According to my buddy Ron over at 3d-display-info.com, PureDepth have announced that they have acquired a patent for Multi-Layer 3D OLED displays. PureDepth Multi-Layer-Displays (MLD) use two or more displays that are placed one in front of the other to create 3D effects. These 3D displays do not require glasses and provide real depth!
One of the markets the PureDepth are targeting are mobile devices, and OLEDs are becoming more and more popular in that market. Up until now PureDepth had only LCD related patents, but now they can work on 3D OLEDs, too – which is a pretty sweet bit of news!
If these guys can make 3D work (properly) on a mobile device, you are looking at the next generation of screen technology I reckon – time will tell, of course. You can check out more about PureDepth here.
Wow. Check out the rate of progress on the hardware accessories front – in this case Pico Projectors! Typically you might find connectivity between a mobile device and a pico-projector (be it iPhone, Android device, or other), but in this case, the device has its own DVB-T tuner!
The ADPP-450 Pro will have 800×600 resolution, can project images up to 150″, and will have a 200:1 contrast – nice! The LED based projector also has a built-in 4 Watt speaker and can accept A/V, VGA, USB and SD (not sure what file types are supported on the memory card and USB). It weights 390 grams. The battery is external.
Well it’s a cool box of tricks – if I can get my hands on one, I might even come back with a review on it!
The ADPP-450 Pro will have 800×600 resolution, can project images up to 150″, and will have a 200:1 contrast – nice!
The LED based projector also has a built-in 4 Watt speaker and can accept A/V, VGA, USB and SD (not sure what file types are supported on the memory card and USB). It weights 390 grams. The battery is external.
As an apparent answer to all those Nexus One customers who have been complaining that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is taking too long to respond to customer service emails/inquiries, Google has rolled out a new Nexus One customer support hotline. Now, instead of just emailing the traditionally closed and uncommunicative search giant, Google is offering Nexus One owners and soon-to-be users a phone number that they can call to talk to a live person. Combined with the Google’s decision to lower the Nexus One return fee, it seems Google is looking to boost the Android phone’s flat sales.
Here’s Google’s statement on the matter:
“By design, we focused initially on providing the best possible customer support through our on-line channel, and our experience in the four weeks since the Nexus One launch enabled us to significantly enhance that on-line support offering. We have been able to address a large majority of customers’ inquiries successfully through on-line support, in combination with phone support from our partners, HTC and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). That said, our approach with our new consumer channel is to learn fast and continue to improve…Live phone support from Google, combined with an optimized on-line support experience, enables a superior Nexus One customer experience.”
Starting today, Google will field all your Nexus One customer support questions through their new toll-free phone number. If you’re in the US, just dial (888) 48NEXUS (63987) between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m. to talk to a real, live person. If you’re thinking about calling to get technical support or in reference to your T-Mobile service, you can find phone numbers here.
The MBRN3300 might not exactly roll off the tongue, but it fits inside a product category that you’ll see become more and more prevalent as countries start realizing that burying copper or fiber optic is simply too expensive, and that deploying a wireless network is a much better idea from both a cost perspective, and from a KSP (key selling point) angle since you can offer your customers internet on the go. Now if you’re living in America you’re probably never going to see one of these, but for people in Europe and Asia, the idea of plugging in a box, powering it on, and getting internet access out of the air is glorious. No USB dongles, no software, just connect to a WiFi access point and enjoy a wireless network.
There will be 3 models available, the MBRN3300C that does 3.1 Mbps EVDO Rev A, the MBRN3300E that does 7.2 Mbps HSPA, and the MBRN3300H that does 21 Mbps HSPA+, all powered by Ericsson wireless technology so you know it’s robust and the best the industry has to offer. Each model spits out 802.11n and also has 4 ethernet ports.
No word on price, but Netgear say it’s available now, and I believe them since the MBRN3300 product sheet [PDF file] is dated November 25 2009.
In addition to the GT350 model, LG has also announced another device – the GD880 aka LG Mini. It’s a slim all-touchscreen phone with “textured metal accents on the sides” and an elegant button-free face.
Feature wise, the Mini boasts:
3.2-inch 16:9 edge-to-edge display
5-megapixel camera with face detection
7.2 Mbps HSDPA
WiFi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, FM Radio
Media player, email client, web browser
Special apps for social networking (Facebook and Twitter): Social Network Connect, Social Network Feed and Social Address Book
The LG Mini will be available in Europe starting in March, followed by other markets. Prices will vary country-to-country…
LG has announced the successor to its low-end messaging phone – KS360, which we also know as Tribe or Neon. The new device keeps the side-sliding QWERTY form factor, while priding itself with social networking features, that include integration with Facebook and Twitter.
In addition, there’s a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen (there were no touchscreen on the KS360) as well as four-line QWERTY keypad (versus KS360’s three lines) with dedicated buttons for accessing push e-mail, the web browser and instant messaging client.
Availability wise, the LG GT350 ill go on sale in Europe from this April and will then launch in other markets around the world. It will come in four color combinations including Aqua Blue, Purple, Light Silver, and Black, some of which will be exclusive to specific carriers.
Samsung has announced a new handset, the Monte, that seems packed with social networking software. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Bebo, instant messaging, and even Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Latitude all have dedicated widgets, accessible through a Touch Wiz 2.0 Plus interface. For the more serious users, there’s also Exchange and Google Sync support.
The hard specs are a little ho-hum: 3” WQVGA LCD display and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Still, if you’re digging the sound of the device, the good man Eldar Murtazin has had some hands-on time with the Monte already. My Russian’s a bit rusty, but I think we all get the gist of it. Yeah, we’ll see this at Mobile World Congress next week, but I think Samsung’s biggest focus will be on their own operating system, Bada.
The first Bluetooth 3.0-enabled device, Samsung S8500, has been blessed with the FCC approval. It looks like a European version, so we wonder why the Korean company had to take this route, anyway.
Full specs are still a mystery, but we know few things – the S8500 will ship with a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, quad-band GSM radio, WiFi, Bluetooth, 1000 mAh battery and a microSD memory card slot. As soon as we hear something new, you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned…
ZTE will finally get a spot in the major U.S. carrier’s portfolio, as Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is preparing to launch the Chinese company’s first handset – ZTE F350. We don’t have all the details about the device, but it seems like a basic phone with features that include Bluetooth, voice commands and a camera. No word on the mobile OS it runs, if any.
It’s also worth pointing out that Verizon is already offering another ZTE product – the AD3700 USB modem, but this would be the first ZTE phone in their offering.
Unfortunately, we’ve no idea when will Verizon officially launch the F350, but something tells me we’ll hear more from ZTE in the coming weeks and months…
Our buddies over at picoprojector-info.com have come up with a little gem of an advert (if somewhat wacky) for a new Pico-projector phone in China. The projector module is LCoS-based (the projection module is made by iView), and it supports audio/video/photo files, and also some documents. It’s also a TV receiver. The phone is Quad-band with dual-SIM support. The phone is available now in Japan (at least according to the ad).
According to my buddy Ron over at 3d-display-info.com, PureDepth have announced that they have acquired a patent for Multi-Layer 3D OLED displays. PureDepth Multi-Layer-Displays (MLD) use two or more displays that are placed one in front of the other to create 3D effects. These 3D displays do not require glasses and provide real depth!
As an apparent answer to all those Nexus One customers who have been complaining that Google (
