We spent a few minutes at the show this week ogling the prototype displays that Samsung’s Mobile Display unit has produced over the last few months, headlined by some particularly awesome 4.5-inch flexible and 19-inch transparent AMOLEDs. Let’s start with the flexible unit: Sammy seems to be particularly excited about this one, demonstrating on video that it’s shatter-proof by bashing it repeatedly with a sledgehammer — compare that to the inevitably disastrous consequences of dropping an iPhone onto concrete, and they’ve already won us over. Although the company still has some manufacturing challenges to overcome, commercial interest seems to be strong and they’ll eventually be on the market (though not in 2011, sadly).

The picture for the transparent displays is a little murkier — both physically and from a business perspective. Though they’re not as clear as regular glass or as crisp and bright as a traditional AMOLED display, you’ve got to marvel at what they’re doing here: full see-through color at effectively small television sizes. Interestingly, Samsung tells us that they’re really close to being production-ready with these — possibly even close than the flexible screens — but they’re still looking for business cases that’d make mass-producing them a worthwhile venture. Follow the break for some video of these bad boys, along with a 7-inch Super AMOLED that’s looking Galaxy Tab-ready (and some other goodies)!

Continue reading Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video)

Samsung shows flexible and transparent displays at CES 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Samsung is planning on changing up the game when it comes to AMOLED and TVs. The company is apparently getting ready to show off their qFHD Transparent AMOLED display technology at CES 2011. Samsung plans on making the transparent AMOLED displays ready to go some time in the near future for not only TVs, but also monitors.

Samsung Mobile Display will be on hand at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show, where they will be showing off the world’s first large transparent AMOLED display, which the company says is being produced to work in either TVs, or PC monitors. Samsung is proud of the technology therein, as it doesn’t matter whether the display is turned on or off — it will retain 30% transparency. That’s compared to the standard 10 percent transparency in other units, from other companies.

Samsung also says that the transparent AMOLED they plan on showing off will have the highest resolution of any transparent AMOLED display so far, at least on displays that are 19-inches or larger. The technology could be used for people to surf the Internet and watch TV in a whole new way, or even display images on other objects, like the back of a seat in a car. And, if that’s not enough, Samsung will also be showing off a 14-inch version of the same technology, which they plan on using for notebook displays.

[via OLED-Display; thanks, Erik!]

Take a peek at the sweet specs on this brand new camera from Samsung. It’s the newest addition to the NX family, the NX11. It’s similar to the NX10 in that it’s got a mirrorless interchangeable lens, but it’s got the brand new i-Function lens introduced with the NX100. NX11 will come standard with an 18-55mm i-Function lens as well as two more i-Function lenses, the 20mm pancake and a 20-50mm zoom silver color lens. And what’s all this fabulous new big fat camera goodness cost? Right around $649 (with bundle zoom lens.) Saweet!

And what is this wild new thing called i-Function? The i-Function lens is a brand new easy way to control your camera. Right now you’ve got to wrap your hand around the lens while you hold the camera – since this hand is already being used to adjust settings, the i-Function system adds a button built-in to the i-Function lens, allowing the user to adjust their settings without taking their camera off-target. Should be fun to see how that works out. The i-Function button activates shooting controls such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.

The camera features a simple to use panorama mode, has the best-in-class APS-C sensor – larger than Micro 4/3, this sensor creates fabulous images with total simplicity (plus allows videos to be recorded with a shallow depth of field for sweet results.) Built-in flash and electronic VGA (640×480) viewfinder, 3.0″ AMOLED LCD screen, reduced glare, enhanced color reproduction, 720p HD recording, and a whole lot more. Take a peek at the full specs in the press release below:

Samsung Launches the NX11: the Latest NX System Camera and Lens Line Up
Create high quality images with the camera’s easy-to-use i-Function lens

Ridgefield Park, New Jersey – December 28, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the launch of the NX11 – the latest addition to the highly successful NX family of cameras. The NX11 contains a feature set similar to Samsung’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the NX10, however the NX11 is also compatible with the new i-Function lens that was introduced for the NX100. The NX11 will come complete with an 18-55mm i-Function lens, as well as two new i-Function lenses, a 20mm pancake and a 20-50mm zoom silver color lens. The launch reinforces the company’s commitment to leading innovation in the compact system camera market.

The i-Function lens puts the perfect picture at the fingertips of all photographers by providing an exceptionally easy way of controlling the camera. Since a typical camera user wraps their hand around the lens when holding the camera, the new i-Function system allows photographers to naturally use their left hand to change the camera’s advanced settings via a button built into the i-Function lens, without needing to take the camera off the target. Users can toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO quickly and easily by simply using the i-Function button or ring on the lens, meaning easier and quicker configurations while shooting.

