Nokia want to make a new trend well known – mobile phones which combine elegant shapes with modern technology. This trend has actually been around for a few years, but Nokia are coming up with new examples of how to develop it. With the 6600 they have designed a chic folder phone, which although it may not have the most features, looks good and can be used with UMTS.
The inside display is 5.4cm and has a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. OLED technology on the monochrome outer display is invisible until the user taps the outside of the phone. The alarm and incoming calls can be silenced in the same way. The 2 megapixel digicam with its double LED flash is also worth mentioning. The radio, stereo-Bluetooth, and an optional GPS adapter complete the package.
Although it all sounds good, features-wise it is nothing special. The main attraction of this phone is the design: the high quality display, the smooth back casing and the shiny front case were all made to impress. The planned launch is in the last quarter of the year, and Nokia expect it to cost around 327 euros.
-idealo.co.uk
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Sony's New 2mm OLED Display
Sony is really pursuing this OLED thing to its biggest potential and put out a new display this week that measures just 2mm thick. We thought the original 3mm model was thin, but it seems Sony is still working on making the process even better.
The new display was recently shown off at the Display 2008 expo trade show in Japan, where Sony also debuted a new version of its $2500 11-inch XEL-1, the world's first mass-produced OLED TV. In this unit, the display panel "glass" measures just 0.3mm thick, about 1/4 the thickness of the prior model. We'll be terribly impressed when the pricing drops by about 1000% and sizes go up to 42-inches or more. Until then, it's fun to watch and wait.
A lot of Sony's technology is proof-of-concept and not slated for commercial release anytime soon - such as a thinner 3.5-inch prototype display which was shown off that measured a mere 0.2mm (0.008in) and featured a 320 x 220 pixel resolution. MP3 players and cell phones might be getting even thinner soon!
-audioholics
The new display was recently shown off at the Display 2008 expo trade show in Japan, where Sony also debuted a new version of its $2500 11-inch XEL-1, the world's first mass-produced OLED TV. In this unit, the display panel "glass" measures just 0.3mm thick, about 1/4 the thickness of the prior model. We'll be terribly impressed when the pricing drops by about 1000% and sizes go up to 42-inches or more. Until then, it's fun to watch and wait.
A lot of Sony's technology is proof-of-concept and not slated for commercial release anytime soon - such as a thinner 3.5-inch prototype display which was shown off that measured a mere 0.2mm (0.008in) and featured a 320 x 220 pixel resolution. MP3 players and cell phones might be getting even thinner soon!
-audioholics
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sony Shows Razor-thin Prototype OLED Screen
Sony has managed to make an OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen that's just one-fifth of a millimeter thick. The prototype screen was on show at last week's Display 2008 exhibition in Tokyo and ranks as the thinnest yet developed.
The prototype 3.5-inch panel, which has QVGA resolution (320 pixels by 240 pixels), started out as a normal OLED screen, but Sony ground down the glass substrate on which it was made to reduce the thickness to just 0.2 millimeters.
Typically OLED screens are pretty thin -- about a millimeter or two thick. That's because OLED pixels emit their own light and so don't require additional illumination. It's this additional illumination, usually in the form of a backlight, that adds to the thickness of LCD (liquid crystal display) panels and means they can't compete with OLED on thickness, at least using current technology.
Due to their thinness, OLED panels consume less power than LCDs, handle fast-moving images better and offer good color reproduction. For these reasons many display makers are developing OLED technology with an eye to it replacing LCD in the future.
At the end of last year Sony began sales of the world's first OLED television. The XEL-1 is based on an 11-inch panel that's 1.4 millimeters thick. Sony has stashed most of the TV's electronics in its base, so the set thickens to only 3 millimeters with a plastic case around the screen.
Using the same glass-grinding trick it could be made even thinner. Sony also showed an 11-inch panel that was 0.3 millimeters thick -- more than a millimeter thinner than the commercial panel it's using in the XEL-1.
The panels aren't Sony's first thin OLED screens. Last year it developed a prototype OLED built onto a plastic substrate, which has the benefit of allowing the screen to be flexible. The screens shown in Tokyo last week, while thin, were brittle because they are glass-based.
There was no word on when or if the thin OLED screens on show might be commercially available.
