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Samsung Creates Flexible Display for Consumer Electronics By Jay Wrolstad November 28, 2005 11:07AM Samsung did not reveal when commercial products using the screens would be available, although IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell suggested it might be 18 months to two years.   Related Topics samsung electronics Latest News Endeavour Inspected for Damage Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency Samsung has developed a new flexible-display technology that promises to usher in an array of new consumer-electronics products that can take advantage of screens that bend without breaking. The seven-inch display uses a transparent plastic substrate that is thinner, lighter, and more durable than the typical liquid crystal display (LCD) panels used in today's consumer-electronics hardware . It can display images at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Scientific Breakthrough The high-resolution panel, which is designed to handle all kinds of digital content, including digital TV, can maintain a constant thickness even when it is bent. The technology is based on a Samsung breakthrough that involves a low-heat manufacturing process. This manufacturing technique, which can minimize plastic display deformation by preventing changes in thickness and distortion of images, binds two ultrathin panels together through a proprietary process. The flexible TFT-LCD, touted as the largest of its kind, will initially be made for mobile applications, including cell phones and notebook computers. Samsung envisions more unorthodox uses as well, such as wearable electronic displays. Flexibility for OEMs Samsung did not reveal when commercial products using the screens would be available, although IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell suggested it might be 18 months to two years. "We should see more flexible displays being introduced because they lend themselves to devices with curved form factors, such as laptops and portable DVD players," he said. As for cell phones, the screens would obviously have to be considerably smaller, he added. Ted Schadler of Forrester Research offered a similar take, noting that electronics giant Philips is working on a flexible panel that uses electronic ink (E-Ink) technology that works on almost any surface, including plastic. "In the future, we could see thinner, more durable laptops and mobile phones with flexible displays, as well as new portable gaming products," he said. Down the road, the technology could be applied to vehicle windshield displays and military uses, said Schadler.   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Computing 1.   MS: Windows 7 Doesn't Hurt Battery 2.   Tips for More Windows 7 Productivity 3.   The Pros and Cons of Apple's iPad 4.   IBM Power7 Server Takes on Big Load 5.   China Cyberattacks: Pervasive Threat EPIC Objects To Google-NSA Ties Cyberattack meant to rattle Google? Average Rating: Symbian 3 Is Now Fully Open Source But mobile OS remains linked to Nokia. Average Rating: Google Attack Highlights Black Market Paying for bug info is hotly debated. Average Rating:

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