January 28th, 2010

Stop making 149" OLED displays and start making 25" ones, you fools!

Yes, Mitsubishi. We’re all very impressed with your 149″ OLED TV (even though it runs at a ridiculous 1024×640), but we also know that thing is one-of-a-kind and proves nothing. Why don’t you skip the showboating and put out a couple sweet displays people might actually want to use in their homes? I know they’d be expensive, but someone would buy them because they cost… → Read More

January 26th, 2010

OLED board game pieces promise to take Carcassonne into the far future

My buddy Lou tells this story: he was with his girlfriend at the time and he got a call from a couple they knew. They couple invited them over for “boardgames and wine” and Lou said “Sure.” Then his girlfriend told him that they were not going over for boardgames and wine because, in that couple’s special code, “boardgames and wine” as some sort of weird partner swapping game involving lots of… → Read More

January 17th, 2010

Asus getting into the e-reader game in a big way

Asus leaked some information recently about their upcoming e-reader, the DR-570. Not content to be a “me too” with the standard black and white e-ink product, it looks like they are going to be coming out with an OLED offering that might just kick the rest of the e-readers to the curb. → Read More

January 13th, 2010

Color-temperature adustable OLED lighting? Yes, please

We’ve noted before that LED lights are, while energy efficient, a bit cool in color, leading to the “my house looks like an operating room” effect. There have been attempts to warm them up (with “quantum dots”) but this panel looks a hell of a lot more promising, even if it’s not particularly bright.

J.H. Jou, a Taiwanese researcher, has found that with a particular species of OLED, he can vary… → Read More

January 12th, 2010

LPD: Prysm's New Acronym Promises Huge Screens, 75% Less Power Consumption

If you’ve looked at buying a television the past several years, chances are you’re well aware of the terms: Plasma, DLP, LCD, and more recently, OLED. Well, there’s a new acronym in town: LPD.

Developed by the Silicon Valley-based Prysm, LPD is being formally unveiled today as the latest type of screen technology. LPD stands for Laser Phosphor Display, which likely means nothing to you, but the… → Read More

January 11th, 2010

OLED ID cards creepy, probably helpful

I question the actually utility of this, except for in corporate ID badging. It is cool though, combining OLED, RFID, and 3D into an ID. Plus, how is that for an alphabet soup of acronyms? Thanks to NetbookNews for the tip. → Read More

January 7th, 2010

Hands-on LG's amazingly tiny OLED TVs

These will be shipping the second half of 2010 to various potentates and oil barons around the world. It’s one of the smallest OLED devices I’ve seen since Sony’s diminutive offering that never really made it into the wild. → Read More

November 28th, 2009

Orbeos OLED lights are warm and round

So far, I’ve avoided the CFL and LED light bulb revolution. The savings, it seems, come around in the second year, which means that whoever has my apartment next will have a reduced power bill. I could always take my light bulbs with me, but that seems a bit miserly. Besides, my power bill is like $5 a month and 90% of that is my fridge and my desktop.

But these Orbeos OLED lights are as bright… → Read More

November 9th, 2009

Casio plans to enter the OLED game

OLED can still pretty much be considered a thing of the future, but we’re getting closer to use the technology in our homes every month. Today, Casio Computer announced [JP] it has teamed up with Tokyo-based technology company Toppan Printing to develop and produce OLED panels. The new joint venture will start operations from April 2010, with both companies involved saying they’ll focus on… → Read More

October 8th, 2009

Mitsubishi's modular Diamond Vision OLED system demoed

OLED has had issues gaining traction mainly because of the cost of manufacturing large screens. People like large screens. That’s the fact, jack. Anyway, Mitsubishi has developed a system that seems like it would help. It uses small, modular panels that can be combined to make a screen of nearly any size or shape. The system is intended for outdoor advertising, but if it matures enough, I… → Read More

October 7th, 2009

OLED TV shipments to increase 200% by 2015, but to remain a small niche market

You would be hard pressed to find an OLED TV in any brick and mortar retailer besides the Sony Store right now. The technology is amazing, but they just aren’t available yet and that might not change soon according to a iSuppli report. The TVs are too small and the prices are too high to gain any real traction. But, as we all know, that will change as the display tech evolves. However, don’t… → Read More

October 7th, 2009

Sony Flexible OLED display on display at CEATEC

Sony, and just about everyone else, has been fooling around with OLEDs for quite some time, and they’re starting to come up with some pretty clever applications of the technology. Flexible OLEDs have been in the news this year, and Sony’s getting into that game, too. In this short video we see a 0.2mm thin OLED display being gently bent back and forth, while actively showing content on its… → Read More

September 23rd, 2009

Hyundai goes nuts with OLED screens

Hyundai? Pretty please bring OLED screens to the automotive world. It doesn’t have to be as futuristic as the dashboard in the Blue-Will concept car, but OLEDs are just so nice. Ford is already using LCD screens in its latest hybrids, but why not up the game a bit, and do something radical? Please? → Read More

August 18th, 2009

Sony delays OLED TVs, the world weeps

OLED TVs were in major attendance at this year’s CES. Afterall, Sony declared that 2009 was going to be their year. But apparently the marketing flacks and bean counters are on difference softball teams because the thin TVs have been delayed because of Sony’s huge profit loses. → Read More

June 8th, 2009

Rugged LG AMOLED displays withstand hammer blows

Thank god they’re finally making some strong screens. I have to replace my display every single time I hit it with a hammer — that’s unacceptable! LG’s display, shown here, was being hit repeatedly by a mallet during a demo at Computex. The simpler construction of an OLED display means it can be more robust to physical abuse. Now you can throw that Wiimote all you want! → Read More

