Konica Minolta has taken the first step towards that roll-to-roll printing of OLED screens by unveiling the world’s first inkjet printhead capable of printing the displays. The printhead is called the KM128SNG-MB, and it is a high-precision inkjet printhead for printed electronics and OLED displays. The drop size the printhead produces is one picoliter.

Konica Minolta uses silicon MEMS technology to manufacture the printhead. That same technology is we used in semiconductor processing and allows the development of a small printhead measuring 38mm wide with 128 nozzles a row capable of ejecting tiny drops of ink. Konica Minolta says that the MEMS technology will allow the printhead to be made even smaller in the future. The printhead is optimized for resistance to the inks used and for low viscosity inks that are used in industrial applications. The printhead will go on sale in sample quantities this spring.

[via OLED-display]

Apparently, the Microsoft Surface device will be used to train developers at the college. After hearing about the second-generation Surface system for so long, it’s cool to see it in the wild and in the hands of developers and end-users. This machine runs Windows 7 Pro and it appears to operate pretty much like a normal computer.

Once assembled and booted, the people in the video playing with the device a bit and we see them using Bing for searches, touching the screen all around, and checking out maps. I will say it appears that the graphics are crystal clear and very smooth even when things are being twisted, turned, and shoved around on the desktop. I think if I had an extra $9000 burning a hole in my pocket, the second-generation Microsoft Surface might be in my game room. Check out the unboxing video below to see for yourself.

[via Istartedsomething.com]

Currently, Samsung Mobile Display is jointly owned by Samsung Electroncs, with 64.4-percent, and Samsung SDI, holding the minority 35.6-percent. The joint-venture is unlisted on the stock exchange, but operates semi-independently, supplying not only Samsung Electronics but other companies with AMOLED displays.

That could change, at least partly, if Samsung Electronics decides to bring the display business in-house. Such a move with give the company even more choice for the first-pick of new panel technologies, and allow it to better control the access of rivals to the screens.

As the smartphone and tablet markets heat up, that advantage could see Samsung extend its lead in the Android segment, as well as better challenge high-profile rivals like the iPhone. Apple has already shown how tight control over the supply-chain can work to a firm’s advantage; now Samsung looks to be following in those footsteps.

[via OLED-Info]

Initially, though, production will be more conservative, ramping up from around 8,000 panels per month. LG Display will use the time to make a decision on investment into its 8G OLED production facilities, expecting to decide in Q3 this year whether to pump cash into large-scale production in 2013.

The panels will be slotted into high-end sets like the LG 55EM9600, launched at CES. Less than 4mm thick and weighing just 16 pounds, the TV supports passive 3D and Full HD resolution, though LG is yet to say exactly what it – or production variants – will cost. More details on the 55EM9600 in our eyes-on report.

LG Display announced another loss-making quarter, but at 6.25 billion won ($5.56m) it was an altogether more successful three month period than the previous year, when the company made a $239m loss. Panel production is expected to be low through 2012, the company has warned, though the market is expected to grow compared to 2011.

[via OLED-Display]

We got our very own hands-on look at the current (second-generation) Qualcomm Mirasol display a few weeks ago at CES 2012. What we saw was a fabulous bit of hope for the future but, for a production model, not quite ready for the mass market. That said, the brightness and the butterfly effect (in more ways than one) will have a massive impact on the market in the near future:

What you’re seeing is the Kyobo Mirasol eReader in its current lovely form. Note that Qualcomm’s purchase of Pixtronix is sure to take effect on future products rather than this current model e-reader. Pixtronix is a business established in 2005 by a fellow named Nesbitt Hagood with one 5-inch prototype display currently associated with Chimei Innolux. What this and future Pixtronix displays are set to do is correct color accuracy in Mirasol-based displays for the Qualcomm group – perfection coming up!

[via Electronista]

GM R&D has come up with a concept that makes the windows of the car a transparent display. In the front, the windows can show the driver navigation information, so they can keep eyes on the road. That would be very cool indeed, and it reminds me of the tech in the latest Mission Impossible movie. GM worked with students at the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel with the students coming up with app ideas for the cool windows.

The apps the students came up with include Otto, Foofu, Spindow, and Pond. Otto puts a flying character over the landscape; Foofu makes faux stem on the windows that the kids can draw in; Pond is a music-streaming app, and Spindow lets the users peek into other windows that users around the world create. Sadly, GM says that it has no immediate plans to use these awesome windows in its vehicles. I bet this tech is crazy expensive right now.

