Sony Xperia V packs new sensor-on-lens touchscreen tech, promises a ‘true direct touch experience’

Sony Xperia V packed new sensoronlens touchscreen tech, offers a 'true direct touch experience'

If you thought LG's Optimus G and Nokia's Lumia 920 had future touchscreen tech all sewn up, then be ready to welcome Sony's own contribution. Its sensor-on-lens touchscreen will debut on the Xperia V, combining the sensor and lens component of a standard capacitive display, reducing the number of layers, glare and other interference. This improves both image quality and the screen's responsiveness -- Sony reckons the experience brings it in line with the aforementioned on- and in-cell touch display technology. During our brief hands-on at IFA, we found the Xperia V was certainly responsive enough, but perhaps some of that sensation can be attributed to the new screen, rather than the dual-core Snapdragon processor powering it. We'll be sure to give it a thorough testing when our review model appears.

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Sony Xperia V packs new sensor-on-lens touchscreen tech, promises a 'true direct touch experience' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5: the rumor roundup

iPhone 2012 and iPhone 4S shells compared

We're on the cusp of Apple's sixth iPhone launch, and there's very different expectations than there were last year. The 2011 rumor cycle left more than a few people burned: the later-than-usual October launch and repeated claims of a heavily-remade design led some to a disappointment when the iPhone 4S arrived, even though the final product had a slew of camera, speed and voice command upgrades. This year, the rumors have been grounded well before there was an event date in our hands.

There have been fewer instances of wild rumors. Instead, it's been based more around pragmatism, using either tangible leaks or sources that have a solid track record. Think of the perennial leaks from the Wall Street Journal or the increasingly well-established sourcing from iMore and The Loop. Whether you're conspiracy-minded or not, it's been hard to ignore the sheer number of claims that have tamped down expectations rather than inflated them. It's as though there's a collective fear we'll see a repeat of the 2011 hysteria and deal with fans (or detractors) complaining about missing features that were never promised in the first place.

Where last summer was full of uncertainty, this year there's a mounting consensus as to what we'll see, how we'll get it, and when. Tracking everything that's been mentioned may be a handful, however. With that in mind, we'll dive in and gauge what's likely to emerge from behind Apple's curtain on September 12th -- as well as what we can rule out from the get-go.

Continue reading iPhone 5: the rumor roundup

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iPhone 5: the rumor roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG teases that Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, long-lifespan battery

LG hints Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, longlifespan battery

LG must know that word of the Optimus G has been spoiled, even if it's not quite ready to put all its cards on the table. While it's only acknowledging the phone's identity under a 'G' codename, the Korean electronics giant is willing to talk a lot about what's under the hood. Among the truly new revelations: that uncommonly wide 1,280 x 768 screen, now called the G2 Touch Hybrid Display, is a 30 percent thinner gapless panel that puts the LCD right near the glass in a way that just might be familiar to HTC One X owners. We don't know for certain if it's one of those newly-shipping in-cell touch panels, but that name certainly suggests LG is setting aside a few of those cutting-edge LCDs for itself. There's also a treat in store for those who work their phones to the bone -- a newly refined battery can go through 800 full recharge cycles before it gives up the ghost, or about 60 percent more than we've seen in the past. Combine these with the quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro we already knew was coming, and the Optimus G could be quite the technology showcase for both LG's native South Korea as well as the US through a possible Sprint model.

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LG teases that Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, long-lifespan battery originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLG Newsroom (English), (Korean, translated)  | Email this | Comments

LG Display starts volume production of in-cell touch screens, we have a hunch as to who wants them

LG Display 1080p 5-inch panel

Looks like we'll be finding in-cell touch displays in our devices sooner rather than later: LG Display has confirmed that it's been mass-producing the thinner LCDs since earlier in August. CEO Han Sang-beom also notes that manufacturing has been going as smooth as, well, glass. Despite the complexity of building touch input directly into a display, the company expects to keep the supply going "without any fail," according to the executive. As to who's making the orders? LG Display isn't naming its customers on the record, and production could be as much for its sister company's phones and tablets as anyone else's. It's hard not to pinpoint Apple as the 800-pound gorilla in the room, however. Apart from Apple representing one of LG Display's biggest existing customers, multiple rumors and component leaks point to an iPhone with an in-cell display being in the works. The timing raises a distinct possibility that we'll know more about the screen manufacturer's clients in less than a month.

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LG Display starts volume production of in-cell touch screens, we have a hunch as to who wants them originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

Apple gets patent for in-cell touch display with impeccable timing

Apple gets patent for incell touch display with impeccable timing

So Apple could be working on an iPhone with a thinner display, you say. Look what we have here, possibly in the nick of time: it's a newly granted Apple patent for a screen with in-cell touch, where the LCD and touch recognition are integrated into one panel instead of stacking up in separate layers. Apple's implementation would slim things down by either having electrodes share duties, both driving the display and taking finger input, or stuffing two electrodes into each pixel to accomplish the same goal. The net effect isn't just one of squeezing a device into a thinner chassis; the company also envisions costs coming down by reducing the number of parts and streamlining the manufacturing process. As envisioned, the screen looks like an ideal fit for a significant revamp of Apple's mobile display technology, although we'd be careful about assuming that this or any in-cell touch implementation is a lock for potentially imminent iOS hardware. Apple first filed the patent in early June 2007, before the original iPhone had even marched into a retailer -- display technology has come a long way since then.

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Apple gets patent for in-cell touch display with impeccable timing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AppleInsider  |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks

Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may amp up Xperia meidrange

Add another future Sony Xperia model to a rapidly growing pool. The LT25i Tsubasa (not to be confused with the ST25i/Xperia U) has been caught by Tencent in AnTuTu and NenaMark2 tests, seemingly running the same mix of a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, a 720p screen and Android 4.0 that we've seen in the upcoming Xperia T (LT30p). So what's different? There's rumors of in-cell touch to keep the display thin and vivid, but even the unverified source isn't certain that it will become a reality. The crew at Xperia Blog also claims that there will be international LTE and HSPA+ models along with China- and Japan-specific editions. Assuming the details are at all consistent with the truth, having the Tsubasa arrive on the scene mostly hints that Sony might be readying a broader speed-up of its roster than we first thought.

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Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tencent (translated), Xperia Blog  |  sourceAnTuTu (translated), NenaMark2  | Email this | Comments

WSJ: Next iPhone to have even thinner screen

WSJ: Next iPhone to have even thinner screen

Apple's next smartphone iteration will reportedly pack new screen technology that shaves a small amount from the screen thickness. According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, the new in-cell technology integrates the touch sensor into the screen, shedding around half a millimeter and due to the reduced space between screen and user, could well improve image quality. Although a mere 0.5 mm reduction may not mean much for the phone's frame, it could help offset any weight added by a larger screen. The Wall Street Journal also reports that the still-LCD screens will be made by joint venture Japan Display, LG Display and Sharp. Manufacturers are apparently battling to maintain high-yield rates on the new screen technology, which until now has been limited to bigger displays. Hit up the source for the full report.

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WSJ: Next iPhone to have even thinner screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 9to5Mac  |  sourceWall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments