FPD Day 2 - Touch Screens and “Digital Signage” make their mark
Probably based on what could be called “if the iPhone uses it, it must be good” theory, touch panel displays are grabbing attention at the flat panel display industry event Flat Panel Display International 2007, now underway in Yokohama, Japan. In particular, Japan’s Sharp, Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology, Korea’s Samsung Electronics, and AU Optronics of Taiwan were spotted trying to cash in by showing off their latest touch sensor technologies.
Another trend showing up is the focus on what is called the “digital signage” market, essentially FPDs designed to display information in public places. Manufacturers are coming up with various technologies to address this market, but a particularly sexy one is displays with 3D holographic images. ChiMei Optronics of Taiwan and Germany’s SeeReal Technologies were two manufacturers exhibiting 3D FPDs.
In a keynote address at FPDI, Sang-Wan Lee, the president and CEO of the LCD Business of Korea’s Samsung Electronics summed up the current optimism of the FPD industry. His claim is five markets, the digital signage market, the advanced TV market, “e boards” for schools and shops, lightweight portable “premium IT displays” and mobile “personal digital boards” will drive the industry to US$150 billion in sales by 2012. [FDP coverage by NikkeiBP’s Tech On!]
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Since winter is coming along, it is essential to get a humidifer in your home if you haven’t already in order to keep the moisture levels up. The CCP KZ-500AS humidifer looks like a worthy purchase, as it vaporizes the contents of an ordinary plastic water bottle. It retails for approximately $26 a pop and you can choose from pink, blue, orange or green colors. There is even the option to slide in a pad of aroma oil if you want your pad to smell better than normal. A single 500ml water bottle from the store will be able to provide up to four hours of vapor, helping maintain the moisture in the room so your skin won’t dry out too fast. I suspect women will be all over this much more than men.
Looks like the DS Lite community is not left behind where 1Seg TV is concerned, with Nintendo making its own DS 1Seg TV tuner available for sale from November 8 onwards in Japan. This means you’ll soon be able to watch digital TV virtually anywhere in Japan on the upper screen of the DS, while the lower touchscreen area is used as a remote control. Recent studies have shown that approximately 1 in every 7 people in Japan already own a DS or DS Lite, so you can imagine Nintendo executives rolling in a pile of money with the release of this new 1Seg TV tuner. It will retail for approximately €41 when available.
UTStarcom has a heart for the older folk where cellphones are concerned, releasing the CDM8630 that caters specifically for senior folk. It comes with larger on-screen fonts, a clearly labeled keypad that houses larger than average buttons, and a unique “In Case of Emergency” directory that allows the user to store special contacts and personal information there. A button has been reserved to dial 911 directly in an emergency, while TTY/TTD support aids deaf or hearing-impaired users. The other features have also been stripped down as evident by the 262 color LCD display at 176 x 200 pixels and a monochrome external screen. Alltel and Verizon are offering this handset with the former charging $20 after a discount while the latter sells it for $50. Both purchases must be tied down to a two-year contract.
Here are more images of the upcoming 905i series of cellphones that will see an official announcement when November 1 rolls around. The Mitsubishi D905i is on the left, while the Fujitsu F905i occupies the middle and the NEC N905i takes the right spot. Expect fairly large displays for each of these handsets when they’re available. Pricing details are still unknown.
The Satski GPS system targets skiing enthusiasts that can be used to guide, track, and record your movements on the slopes. Once you’re done on your adventure, you can always upload your routes to Google Earth and share them with others. Not only that, you’ll benefit from the fact that you’re able to find the best slopes that correspond to your skill level as well as help you gain some improvement by recording your average and maximum speeds in addition to the total distance traveled and altitude information. Additional features include an MP3 player, casual games, and points of interest. The Satski currently retails in the UK for £1,500.
Wacom has just made official its Cintiq 12WX graphics tablet that marries the Cintiq interactive pen display with the portable goodness and size of the Intuos3 tablet, resulting in a device that measures just 405mm x 270mm x 17mm while carrying a 12.1″ TFT display. The tablet comes with toggles that allows it to change between computers, allowing users to use it as a secondary or even tertiary display. You can tell by its specifications and capability that this is no ordinary graphics tablet, targeting professional digital content creators working with storyboarding, finishing retouching, and compositing instead. Features include a 1,280 x 800 resolution with 24-bit color and 170 degree viewing angles. Unfortunately, the $1,700 sticker price doesn’t exactly make this an affordable purchase to most people. You can pick up the Wacom Cintiq 12WX when it rolls out this November.
The light LED infinity mirror makes you look as though you were staring into the oblivion, and boasts a fully interactive capability that allows the viewer to effortlessly create dazzling light shows in real time. This wall light display does not need to remain on the wall at all times as it can also be turned into an impromptu cocktail or dining table once you’ve placed it on its base. If you’re looking for a piece of furniture that doubles up as a conversation starter, you can’t go wrong with the light LED infinity mirror.