You also get a 2W stereo speaker setup built in, though we’re guessing most users will want to plug in an external system if they care about audio at all. The 16:9 aspect panel has 250 cd/m2 brightness and a 5ms response time, and AOC is quoting the usual, ridiculous dynamic contrast ratio: in this case, 20,000,000:1.

AOC throws in two pairs of 3D glasses, one traditional set and another that clip onto prescription glasses; you can also use them with other passive 3D displays, like HDTVs. The ACO E2352PHZ is on sale now, priced at $299.

The photo here is a tie up with Samsung and Absolut Vodka showing a cooler with the transparent LCD for the door. That is a very interesting way to use the big display. The panel has a contrast ratio of 4,500:1 and supports 1366 x 768 HD resolution. It also can display 70% of the standard color gamut even though you can see through it.

I can imagine that the special cooler would draw some attention in the grocery or liquor store. I would assume that it will show moving images and commercials, not just still images as the photo implies. Samsung is also working on a 22-inch transparent LCD that is now being commercialized. The transparent LCD panel was awarded at 2012 CES Innovations Award.

The MT65 Presenter display is Full HD with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, supports 3D, and offers up to 32 simultaneous touch points. The LED backlit screen is rated for 50,000 hours and is protected by 3mm thick ultra-clear tempered glass.

Inside, the MT65 Presenter packs a quad-core Intel Core i7 2720QM processor with 8GB of RAM, 256GB SATA SSD, and a discrete GeForce GTX 460 GPU. It also has built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet connectivity along with stereo speakers, stereo microphone, an HD webcam with Carl Zeiss optics, and HDMI port.

Although the MT65 Presenter would be awesome to have in your home, at $17,500 it’s obviously priced for commercial use such as in museums or other public spaces. It will be available with either Windows 7 Professional 64-bit or Linux starting in March.

[via GizMag]

Samsung actually showed off the transparent display technology back in March 2011, suggesting at the time that it could be used for advertising. Unfortunately that application proved too mundane to catch the public’s attention in quite the way Samsung hoped for, hence the return of the tech last week and the far more exciting prospect of your double-glazing telling you your latest Tweets, Facebook friend requests and Google+ Hangouts.

As well as giving internet updates and letting you work on your latest report for work while simultaneously keeping an eye on the kids in the garden, the smart window can create its own virtual privacy shades. Although during the day, it’s ambient light that works as the backlight, two traditional edge-lighting sources are also fitted for nighttime use.

Tech-wise, the 22-inch panel runs at 1680 x 1050 resolution and has a 500:1 contrast ratio. Regular LCDs are only 5-percent transparent, whereas Samsung’s new panels increase that to 15-20-percent. Unfortunately there’s still no word on pricing or domestic availability.

Perceptive pixels has been shipping these large-scale displays since mid-2011 but what makes this one special is the outer layer on the screen. This prototype device represents the largest touch display to feature Corning Gorilla Glass, adding Corning’s thin, visually stunning and durable glass to the world’s largest projected capacitive flat-panel display technology.

With Perceptive’s class-leading technology and Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 2 measuring just 2mm thick they are able to make these entire screens just 6 inches in depth. Adding the strengthened glass from Corning allows these panels to be used in a wide array of situations and horizontal positions. You can see right on video the demonstrator uses the stylus with force and near the end even punches the display to demonstrate the strength from the glass –something that will surely protect these expensive screens from impact damage.

For more information regarding Gorilla Glass 2 check out our timeline below for the details. In the future we can expect even more from both of these companies as things progress.

As for the TDi2340 universal display, that’s an altogether more interesting proposition. Described by ViewSonic as an “anchor for cloud computing devices”, the 23-inch monitor supports 10-point multitouch and wireless connections with your smartphone, tablet, or notebook.

Inside there’s an ARM11 processor running a custom ViewSonic UI, that supposedly makes viewing photos and streamed video more straightforward; Netflix and YouTube get name-checked. For more businesslike purposes, you can apparently either set the TDi2340 up as an extended desktop or in dual-display mode.

No word on pricing for either monitor, but they’re both expected to drop sometime in Q2 2012.

Corning has also detailed a few more bits that are sure to make the masses jump with glee. This new amalgamation in the glass allows for brighter images on the whole (though they don’t mention exactly how) and greater touch sensitivity. Specifically they’re touting this touch sensitivity as working really great with this year’s oncoming torrential downpour of Windows 8 devices. Touch your way to a whole new experience, essentially.

The folks at Corning have also sent along some details on what they’ve done as far as business for 2011 goes – specifically that inside 2011, once all the numbers are tabulated, they’re expected to reach more than $700 million USD in sales. That’s more than triple, they say, what they made in 2010. With simple yet fabulously effective improvements such as what they’ve revealed here, there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t bump up again this year. We’ll be checking out Corning tonight to see what they’ve got in store for us for hands-on action. Join us then!

We’ve seen similar offerings hit mass production from the likes of Samsung and now everyone else seems to be rushing to get their own out. Today at CES that is exactly what 3M Touch Systems had on display for our team at SlashGear to enjoy.

3M took things a step further than the competition and showcased their 46″ Projected Capacitive Technology display that is capable of multiple simultaneous users with a 60 touch point capacitive screen. 3M’s device will allow 4 split screens for users to multi-task, multi-touch, and anything else you can think up at the same exact time.

We quickly gave this tablet-like table a run to see how well it would fair and while it’s only a prototype — the results were more than pleasing. The capacitive touch was extremely responsive although pressure sensitivity could use some adjustment. In the video demonstration below you can see near the end I can swivel, rotate, and resize all without a stutter or delay in video playback. Impressive right?

Now I just need one in my coffee table, bathroom mirror, and anywhere else that would be unnecessarily awesome.

Sony will continue to push OLED displays for its corporate clients, such as broadcast television and other niche uses. However, North American and European sales of OLED sets will cease, just as they did in Japan back in 2010, and new models on the roadmap have been cancelled.

The company was the first to commercialize an OLED TV, the XEL-1, all the way back in 2007. Measuring just 11-inches and a scant 3mm thick, the XEL-1 nonetheless carried a vast price tag: around $2,500.

Sony followed the XEL-1 with the promise of a $200m investment in an OLED production line, hoping to deliver medium and large scale panels. That cash injection seems to have been for naught, however, and Sony is scaling back on all its panel endeavors including selling up its share of the S-LCD joint-venture with Samsung. Sony will continue small-scale R&D into OLED, the company has said, but for now it seems the Japanese firm is content to let its Korean rivals own the OLED space.

[via OLED-Display]

Users can expect a crisp, visually-stunning picture on the Series 9 monitor. This 27-inch monitor has Samsung’s Natural Color Expert technology for “maximum panel performance”. See colors the way they were intended to be seen on this quad high-definition (QHD) resolution (2560 x 1440). Link your Android MHL-compatible smartphone, and enjoy the built-in stereo audio or benefit from a much larger screen than the one on your smartphone. The new Series 9 monitor will be available in March 2012, starting at $1199.99.

Samsung has also released information about their Series 7 Smart Station and Series 7 HDTV monitor. The Smart Station is part HD monitor, part wireless docking station, now with the ability to integrate with mobile devices in addition to notebook PCs, peripherals, network and AV. Samsung’s new Series 7 HDTV monitor (TB750) includes HDTV functionality with a built-in TV tuner and integrated wireless display (WiDi) technology from Intel. Both will be available in 24- and 27-inch displays. The Series 7 Smart Station will begin at $549 while pricing for the Series 7 HDTV monitor will begin at $599.

[via Press Release (Series 9) & Press Release (Series 7)]

Plug in to your notebook – USB 3.0 is best, though USB 2.0 is supported as well though you’ll lack the highest speeds of the integrated hub – and you instantly get a Full HD display, two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 and ethernet connections. The webcam is a 720p HD unit, and the display can recharge your notebook too. It will go on sale in February, priced at $319.

As for the HP LV1911 and LV2011, they measure up at 18.5- and 20-inches respectively, use LED backlit panels running at 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900 respectively, and each pack a single VGA input. Basic stuff, with pricing to match: the HP LV2011 will go on sale in February, priced at $135, with the LV1911 following on in March for $125.

HP also announced the Omni 27 all-in-one PC this morning, along with the HP Pavilion HPE h9 Phoenix performance PC.

