How âSuper AMOLEDâ Displays Work [Displays]

How 'Super AMOLED' Displays Work [Displays]

Some tablets and smartphones ship with an AMOLED display. Newer ones are shipping with a "Super AMOLED" display. What so super about it, and what does all this alphabet soup even mean?

The short version is that a Super AMOLED touchscreen display integrates touch sensors with the glass surface panel, eliminating at least one layer of glass and with it, a layer of air. That's what makes Super AMOLED super. Only Samsung makes it.

Super AMOLED schematic from Samsung

I said "at least one layer of glass" because AMOLED itself eliminates at least one layer in a display. The current Galaxy Tab, for example, uses a TFT-LCD (Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) screen. Until very recently, TFT-LCD has been the state of the art in thin color displays and is still the only cost-effective option in the vast majority of displays larger than a smartphone screen.

TFT-LCD has approximately four layers: a backlight, a TFT color filter, a touch-sensor panel, and an outer glass screen. AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) eliminates the separate backlight. AMOLED, however, is known for having problems with glare and readability in direct sunlight, even relative to average LCD screens. By minimizing the number of reflective surfaces and power necessary to achieve vivid color, Super AMOLED was designed in part to address this.

Samsung introduced Super AMOLED to commercial devices this year with the Samsung Wave, which ran their own Bada OS. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones made the displays popular, and it's since appeared on Samsung's Windows Phone 7 handsets as well.

There are other advanced color technologies in the market, all of them super, and all of them extra-expensive: Super LCD recently joined Super IPS and Advanced Super View. But only Super AMOLED has really captured the popular imagination.

A 7-inch Android tablet with an AMOLED display would probably be a serious advance over its current LCD screen. But if it's "just" AMOLED, something about it would just seem … less than super.

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Firefox 4 Beta 7 Is Nearly Complete and Much Speedier [Video]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Firefox 4 Beta 7 is out, and it's an impressive preview of the final release. Mozilla has let loose the JaegerMonkey engine, enabled hardware graphics acceleration on Windows and Mac, and integrated Sync and the awesome Panorama/"Tab Candy".

Mozilla says their JaegerMonkey compiler, combined with their other improvements, leaves Firefox 4 with a seriously impressive engine for rendering web pages and interpreting webapps and games. Their chart of three benchmark tests, including their own, shows what looks like some serious improvements, at least over their previous releases (and we can't wait to put them to the test):

In a demonstration video, Team Firefox makes the case more clear for how JavaScript performance can speed along tomorrow's webapps:

In addition to the raw code and horsepower additions, Mozilla also notes the inclusion of hardware-based graphics acceleration in this beta, along with more obvious integration of previous experiments like Sync, Pannorama, and App Tabs.

Firefox 4 Beta 7 is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Download it, give it a spin, and tell us what you think of the new browser and its liquored-up simian core.

Fasten Your Seatbelts – Firefox 4 Beta adds new JavaScript power and faster graphics [The Mozilla Blog]

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Crazy Android Keyboard App 8pen is Now Free [Android Apps]

A week of sales in Android's Market at $1.50 either went so well for 8pen that they could afford to give it away for free...or it was their only option due to lack of downloads.

I had a very brief play with it last week after I ran into Gizmodo reader Adrian on the train. Tracing various figure-8s on his Hero's screen wasn't the most intuitive way to type, I felt—and in fact, I struggled to string a single word together. Maybe a longer stab at it would've been more successful—some of you downloaded it last week and seemed to like it, but most said they would'nt replace Swype or SwiftKey with it.

Anyway, it's now free (and includes a long list of updates such as voice input, dictionary support and themes), so if you were hemming and hawing over paying a buck fifty (or 99p) for the app, have a go and let us know in the comments below. It works on any Android phone running 1.6 or higher. [8pen via Phandroid via EuroDroid]

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Can a PC Be Upgraded Forever? [PCs]

This little aluminum computer has one big goal: To be the last PC you will ever need. That's what the manufacturer claims: The Xi3 Modular's three boards will allow you to upgrade it forever. Maybe. I just like the color.