June 5th, 2009

OLED display-camera combo may have sci-fi-ish applications

This is a great idea: fit tiny photodiodes between the pixels of an OLED display. We know OLEDs can get very transparent, so these could be used in something like an head-mounted display that tracks the position of your eyes. There’s still a lot of engineering and imagineering to be done, but it does seem like a really great way to take advantage of the microscopic gaps in a display. → Read More

June 5th, 2009

Futuristic OLED bracelet will make you look like a Halo fighter

New Jersey-based Universal Display and LG are showcasing a futuristic OLED display that can be worn like a wrist watch at the SID Display Week 2009. The bendable color display has been jointly developed by the two companies. → Read More

May 26th, 2009

Seiko Epson pave way for 37-inch and larger OLED screens

Yay for Seiko Epson! The corporation just announced a breakthrough in the layering of organic material that should allow for larger OLED screens eventually. The current method, called Vacuum Thermal Evaporation (VTE), has problems producing uniform layers for large screens. This new method however overcomes the problems by using inkjet techniques, which should allow for larger screens. → Read More

May 13th, 2009

Panasonic gets serious with OLED development

OLED TVs sure offer phenomenal picture quality, but even now, 2 years after Sony launched its XEL-1, we still wait for large-screen versions. Samsung showcased a 40-inch OLED display last year (pictured). Now Panasonic might be onto something bigger. The company is planning to develop the world’s first OEL panel that’s sized at “40 inches or larger” by fiscal 2010. → Read More

May 11th, 2009

Rubbery OLED promises really freaky displays

A layer of carbon nanotubes, some flouro-rubber, and some electricity are all you need to make a wacky little OLED that can conform to almost any surface. Tokyo researchers have created 100 square centimeters of this material to create at total of 256 monochrome pixels but better versions are on the way. → Read More

May 6th, 2009

New US patents filed: Is Canon trying to revitalize SED displays?

Sony gave up on FED displays a few weeks ago, practically burying the technology that was supposed to become a competitor for the OLED standard. But there is also SED, surface-conduction electron-emitter displays, which has been around for a while and mostly flew under the radar since. But now Canon seems to step up research efforts to further develop SED technology. → Read More

April 17th, 2009

Sony showcases 21-inch OLED with 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (video)

Sony took part at the 5th International FPD Expo that ended today in Tokyo, showcasing for the first time in their home market of Japan a 21-inch OLED that almost doubles the size of the XEL-1 (11 inches). Unlike the XEL-1, however, the 21-incher is still in prototype stage.

Video after the jump. → Read More

April 14th, 2009

NW-X1000: Sony finally announces OLED Walkman with touchscreen (video)

Sony Japan today announced the NW-X1000 series [JP], consisting of two Walkman, the NW-X1050 with 16GB internal memory and the 32GB NW-X1060. The so-called X-Series was introduced to the general public for the first time back in January (during the CES 2009).

Video after the jump. → Read More

April 7th, 2009

Canon "a whole lot closer" to utilizing OLEDs in DSLR

Who wouldn’t want an OLED screen in their digicam? Seriously, it would be like turning down a free hot dog from a dented, stainless steel cart on a NYC street corner; everyone wants a free tube steak and no one would turn it down. It’s because OLED screens offer better picture quality at a lower power consumption rate, which make them perfect for DSLRs. CNET nailed down Canon’s Chuck Westfall who… → Read More

April 2nd, 2009

Toshiba to turn one of the world's biggest LCD companies into wholly owned unit

Toshiba Corp. (6502) announced yesterday it plans to convert Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) into a wholly owned subsidiary. TMD is an LCD manufacturing joint venture formed by Toshiba and Matsushita (now Panasonic). The joint venture produces around 10% of small LCD panels. It’s second only to Sharp in this market segment. → Read More

March 7th, 2009

Siftables: another way to make kids smarter than us

MIT graduate student David Merrill was inspired by building blocks to design computerized blocks called Siftables. They are interactive computers each the size of a cookie and can sense each other and their motion. Make sure to check out the video after the jump. → Read More

March 5th, 2009

This transparent OLED lighting is really, really transparent

Philips has created a totally transparent OLED display that essentially becomes opaque when it’s powered. I don’t think I need to tell you the implications of a material which can have its transparency level changed dynamically like this. In the home, in the workplace, just about everywhere could use something like this. Imagine replacing your windows with these, or having a layer over your mirror… → Read More

January 28th, 2009

Brits planning to buy Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV should think again (and feel sorry for the Germans)

Last year in August, Sony promised Europeans will get the world’s first commercialized OLED TV, the XEL-1, “sometime next year”. Now the 11-inch screen is available in the UK, which is probably a good thing. But the problem is the price. → Read More

January 26th, 2009

Video: Kodak explains how OLEDs work

We all know the benefits of OLED and seen the figures on how much energy it saves and all that jazz, but do you know how it actually works? Well, you’re in for a treat, friend. Sit back, relax and enjoy this 4.5 minute video. The next time anyone asks what OLED is just direct them to this video. It breaks it down pretty well. It’s a shame they aren’t ready for the masses, though. → Read More

January 7th, 2009

Sony didn't get the memo on thin TVs, brought lots of OLEDs to CES

Sony’s 2009 CES booth is showing off some sick, like sickly sick, thin sets. Primarily are these OLED Proof of Technology models that are dead sexy even to me. Chances are none of these will ever see a Euro snob loft. They are just concepts and there is nothing wrong with that. That thin TV, it’s .9 millimeter thick – or is that thin? Hmmm.

Apparently Sony has more OLED news at the CES keynote… → Read More