Toshiba Creates Phone Display With Highest Pixel Density Ever

The iPhone 4's crown of having the highest-density screen among smartphones could soon be usurped. Toshiba just unveiled a 4-inch screen with a density of 367 pixels per inch (ppi), making it the highest pixel density for any commercial display.

When Apple first showed the iPhone 4 last year, Steve Jobs famously proclaimed its 326ppi screen as a "retina" display, implying that it was so sharp, it was beyond the point where the human eye was able to discern the pixels. Those claims were later said to have been exaggerated, though the display is still notable for having the highest pixel density among phones.

The Toshiba screen, a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) display that was shown this week at a trade show in Los Angeles, bests the iPhone 4's 3.5-inch 960x640 LCD with a 4-inch 1,280x720 screen. That's enough pixels to play 720p HD video at full resolution—on a phone.

The achievement, while technologically impressive, has questionable applicability. It would be difficult for most to see any actual difference in resolution between a 326ppi display and a 367ppi one.

Still, having the highest-resolution screen in a category is a talking point that Apple has shown can be a useful marketing tool, and phone makers will no doubt implement Toshiba's high-density screen in some the high-end handsets of tomorrow, possibly even Apple. Apple's current supplier for the iPhone 4 display is LG, although the company is rumored to be working with Toshiba on the next generation of the device.

Does that mean Toshiba's 367ppi screen could make its way into the next iPhone? It's possible—Apple is also rumored to be completely redesigning the iPhone for the next model to accommodate a 4-inch screen, but a shift from the current 1.5:1 aspect ratio to a widescreen one (like the Toshiba screen has) is unlikely since it would affect all apps, which have already been designed for the original ratio. If the rumors are true, however, that could mean Toshiba has a different display, with an iPhone-like aspect ratio, in the works.

The new display follows on the heels of Samsung's unveiling of a 10-inch "retina" screen for tablets with 2560x1600-pixel resolution. If the trend toward ever-higher resolution continues, mobile devices that can display full 1080p resolution video could become common—as long as their processors can keep up.

PCmag

HP intros ultra-thin Elite L2201x display, prepaid 3G data

HP finished off its introductions Monday with a new, atypically luxury LCD and an alternative approach to 3G data on a notebook in the US. The 21.5-inch Elite L2201x breaks from most design and moves the power supply outside to slim the screen down to 0.4 inches thick and save space on the desk with an easel-like shape. Its metal finish makes it a fit for the new EliteBooks and Macs, and its only video input is DisplayPort.

The LCD panel is a moderately accurate MVA that provides a balance between quality and price. HP quotes a 5,000:1 contrast ratio and 250 nits of brightness on the 1080p display. As a consequence of the screen choice, HP has kept the price down to $249 on the L2201x, which ships June 1.

Also new is an attempt to spur usually slow adoption of cellular Internet access on notebooks. DataPass provides Sprint 3G data for rates depending not just on the bandwidth but the time. A short-hop traveler can pay just $5 for 75MB of data over five hours. Paying $10 doubles the bandwidth to 150MB and makes it last for three days, while $20 affords 450MB for two weeks. A $30 outlay gives a more industry-like 1GB for a full month.

So far, the new service is limited to HP notebooks using Qualcomm's Gobi un2400 universal modem. HP hasn't said if DataPass will reach other models, but it's not expected to allow DataPass for rival computer builders.

Electronista

LG Display blamed for iPad 2 shortage, Chimei due in May

A large part of the iPad 2's shortage issues were put at LG Display's feet on Thursday night through claims from supply sources. LG Display reportedly had light leakage problems for screens made at its sixth-generation LCD plant and could only ship 3.2 million iPad LCDs between January and March. Samsung, already helping out, ended up producing more at seven million, Digitimes understood.

While the 9.2 million total was well in excess of the 4.69 million Apple sold, much of that production would have been intended for the spring. Apple is known to have stopped original iPad production near the very start of the year and to have shifted over to production around February. Shipments would have started out in low numbers both due to the LG Display issue and the usual time needed to ramp up production at a contractor like Foxconn.

LG Display was said to have already fixed the problem and should be producing many more in spring. Plans for Chimei Innolux to pitch in were reportedly still on track and would have it shipping the 9.7-inch, IPS-based touchscreens this month.

While unconfirmed, the LG issues would support complaints from some iPad 2 buyers who've noticed light leakage on some of the earliest production runs. Apple has readily acknowledged that it was limited only by supply in the first quarter of the year and hinted at LG's resolution with confidence production would get back on track quickly.

Electronista