Ultra high-resolution mobile displays to be showcased by Samsung and LG in Los Angeles next week

The Society for Information displays (SID) show is opening up on Monday in Los Angeles for the whole of next week. Both Korean rivals Samsung and LG will be there, and Samsung already issued a stunner press release that it will be demonstrating "Retina Display"-like 10.1" LCD screens with 300ppi, scheduled for production this year.

Samsung's baby is to sport the astonishing 2560x1600 pixels of WQXGA resolution, reached using the PenTile matrix of Nouvoyance, whose intellectual property Samsung bought in 2008. Before you scoff at the fact that it is using the PenTile matrix arrangement, it is not the RG-BG one for AMOLED displays, which we compared yesterday with a Samsung Galaxy S II with a normal RGB stripe matrix, and found to be inferior. From Samsung's press release:

"- This 10.1-inch tablet panel is capable of 300 cd/m2 of luminance, yet uses 40 percent less power than that used by legacy RGB stripe LCDs in power-saving modes.
- An outdoor brightness mode of as much as 600 cd/m2 luminance enables viewing in bright ambient lighting.
- The display's color gamut is 72 percent., allowing greater color realism than legacy RGB stripe tablet displays that have a typical color gamut of 55 percent NTSC.
- PenTile technology achieves 300 dpi resolution with two-thirds the number of subpixels, maintaining the VESA/ICDM display resolution standard."

Let's put the numbers above in perspective. First off, Samsung touted the move to a normal stripe RGB matrix for the Super AMOLED Plus display in the Galaxy S II as an advantage over the PenTile RG-BG pixel arrangement in the Super AMOLED on the Samsung Galaxy S, citing that we now have 50% more subpixels per pixel than before.

RGB vs RGBW circle chart

All of a sudden here the advantage seems to be back to PenTile that "achieves 300 dpi resolution with two-thirds the number of subpixels". We guess that's because this is the RGBW (for red-green-blue-white) arrangement for LCD displays with the PenTile matrix, similar to what we have on the Motorola ATRIX 4G's qHD display. Through clever arrangement of the subpixels, and introducing a white one, it is capable of rendering a black and white line with four linear columns of subpixels instead of the six needed with an RGB stripe matrix, therefore saving on 33% of the subpixels. Hence a big chunk of the 40% reduction in power consumption compared to RGB stripe LCDs.

Even if in reality things don't appear as crisp, 2560x1600 will be more than enough pixels to significantly enhance the viewing quality over anything that's currently on the market. What's more interesting for us is the increased brightness. The Super AMOLED display at full swing shines with 365 nits, whereas Samsung claims 300 nits on this tablet display, and that's in power-saving mode, going all the way up to 600 nits in "outdoor brightness mode". For reference, Apple's iPhone 4 screen has been measured at peak brightness to show 541 nits, and the iPad 2 display peak brightness is measured at 410 nits. We have an LG Optimus Black in the office, which has NOVA display with 700 nits of brightness, and LG claims that's the human eye threshold for decent direct sunlight visibility.

The 72% of the standard color gamut that Samsung's 10.1" high-res tablet display is able to reproduce is also larger than the 64% on the iPhone 4, and the 61% on the iPad 2, but still has a way to reach close to 100% realism.

Well, LG is not sitting still while Samsung is making these announcements. It came up with a new version of its IPS-LCD screens, called AH-IPS (Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching). The press release states it sports 1.5 to 2 times higher resolution than LCD displays with typical such. We'd assume LG means the ones sporting 480x800 pixels for smartphones and 1024x768 for tablets, since the "Retina Display" is not exactly typical with its 640x960 pixels. Not that 1.5 times or even 2 times those sound bad at all for the AH-IPS displays with 3.5", 4.5", 7" and 9.7" sizes, that LG will be demonstrating at SID 2011 next week. In addition, LG promises wider color gamut, better light transmission for improved outdoor visibility, and lower power consumption.

Promises and tech specs aside, we can't wait till next week to see how the naked eye of attendants perceives both Samsung's and LG's new high-resolution mobile displays.

source: Nouvoyance, Engadget & DisplayMate

HTC tells you why you want to feel the Sensation 4G in the palm of your hand

The HTC Sensation 4G is catching quite a buzz and after viewing the 6 minute promotional video for the device made by HTC, it is easy to see why. From the speedy 1.2GHz dual-core processor to the 4.3 inch qHD display, the Sensation 4G has "35% more pixels than a typical display" according to the Taiwan based firm, and offers true widescreen viewing.

The 8MP camera on back offers instant capture technology which means as son as you snap the button, the picture is taken with no delays or lags. And the camera captures video at HD 1080p at 30fps with the sound recorded in stereo. On board will be the latest version of HTC Sense including Sense Watch which helps optimize the experience of streaming movies to your phone. Movies start right away without having to wait for the entire file to load. HTC Watch also keeps an eye on your internet connection to make sure that your viewing isn't interrupted by buffering interruptions.

As we reported, the phone recently cleared the FCC making it one step closer to an expected launch from T-Mobile. Imagine the tough decision you might have to make if the Samsung Galaxy S II comes to the States.

source: YouTube (HTC's Channel) via AndroidandMe

Study shows the top 3 situations for smartphone usage

When cell phones were new, they had a pretty easily definable purpose: to get in touch with someone when you absolutely could not wait to get back to a landline. But now that they're high-powered computers in our pockets, smartphone protocol has gotten a little complicated. Ericcson ConsumerLab sheds some light on how we use our devices.

Their survey, collected from U.S. users over an 18-month period, indicates the top 3 circumstances in which smartphone owners use their devices. Most of the data is fairly predictable, like the fact that 65% of users are on their smartphones in the early evening, and 64% of users are on their devices in the late evening.

But, surprisingly, 26% of users reported that dinner-time was one of their top smartphone occasions. That means that 1 in 4 smartphone owners are burying their faces in their phones during a traditionally taboo time to do so. So has phone protocol changed that much? One explanation is that they are accessing check-in services to log their meal. Or perhaps all persons at the table are accessing their phones to plan the evening thereafter.

What do you think? Should people put away their phones to make conversation for family and friends? Or did that antiquated notion die with the landline?

source: Ericsson ConsumerLab via IntoMobile

Motorola DROID X, DROID 2 and First-gen DROID each get Netflix app ported to it

Thursday afternoon, as we reported, Netflix released its app for certain Android models. Conspicuous by its absence is any Motorola produced Android model. But no sooner did DROID branded models get the cold shoulder than the guys over at Xda-developers came up with a way to port over the app to three of the more popular DROID units.

The Motorola DROID X, DROID 2 and the first-gen DROID can be loaded up with Netflix. First, you need to have the model running Gingerbread either from a leaked version of Android 2.3 or from a custom ROM that runs Gingerbread. Click on over to the sourcelink for the apk.

As one Motorola DROID X owner said about running the Netflix app on his phone, "Note for DX: I'm running the first GB leak, rooted, build 4.5.573 and it's working flawlessly. Some people on .588 are reporting it doesn't work, those on .591 and .595 seem to be having success."

The three DROID models are close to EOL status with replacement models on the way. Most likely we will see the Netflix app launch for the Motorola DROID X2 and the DROID 3 and perhaps even come pre-installed on one or both models. In the meantime, if you are ambitious enough and don't want to take no for an answer, install the apk from the sourcelink and within 30 minutes you will be sitting back with liquid refreshment in one hand, watching a movie on your DROID from Netflix's vast portfolio of celluloid.

source: Xda-developers via AndroidCentral

Motorola DROID X 2 coming to Verizon on May 19th, in stores on the 26th

The original rumored launch date for the Motorola DROID X 2 was today, May 12th, but it seems like stores have just now started to receive dummy units. It now seems like the first 1GHz dual-core Verizon smartphone will be launched via Direct Fulfillment on May 19th, which could mean an on-line release that day, and with it being avaliable in-stores the following week on May 26th.

The leaked documents state that the Motorola DROID X 2 will deliver a 26% sharper screen with qHD 960x540 resolution and will have dual-layer anti-reflective coating, 1080p mirror mode when using the HDMI output to a HDTV, and the 8MP camera will shoot 44% faster thanks to continuous auto focus - though video recording is still at 720p.

Missing is any mention of the price, or if the DROID X 2 will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, though most have speculated it will be under $199 on-contract and that Gingerbread will be included - as the original DROID X is about to receive its over the air update to Android 2.3.

source: Droid-Life

NVIDIA reports lost profits, despite the early success of its Tegra line

NVIDIA has reported that both profits and revenues declined in the beginning of 2011, with revenue slipping 4% from over $1 billion last year, to $962 million this year. Still, second quarter is expected to bring a 4 to 6 percent increase of revenue from Q1.

