Google Glasses Designer Gives Us An Up Close Look "Olsson is the senior industrial designer on the Google Glass project and has spent the last year working at Google's X Lab to design a piece of technology that will sit in front of people's eyes. The glasses, according to Google's video, will be able to do everything from search the Internet and show you maps right in front of your eyes. ...On the front of the glasses, in the top left (or right depending on which way you view them) corner is a small camera and a small glass-looking box, which is a tiny display. On the top of the glasses is a power button and a camera button. You control the screen's interface with the touchpad on the leg of the glasses. "The touchpad is all hidden. There's no texture, it extends all over," Olsson describes." via ABC News
LCD monitor vendors to focus more on smart applications in the future "LCD monitor vendors have been discussing how to stay competitive in the global market by researching ways for tablets and smartphones to have better connectivity with large-sized monitors. Sources said the focal point of the LCD monitor firms' research is growing popularity with smartphone and tablet use and the need for consumers to display information on a large display via their smart device. Meanwhile, the vendors have been planning to introduce new products this summer to accommodate the boom season that will have features such as new sizes, reduced thickness, LED-backlights and enhanced resolution." via DigiTimes
Bi-Stable LCD Displays Making a Power Play "Imagine an LCD Display module that requires no power to display an image even if you leave the image on the screen for two weeks. That seems impossible, right? Well not any longer. A new display technology called bi-stable or cholesteric liquid crystal display is now a reality and is available to designers of products. The display technology is unique in that it only requires power to change the image on the screen, but does not require any power to hold the image in place indefinitely." via Product Design & Development
NanoMarkets Announces Release of Latest Report on OLED Materials Market, Sees $7 Billion Opportunity by 2019 "Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has announced that it will begin shipping its latest report that analyzes the opportunities for OLED materials suppliers in both the display and lighting sectors over the next eight years. The report, “OLED Materials Markets 2012,” estimates that the total market value of materials used in OLED lighting and OLED display applications will grow quickly from over $500 million ($US) in 2012 to over $7 billion by 2019. Of the total OLED materials market value, the active OLED materials -- emissive materials, hosts, and hole/electron injection and transport materials are expected to account for nearly $3 billion. Additional details about the report are available here" via SFGate
The Modbook Pro returns, morphing a MacBook Pro into a pen-based tablet "You may recall a little product called the Modbook, an after-market mod for Apple's MacBooks. The mod kits — which have previously cost upwards of $5,000 — turns a MacBook Pro into a tablet computer by ripping off the keyboard and LCD, giving what's left a new casing and LCD. Well, the company is back, announcing today a refresh of the Modbook Pro which will have all the current 13.3-inch MacBook Pro's specs, plus a Wacom digitizer which adds pen input tech.The tablet will apparently get 7 hours of battery life on a single charge, and will be available "early this fall."" via The Verge
Chinese Phone Makers Buy Lots of AMOLED Panels From Samsung Supplier "There was a time, not so long ago, when China-based handset makers were making phones with crappy hardware to compete with Apple’s iPhone. Today, several Chinese handset makers have their own flagship phones that feature impressive hardware, and they are no longer a piece of crap. ...Recently, there are reports that Coasia Microelectronics, which mainly distributes IC components for Samsung such as CMOS image sensors, multi-chip package (MCP) memory and OLED displays, is expected to get new AMOLED panel orders from several Chinese phone manufacturers. Who are they?" via M.I.C Gadget
SWEDX Introduces Innovative Gesture-controlled Digital Signage Solution "The new SWEDX Wave offers not only an innovative way to attract audiences but also an innovative way to control the content on a digital signage display via gesture. SWEDX Wave is a combination of an edge-lit LED display and eight control buttons. Each button is associated with a video file stored on a flash memory connected to the screen. Waving the hand above the buttons will load and display the associated video automatically. When the video displaying is completed, SWEDX Wave will load the main video and display it repeatedly until a button is interacted. Thanks to SWEDX Wave technology, the buttons can be placed behind any material, such as glass, fabric, wood, etc. According to the Sollentuna, Sweden-based company, the interaction is still there, surprising and delighting the user." via Digital Signage Connection
Corning Pounds Its Chest To $16.50 With Bigger Gorilla Glass "Corning (NYSE:GLW) recently showcased its large-sized Gorilla Glass at Infocomm 2012 held in Las Vegas. The larger Gorilla Glass offers potential new revenue streams for Corning namely, large screen multi-touch devices and large screen display solutions. Both the opportunities arise from the enhanced toughness of the larger Gorilla Glass. We have a Trefis price estimate of $16.50 for Corning, approximately 30% above its current stock market price. ...According to projections of NPD DisplaySearch shipments of public display market are to increase by 15 percent to reach 3.1 million units in 2012. And the projected 10-year compounded annual growth rate for the same stands at 25 percent to reach 12 million units in 2018." via Trefis