“This transaction will enable [Sony] to monetize its shares in S-LCD and aims to secure a flexible and steady supply of LCD panels from Samsung, based on market prices and without the responsibility and costs of operating a manufacturing facility” the Japanese company says. As for Samsung, it “anticipates heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations.”

The deal is another step in Sony’s attempts to bring its large-format LCD business into profit, the TV division proving to be a significant money pit in recent quarters. Back in November, Sony warned of losses of around $1.15bn, with under-performance in the TV segment a sizable contributor to that.

Initial goals of LCD production, Sony explained, had been set when there was a shortage of panels and the belief that demand would continue to grow. Both those factors proved unreliable, leaving Sony with a wasteful production setup. The company announced plans to divide the LCD business into three, one section handling the legacy LCD TV business (using Sony-designed and produced components), another the ODM business (using third-party components) and finally a group that would be responsible for “developing and designing the next generation TV.”

A 100,000:1 contrast ratio and broader color gamut than similarly sized LCD panels add to a response time in excess of 1,000x faster than LCD, along with reduced power consumption from more intelligent backlighting. There’s also what LG is calling “White OLED (WOLED)” which vertically stacks red, green and blue diodes on a white diode base.

Where LG Display has been particularly clever is in the backplane, using an Oxide TFT tech rather than Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) as is currently common in OLED, for identical picture quality and performance but “significantly reduced investment levels.”

Those cheaper manufacturing costs will be essential if large-scale OLED is to take on LCD and plasma in the living room. Existing OLED TVs commercially released have generally been both small and expensive; LG has shown it can go big, but there’s no word on whether this particular OLED HDTV will see a retail launch or simply be used as a tech demo for WOLED and Oxide TFT processes.

[via Engadget]

It still manages to pack in 7W integrated speakers and that all-important IPS display, however, with support for 3D graphics. The DM52 series includes 23- and 27-inch models, with 3D support and both HDMI and USB inputs for showing content from your computer, AV kit or even a thumb-drive.

As for the LG D43, that can actively convert 2D graphics into 3D, without demanding any specific software be running on your computer or AV player. A dedicated 3D button allows for simple tweaking of the depth effect.

LG will be showing off the new range at CES 2012, with a global launch beginning in February. No word on pricing at this stage.

The screen is 23-inches wide and the dock will shoot video content from the iPhone or iPod directly to the 23-inch screen for viewing. The dock also uses SRS Premium Sound loudspeakers. The ability to shoot video directly to the screen and improve audio makes the display a nice multimedia station for iPhone and iPod users.

The e2343Fi will be on display at CES next month. AOC will also be showing off a new 3D display at CES in 23-inch size and a mobile USB display. That USB display can be a portable monitor or a digital photo frame. Pricing and availability on the displays is unknown.

The decision to throw in extra pixels is part of Apple’s strategy to better differentiate the MacBook Pro line-up from Windows-based notebooks, the insiders reckon. Apple has for some time now used the same Intel processors and AMD/NVIDIA GPUs as its PC rivals, relying on OS X and its distinctive industrial design to hold the MacBook Pro apart.

However, a more comprehensive refresh of the notebook is believed to be in the pipeline, with aesthetics said to be borrowed from the MacBook Air turning the existing Pro into a slimmed-down powerhouse for mobile professionals. A switch to all-SSD storage is also rumored, bringing fast boot-up and resume times, as well as having a significant impact on in-app performance.

2880 x 1800 resolution would bring the 13-inch MBP to a crazy 261ppi, while the 15-inch would be 226ppi and the 17-inch would be 200ppi.

Apple is also expected to remove the integrated optical drive from the new MacBook Pro, a casualty of the pared-down chassis design and the rise of digital distribution for music, video and software. The higher-spec MacBook Pro could also shift further up the notebook range, with Apple using a new 15-inch MacBook Air to cater for the entry-level and mid-range mainstream markets instead.

The system would operate “by measuring the path length of an amplitude modulated scanning beam as a function of the phase shift thereof” while simultaneously “visual image user feedback concerning the detected user input is presented” Apple’s document suggests. A more simple implementation might track movement in 3D space around the computer and simply show the results on-screen; however, Apple’s application also suggests that audio feedback could be used, such as a clicking as you rotate a virtual knob, or a 3D display using a complex system of projections and mirrors.