The NX11 also focuses on usability, with a change in the grip design to make shooting easier and more comfortable for users. Additionally, the NX11 has a lens priority mode dial, simplifying the search for the best mode for each lens. The camera also includes a convenient, one-touch i-Function button that activates common shooting controls like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance, meaning easier and quicker configuration while shooting. The camera makes taking great landscape scenes or pictures of large groups simple by featuring a panorama mode, which allows the user to take panoramic pictures in one press-and-sweep motion. As with the NX10, the NX11 uses the best-in-class APS-C sensor for better image quality. The APS-C sensor is larger than Micro 4/3 and delivers high quality images with ease.

“Today’s launch is important for Samsung in reinforcing our position as a leading innovator in the digital camera market and for showing our innovation in the compact system camera market,” said Mr. Hyunho Chung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics. “The NX11, while offering the best features of the NX10, has an upgraded design and the additional i-Function capability with more lenses. The launch of our next offering in the NX range also demonstrates our commitment to our customers, by producing user driven innovation in the form of easy-to-use functions and upgraded customization.”

Alongside the built-in flash and built-in electronic VGA (640×480) viewfinder, the NX11 has a 3.0” AMOLED LCD screen. The AMOLED screen reduces the glare from sunlight so that consumers can see their images under any lighting conditions. The user can also get a more vivid, clearer image through enhanced color reproduction. The NX11 provides high quality video with 720p HD recording, and its large APS-C sensor allows the videos to be recorded with shallow depth of field, providing effects similar to those in motion picture movies.

Specifications Sheet
*Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

NX11

Image Sensor
23.4×15.6mm
CMOS
Approx. 14.6 Megapixels

Lens
Samsung NX Mount
Samsung Lenses for Samsung NX Mount

Image Stabilization
Lens Shift (depends on Lens)

Dimensions and weight
123 x 87 x 39.8mm (excluding the projecting part)
353g (without battery and card)

Additional features
Super sonic drive
3.0” AMOLED
EVF VGA (640×480) 921k dots equiv.
Multi : Normal 15points, Close Up 35points
Face Detection : Max. 10faces
Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter
Metering : Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
TTL Auto Pop-up flash
Smart Flash, Auto, Auto + Red-eye reduction,
28mm wide-angle coverage (Equivalent to 35mm)
Samsung External Flash available (SEF-42A, SEF-20A, SEF15A : Optional)
Hot Shoe
Smart Auto, Lens Priority, Program, Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Manual, Sound Picture, Panorama, Scene, Movie
Beauty shot, Children, Close Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Night, Portrait, Landscape, Sports
RAW : 14M (4592×3056)
Super fine , Fine, Normal
High Definition Movie Recording with MP4 (H.264)
Frame rate – 30fps

Price
$649 (with bundle zoom lens)

Availability
February

SAMSUNG 20-50mm Black, Silver

Category
?
Lens N me
SAMSUNG 20-50mm F3.5-5.6 ED Black/Silver

Focal Length
20 – 50mm (equivalent to 30.8-77mm in 35mm format)

Elements in Groups
9 elements in 8 groups (1 Aspherical lens, 1 Extra-low Dispersion lens)

Angle of View
70.2°- 31.4°

Aperture
F3.5 – 5.6 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)

Mount Type
Samsung NX Mount

Optical Image Stabilizer
No

Minimum Focus Distance
0.28m

Maximum Magnification
Approx.0.22X

i Scene
Beauty, Portrait, Children, Backlight, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Beach&Snow, Night

Lens Hood
No

Filter Size
40.5mm

Max. Diameter x Length
64 x 39.8mm

Weight
Approx. 119g (without hood)

Operating Temperature
0 ~ 40°C

Operating Humidity
5 ~ 85%

Special features
i-Function

World’s first under 40mm length
SAMSUNG 20mm Black, Silver
Category

Lens Name
SAMSUNG 20mm F2.8 Black/Silver

Focal Length
30mm (equivalent to 30.8mm in 35mm format)

Elements in Groups
6 elements in 4 groups (1 Aspherical
lens

Angle of View
70.2°

Aperture
F2.8 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)

Mount Type
Samsung NX Mount

Optical Image Stabilizer
No

Minimum Focus Distance
0.17m

Maximum Magnification
Approx. 0.18X

i Scene
Night, Landscape, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Beach&Snow

Lens Hood
No

Filter Size
43mm

Max. Diameter x Length
62.2 x 24.5mm

Weight
Approx. 89g (without hood)

