New Substrate Tech Creates System LCDs 129
smartalix writes "Sharp Microelectronics has recently developed a new LCD substrate technology called Continuous-Grain Silicon (CG-Silicon), that enables device integration on a scale previously impossible. The technology enables the creation of System LCDs that integrate all driver and operation circuitry -- including digital logic, LCD driver, power supply, I/O interfaces, and signal-processing circuitry -- onto the glass itself. Eventually even the device's CPU will be included on the substrate. A key SLCD feature is the ability to dynamically control the resolution and color depth, providing output in multiple-resolution modes while lowering overall power consumption. A 3.7-in. SLCD created with CG-Silicon had a power consumption of 14 mW for color VGA, 8 mW for color QVGA, and 2 mW for monochrome QVGA. The first commercially available product that incorporates the System LCD architecture is Sharp's Zaurus SL-C700 PDA, recently released in Japan."
With the way the economy's been lately (Score:4, Funny)
Re:With the way the economy's been lately (Score:2)
QVGA? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
For some really strange reason, people think its neat to measure LCD screens with one or two letters followed by "GA" each different letter combination refers to a different screen size.
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
Re:QVGA? (Score:5, Informative)
QVGA is an emerging standard for Palm Powered devices. Traditionally, Palm Powered devices have featured 160 x 160 pixel screens. QVGA screens feature a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The QVGA standard was originally adopted for the HandEra 330. New products with built-in QVGA technology are anticipated within the coming year.
QVGA-aware applications include support for a high-resolution bitmaps, additional fonts, and a collapsible 'virtual' graffiti area. Optionally, they can also support landscape and portrait screen rotation.
Re:QVGA? (Score:3, Informative)
The Clie with the graffiti area displayed is 320x320. If you collapse the graffiti area, the display is 320x480.
So the Clie would essentially be 2 QVGA displays stacked.
Re:QVGA? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:QVGA? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
Re:QVGA? (Score:2)
I am guessing that it stands for qurater vga, where vga is 640x480.
I think what is happening is that marketeers have decided that the average joe consumer doesn't lke to look at math problems when making a purchase so they have done away with numbers when talking about resolutions. These range from uxga, which i *think* refers to 1600x1200 down to qcif which i *think* is some god awful tiny resolution somewhere around 50x100. This leads to increadible amounts of confusion when purchasing products such as digital cameras, PDAs, laptops, and anything else using pixels. Personally I avoid any product labeled w/ letters instead of numbers
Re:QVGA? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
Re:QVGA? (Score:1)
Re:QVGA? (Score:2)
what ever happened to.... (Score:3, Funny)
okay great. now my LCD can think for itself.
but what ever happened to OLEDs & flexible LCDs?
Some information, good Sir (Score:5, Informative)
OLED developments [google.com]
Flexible LCD manufacturing/selling information [google.com]
Here's a recent, comprehensive artice from EETimes (Score:2, Informative)
Good news... (Score:5, Interesting)
If that's true, then it's about time. I can't count how many next-gen display technology announcements I've seen on
The fact that there's something already out there using it means that we're much more likely to see the technology become more widespread and adapted to other devices.
Re:Good news... (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, what is right for the Japanese market is not always right over here. The way they use cell phones over there borders on some science-fiction movies, while companies are still trying to get online cell phone games to catch on over here.
hold on.... (Score:1)
Re:hold on.... (Score:1)
Re:Good news... (Score:2)
It should be noted that the new Zaurus is already price competetive with similar high end PocketPCs (with only 1/4 the resolution) at around $700. While that's not exactly affordable to me, it compares pretty favorably with existing tech.
BTW I saw the new Zaurus at CES last weekend and it has by far the best looking PDA display I've ever seen. It was incredibly sharp, bright, and readable even with very small fonts.
Re:Good news... (Score:1)
Re:Good news... (Score:1)
This is new tech for the clamshell shaped device.
That's nice. (Score:1, Insightful)
No, you don't. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:But.. (Score:1)
Re:But.. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:But.. (Score:1, Informative)
Backward compatibility:
Most of the Zaurus SL-5500 programs that have been tested on the SL-C700 work. The SL-C700 will step down to 240x320 for older programs. However, no software has been thoroughly vetted and no guarantees can be made.
Synchronization:
The SL-C700 uses Samba connection via USB, so the machine will show up as a network device under Windows XP.
Looks like it runs Linux then!
Artaxerxes
Re:But.. (Score:1)
only as a beowulf cluster...
Re:But.. (Score:1)
Link to the actual article (Score:5, Informative)
The future is HERE... again. (Score:4, Interesting)
Btw, a direct link to the news article is here [sharpsma.com]
LCD's Grafted to Skin (Score:2, Funny)
Re:The future is HERE... again. (Score:1)
More info on power consumption (Score:5, Informative)
Re:More info on power consumption (Score:2)
Anyway, Its like using SRAM reather than constantly refreshing DRAM.
