We’ve heard from TwelveSouth before, and so we figured we should keep our eyes on these crazy designers. Looks like it paid off. Much like the first iteration of their crafty designs we saw, the BookArc is meant to keep your desk nice and tidy. And let’s face it, you probably need it. But unlike the BackPack, the BookArc is meant for bigger and better things: your Macbook.
Back when we reviewed the first Nanovision MIMO USB monitors, the UM-710 and UM-730, we wondered whether price and niche appeal would see them a passing fad. The proliferation of roughly 7-inch USB display rivals in the intervening months would seem to suggest that fear was unfounded, and indeed Nanovision are back with their second generation of companion monitors. Now narrowed down to two units – the basic MIMO 710-S and the touchscreen MIMO 720-S – we’ve had the finger-friendly model on our desk for the past week. Check out the full review after the cut.
Green-House Japan have announced their new graphics-tablet-cum-LCD-display, and unfortunately the one thing we really want to know about the 17-inch device – how it compares, price-wise, to Wacom’s Cintiq 12WX or PL-900, both exceedingly expensive – is left unsaid. What we do know about the GH-PTB17-E is that it has a 1,280 x 1,024 LCD paired with a wireless pen capable of 512 levels of pressure resolution.
BenQ announced two brand new displays with LED-backlighting and a focus on the environment. They are a part of the V-series and are called the V2400 Eco and the V2200 Eco, which measure in at 24- and 21.5-inches, respectively.
Alright, as images go this one isn’t the most eye-catching we admit, but the technology it’s explaining is far more exciting. Researchers in Japan have developed what they’re calling a Liquid-OLED, and just like the gooey fruit-flavored chocolates your mother loves it has a liquid center rather than the traditional solid-state one you’d find in traditional OLEDs. The benefit, they claim, is that Liquid-OLED displays could be more easily curved, and even refilled should the organic layer degrade over time.
Proving that RIM’s hybrid capacitive/resistive touchscreen idea isn’t the only way to address smartphone display usability, one of HTC’s latest patent applications suggests using a new type of stylus to bring resistive-style accuracy to the increasingly popular capacitive panels. Their stylus has a magnetic head which can be registered by a standard capacitive display, meaning you can use your finger for general control and switch to the stylus for more precise or text input. Meanwhile, a second – slightly more far-fetched, it has to be said – patent describes a new type of dynamically adjusting screen that attempts to prevent people sneaking glances at your smartphone.
Apple have delivered on what must be one of the most-requested options for their MacBook Pro range, and made an antiglare display available for the 15-inch model. Priced at $50, the option keeps the 1,440 x 900 resolution and LED backlighting, but does mean you lose the borderless panel.
Hannspree have announced a new range of 1080p-capable displays, the ST-series, offering entry-level sizing with budget price tags. The ST251 and ST281 are 25-inch and 28-inch HDTVs respectively, with 10,000:1 dynamic contrast and two HDMI ports apiece.
After mentioning Nanovision’s new MIMO 710-S USB LCD sub-display last week, we’ve now heard from the company themselves that there will indeed be two versions of the 7-inch 800 x 480 monitor. The range kicks off with the 710-S, as expected, but also includes the Nanovision MIMO 720-S, a touchscreen version.
Dell have discretely added three new monitors to their line-up, spanning 20- to 23-inches and sub-$230 price-tags. The largest is the 23-inch Dell ST2310, a Full HD 1,920 x 1080 panel with HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs, 250 nits of brightness, 5ms response time and 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It also has a slimline bezel and audio in/out ports.
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