The prototype 3.5-inch panel, which has QVGA resolution (320 pixels by 240 pixels), started out as a normal OLED screen, but Sony ground down the glass substrate on which it was made to reduce the thickness to just 0.2 millimeters.
Typically OLED screens are pretty thin -- about a millimeter or two thick. That's because OLED pixels emit their own light and so don't require additional illumination. It's this additional illumination, usually in the form of a backlight, that adds to the thickness of LCD (liquid crystal display) panels and means they can't compete with OLED on thickness, at least using current technology.
Due to their thinness, OLED panels consume less power than LCDs, handle fast-moving images better and offer good color reproduction. For these reasons many display makers are developing OLED technology with an eye to it replacing LCD in the future.
At the end of last year Sony began sales of the world's first OLED television. The XEL-1 is based on an 11-inch panel that's 1.4 millimeters thick. Sony has stashed most of the TV's electronics in its base, so the set thickens to only 3 millimeters with a plastic case around the screen.
Using the same glass-grinding trick it could be made even thinner. Sony also showed an 11-inch panel that was 0.3 millimeters thick -- more than a millimeter thinner than the commercial panel it's using in the XEL-1.
The panels aren't Sony's first thin OLED screens. Last year it developed a prototype OLED built onto a plastic substrate, which has the benefit of allowing the screen to be flexible. The screens shown in Tokyo last week, while thin, were brittle because they are glass-based.
There was no word on when or if the thin OLED screens on show might be commercially available.
Friday, June 6, 2008
OLED and 3D Holographic Display Technology to Revolutionize the Display Arena
With liquid crystal display (LCD) technology having reached a point of maturity from where there can only be evolutionary changes rather than revolutionary, the field is open to disruptive, cost-effective technologies. Some of these include organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), 3D and holographic displays, as well as multi-touch interfaces.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Display Technologies, finds that OLED and 3D holographic display technology likely to revolutionize the display arena in the coming years.
3D holography is a much-vaunted technology, since scalability issues do not limit it. Once perfected, it could be the most viable solution for terrain mapping, civil planning applications, and entertainment applications such as game consoles, cinema, and billboards. The medical industry can also benefit from 3D displays in surgical guidance equipment and areas such as radiation oncology.
Of all display technologies, OLED expects to find extensive adoption in a variety of portable consumer electronics, home entertainment, and automotive applications. However, for all its advantages, OLEDs might find the going tough in the large-screen displays. Even in the small- and medium-sized displays, LCD still dominates. "To pose a serious threat to LCDs, the technologically superior OLEDs will have to resolve certain issues such as its color element lifetimes and manufacturing techniques," says Technical Insights Research Analyst Prithvi Raj.
"OLED displays are limited by the relatively short lifetimes of blue OLED and this makes such displays currently unsuitable in a primary television unit," notes Technical Insights Research Analyst Sharmishta S. "However, it should be noted that the half-life of the color elements (including blue) have vastly improved over the past few years and it is likely that it will soon achieve acceptable standards."
-optics
OLEDs are ideal for smaller displays on space/power-critical portable applications such as mobile phones and mp3 players. This is because OLEDs draw far lesser power than LCDs and as they do not require backlighting, these displays can be made extremely thin.
Once OLEDs replace LCDs in the portable consumer electronic displays sector, they can try to forge a path in the larger display segment, provided they employ scalable manufacturing methods. Although OLED technology prices are not likely to drop anytime soon to match LCD displays, its advantages of higher viewing angles, thinner displays, and increased contrast, offers OLED the upper hand.
"OLEDs with their wide viewing angle, high contrast ratio, and absence of backlighting allow for the realization of ultra-slim displays," says Sharmishta S. "3D holography also has tremendous potential and along with OLEDs, is likely to revolutionize the display landscapes in the coming years."
Meanwhile, multitouch display interfaces offer multi-user, multi-input functionality and have been making waves for its simple interface. Applications for this technology range form infrastructure planning to navigation and mapping. This technology could also find applications as a table-top interface in a variety of locations like hotels, clubs, offices, and homes.
"Projection technology has also progressed a great deal with MEMS-based micro-mirrors," says Raj. "Developments are underway to miniaturize current projectors down to levels where they can be housed within mobile devices, thereby opening up new avenues in portable entertainment."