The tiny Xi3 Modular has one board with two AMD Athlon 64 processors and the RAM, while two I/O boards handle all connectivity and input/output requirements. They say that, by changing these boards you can "upgrade this computer forever" to save money and resources. Nice intentions, Captain Planet, but many computer manufacturers have tried the same approach only to discover that their modular technology always gets outdated, rendering their whole upgrade strategy into a broken pencil: Pointless.

Still, it's a nice little computer which is designed to be mounted anywhere. It comes with dual display support with 1080p DVI, VGA, HDMI, LVDS and DP output, plus 6 USB and 2 SATA Ports, Xi3p and PCIe, and it's available in limited quantities for $849. [XI3 via BusinessWire]

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Open source Kinect camera driver now available for download

This is a little confusing, but it looks like there's another Kinect driver out in the wild, and this one is actually available for download. The folks at NUI Group, who posted results first, are working on an SDK and Windows driver for all the capabilities of the device, which they plan to release as open source once their $10k donation fund is filled up. Meanwhile, hacker Hector Martin has performed a quick and dirty hack of his own (three hours into the European launch, no less) and has released his results and code into the wild. Sure, pulling data from the IR and RGB cameras and displaying it is a lot different than actually making sense of it, but if you're just looking for a way to plug your Kinect into your computer and squeeze some fun visuals out of it (and you're smart enough to deal with some pretty raw code), it looks like Hector is your man of the hour. Peep his video proof after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Open source Kinect camera driver now available for download

Open source Kinect camera driver now available for download originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's 'affordable' PMW-F3 Super 35mm camcorder announced, still not priced

When Sony announced it was working on an "affordable" pro-level 35mm camcorder, we knew that would be a very relative term. Now the company has finally unveiled the thing, though it's apparently still deciding just how affordable it's going to be. A price is not yet set, said to be low enough for "indie" filmmakers and others lacking major production house funding, but we have other details on the upcoming PMW-F3, like its 35mm CMOS sensor with recording modes of 1080p at frame rates ranging from 1 up to 60, with stops at important speeds like 23.98 and 59.94. The body can be purchased alone or there's a PL kit that includes 35, 50, and 85mm prime lenses. Again, no cost is known at this point, but expect the MSRP to be closer to Volkswagen than Vaio.

Gallery: Sony PMW-F3

Continue reading Sony's 'affordable' PMW-F3 Super 35mm camcorder announced, still not priced

Sony's 'affordable' PMW-F3 Super 35mm camcorder announced, still not priced originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dish Network officially starts pushing Google TV integration

There's no surprise on the pricing front ($179 for the normally $299 Logitech Revue, plus $4/month service fee) but today Dish Network officially started offering the integrated Google TV experience for its customers. The $4 fee applies to and will work with Sony's Google TV devices as well, but the Revue is the only unit to get a price break up front. Dish is so far the sole TV provider that will let Google TV search through and control its compatible DVRs, and it's put up a video demo to show how that works (embedded after the break.) Beyond the continuing questions about the Google TV platform itself, we'll wait and see if Dish got the price right, those interested can check the press release for details on how to sign up.

Continue reading Dish Network officially starts pushing Google TV integration

Dish Network officially starts pushing Google TV integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bootlace lets you install Froyo on your iPhone without a computer

It may not solve some of the problems involved with actually running Android on an iPhone, but the recently released Bootlace 2.1 application for jailbroken iPhones does at least make the installation process easier than ever. Unfortunately, it only works with the iPhone 2G and 3G at the moment, but it will let you install Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo) directly on the device without the need for a computer. Hit up the source link below for the complete installation instructions -- and insert your own joke here about the iPhone running Froyo while your Android phone is still stuck at 2.1.

