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Pixel Qi’s low power displays could be a second screen for your laptop or smartphone. Pixel Qi has partnered with a German company to offer its 10-inch displays that can be hooked up to another device using USB.

The secondary display could come in handy for extra real estate or to show someone else screen information, says Pixel Qi. Customers can plug in the Pixel Qi display using a wired or wireless USB.

“This extra screen would be small and light enough to carry, very low power, offer crisp text for good reading and be readable in any light even in sunlight,” says Pixel Qi in a statement.

The USB-connected screens should help widen Pixel Qi’s reach among consumers. Since March, Pixel Qi has been offering a 10.1 -inch displays for $275. But the displays were compatible with only two models of netbooks–the Samsung N130 and Lenovo S10. And users had to take a screwdriver to their PC and swap out the screen themselves.

Pixel Qi first showed its screens in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The display called 3Qi operates in three modes: a full-color LCD transmissive mode; a low-power, sunlight-readable, reflective e-paper mode; and a transflective mode that makes the LCD display visible in sunlight.

While technically impressive, a major challenge for Pixel Qi has been finding ways to get these displays into the hands of consumers. That’s why it seems to have partnered with German company Display Solutions, which has developed a driver board that can be combined with the Pixel Qi screen.

The entire module can be plugged into a laptop or even some phones via USB to create a second screen. The modules will start selling next month. Pixel Qi hasn’t disclosed pricing for the module.

Photo: Pixel Qi

Source:wired.com

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The eyes may be the window to the soul. But what do you see when you look into robotic eyes so real that its almost impossible to tell they are just empty, mechanical vessels?

At Siggraph, the annual conference for graphics geeks that ended last week, Disney researchers created an animatronic eye that moves in a lifelike way, makes eye contact and tracks those who pass by.

We wanted two things from the eye, says Lanny Smoot, senior research scientist at Disney Research. It should be able to see or have vision, and it should move as smoothly and fluidly as the human eye.

The animatronic eye was one of the 23 exhibits in the emerging-tech section of the conference.

Each year theres always been some consistent themes, says Preston Smith, emerging-tech chair at Siggraph 2010. But this year there hasnt been one thing that has leapt out in front of others.

Instead a variety of technologies jostled for attention: new 3-D display technologies,augmented reality and robotics. Siggraph 2010 showed research not just from universities but also from corporate labs, including Disney’s and Sony’s.

Above:

A Seeing Eye

Disney Researchs animatronic eye is relatively simple in its design. The eye has a transparent-plastic inner sphere with a set of magnets around it, painted to look just like a human eye. It is suspended in fluid and has a transparent outer shell. Using electromagnets from the outside, the eye is moved sideways or up and down, giving it a smooth and easy motion.

It is as fast as the human eye and as good as the human eye, says Smoot.

The pupil and the back of the eye are clear. A camera placed at the rear of the eye helps the eye see. Smoot hopes the mechanism can be used to create prosthetic eyes.

The prosthetic eye based on this wont restore sight, but it can restore cosmetic appearance to those who have lost an eye, says Smoot. The animatronic eye won the best in show prize at Siggraph this year.

Photo: Daniel Reetz/Disney Research

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Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Motorola Droid X is hit among consumers, having sold out at most Verizon stores, but for some the phone’s display has been an issue.

Some Motorola’s Droid X phone users are experiencing flickering of their display, horizontal and vertical bands in it, and at times a blackout of the entire screen.

But those problems may be fixed soon, says Verizon.

Verizon has issued a statement to say only “a very small number” of users are facing the issue. And help for them is on the way.

“Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless,” a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Engadget.

Motorola announced the Droid X on June 23 and the phone hit retail shelves on July 15. The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) has a 4.3-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor. The phone launched with Android 2.1 operating system, but is expected to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo in the summer.

Droid X’ debut though has left more than just users with display problems unhappy. Last week, Android geeks found that Motorola has made difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. Motorola has said that the chip combination will boot the phone only when software is installed, squishing hackers’ hopes that they can quickly get custom-ROMs on the device.

Meanwhile, check out this video of a Droid X user whose phone screen started flickering after the device was woken up from its sleep mode.

Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews