Gizmodo: tft

Casio Claims Highest Density TFT With 960x540 in 2 Inches

John Herrman — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:00:00 EDT

Fresh from the arms-races-that-I-didn't-even-know-were-happening department comes Casio's latest venture in ultra-high density LCD panels, which has resulted in a 546ppi, 960x540, 2.0-inch TFT. To put that into real-world terms (or "iPhone terms" as they're called around here), that means that this display is over three times as dense as the iPhone's already lush 160ppi panel. A less useful (but more entertaining) way to explain this would be to say that if the tech could be scaled to suit a 40-inch widescreen TV, it would have a stunning resolution of 10800p.

Consumers' main contact point with high density LCDs is through mobile phones and personal media players, which will be the likely application for this new tech. In hardware such as phones, though, the screen will typically be far enough from users' eyes that the increase in density will go unnoticed (at arm's length my HTC Touch Diamond's screen, at a measly 260ppi, is as sharp as I can discern). Honestly though, can anyone say they wouldn't be at least a little excited by a 720p iPod? Thought so. [Casio via Akihabara]

AUO Curved Displays, Ultra Thin LCDs On The Way

Adrian Covert — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:20:00 EDT

At SID 2008 this week AUO announced the launch of curved displays, LCD panels that are just over a half millimeter thick and TFT multi-touch panels. The curved displays are said to be the first built on glass substrate (honestly, that's way over my head, but I'm sure a few of you will care). Because the display has a curve radius of 100mm, it requires a special thinning technology. But mostly, I like this thing because it just looks cool.

AUO will also release a superthin, 1.9" TFT display that is .63 mm thick, while the 8" multi-touch TFT panels that veer away from the trend of multi-touch glass panels. Can you say handheld tablet UMPCs? [InfoSyncWorld]

NEC Develops a Heart-Shaped LCD For Justin Timberlake Fans Everywhere

Sean Fallon — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:40:00 EDT

The push towards non-rectangular displays is in full swing now that NEC has developed a more flexible TFT display that integrates the wiring circuits along the perimeter of the LCD glass. As a result, a wider variety of shapes becomes possible—like the heart-shaped prototype pictured above. Despite its prototype status, my guess is that it won't be long before you see little girls everywhere Bedazzling these things and cramming them full of Justin Timberlake photos. I can't wait. [NEC]

Ocean Leader PMP Has Disappearing Screen

Jason Chen — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:40:48 EDT

China's Ocean Leader Development isn't known for their cool MP3 players, but this PMP comes with a disappearing 1.8-inch TFT display, which means it only shows when necessary. Other than this, it's a standard player with FM radio, built-in speaker, MP3/WMA/AMV support, e-Book functionality, and a circular control pad. We're not saying we want this disappearing screen to be integrated into an iPod or a Zune, we're just saying it's one of those things that makes you go "Hey, that's neat," before you put it back on the shelf. [Made In China via PM PToday via Gadget Venue]

Venzero Slickr PMP Wants to Be iPhone Nano

kthompson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:26:48 EDT

If it looks a bit like an iPhone nano but doesn't work like one, it could be a Slickr. Sporting the same sleek looks that made the iPhone a hit (in a smaller frame), the Slickr loses a lot of cool points when you realize it doesn't have touch screen capabilities. Even though it's reliant on button navigation, this German beauty still has a few handy features that could make it worth the $129 price tag.

It's smaller than the iPhone in both stature and size, bringing home a mere 2GB of memory with an SD card slot for expansion. You can play MP3s, WMAs, and WAV files, view JPEGs and watch AVI movies on the 2.83" TFT screen. An FM radio is also tucked away inside, and if you don't need to use headphones you can try the built-in speaker instead.

You can also record voice memos in WAV format, which segues nicely to another unique feature of the Slickr: MUSICMARKER. It's basically Verizon's SongID or AT&T's MusicID phone service that listens to a song and deduces the track title and artist by analyzing the sounds. Unlike those services, though, the MUSICMARKER requires users to connect their Slickr to their computer before the analysis can take place, so you won't be able to actually ID any songs until long after you've heard them.

Functional, chic and cheap, the Venzero Slickr is coming stateside sometime in August, but you can pick one up now from Venzero's site if you're willing to splurge on the shipping. [Venzero Slickr via Crave]

Upgrade Path: Apple to Shove LED Backlighting into Notebooks By End of '07?

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 May 2007 18:20:14 EDT

Now that Apple's gone and promised to place LED backlighting into their LCDs this year, the only thing for you to do is time your purchase of a new laptop so you can get in on the fun. Digitimes—a pretty hit or miss source—is claiming that Apple will place LEDs into both the 13.3 and 15.4-inch laptops by the end of '07.

Digitime's sources from Taiwan say that two companies, AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics, are both having samples certified by Apple and will start shipments in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of '07. So, it looks like the time frame for laptop upgrades seem to be the end of this year. – Jason Chen

New Apple LED-based notebooks to adopt panels and BLUs from Taiwan, say sources [Digitimes via Apple Insider]

Origen's Pimped Out HTPC Case Houses 1080p Display

Louis Ramirez — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:35:39 EST

Forget about all those fancy component-style Media Center PCs you've seen out there. This here is the Bentley of them all, packing a 12-inch, sliding LCD that's claimed to hit the 1080p sweet spot. As if that weren't enough, tucked behind the touchscreen display sits a media bay hub with audio, USB, and FireWire ports. Inside you can stuff up to...

ten hard drives while the case's sliding mobo tray makes accessing your ATX or micro ATX board a one-step process. There's no word on pricing, but considering Origen's other LCD-toting cases max out at $599, I'm guessing the S21T might very well reach just shy of a grand. – Louis Ramirez

Product Page [via PVR Blog]

Zigview: Twisted Display

johnb — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:27:13 EDT

Ok, ok, some pervert is obviously going to see the new Zigview digital angle viewfinder and think: "Wow, just what I need for all my 'up-the-skirt' shots." And while we're not condoning that usage for it, low-angle sidewalk shots are certainly an option with this new device. Attach this baby to the eyepiece of your digital or film SLR and it displays the image in real time on a two-inch/TFT color display for easy viewing from a variety of angles. Low-angle macro work and cool ant's-eye perspective shots are two of the more interesting (and legal) usages we can think of for the Zigview. But the device also might appeal to news photographers trying to take high-angle "Hail Mary" shots over huge crowds. The Zigview is being distributed in the U.S. by Argraph.—Dan Havlik

Product Page [Argraph]