Bootlace lets you install Froyo on your iPhone without a computer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jabra rolls out Stone2 on November 21st, just as UFO-like as the original

Bluetooth headsets look strange enough hanging off your ear as it is, so why not maximize the shock factor? Jabra's Stone is equal parts strange and elegant, and it would appear that the newly-announced Stone2 is making no attempt to diverge from that formula. Apart from some minor tweaks, the overall curved design and matching charging dock appear to be largely unchanged from the original model, but the Stone2's claim to fame is the fact that it's now a completely touch-free experience to use: if a call comes in, you just say "answer" or "ignore" and the phone will do your bidding. Never mind the fact that the people around you at the coffee shop are more convinced than ever that you're talking to yourself, we suppose. Look for it in AT&T stores on the 21st of this month for $129.99.

Jabra rolls out Stone2 on November 21st, just as UFO-like as the original originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video)

Promising "visually rich user experiences not previously seen in consumer electronics devices," ARM has introduced its latest embedded GPU architecture, Mali-T604, at its Technology Conference 2010 in California today. Though we're unlikely to see it in devices any time soon, the introduction means that the new design is available to ARM licensees -- and notably, the company points out that partner Samsung will be the first to get hooked up. Considering Sammy competes in the high-end embedded system-on-chip space already with its ARM-based Hummingbird line of cores, adding in the Mali-T604 is probably the next logical step for them. ARM says that it's designed "specifically" with the needs of general purpose GPU computing in mind and includes extensive support both for OpenCL and DirectX, so look for some insane number-crunching capabilities on your next-generation phone, tablet, and set-top box. Follow the break for ARM's press release.

Update: We sat down with ARM's Jem Davies to get some more details about the new Mali, and discovered it's only the first of several potential next-gen GPUs to come as part of the Midgard platform -- while this particular processor is available with up to four shader cores, successors might have more. The T604 itself is no slouch, though, as it can theoretically deliver two to five times the performance of the company's existing Mali 400 GPUs core for core and clock for clock -- which themselves run circles around the PowerVR SGX 540 competition if you take ARM at its word. Davies told us that not only does the Mali-T604 do DirectX, it supports the game-friendly DirectX11 as well as the always-popular OpenGL ES 2.0, and will appear in an system-on-a-chip together with an ARM Cortex-A15 "Eagle" CPU, when both are eventually baked into silicon several years down the road. Of course, in the eyes of marketers the future is always now, so get a look at conceptual uses (hint: augmented reality) for ARM's new Mali right after the break.

Additional reporting by Sean Hollister

Continue reading ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video)

ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xi3 Modular Computer is one cool-looking desktop in a cube

Yep, that thing is a computer, and while it probably won't be your next computer, it's definitely an interesting one. Made by hardware startup Xi3, the aluminum case (yes, it's available in more than just that orange mocha frappuccino color) houses three separate boards -- one holds the AMD Athlon 64 processor and 2GB of DDR2 RAM, another the power / video card, and the last the input / outputs. As you may have guessed, the 20 watt modular system is meant to be tinkered with, and in addition to those internal boards, it has only two sides, eight screws, and that colorful chassis; the company will sell additional modules on its site. So, how much will that little thing set ya back? Obviously, it's customizable, but the base model, which includes a 1.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of flash storage rings up at $850. That's pricey considering it doesn't include a Windows OS, but Xi3 told us that it's primarily aiming this thing at the embedded market and cloud computing customers. Still, that doesn't mean you couldn't configure it with a larger hard drive, install your OS of choice, and find a home for the little guy on your desk. It's available now at the source link, but before heading over there you'll want to check out some pictures of the Xi3's internals in the gallery below and then journey past the break for the full press release.