Exactly how practical such a setup might be would depend on the intended portability of the computer itself. While a projection box of some sort makes sense with a desktop rig, it could prove cumbersome when tethered to a MacBook Pro, for instance. In that situation, straightforward on-screen controls navigated via gesture would perhaps make more sense.

Apple also envisages the system potentially being integrated with head-tracking, either using angle of gaze or other motions to trigger functions like scroll and zoom, or implementing a motorized camera to keep the user in-view, along with user-presence detection. The 3D display system could also be slaved to a smaller device, such as an iPhone or iPod, to augment the portable gadget’s own, smaller screen and “thereby considerably enhancing the usability of the device, and substantially enhancing and improving the user experience.”

An actual 3D display and the associated user-tracking is obviously not expected any time soon by Apple, despite what the company’s engineers appear to be working on now. This latest patent looks to be a modified version of one, also by Apple, granted back in September. At the time, it was speculated that the tech would allow the company to integrate 3D displays and complex gesturing with mobile devices.

[via Unwired-View]

The monitor will sell for a reasonable price of $139 and it has a resolution of 1366 x 768 at 60Hz. It is very power efficient with a draw of only eight watts of power and it has an integrated stand. That stand can support the monitor in portrait or landscape mode. It lacks integrated speakers and sports a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The brightness rating for the screen is 200 cd/m2 and the contrast ratio is 500:1. It supports 16 million colors and is energy star compliant. You can pick one up from several online sources and retail stores right now.

Of course, we’re a long way from an actual production version of what Samsung is speculating about – for a start, all the non-display tech has to go somewhere – but the Korean company is expected to launch its first flexible-display AMOLED products in 2012. Tipped to be used in both phones and tablets, the most likely implementation is perhaps a hybrid of the both, such as the seamless folding screen MID/phone prototype the company revealed earlier this year.

Samsung isn’t the only company to be considering flexible displays as a possible way to improve mobile device usability; Nokia has gone on record claiming that a flexible phone bearing its logo – such as the functioning Kinetic concept it showed at Nokia World 2011 – could be around three years away. Still, the Korean’s manufacturing heft leaves it in a solid position to beat rivals to the market, even if they won’t be able to replicate quite the same experience as you see in the video below.

[via OLED-Info]

Since putting things on top of displays normally ends in cracks and weeping, Samsung has outfitted this particular panel with a sheet of tempered glass that can withstand 80kg. However the expectation is that it will be used for eye-catching (and convenient) tricks like scanning documents placed on top or – since wall-mounting is an option – held against it.

The LCD itself runs at 1080p 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, with 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles. It has a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, a brightness of 300 cd/m2 and an 8ms response time.

Samsung reckons it can “actively take the lead” in the large-scale touch display market, though hasn’t spilled details on what clients other than Microsoft it might have. It’s also unclear whether the multitouch panel might show up in consumer Samsung TVs, though the company would have to extend the range that PixelSense could track objects if it wanted to, say, integrate the motion-tracking experience of a Kinect sensor.

Microsoft Surface SUR40 demo:

The DX2500 uses parallax barrier technology and can show the 3D effects with no glasses needed. The tech in the display also supports head tracking as well to ensure that the user gets the best quality possible when viewing the monitor. That head tracking tech means that the viewer can venture outside the narrow range of viewing angles that parallax barrier displays normally impose.

The head tracking is done using a camera embedded inside the monitor that can detect changes in the user’s eye and head position in real time. Using that positional data the display is then able to adjust itself for optimal 3D effects. The display is also capable of converting 2D to 3D for movies and games with a click. The DX2500 is available in Korean now and will ship globally in early 2012 at an undisclosed price.

The display measured 27-inches and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 for full HD 3D content and video gaming. The 3D chip tech will work with any video card as well. The display ships with a single pair of 3D glasses. Connectivity for the display includes HDMI. The other new product is the H9500BD projector that will support 3D tech from NVIDIA.

The projector also converts 2D to 3D automatically and has full 1080p resolution. It can throw an image up to 300-inches diagonally. The projector uses DLP tech and has a 120Hz and 3D software. It has 50000:1 contrast ratio and uses active shutter 3D glasses. It has 2000 ANSI lumens of brightness and supports 16:9 and 4:3. The projector sells for $1,999.99 and the display sells for $599.

