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.
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‘prototypes’ Stories
Liquid-OLED displays could allow non-standard shapes & longer lifespans
Pressure-sensitive QWERTY keyboard demo’d by Microsoft Hardware [Video]
Pressure sensitivity in musical keyboards is nothing new - pressing the keys harder results in a louder note, just as if you sit down with ever-increasing force on a piano - but until now it's not something we've seen on regular QWERTY keyboards. That could all change, if Microsoft Hardware decide to put their pressure-sensitive keyboard into production: developed as a prototype for the UIST 2009 student innovation contest, it can track 8-bit pressure information across all of its keys.
Video demo after the cut
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Square iPhone-based payment system goes into trial
A new paperless payment system that uses an iPhone or iPod touch is currently being trialled in an NYC store. Codenamed Square, the system involves a small plastic card reader which plugs into the PMP's headphones socket; this is used to read the credit card's magnetic stripe, with the price tapped in on-screen and the customer signing with their fingertip.
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Foxconn suicide compensation increased with yearly stipend
News earlier this week that Foxconn had reportedly given around $44,000 compensation plus an Apple laptop to the family and girlfriend of Sun Danyong, the engineer who committed suicide after losing an iPhone prototype, was met with disappointment at what was seen to be an unfairly low amount. Now an anonymous company official has revealed that Sun's parents will be paid not only a 360,000 yuan lump sum ($52,600) but a further 30,000 yuan ($4,385) every year until they die.
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Pegatron Freescale netbook prototype shows up with Pre in tow
Pegatron have been showing off their Freescale-powered netbook prototype again, and if you're wondering why there's a Palm Pre perched on the end then it's because the two share the same basic ARM Cortex A8 core architecture. In the unnamed netbook's case, though, the Freescale iMX515 runs at 1GHz, and is capable of playing 720p video and running 3D games.
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Hon Hai security official turned in after iPhone prototype suicide
The Apple/Foxconn saga continues, and after the official statement from Cupertino yesterday tipped "investigations" into the death of 25-year old Foxconn engineer Sun Danyong there are now reports that a security official working for the majority stakeholder in the manufacturer has been suspended and handed over to Chinese government authorities. In an official statement from Foxconn, they confirmed that the Hon Hai security official - identified only by his surname, Gu - has been turned in, and that the company "welcomes public discussion" on how they might improve their management.
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BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 gets video demo
Don't ask how, but CrackBerry have managed to lay their hands on not one but two working BlackBerry Storm 2 prototypes, and seeing as they know we're all just a little bit interested in the upcoming touchscreen smartphone they've shot a demo video. First-impressions are positive, with an improved SurePress touchscreen and better on-screen typing feel.
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Cellphone Microscope could ID diseased samples in developing world
A team of US scientists have developed a prototype portable microscope that would allow a cellphone camera to help diagnose potentially fatal diseases in blood and sputum samples. The University of California team strapped a DIY microscope to a 3.2-megapixel Nokia N73, using cheap off-the-shelf parts that can nonetheless make out objects 1.2 micrometers across; a red blood cell is usually 6-8 micrometers in width.
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Apple “saddened” by Foxconn engineer suicide; waiting for investigation results
After news yesterday that a Foxconn employee in China had committed suicide after losing a valuable iPhone prototype, Apple have released a comment. Talking to CNET, Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet said "We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death. We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."
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Home manufacturing machine gets working prototype [Video]
A regular complaint over at Instructables is that not everybody can afford their own laser cutting rig. If DK Ahn has his way, however, precision cutting - of at least paper, wood and polypropylene under 2mm thick - would be available to the mainstream, thanks to his MOW microfactory.
Video demo after the cut
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Crunchpad “prototype” up for sale? We say fake
We're not entirely sure what's going on here, but it looks as though a Chinese firm is attempting to sell what are claimed to be prototypes of the Crunchpad internet tablet. Reminiscent of the "Prototype B" design, rather than the newer renders TechCrunch have been displaying, the confusing product page and Windows OS leads us to suspect that this is more about borrowing Crunchpad hype than it is selling off prototype designs.
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Senseg haptic feedback system creates virtual textures
Haptic feedback was promised as the bridge between the UI flexibility of a touchscreen and the ease of use of buttons, but it's actually turned out to be of mixed effectiveness. One company hoping to change that is Senseg, who have developed a new type of solid-state haptic feedback system that uses an electrical field to stimulate the receptors in the fingertip that would normally feel vibration. The Senseg technology breaks down the display into an array of "tixels", each of which can be individually controlled and made to send out a different effect.
Video demo after the cut
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