Innovations in Display Technologies, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides a technology overview and outlook for display technologies. The study covers OLEDs, 3D display technology, carbon-nanotube-based FED, and MEMS-based displays. Furthermore, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Display Technologies, finds that OLED and 3D holographic display technology likely to revolutionize the display arena in the coming years.
3D holography is a much-vaunted technology, since scalability issues do not limit it. Once perfected, it could be the most viable solution for terrain mapping, civil planning applications, and entertainment applications such as game consoles, cinema, and billboards. The medical industry can also benefit from 3D displays in surgical guidance equipment and areas such as radiation oncology.
Of all display technologies, OLED expects to find extensive adoption in a variety of portable consumer electronics, home entertainment, and automotive applications. However, for all its advantages, OLEDs might find the going tough in the large-screen displays. Even in the small- and medium-sized displays, LCD still dominates. "To pose a serious threat to LCDs, the technologically superior OLEDs will have to resolve certain issues such as its color element lifetimes and manufacturing techniques," says Technical Insights Research Analyst Prithvi Raj.
"OLED displays are limited by the relatively short lifetimes of blue OLED and this makes such displays currently unsuitable in a primary television unit," notes Technical Insights Research Analyst Sharmishta S. "However, it should be noted that the half-life of the color elements (including blue) have vastly improved over the past few years and it is likely that it will soon achieve acceptable standards."
-optics
OLEDs are ideal for smaller displays on space/power-critical portable applications such as mobile phones and mp3 players. This is because OLEDs draw far lesser power than LCDs and as they do not require backlighting, these displays can be made extremely thin.
Once OLEDs replace LCDs in the portable consumer electronic displays sector, they can try to forge a path in the larger display segment, provided they employ scalable manufacturing methods. Although OLED technology prices are not likely to drop anytime soon to match LCD displays, its advantages of higher viewing angles, thinner displays, and increased contrast, offers OLED the upper hand.
"OLEDs with their wide viewing angle, high contrast ratio, and absence of backlighting allow for the realization of ultra-slim displays," says Sharmishta S. "3D holography also has tremendous potential and along with OLEDs, is likely to revolutionize the display landscapes in the coming years."
Meanwhile, multitouch display interfaces offer multi-user, multi-input functionality and have been making waves for its simple interface. Applications for this technology range form infrastructure planning to navigation and mapping. This technology could also find applications as a table-top interface in a variety of locations like hotels, clubs, offices, and homes.
"Projection technology has also progressed a great deal with MEMS-based micro-mirrors," says Raj. "Developments are underway to miniaturize current projectors down to levels where they can be housed within mobile devices, thereby opening up new avenues in portable entertainment."
Innovations in Display Technologies, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides a technology overview and outlook for display technologies. The study covers OLEDs, 3D display technology, carbon-nanotube-based FED, and MEMS-based displays. Furthermore, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Osram and lighting designer Ingo Maurer unveil OLED table lamp
The limited-edition table lamp shows the potential of using OLEDs as flexible or transparent light sources with a uniform light-generating surface.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and lighting designer Ingo Maurer have unveiled a revolutionary lighting application based on organic LEDs (OLEDs) at the Light+Building Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Ingo Maurer is the first to use OLEDs from OSRAM in a functioning table light.
The limited-edition light, known as "Early Future," shines with tiles directly from the OSRAM laboratory and demonstrates the enormous potential of using OLEDs to create future applications with eye-catching illumination and design elements.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors made prototypes of OLEDs available to the designer for his exclusive creation.
"We are proud that our OLEDs have inspired such a renowned artist as Ingo Maurer to create such an exciting work of art. Early Future is a vision that has become reality. It gives us a glimpse of just how versatile organic OLEDs can be in terms of their design options and applications," said Martin Goetzeler, CEO of OSRAM.
Ingo Maurer used OLED tiles with an area of 132 x 33mm for his creation. For Maurer, unusual design is not an end in itself. "Early Future represents an important stage in the transition from abstract object to functional designer lighting," he said. Maurer has been shaping developments in light-as-art and lighting design for many years. In 1966 he exhibited the designer luminaire Bulb which has been on exhibit in the New York Museum of Modern Art since 1969 along with other works of his. Through the years, Ingo Maurer has received numerous awards for his avant-garde work with light.