Operating Temperature
0 ~ 40°C

Operating Humidity
5 ~ 85%

Special features
i-Function

Minimum focus distance (0.17m)

SAMSUNG 18-55mm i-Function

Lens Name
SAMSUNG 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OIS i-Function

Focal Length
18 – 55mm (equivalent to 27.7-84.7mm in 35mm format)

Elements in Groups
12 elements in 9 groups (1 Aspherical lens)

Angle
f View
75.9°- 28.7°

Aperture
F3.5 – 5.6 (Min. F22), (Number of Blades : 7 , Circular Aperture Diaphragm)

Mount Type
Samsung NX Mount

Optical Image Stabilizer
Yes

Minimum Focus Distance
0.28m

Maximum Magnification
Approx. 0.22X

Lens Hood
Included

Filter Size
58mm

Max. Diameter x Length
63 x 65.1mm

Weight
Approx. 198g (without hood)

Operating Temperature
0 ~ 40°C

Operating Humidity
5 ~ 85%

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.samsung.com”www.samsung.com.

Cowon has finally got official on its long-rumored D3 PMP, and as teased it does indeed run Android. The Cowon D3 Plenue has a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display and uses Android 2.1, paired with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and a T-DMB TV tuner.

In fact, there’s a lot of tech you’d usually expected to find in a phone inside the D3, like an accelerometer and vibration feedback. There’s also a microSD card slot – augmenting 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage – along with HDMI and USB 2.0 connectivity. It doesn’t look like Android Market access is included, but Cowon does throw in a Twitter and social networking app.

As you’d expect from Cowon, the list of supported file-types and codecs is huge, and includes 1080p Full HD support. No word on pricing at this stage, but audiophiles looking for an iPod touch alternative might find something here worth waiting for.

[via OLED-Display]

With cellphone cameras improving all the time, point-and-shoots have to aim high if they want to stand out of the crowd. Iain Sinclair’s Poco Pro certainly makes plenty of promises; tipped to launch in Q2 2011 for a bargain £200 ($308) or thereabouts, there’s a 14.6-megapixel sensor, 1080p HD video capture, a 2.4-inch AMOLED preview display and a microUSB 3.0 port for data and option HDMI output, all in a credit-card sized black-anodized magnesium chassis.

In fact the spec sheet is impressive all round, with only the dual-LED flash – rather than Xenon – being a low point. It’ll supposedly record stereo audio and support auto-focus and macro shots, while there’s an optional WiFi-enabled microSD card for throwing wireless into the mixture as well. That memory card slot boosts the 4GB of onboard storage.

It’s ambitious stuff, and we can’t help but suspect that the Poco Pro is trying to do too much at once. A 14-megapixel CMOS sensor of the small size required to fit into a 85.6 x 54 x 5 mm casing is probably not going to be great at dealing with normal lighting, and the £200 price tag seems over-ambitious. Iain Sinclair is taking £100 ($154) deposits on the first units now, but we’ll wait until the reviews come through before getting over-excited.

[via Gizmag]

Continue reading Dell Venue launched in Hong Kong, we go hands-on

Dell Venue launched in Hong Kong, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh those folks at iFixit, they’re so wild in their need to take everything apart. Come with me and see their unscrewing and note with me how they find Nexus S to be more of a gimmick than a feature-filled device. Ruh roh. Did they say gimmick? They sure did. They note first and foremost the fact that it’s got a curved display and is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, saying basically that these shouldn’t be enough to convince someone to purchase the brand new phone. They do say some nice things though! Or maybe they’re just funny. They note that once the back of the phone is off, it looks like something out of Tron: Legacy. Then they say that you shouldn’t give the battery to a baby. And you know good and well that it only gets better from there!

Some of the interesting finds iFixit uncovers are on the motherboard: Skyworks SKY77529 Tx Front-End Module for Dual-Band GSM / GPRS / EDGE, SanDisk SDIN4C2 16GB MLC NAND flash, Samsung KB100D00WM-A453 memory package and S5PC110A01 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Processor (duh, but look at all those extra numbers and letters!), Infineon 8824 XG616 X-Gold baseband processor, Wolfson Microelectronics WM8994 ultra-low power audio codec. Lost yet?

They speak of the smile-screen as well. Smile-screen because it’s curved. They mention that Google saying this phone has a “curved glass screen” might be misleading, some people believing that meant it was a curved Super AMOLED screen, which it isn’t. As you can see in the photo they took above, the front glass panel is definitely curved, while the rest of the components are as flat as the board. They mention also that the LCD is fused to the front glass panel, making it a bit more difficult to repair should the front panel ever be shattered. Watch out for phone crushers.