Despite these not so spectacular figures, Jen-Hsun Huang, the company's president and CEO, remains optimistic and sees the mobile market as a wonderful opportunity for future business expansion: "With the Tegra super chip and the Icera wireless communication processor, we will offer our customers the two most important processors of the mobile computing revolution."

And we don't doubt their potential. While other companies are bringing their own dual-core processors to market, NVIDIA was the first. And they've gained valuable name recognition for their Tegra line in flagship devices like the Motorola XOOM, Motorola Atrix 4G and LG Optimus 2X devices.

So what does the Icera acquisition mean for their future success? Because Icera is a maker of baseband modem chips, NVIDIA will be able to offer a system-on-a-chip solution, which will prove very enticing to OEMs looking for a simple drop-in solution for their devices. But we know that while customers might develop loyalty towards an OEM or an OS, there's rarely any favoritism among components. So NVIDIA still has a long road ahead to defeat rivals like Qualcomm.

source: PCMag

Update for Adobe Flash Player brings it to version 10.3

The Adobe Flash Player for Android was upgraded today to build 10.3. The upgrade kills some bugs and brings the NEON optimizations for OMAP4 (or Cortex A-9) processors. That is good news for BlackBerry PlayBook owners and future users of the LG Optimus 3D.

For the rest of Android users with a device running Android 2.2 or higher, the upgrade kills some bugs specific to the Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola devices and the HTC EVO 4G. For a complete changelog, click on the sourcelink. You can grab the upgrade for free from the Android Market.

source: Adobe, FlashPlatformBlog via Engadget

Samsung's new AMOLED display is seamless, can be folded

A while back ago, we showed you some of the ways that Samsung was working on its AMOLED displays to make them able to twist and turn. But besides this research into more flexible displays, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology has developed a seamless display that allows you to fold the screen in half without a crease. This could allow for future production of a phone with a huge display that the user unfolds to use. When done using the display, the user simply folds up the AMOLED screen. This will allow the Korean based manufacturer to produce a phone with a large sized screen, but with small measurements.

The seamless display is made from two AMOLED panels, a glass cover, silicone rubber and a modular case. Even when folded 100,000 times, the brightness at the center of the display where the two panels meet, decreased by an amount too small to be noticed by the human eye.

Don't expect to see this technology on a Samsung handset soon. The company says it will take about two years to be used on a new phone as the process needs to be perfected.

source: OLED-Info

Samsung has developed a process to make an AMOLED screen that folds without creases

ComScore reports that 17.6% of US smartphone owners use check-in services

Are you one of the many iOS/Android users enraged about their location tracking? If you are, then you're probably not one of the many users of check-in services like Facebook Places, Foursquare, and Gowalla. According to comScore, a digital market researcher, 17.6% of US smartphone owners use such services.

The study, which was taken in March of 2011, found that 7.1% (16.7 million) of all US mobile subscribers make use of check-in services. And among the estimated 12.7 million smartphone owners, 17.6% use such services.

Predictably, the large majority (60%) was made up of younger users, between ages 18 and 34. And both iOS and Android comprised the lion's share of participating users, with 33.7% and 36.6% respectively. RIM users followed closely behind, making up 22% of all check-in users.

Does anyone find the growing popularity of such services humorous, when considering the furor that the location tracking scandals have inspired? We acknowledge that it's different when you report your own location, as opposed to being tracked by a secret program. But is it really that different? If you're concern is about privacy, then perhaps you'd be better off with only Steve Jobs knowing where you are, as opposed to your 1000+ Facebook friends.

source: comScore via Electronista

Netflix app for Android is finally for real, but only to select devices so far

Some Android owners might have been irked out to find Windows Phone 7 getting its groove on with an official Netflix app before them, but after much wait, it’s finally here! However, you probably want to be just a little reserved for the moment since not all Android smartphones will be able to download the long time coming app.

Specifically, if you happen to own with the HTC EVO 4G, T-Mobile G2, HTC Incredible, Google Nexus One, or the Google Nexus S, you’ll be happy to know that you can download the app right now through the Android Market. As for the rest of the bunch, it’s unknown at this point when it’ll be made available to other devices since they have to individually test each handset due to the lack of standard streaming playback features amongst Android devices.

Nonetheless, they’ll be hard at work trying to get it out to a good chunk of other Android handsets out there, but be warned; it might not come to all. So if you happen to sport any of the devices mentioned above, go right on ahead and download the Netflix app for your phone!