Gallery: Xi3 computer hands-on

Continue reading Xi3 Modular Computer is one cool-looking desktop in a cube

Xi3 Modular Computer is one cool-looking desktop in a cube originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD GPU roadmap points to a happy 2011 for Radeon lovers

The ATI name might be dead, but Radeon graphics cards are only growing bigger, bolder and better. AMD's recent financial analyst day has made official what many of us already knew or suspected: there'll be three new high-end GPUs forthcoming in the first quarter of 2011. The slides explicitly describe the recently launched HD 6870 / 6850 as mere refreshes, aiming to bring HD 5800 series performance in a more efficient package, but peek beyond them and you'll see an armada of HD 6900 chips just itching to bring the fight to NVIDIA and its newly crowned GTX 580 king of the single-GPU hill. No specs yet, of course, but at least we now know there'll be some fireworks to greet us early in the new year. Oh, and if the mobile realm is more your thing, we've got a shot of AMD's plans on that front waiting for you just after the break.

Continue reading AMD GPU roadmap points to a happy 2011 for Radeon lovers

AMD GPU roadmap points to a happy 2011 for Radeon lovers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7 USB tethering uncovered on Samsung phones

If you're the proud owner of a Samsung Focus or Omnia 7, you can scratch a pretty major item off the list of basic features missing from WP7: USB tethering. A couple of sites have come upon a quick and relatively easy hack to enable using your handset as a 3G modem on Microsoft's new platform. You'll need to dial up ##634# to get into a diagnostics menu, switch over to a "Modem, Tethered Call" mode and deal with a few more prompts along the way, but the end result is that you'll have a pretty much automated USB tether setup on your hands. Our own testing on HTC's Trophy and LG's Optimus 7 hasn't been quite so productive, perhaps because those devices require a different route to achieving it, but it seems like Windows Phone 7 is perfectly capable of performing the USB tethering task. Let us know how you get along in the comments below!

Windows Phone 7 USB tethering uncovered on Samsung phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD publishes CPU roadmaps through 2012, runs a quad-core Bulldozer through the laptop realm

Heard of Trinity, Krishna, Wichita and Komodo? You have now -- they're the codenames of brand-new processors that AMD plans to ship in 2012. AMD dropped preliminary details on the basic platform lineup earlier this week, and it looks like there are some sweeping changes in store -- like the fact that every single chip will have a DirectX 11 capable GPU on board in true Fusion style. Also, if you thought Bulldozer was a desktop processor and Bobcat limited to laptops, you'll be interested to know that's not at all how it's going to work -- powerhouse notebooks and mid-range towers can get the same four high-end cores in the form of a 32nm Trinity APU, while Krishna and Wichita mop up the low-end and hopefully address low power consumption scenarios with 28nm silicon. Of course, there's a little something extra for the desktop enthusiast, and that's where the octa-core Komodo will come in (picture after the break). AMD's also enacted one other very important change, and that's to provide the handy-dandy AMD Codename Decoder[TM] for telling all these platforms apart. You'll find it at our more coverage link. We kid you not.

Continue reading AMD publishes CPU roadmaps through 2012, runs a quad-core Bulldozer through the laptop realm

AMD publishes CPU roadmaps through 2012, runs a quad-core Bulldozer through the laptop realm originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs says AirPrint has not been 'pulled,' but here's how to re-enable it just in case

We're still just as much in the dark as you are as to the current state and future of AirPrint, but we do now have a solution. Yesterday it was looking like wireless printing from iOS devices was out the window, but according to MacRumors.com Steve Jobs has responded to one disgruntled user's ask for clarification, saying in typically terse prose:

AirPrint has not been pulled. Don't believe everything you read.

Indeed you should not believe everything you read, and given there's no way to authenticate this supposed response you might want to take that with a bit of a grain of salt too. But, until we get official confirmation one way or another, Mac developer Steven Troughton-Smith has managed to find a way to re-enable the service in the released version of Mac OS X v10.6.5. It won't be easy, you'll need to pull some files from a pre-release version of that version (confused yet?), but if you need to print something wirelessly today give it a shot. Or, you could just wait until tomorrow when iOS 4.2 rolls out and we see for sure what's going on with AirPrint.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Steve Jobs says AirPrint has not been 'pulled,' but here's how to re-enable it just in case originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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