Organic LEDs offer all the familiar benefits of LEDs such as high energy efficiency, low operating voltage and mercury-free design, and also have some impressive properties of their own. The light source is not a collection of individual light points but a uniform light-generating surface. Initial laboratory prototypes from OSRAM showed last year the property of transparent light in a usable tile size. Thanks to the layer structure, it is possible to produce not only very thin OLEDs but also scalable ones.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has a team of ~50 research engineers working on the development of OLEDs, turning what may seem like science fiction applications into reality. "In the future it will be possible to use OLEDs as flexible or transparent light sources. A transparent OLED over a window in a roof would allow natural light in during the day and provide fascinating illumination for the room at night," said Dr. Bernhard Stapp, head of Solid State Lighting at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.
There are possible applications for these new light sources in the automotive industry as well. Rear lighting elements could someday be integrated entirely within the rear windshield.
-Leds magazine
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and lighting designer Ingo Maurer have unveiled a revolutionary lighting application based on organic LEDs (OLEDs) at the Light+Building Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Ingo Maurer is the first to use OLEDs from OSRAM in a functioning table light.
The limited-edition light, known as "Early Future," shines with tiles directly from the OSRAM laboratory and demonstrates the enormous potential of using OLEDs to create future applications with eye-catching illumination and design elements.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors made prototypes of OLEDs available to the designer for his exclusive creation.
"We are proud that our OLEDs have inspired such a renowned artist as Ingo Maurer to create such an exciting work of art. Early Future is a vision that has become reality. It gives us a glimpse of just how versatile organic OLEDs can be in terms of their design options and applications," said Martin Goetzeler, CEO of OSRAM.
Ingo Maurer used OLED tiles with an area of 132 x 33mm for his creation. For Maurer, unusual design is not an end in itself. "Early Future represents an important stage in the transition from abstract object to functional designer lighting," he said. Maurer has been shaping developments in light-as-art and lighting design for many years. In 1966 he exhibited the designer luminaire Bulb which has been on exhibit in the New York Museum of Modern Art since 1969 along with other works of his. Through the years, Ingo Maurer has received numerous awards for his avant-garde work with light.
Organic LEDs offer all the familiar benefits of LEDs such as high energy efficiency, low operating voltage and mercury-free design, and also have some impressive properties of their own. The light source is not a collection of individual light points but a uniform light-generating surface. Initial laboratory prototypes from OSRAM showed last year the property of transparent light in a usable tile size. Thanks to the layer structure, it is possible to produce not only very thin OLEDs but also scalable ones.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has a team of ~50 research engineers working on the development of OLEDs, turning what may seem like science fiction applications into reality. "In the future it will be possible to use OLEDs as flexible or transparent light sources. A transparent OLED over a window in a roof would allow natural light in during the day and provide fascinating illumination for the room at night," said Dr. Bernhard Stapp, head of Solid State Lighting at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.
There are possible applications for these new light sources in the automotive industry as well. Rear lighting elements could someday be integrated entirely within the rear windshield.
-Leds magazine
Friday, May 2, 2008
Apple looking to 3G and OLED for iPhone
Apple may be ready to move its mobile phone offering, the iPhone, over to 3G, according to analysts at Gartner.
The consumer electronics giant, whose new phone has a touch screen interface, has been planning a 3G version of the phone, according to Ken Dulaney at Gartner.
He told the iPod Observer that 3Gs HSDPA protocol, which offers download speeds faster than EDGE and GPRS technology which the iPhone currently supports, will be used in future.
The iPhone has not been as successful in Europe, with analysts suspecting that the slower download speeds have put business users off.
Gartner expert Bob Hafner said: "We absolutely believe that in the next-generation iPhone 3G will be there."
Another improvement which is being predicted for the next handset is the inclusion of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen.
The OLED screen, which would be of a higher resolution than the current LCD screen would cut down on power consumption, allowing longer talk time.
OLEDs are also thinner, so the manufacturer could decide between reducing thickness of the phone or adding a larger battery.
Rapid Electronics are one of the UKs leading suppliers of electronic components, electrical products, and industrial supplies to the Consumer Electronics sector.