Thanks to our anonymous tipster!

source: Netflix

If the T-Mobile deal doesn't go through, AT&T could lose US$6 billion

Regulators are poring over the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile deal, determining whether or not to approve their landmark merger. But what happens if the $39 billion deal doesn't go through? According to a report from Reuters, the cancellation could cost AT&T up to $6 billion in assets and cash.

In previous reports, AT&T admitted that the cancellation of their deal would result in a $3 billion payout to T-Mobile. But now two unnamed sources say that AT&T would also have to transfer about $2 billion worth of spectrum, and a roaming agreement worth $1 billion.

Reuters reports that the cash value ($3 B) is already high, at about 7.7% of the deal's value. But combined with the spectrum and roaming agreement, the 'break-up fee' would be 15.4% of the total deal, and break all global records for such an arrangement.

So why is AT&T offering such an incredible cancellation/consolation prize? In part, it's a sign of their confidence that the deal will go through. But we think it's also meant to convey an inevitability to the landmark merger.

The most valid question might be this: Does the value of the 'break-up fee' mean that T-Mobile wants cancellation more than they want approval for the deal? Fortunately for AT&T, the $2 billion allotment for spectrum would only buy about 10MHz. And while that would increase T-Mobile's high-speed data capability to 150% of their present capability, their LTE service still wouldn't be competitive with AT&T and Verizon.

source: Reuters

White Nexus S is briefly spotted on Samsung's web site showing AT&T support

Although it’s not the first time we're hearing about a white flavored Google Nexus S for AT&T, it seems rather intriguing to find that the pure Google device just might be making an eventual release with the carrier.

For a brief moment, Samsung’s web site had the two-toned “pearly white” Android smartphone up on the site showing that it’s an AT&T compatible device. As it stands right now, it’s hard to say if the handset will follow the same route with T-Mobile’s version, since it’s only sold through third party retailers, or rather, be sold directly by a carrier much like the Google Nexus S 4G with Sprint.

Interestingly enough though, this version of the Nexus S is going by the model number GT-I9020A, rather than SGH-Ixx7 that normally notates it as a Samsung smartphone sold through a carrier. If that’s the case, then we’ll probably see this version go through third party retail channels once again.

Lastly, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the handset will flaunt HSPA+ speeds, especially when the website doesn’t confirm if it’s a 4G device. And when it comes to pricing, it could either sway to $99 on-contract, which is where Tmo’s version is selling for through Best Buy, or $200 for the 4G equipped Google Nexus S 4G with Sprint.

source: pocketnow

Verizon is finally rolling out the OTA update for the HTC ThunderBolt

Do you remember the software update for the HTC ThunderBolt that was supposed to roll out last week on May 3rd, but didn’t quite come out as expected? Well, you’ll be happy to know that it’s finally making its way to the handset as we speak!

Verizon is finally giving the green light for the HTC ThunderBolt’s over-the-air- firmware update that brings along some fixes mainly to its 3G connectivity and GPS. Moreover, it’ll also provide owners better organization when it comes down to SMS and MMS messages. Naturally, the notification for the update should be there waiting for you, but if not, you can always initiate the manual process yourself to retrieve it.

The whole installation process should take approximately 2 minutes, and much like most updates, it would be a good idea to backup some of your important things just in case.

via Android Central

Twitter announces "better app for your mobile browser"

Twitter platform lead Ryan Sarver wrote, "We need to ensure that tweets, and tweet actions, are rendered in a consistent way so that people have the same experience with tweets no matter where they are."  With that in mind, Twitter today announced a new mobile app for smartphones that brings, "a high-quality and consistent Twitter experience on high-end touchscreen devices".

Twitter says that they built the new app from the ground up and was optimized for the latest mobile browsers supporting the latest technologies including HTML5. "It's rich - it takes advantage of capabilities that high-end device browsers offer, such as touch gestures and a large screen. And it's simple - it's easy-to-use and has the features you'd expect from a Twitter application, including your timeline, @mentions, messages that you can read in conversation view, search, trending topics, lists, and more."

The new Twitter app will make the mobile version of the service look exactly like the desktop version, but only a few Apple iPhone, iPod and Android users will be able to see it now. More phones will receive the upgrade each week; until the upgrade is received, users will continue to see the old mobile version of Twitter.

source: PCMag via ReadWriteWeb

The new Twitter app brings the desktop experience to your cell phone