Co-developed with Planar, the two existing prototypes come in sizes of 21.9″ by 33.9″ with an aspect ratio of 1:1.5 and 48″ by 27″ with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Much like tablets, the displays have ambient light sensors and also sensors for motion, meaning they have the ability to turn on and off by themselves, conserving power. Also borrowing from our tablets is Samsung’s goal of bringing a market-like service to the panels where users could search for new art to display and purchase it right from the device.

Samsung intends for this to be a new market of displays. They claim artist are eager to start making works with the new technology, and their goal is to develop this into a new medium. There is no information on pricing available at this time, however it’s safe to assume it will be much pricier than a standard LCD TV set. Samsung says the first SM’ART Gallery Panels will be available sometime in mid-2012.

[via Chip Chick]

The source also claims that the Apple is investing in Sharp’s Japanese manufacturing facilities. Although no investment figure was divulged, we’ve heard rumors from analysts previously that Apple planned to invest $1 billion. The move is part of Apple’s efforts to work with multiple component makers to ensure sufficient supply of parts for its iPhones and iPads.

The source further claims that Apple already uses Sharp displays in its iPhones and plans to also use Sharp displays for its next-gen iPhone that’s due out sometime next year. LG and Samsung were said to supply the displays for Apple’s iPad 2, with a supply bottleneck earlier this year that was rumored to be the result of some faulty light leaking displays from LG, although these reports have not been confirmed.

Moving screens supply to Sharp will help ease off reliance on LG and especially Samsung, which is currently locked in several patent battles with Apple across multiple continents. Sharp is also said to be supplying Apple’s rumored iTV for 2012.

[via 9to5 Mac]

EIH invested NT$1.5bn ($49m) in CPT (Chunghwa Picture Tubes) in July this year, in an attempt to secure production for its FFS displays. Panels using the technology were at one point tipped for inclusion in the iPad 3, with an analyst suggesting back in February that Apple would use an FFS Retina Display for the third-gen tablet. However, more recently it has been indicated that Apple will likely use AH-IPS panels produced by Samsung, Sharp and LG Display.

It’s unclear how the shifting allegiances will impact LG Display’s use of FFS technology, though the indication is that the company will no longer be able to manufacture such displays since Hydis will continue to hold the patents. FFS screens are used in Kobo’s new Vox tablet/ereader, though it’s unknown who actually provides Kobo with the 7-inch panels themselves.

The system uses a cold fog as the projection screen and then projects the images onto the fog that you see. The motion control comes from an infrared camera and the system is accurate enough to capture fine movements of the hands. The entire system was developed by a college student living in a dorm room. It has only 0.2-second lag time between the motion and the movement of the display.

The Kinect has 0.1 seconds for comparison. The system has 1500 points of multitouch control with an accuracy down to 1cm. When the system is made in quantity the thought is that it could sell for somewhere in the massive range of $4,000 to $30,000. The system can be scaled for projections of 40-inches to 140-inches.

[via eu.techcrunch]

Instead, the 3D Display will follow on in 2012, with updates on exactly when that’s expected tipped for early in the new year. It’s possible that Sony has been overwhelmed with sales, demand for the screen outstripping its production capabilities; the company blamed the Thai flooding recently for part of its underwhelming financial results and manufacturing delays.

Priced at £410 in the UK (and $499 in the US), the PlayStation 3D Display measures in at 24-inches and comes bundled with a pair of 3D glasses; although its primary target is gaming, it will also handle 3D movies and other content, such as that played back on a PS3. Sony has also said it is considering larger versions for future launches, though has not committed to availability. Still, with the company’s LCD business looking disappointingly dreary right now, we imagine Sony is keen to take advantage of any interest from the market whatsoever.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

The agreement is in place with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan to integrate all three display businesses. The resulting company will be a semi-public entity and INCJ will hold 70% of the new firm called Japan Display Inc. The three original firms will each have 10% of the merged company. Once merged there will be $2.6 billion in new shares issued to INCJ for its part of the new company.

Japan Display has also announced that it intends to buy the small and medium LCD making facilities that Panasonic owns for an undisclosed amount. The plant in question is located in Mobara near Tokyo, Japan and makes in the area of 600,000 LCD TVs monthly. The deal should be final next April.

