Display Technology

More benign materials, earth-friendly displays, more efficient displays — a lot of leading manufacturers are hyping their environmental credentials, whether they deserve them or not. Do manufacturers actually believe that environmental stewardship is important or are marketing departments merely jumping on the green bandwagon? Is it just another instance of the need for product differentiation that already gave us jewel-encrusted cell phones and ridiculously large televisions? Is green technology the real thing? Or do you think that price is not just nice — it's the single most critical feature of a display?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Display Technologies, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Display Technologies today.

Disney's new Dream House uses plenty of touchscreens, partially as a short-hand for futuristic technology. Touch screens are all ready found over the place, from airport check-in kiosks to ATMs to iPhones to PDAs. But they may not be the ultimate solution — I'm partial to gesture-capture systems, myself. Also, when touchscreens fail, they tend to make the entire device unusable. In five years, or ten, will touch screens still be popular? Or are they just a fad while we work out a more user-friendly technology? And what would that be?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Display Technologies, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Display Technologies today.

Rumors of a cell phone without a display got me wondering whether users really believe that the primary use of their phone is voice transmission. Imagine a cell phone with no camera, no music player, no phonebook, PDA, or games. And no display. But for the display industry, cell phones are big business. Yet, as the economy stalls, consumers are cutting costs. But once consumers have gotten used to displays, will they go back to simple devices that lack them? Would you? Or would that depend on the information that the display brings you?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Display Technologies, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Display Technologies today.

Gamers are driving HDTV purchases, and recent news stories suggest that 25% of American households now own an HDTV. With slim profit margins and a struggling economy, is the effort to distinguish brands causing manufacturers to add useless bells and whistles? On one hand, ability to play multiple formats and accept input from both computer and video sources is great. On the other hand, are Armani televisions and 3D-ready HDTVs progress, or just a mad scramble for customer dollars? What display innovations are you willing to spend your money on?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Display Technologies, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Display Technologies today.

PC Magazine recently pointed out how far the display industry has come in the past decade. Displays aren't the only thing that changed: a decade ago, blogger wasn't even a word and cell phones were just revolutionizing the way we communicate. Many user fantasies are commercial reality: flat panels, huge TVs, a pocket-sized device that lets you watch TV or read the newspaper. Are the iPhone display and Sony OLED TV the pinnacle of your display-related dreams, or does the technology still have a ways to go?

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The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Display Technologies, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Display Technologies today.