I like that idea. If they could essentially build the graphics chipset into the screen you could have 3D accelerated screens, or low power BW screens, or you cover all bases and have an Imod, e-ink, and oled screen that you can switch between, since they all have their own strengths. Exciting stuff for sure. Can't wait to see what the pda form factor is in 5 to 10 years. I bet Sony and Apple come up with some really cool ideas for this stuff....
It makes all the sense in the world that this technology would make a bee-line for the PDA/Smartphone world. However...
Does it present a marketing problem? This is a situation where we have new technology that costs less and delivers a higher standard. Normally, you release something that incorporates new technology at a higher price. People buy it because they want the higher standard and are willing to fess up the extra money. This is the reverse. If you market better stuff that costs less how do get rid of all the old more expensive stuff that look worse than the new stuff? I'll bet the effort to preserve revenue stream delays the entry of OLED into mass production more than any technological delays.
One thing to note is that manufacturers won't necessarily be lowering the prices of their products if they use OLED technology. They can always say, "Hey, we're introducing this great new display technology in our PDAs and we're not going to raise the price!!" While at the same time they enjoy a greater profit margin resulting from the reduced costs of OLED displays. If this were the case, the sooner manufacturers could get OLED displays to market, the better for them. Just my two cents...
You're right, they might not want to pass on the savings. But then again there is a fairly sizable contingent of PocketPC users who are pretty well informed and would call them on this point. I am remembering the "how many colors are displayed" fiasco that stung both HP and Palm and more recently Viewsonic's "how much memory memory do you really have" problem. Sadly, there are probably enough uninformed folks to make it worth the aggrevation. Then again, they might initially bury OLED in the most advanced PPC's so that it would be impossible to discern where the costs really are. Who knows.
Still it seems to me that once OLED matures the company that is willing to cut their losses on their existing LCD based products and come to market with a cheaper PDA with a great display and long battery life has a chance to really carve out some market share. HP's 1910 seems to show that this is the case.
This reminds me of the good old days. Most laptops, OK, it was about the time Laptops were leaving and Notebooks became di riquer, most Notebooks and Laptops were still monochrome. I went to CES or some such show in Chicago. There was a darkened room where Sharp was showing their latest tech. It was a TFT screen in a 1 inch thick notebook that was only 8.5 by 11 inches. And it was beautiful. It was as nice as the top of the line Zenith Flat Tension Mask desktop monitor. This was the first flat screen desktop and cost so much to make that Zenith went out of the monitor business even selling them for $1000+ each (hope I remember that right, whatever it was, it was a LOT).
I like that idea. If they could essentially build the graphics chipset into the screen you could have 3D accelerated screens, or low power BW screens, or you cover all bases and have an Imod, e-ink, and oled screen that you can switch between, since they all have their own strengths. Exciting stuff for sure. Can't wait to see what the pda form factor is in 5 to 10 years. I bet Sony and Apple come up with some really cool ideas for this stuff....
Yes... a gaming/multimedia one that eats powers like candy, a low power low color one for long use (I doubt a black and white one would be useful... but one with just a few hundred or so colors would be), and maybe a a specialize on with controls built into the screen.
Uh, kids? I've had an OEL (organic electro-luminescent, same type of technology used in OLED displays) phone for over 18 months now. Motorola released one in 2000, the Timeport P8767. Looks like a StarTac, but silver, and with the most amazing display you have ever seen on a cell phone. It truly puts LCDs to shame.
I still get comments today from other cell phone users, asking me where I got it, and how much. The display is orders of magnitude brighter and clearer than any LCD I've ever seen. I for one cannot wait for full-color OLED displays.
The only problem I've seen is burn-in. The Sprint PCS logo is faintly visible when using the web browser, however, this is hardly noticable and doesn't detract from the display's effectiveness or brightness.
Last time I looked BT still does not live up to it's hype. USB OTG looks much more promissing.
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Yeah but, USB OTG is still tethered technology. Means, you still need a wire or cable to connect various devices together. Bluetooth is wireless, and intended for PAN (personal area networks). Do you seriously want to be tangled up in wires?
I think USB ToGo is meant for something different, such as being able to connect existing USB peripheals to your portable devices. such as a pda to a printer or fax machine, cell phones to pds that don't have bluetooth.
In a few years, sure. How long were we told about the amazing things Bluetooth would do for us before it become more of a consumer reality?
Apples to oranges comparison if you ask me. With BT there were a lot of fragile interdependencies, there's agreeement on specifications, supported devices, configuration headaches, worries about how each vendor implements, etc.
With OLED, all it takes is for one single vendor to get it right, and the consumer world will immediately feel its benefits.
Secondly, until they work out something about the lifespan, even if they do... why not make the screen user replacable? They are thin, right? Just make it a replacment part that requires a hex or something.
Every year or so, you get a new one... try to keep it to about $50 or so. And not only do you make the device better, you have an additional income stream.
Hell, if you can put the screen electronics on the screen, then you can even sell upgradible screens!
Ummm no. Think it through. First off users shell out several hundred on PPC/Palm/PDA devices. Last thing they are going to want to do is need to go out every 1.5-2 years and get a new screen. Doesn’t matter if its only 10 bucks. The norm at present is that screens don’t go bad. You put out a device that have a half life and no PDA user will ever purchase another [insert device name here] ever again. Even for a tech head this won’t fly. The upgrade path for most techheads is once every year….two at most. So by the time the screen starts to faulter us technogeeks will be upgrading.
Also keep in mind we are talking average users here that wouldn’t know the diff between a hex and standard screwdriver. Just the fact that you mention hex bits would send an average PDA user into epileptic fits. PDA's are closed systems for a reason. It makes them simple. Plus there's that whole nasty void your warrantee thing.
Finally the reason these devices are as small as they are is because they design these devices to be totally closed systems. Look at the iPaq 1910. There is No way you can have a device that small while having easily replaceable parts. Sure it would be possible to have replaceable RAM, video cards, screens and whatnot but all that requires a large form factor and more onboard chips = higher expense. If you rip up the current crop of Pocket PC, and even the old ones, you will see that 90% of its components are built directly on the mainboard. This keeps the price down for manufacturing costs.
Remember this isn’t a PC. It’s a PDA. Unless you are looking for devices to creep up into PC ranges its better to have a closed system device.
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