The consumer electronics giant, whose new phone has a touch screen interface, has been planning a 3G version of the phone, according to Ken Dulaney at Gartner.
He told the iPod Observer that 3Gs HSDPA protocol, which offers download speeds faster than EDGE and GPRS technology which the iPhone currently supports, will be used in future.
The iPhone has not been as successful in Europe, with analysts suspecting that the slower download speeds have put business users off.
Gartner expert Bob Hafner said: "We absolutely believe that in the next-generation iPhone 3G will be there."
Another improvement which is being predicted for the next handset is the inclusion of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen.
The OLED screen, which would be of a higher resolution than the current LCD screen would cut down on power consumption, allowing longer talk time.
OLEDs are also thinner, so the manufacturer could decide between reducing thickness of the phone or adding a larger battery.
Rapid Electronics are one of the UKs leading suppliers of electronic components, electrical products, and industrial supplies to the Consumer Electronics sector.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Motorola U9
Motorola's mobile phones division is in a bit of trouble at the moment having been hived off as a separate business and suffered the indignity of a very public lambasting. The company can only remain a serious player if it produces handsets that people want to buy. With that in mind, what do we make of the U9?
This is a quad-band clamshell phone and it comes in pink and purple. I feel duty bound to explain that Moto suggests this is a handset for the ladies and offers an inane quiz to help you decide which colour suits you.
The phone is Christmas-decoration shiny all over the front and rubbery on the back. The visual design is distinctly PEBL making it two years old in concept.
Despite the design's age I can't really fault Motorola on the rounded ‘bar of soap' style shape. It means the U9 feels as comfy in the hand as the PEBL ever did. And dimensions-wise you are looking at a pocket-friendly 90mm x 49mm x 16mm that weighs a reasonable 87g.
And there is something very new to this mobile - its outer OLED display. Now, OLED displays should not be new to regular readers, but Motorola has done something rather clever with its implementation. The front OLED sits under the outer shell and you'd never know there was a front screen at all when it's not active. When it is, its 128 x 160 pixels provide information in a way that dominates the front of the phone. Moreover there is a touch-responsive element.
When playing music, for example, the screen displays track info for a few seconds and then turns itself off. You can reactivate it by touching the front screen, and this could be handy because there are touch controls for forward, back and pause/play.
When a call comes in the OLED pops up and tells you who is making contact. When nothing much is going on you can tap the volume rocker and change profiles.
When someone sends you an SMS the OLED alerts you. It can display the message and you can send a quick reply using a combination of the left side volume rocker and select key. There are various predefined texts and you can add more. It is a bit of a fiddly system, especially as you need to unlock the side keys before using them, but it could come in handy.
-trustedreview, Sandra Vogel
This is a quad-band clamshell phone and it comes in pink and purple. I feel duty bound to explain that Moto suggests this is a handset for the ladies and offers an inane quiz to help you decide which colour suits you.
The phone is Christmas-decoration shiny all over the front and rubbery on the back. The visual design is distinctly PEBL making it two years old in concept.
Despite the design's age I can't really fault Motorola on the rounded ‘bar of soap' style shape. It means the U9 feels as comfy in the hand as the PEBL ever did. And dimensions-wise you are looking at a pocket-friendly 90mm x 49mm x 16mm that weighs a reasonable 87g.
And there is something very new to this mobile - its outer OLED display. Now, OLED displays should not be new to regular readers, but Motorola has done something rather clever with its implementation. The front OLED sits under the outer shell and you'd never know there was a front screen at all when it's not active. When it is, its 128 x 160 pixels provide information in a way that dominates the front of the phone. Moreover there is a touch-responsive element.
When playing music, for example, the screen displays track info for a few seconds and then turns itself off. You can reactivate it by touching the front screen, and this could be handy because there are touch controls for forward, back and pause/play.
When a call comes in the OLED pops up and tells you who is making contact. When nothing much is going on you can tap the volume rocker and change profiles.
When someone sends you an SMS the OLED alerts you. It can display the message and you can send a quick reply using a combination of the left side volume rocker and select key. There are various predefined texts and you can add more. It is a bit of a fiddly system, especially as you need to unlock the side keys before using them, but it could come in handy.
-trustedreview, Sandra Vogel
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