[via TechCrunch]

The coolest of the offerings is the MOD Live set that runs Android and comes with four new apps that can be viewed on the little screen. The apps include buddy tracking, smartphone connectivity, and a navigation app with a database of trails. The Live version also has a POV app for use with future POV cams.

The MOD version also has the GPS navigation capability and both models show speed, jump analytics, vertical, altitude, location, distance, and temp among other things. The MOD set sells for $299 and the MOD Live sells for $399. If you have an eye dominance problem, just fix it Tommy Lee Jones style with a periscope and a pair of panties on your head. Sadly, none of my fellow SlashGeeks came close to catching that movie reference.

The display on the AIO is a 23-inch unit and it has TriDef 3D game support. The display can swivel for use sitting or standing up to 180-degrees and it reclines at up to 60-degrees. The AIO requires stereoscopic 3D glasses to view the 3D content. The machine also has LinkUp and Beats Audio tech inside along with premium graphics and processor options. The 3D display is called the 2311gt 3D monitor.

This screen is 23-inches wide and uses LED backlighting. It uses Film Patterned Retarder tech known as FPR for a brighter display and flicker free 3D images. The screen comes with two sets of 3D glasses and has some 3D content loaded right out of the box. The 620 3D AIO sells for $1,599 after a $300 instant rebate and will land on November 15. The 3D display sells for $299.99 and will land November 8.

The box seen in the leaked images call the device a “dedicated controller,” but what that means exactly isn’t clear as it appears not only able to wirelessly control other devices, but able to mirror its display’s contents to a larger display as well. In addition to physical volume and play buttons on either side of the display, this device seems to have a menu, home, and back button below. The display is a 6-inch capacitive touch-screen and the entire device is what Motorola describes on the box as “elegant.”

This device may well work with a Motorola cable box and will be, as again the box says, will be “optimized for low cost.” This device will have ZigBee-based RF control protocol RF4CE as well as IR control to make sure you’re connected. Finally, there’ll be a big fat undeniably huge 4,000mAh battery that should serve to have the device up with power for days on end without a charge. At the moment the name Corvair might still be a code-name as we’ve never heard any alternate name presented, and everything else is likely pre-production. I’m sure we’ll see more of this either before the holiday season or at CES 2012 – seeya there!

BONUS – just so you know, this is what a real Corvair is, one sweet little number that cruises down the road like a dream:

[via The Verge]

It has a 20 million:1 dynamic contrast ratio and integrated SRS Premium sound speakers. The 3D glasses used are polarized glasses. I would bet that the glasses left over after 3D movies at the theater would work with this display. Connectivity options include a HDMI 1.4a input for 3D sources, VGA, and DVI-D. The display comes with software to convert 2D to 3D as well.

The native resolution is 1920 x 1080 and the typical contrast ratio is 1000:1. The panel response time is 2ms so it should work well for gaming. The V3D231 comes with one set of polarized glasses and a set of clip on glasses to prescription lens wearers. It is on sale in Europe right now for £239 / €279.

The 200-inch display weighs about 500kg or 1,100 pounds, incorporating a condenser lens that focuses the light for sharp images along with a special diffuser film that creates a smooth transition between different viewing angles. It uses 57 projectors in an array with each one tuned to create uniform levels of brightness and color balance. The viewing angles work in such a way that if you were viewing a square box, you could actually move to the side of the screen to see the side of the box.

At this point, the display is not being developed with the consumer market in mind, so we won’t be seeing the technology implemented in consumer electronics anytime soon. Instead, the display is geared towards design and digital signage with plans to increase the 57 viewing angles to 200.

[via AkihabaraNews]

Together the ten firms that were fined hold 80% of the market share for LCD screens. According to reports, the firms held more than 200 secret meetings dubbed “crystal meetings” between 2001 and 2006 according to an investigator for the commission. Samsung was the firm hardest hit in the investigation with its fine alone totaling 97.2 billion won.

LG was the next biggest loser with a fine for three of its units totaling 65.5 billion won. AU Optronics was fined 28.5 billion won. The European Commission also fined some of these same firms in a similar case last year for price fixing occurring between 2002 and 2006. That EU case also mentioned the “crystal meetings.” I wonder if this has anything to do with Sony looking to pull out of the Samsung joint LCD venture.

[via Computerworld]