Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, May 23, 2008

LG Develops Largish Double-Sided LCD [SID 2008]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/296027042/lg-develops-largish-double+sided-lcd

We've seen double-sided LCDs before, but they're generally quite small and prototyped for cellphone use. This week, LG is showing off a prototype that's conceivably TV-sized at (an admittedly still small) 15 inches. Running a resolution of 2048 x 1536 and offering a four-color sub-pixel arrangement (red, blue, green and white), we could only imagine the implications of a tablet PC that could otherwise be a normal laptop (without an awkward Exorcist maneuver) or a TV that could accommodate Gears of War 2 and Grey's Anatomy at the same time. Of course, even if the product were released, you know they'd just charge double for the privilege. [Tech-On]

Google Adds Climate-Change-Predicting Layers to Google Earth [Environment]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/296119050/google-adds-climate+change+predicting-layers-to-google-earth

Google has teamed up with the British Government to create a couple of really interesting new environmental layers to Google Earth based on climate change estimates for the next century or so.

The first layer, produced from the data supplied by the Hadley Centre depicts CO2 concentrations spanning from November 1999 forward to October 2099. Along the time line, annotated place markers pop up to provide information on the impact of global climate change for specific regions and links to external resources on the topic.
The second layer, utilizing data provided by The British Antarctic Survey, documents the Antarctic ice shelves retreat since 1940 and constructs a projected regression through June 2099. The layer is covered with dates of specific discoveries and documents the retreats of 10 different ice shelves.

The layers are available now if you're interested in finding out just how screwed we'll all be without sunscreen in a few years. [Google LatLong via PSFK]

LG Display showcases two-sided LCD panels

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/295927033/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

It's nice enough to be able to record two programs at once, but what if you could display The Hills on one side of your LCD while catching a playoff tilt on the other? Never mind the audio issue (there's always headphones!), but LG Display has introduced a prototype at SID 2008 that could potentially make the aforesaid scenario a reality. 2.2-inch (160 x 120) and 15-inch (2,048 x 1,536) versions were reportedly announced, both of which boast reflectivity of 20-percent. Put simply, the panels can display different images on the front and back sides of the glass substrate, and ideally, they're suited for use in mobile devices where the main and secondary displays could actually be the same device. No word on when these things will actually make their way out to handset / TV manufacturers, but we're certainly digging the possibilities here.

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NVIDIA gobbles up ray tracing software maker RayScale

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/296090771/

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Laptops

Details are pretty slim on this one at the moment, but PC Perspective is reporting that NVIDIA has snapped up the Utah-based start-up RayScale, a maker of ray tracing software. As PC Perspective points out, the move is made particularly interesting in light of some recent comments made by NVIDIA CTO David Kirk, who mused about the merging of ray tracing and rasterization into a "hybrid renderer" of sorts, but didn't offer any firm details on the company's plans at the time. No word on a price tag for the acquisition just yet, or any other details for that matter, but it seems like things should be getting a bit more official in the next few days.

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Sharp trumpets world's thinnest 5-megapixel CMOS sensor

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/296328675/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Every so often, we catch Sharp tooting its own horn in regard to sensor size. Needless to say, small is most certainly superior in this discussion, and the aforesaid outfit is patting itself on the back once more for the RJ63SC100. This 5-megapixel CMOS sensor is said to be the industry's thinnest at 9.5- x 9.5- x 6.6-millimeters, and it should fit snugly inside the already cramped innards of tomorrow's cellphones just fine. Samples are slated to ship out at the end of May for ¥10,000 ($96) a pop, while commercial production should get going a month later.

[Via Impress]

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