[Via iFixit]

The Android version of Dell’s Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 smartphone has been announced by Korean carrier KT. The Dell Venue has a 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a curved Gorilla Glass toughened display and runs Android 2.2. It’s set to arrive on the network later this month.

What you don’t get is the Venue Pro’s slide-out QWERTY keyboard, with the Dell Venue instead relying solely on its touchscreen for text-entry. An FCC filing for the Dell Venue was spotted back in late October, complete with GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA support, though the full specifications of the handset aren’t yet known.

In Korea, the Venue will be priced at around 700,000 won ($608). No word on a US or European launch, but we’re guessing it won’t be long before Dell brings the Venue to closer shores.

The rumors about the second generation iPad are still lingering, while people try to guess what features, and design elements, the next tablet device from Apple will have. The obvious suggestions that the device will feature a USB port, or front- and rear-facing cameras, along with the idea that the next tablet will have a Retina Display, has many people eager to see what Apple unveils in the first half of 2011. But, for those that were hoping that the iPad 2 will have an AMOLED display, it looks like those dreams have been dashed.

At least, if this new report from DigiTimes pans out. According to them, Coretronic will be the main supplier of the second generation iPad’s Back Light Units, or BLUs. What that means, is that there won’t be any AMOLED displays in the iPad 2, as AMOLED doesn’t require any back lighting.

Furthermore, it’s already been suggested that Chimei Innolux and LG have been chosen to crank out the LCD displays for the iPad 2. This news about the supplier for BLUs just drives home the potential fact that the next version of the iPad will feature an LCD panel. That does still leave some room for that whole Retina Display rumor, though.

[via DigiTimes]

Welcome to the world, Nexus S and Android 2.3 Gingerbread! We’ve been expecting you! Check out our full collection of Gingerbread and Nexus S posts below. Then have a nice read courtesy of Philip Berne, a column by the name of [A Cartoonish Way to Prevent Cruelty]. Feel free to have a glance at our [Acer Aspire 5745DG review] and switch over to the new Facebook profile with a simple [CLICK]. After that, you can press the “like” button on our [Parrot AR.Drone review] and figure out [Which is better: Short or long video games?] with a column by Don Reisinger. All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Swype Beta for Android Gets A New Update
CyanogenMod 6.1 Now Available For Update
White iPhone 4 to be Launched in Spring 2011?
Windows Phone 7 Gets Cut and Paste

Android Community
Nexus S Review and Rundown by TechCrunch
Nexus One Owners: Have You Received Gingerbread Yet? [Update: Not for a Few Weeks]
Android 2.3 SDK Officially Released
Samsung W899 is twin Super AMOLED touchscreen clamshell
Google eBookstore launches with new eBook Reader for Android
ZDNet outlines the top Android phones
Big day for Android today says Notion Ink, NFC suspected
NOOKcolor Android 2.2 Froyo hack revealed [Video]
DK28 Froyo Test Build for Epic 4G

SlashGear
Nexus One Gingerbread OTA Update Due in a Few Weeks
BenQ DV S11 Camcorder Breaks Cover, Features Pico Projector Built-In
A Cartoonish Way to Prevent Cruelty
Google Nexus S official [FEATURED]
Acer Aspire 5745DG [REVIEW]
Sprint Network Vision will combine 3G/4G base-stations, boost voice/data/PTT
Verizon may pay Apple to lock out T-Mobile/Sprint iPhone tips analyst
Tony Hawk rides 630hp V8-powered skateboard
AT&T worst US carrier claims Consumer Reports
Low-bandwidth Skype custom app created for UN Refugee aid workers [Video]
FedEx expects to ship 16 million packages on December 13
Rear view cameras to become standard on just about all Ford cars
Verizon announces the first cities to get LTE service
Chinese netbook rips off Dell duo and Sony Vaio P
December 13 may be launch day for Mac App Store
World’s largest floating Christmas tree on display in Rio de Janeiro
New Facebook profile: Switching is super-simple
Cyber Monday was big, rest of week softened
OnLive and Vizio planning Netflix rival services tip insiders
$25 iPhone 4 at Radio Shack after discount & trade-in deals
AOL considers Yahoo! deal after potentially ditching dial-up
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab unlimited messaging restored after websales glitch
Apple credit card secrecy driving magazine publishers away
“Apple City” campus plans tip Norman Foster as designer
Facebook Profile Changes Rolled Out Today
Parrot AR.Drone [REVIEW]
Which is better: Short or long video games? [COLUMN]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]