Re:More info on power consumption (Score:2, Interesting)
These applications pushed the available architecture as far and as fast as they could. Then suddenly CPU cycles became massively abundant (FPS freaks will disagree but come on, how many GHz or even MHz do you need to write a essay) and interfaces became cluttered, background images for dialogue boxes and shiny glowing graphical buttons for each individual task started popping up all over that place.
I know, I know, there where bad applications back then, but the landscape seemed more abundant with good applications. Well I should quit typing before I sound like a complete raving old fart ("back when I was a kid..." ect ect)... to late.
-Jason
superman! (Score:3, Interesting)
circutry on glass?
Sweet, so when can we have computers that come on crystals like in the superman movie.
Oooh, can the glass go transparent? I'd love a window that doubles as a computer. I bet it can't
Re:superman! (Score:1)
I remember some company making a laptop a few years ago (I don't remember the brand nor the model unfortunately) that doubled as a slide projector if you take the backplate off and put it on top of a conventional overhead projector.
So in principle, it's not impossible today to make your LCD window.
Re:superman! (Score:2)
See figure 6 of this document [ibm.com] for a picture. See this article [byte.com] for more info. Then, if you want more, ask google.
Re:superman! (Score:3, Funny)
Uhhh, so silicon is, uhh like, already a crystal, or something...
No, more like Enterprise D (NCC1701-D) (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:superman! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:This article tells me nothing (Score:1)
OR
Your PDA is obsolete. Just buy a new one, and quit asking questions.
Practical Uses (Score:2, Funny)
So does this mean... (Score:5, Insightful)
Wait a tick... that's bloody brilliant on Sharp's part!
I'm going to work on getting Sony and Nintendo to start integrating processing functionality into their controllers. Then, when somebody gets pissed and breaks one, they'll have to buy a whole new console!
I'm off to the USPTO, suckers!
Re:So does this mean... (Score:1, Insightful)
And this would be different from the current tech how?
Re:So does this mean... (Score:2)
Good enough for you?
Re:So does this mean... (Score:1)
Re:So does this mean... (Score:5, Insightful)
The big difference I can see is the opportunity to make really thin electronics, since you don't have to have the circut board behind the display anymore (just the batteries).
Re:So does this mean... (Score:1)
Re:So does this mean... (Score:2)
This comment might actually be insightful if the original Zaurus or any other Palm/Pocket PC device ever had a VGA out.
Does that mean .... (Score:4, Funny)
STNG glass computers, here we come? (Score:2)
Something else cheaper that that can be ubiquitous computing? That I can sit on and break?
Can the next DMCA outlaw back pockets?
Yaaaay.
System shock.. (Score:5, Funny)
Carppy transistors (Score:3, Interesting)
They were at the Async confrence and they were very intrested in doing everything asynchronously. It makes sence as implementing the logic in asynchronous circuits solves both problems.
Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:1)
Now one way to deal with the problem is to display to goggles/glasses. But that certainly has limits. Especially when cool embeded applications like the above are being developed.
[dream]
It seems like the ideal would be something that looks and feels much like a piece of paper (but less rippable). Fold/roll it up and put it in your pocket. Then unfold it and have a nice big surface you can view, touch, write-on, etc.
Even more ideally, this tech would be embedded in such a way that you could mass-produce pieces of v-paper for cheap. So you'd use it like paper, but it would have full color display and internet connectivity.
[/dream]
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:2)
I think glasses will be easiest; you can have tiny wires between the lenses for communication, instead of radio signals. (The signals whose broadcasted nature, I think, triggers the big-brother reaction in most of us.)
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:1)
Your glasses could even have bluetooth or some other means of communication with your cellphone to hook you up to the internet, printer, etc...
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:2)
You're suggesting I put a Bluetooth-band device near my optic nerve? Who knows...maybe it'll mutate and I'll get four-color vision.
(j/k on that last)
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:3, Funny)
I suggest the brand name 'Vaper'.
Re:Howzabout a foldable/rollable LCD? (Score:1)
Here's a picture... (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.ixbt.com/short/2k2-11/sharp102.jpg
Dynamic display power management - wow (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course, a flexible OLED would be great if it uses no more power and is flexible to boot.
Dara Parsavand
The New Zaurus (Score:3, Informative)
Here's the press release and spec sheet [sharp-world.com].
It's coming to the US... [linuxdevices.com]
Keyboard doesn't look great [dynamism.com] (but at least it's better than the original tiny Zaurus one)
I've always wanted something tiny I could carry around that would give me decent QWERTY with a landscape screen capable of displaying VT100 readably (or, better, actual graphics) that could also connect to the net when I'm out and about. This looks like it (though expansion is limited to SD & CF - that's enough for WiFi and BlueTooth, though.)
-- Yoz
Re:The New Zaurus (Score:2)
I have an sl-5500 and while it's not for everybody, I definately like it.
Sharp Wizard OZ-770PC (Score:2)
It's got a HUGE (for a handheld) keyboard, big enough to actually touch type at probably 50-75% normal speed, and a nice backlit landscape screen that can do proportional text and graphics (B&W only tho). A pair of AA's lasts 3-6 MONTHS in this thing.
