-Si-based AMOLED screens are relatively inexpensive to produce, potentially posing an alternative to its LTPS-backplaned brethren. The company has already begun manufacturing the displays for undisclosed smartphone makers, though there's no word yet on when we can expect to see them pop up in commercial devices. But if the technology proves to be as cost-effective as RiT claims, it could go a long way toward patching up that AMOLED shortage -- as long as you're not too picky about resolution. Brief PR after the break.
Toshiba Qosmio T851 can do simultaneous 2D and glasses-free 3D, arriving in Japan this July
Glasses-free 3D on your laptop is now just a couple of brief months away. Toshiba has set loose details of its new 15.6-inch Qosmio T851, and this fella promises to not only dispense with the unstylish glasses, but to also give you 2D and 3D imagery at the same time. You'll be able to view content in differing dimensions in neighboring windows (as illustrated above), thanks to the familiar parallax technique -- sending a different image to each eye -- which is here aided by the integrated webcam to track the position of your face in order to deliver the most fittingly angled visuals. There's also integrated 2D to 3D conversion, powered by a dedicated SpursEngine image processor, with Face3D technology automatically recognizing faces and applies a "human depth template" to their features. Aside from Toshi's obsession with faces, there's a GeForce GT540M churning out the graphics, a Core i5-2410M processing processes, up to 8GB of RAM, and a BDXL-reading Blu-ray player. Shipping begins in July, just as soon as the kitchen sink has been fully attached.
World's first robot marathon gets off to a slow start, will likely stay that way
It might take them a good 92 hours longer than the fastest human runners, but a group of five pint-sized humanoids have officially embarked on the world's first full-length robot marathon. The Robo Mara Full, put on by Japanese robotics company Vstone, kicked off this week in Osaka, Japan, and will see the mechanized competitors through a 42 kilometer (26 mile) race, estimated to last several days. During the marathon, entrants will circle a 100-meter indoor track a total of 422 times with little help from their human coaches -- contact is only permitted during battery and servo replacement. Vstone's Robovie-PC led the pack at the outset, but with three days left to go, it's still any robot's game. You can check out a live feed of all the, uh, slow and furious action at the coverage link below, and get a full overview of the race, complete with embarrassing translation, by following the source link.
Italy's Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn't actually broadcasting 3D TV
While Mediaset appears to be (one of) the first to convey 3D content over a terrestrial connection, it isn't actually serving up any 3D television -- it is "datacasting" or ever-so-slowly downloading 3D movies to a set-top box, which you may later consume directly from the hard disk that received them. The innovation here is in the utilization of spare airwaves to basically trickle a movie into your Motive Bestv STB -- we know, it's an irrelevancy to most of you cable- and internet-connected media mavens, but it's one way to deliver 3D content to less technologically developed nations. Motive is already in talks with companies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Turkey about doing the same, but Italy gets the honor of being first with a choice of 50 3D titles on Mediaset's 3VOD service. Let's see what the Azzurri think of it, eh?
World's first camera goes on public display in Macau
If you thought the golden anniversary of Olympus' Pen camera was something, get a load of this. From now until August 23rd, an elaborate exhibition entitled 'The Invention of Photography and the Earliest Photographs' will showcase some of digital imaging's earliest tools, including the planet's oldest camera. The wooden sliding box shown above will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of the Macau-based expo, though it will be surrounded by 250 photography antiques and 180 old photos, which were collections lent by the Nicephore Niepce Museum and 12 other museums, cultural institutions and private collectors around the world. Anyone planning on making the trip over? Make sure you take a few snapshots with your 90s-era point-and-shoot, cool?
Sharp AQUOS DX series: world's first LCD HDTV with built-in Blu-ray
Tough luck, Mitsubishi and Funai. Big talk is all fine and dandy, but in our world, it's the results that count. Say hello to Sharp's AQUOS DX family, the world's first range of LCD HDTVs to boast internal Blu-ray players. Slated to hit in 26- (LC-26DX1), 32- (LC-32DX1), 37- (LC-37DX1), 42- (LC-42DX1), 46- (LC-46DX1) and 52-inch (LC-52DX1) sizes, the whole lot will come equipped with an integrated HDTV tuner, bottom-mounted speaker and the ability to handle BD flicks sans an external deck. Of note, only the 37-inch through 52-inch sets offer Full HD 1080p resolutions (1,920 x 1,080), as the other two get stuck with "just" 1,366 x 768. Best of all, those in Japan will barely have to wait a month to see these in shops, as the entire crew is destined to ship in late November (in black and white motifs) for around ¥200,000 ($1,963) to ¥500,000 ($4,909) depending on size. As for the rest of the globe? Put on your patience caps.[Via Impress]