It has 3MB of flash mem, and a genuine Z80 processor! You can code for this thing yourself in Basic, C, or even assembler, and there's lots of user written stuff to download. It's like having a complete 286-era system that fits in your shirt pocket.
Now, it's not Net enabled per se, however, it has a serial port, and there is terminal software written for it, so in theory you can connect it to a cell phone and access the Net through that.
It's several years old and discontinued, I lost mine recently and had to turn to E-Bay for a replacement. It's a really wonderful hacker's PDA though, and it has great community support. When I lost my original one, I did a bunch of searching for a modern PDA that has a similar design (large keyboard, landscape screen, clamshell case) and came up with nothing, especially for as low a price (it was $100 USD new)
Re:The New Zaurus (Score:2)
While I've so far managed to avoid PDAs these Zaurus guys are making it increasingly difficult to avoid the temptation.
At $700 the SL-C700 is really targeted for productivity applications, besides the usual organizer functions, but once their price drops to around $500 and they get the ability to stream broadcast quality video or TV (which I control remotely through a wireless IEEE 802.11 connection to my desktop doubling as DVR) and to (dis)play video CD/DVD discs through USB2 or Firewire-connected portable player I'm out of excuses.
Now that's the kind of remote Linux terminal I could do with.
Re:The New Zaurus (Score:1)
I've been watching the Zaurus line for a replacement for my aging Visor Deluxe
Just like in Minority Report! (Score:1)
Yacking cereal box (Score:2)
Duplicate story from a while ago... (Score:2)
Cost? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Cost? (Score:2)
getting SL-C700 Zaurus in USA (Score:3, Informative)
Super Duper (Score:1)
dupe 1 [slashdot.org]
dupe 2 [slashdot.org]
All that... (Score:1)
Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!
.
This is bad news... (Score:3, Interesting)
Even if current efforts such as Intel's HDCP [techweb.com] are flawed [securityfocus.com], future versions of these technologies may not be amenable to cryptographic attacks, and hardware based attacks will be extremely difficult if the circuitry is embedded in the screen itself.
This falls perfectly in line with the Broadcast Protection Discussion Group's [eff.org] desire to mandate implementation of a broadcast flag that all devices must honor.
But it's also good news (Score:2)
I wonder... (Score:4, Insightful)
Just a thought.
Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 with the new display (Score:1, Informative)
What I want to know is... (Score:1)
Interactive Views and specs on the Zaurus SL-C700 (Score:3, Informative)
On this flashy japanese page [ezaurus.com] you can look at the C700 from different angles in both the input and viewing modes, as well as see the english specs.
OS: Linux Embedix
CPU: Intel XScaleTM(PXA250 400MHz)
RAM: Flash 64MB (user area about 30MB) and SDRAM 32MB (workarea)
Screen: 640x480 ("dots") 64K colors
Cardslots: SD, CF type II.
?: 4 hours, 50 minutes
Dimensions: 120mm W x 83 mm D x 18.6 mm H
Mass: 225g
The front page to get to this was from http://sl.ezaurus.com/ [ezaurus.com] , from http://www.sharp.co.jp/ [sharp.co.jp]
Power comparison (Score:2)
I guess I am supposed to be awestruck by this, but in my ignorance I don't have a clue what is common power consumption today. Anybody knows?
Tor
a news story from Japanese site (Score:2, Informative)
At Oct.22, Sharp coporation announced CG silicon technology.
CG silicon(continuous grain silicon) has continuity at grain boundary. Movement factor of electron is 600 times of that of amorphous silicon.
Z80 CPU implemented on a glass [impress.co.jp]
Z80 on a glass is really working on a MZ-80 computer [impress.co.jp]
CG silicon has high movement factor of electoron [impress.co.jp]
Road map of System LCD architecture [impress.co.jp]
Re:a news story from Japanese site (Score:1)
A display panel using CG silicon technology [ascii24.com]. 7 inch wide, and has 1280x960 pixels resolution, which is about 2 times finer than convensional LCD panel.
A display panel using CG silicon for cell phones [ascii24.com]. 2 inch wide, 320x240 resolution.
A comparison between conventional LCD panel with driver circuit, and CG silicon LCD panel including driver circuit [ascii24.com].
Lower power, but not bigger and cheaper (Score:2)
It's amazing how much technological effort is going into advanced technologies for tiny screens. Is this actually useful, or profitable?
Re:Lower power, but not bigger and cheaper (Score:1)
Not everything is going on the LCD... (Score:1)
Despite the publicity stunt of building a microcontroller on glass (which, if I recall, ran at about 8 MHz), they will be using this technology (at least right now) to make the display better, cheaper, etc, not to integrate all of the digital logic onto the display.
Think about it this way: it's really cheap to build a microcontroller on a silicon wafer, and it works great when you're done. Putting a bunch of digital logic on the display would be cool (hey, I can see through my microprocessor!), but it's not going to happen right now because it would hurt yield too much. Also, while the mobility of these transistors is better (and probably more consistent), they're still thin-film devices. They wouldn't be appropriate for building a high speed microprocessor.
-podom
Great -- perfect for DRM (Score:1)