Splashtop Debuts Dual Monitor App for iPad

I'm not going to lie, having a multiple monitor setup for your computer is pretty sweet. It makes multitasking so much easier and looks cool too (if your monitors are the same, like mine). However, having a multiple monitor setup isn't always cheap. You have to have a graphics card that supports multiple monitor hook ups as well as a motherboard to support that card, and then you have to have the monitors. Sometimes, buying one monitor is expensive but you can almost guarantee spending a lot if you are looking into multiple ones, especially if you want anything with decent quality.

Well, if you don't want to spend the extra money getting an extra monitor and you have a computer running Windows 7, a WiFi connection and an iPad, then you don't have to worry about any of that. Splashtop Incorporated has just announced the release of its Splashtop XDisplay app for the iPad. The app basically transforms your iPad into a second monitor for your desktop or laptop computer.

While it isn't exactly the same as having an actual monitor make your setup even cooler, the 9.7" screen of the iPad should perform well enough for most situations. Having multiple screens has many benefits. It allows you to decrease screen clutter by moving icons and widgets around and use the primary screen solely for work or entertainment purposes without any distractions. Having more than one monitor also allows you to view extra large images or spreadsheets without having to zoom or scroll like a madman.

In addition to that, the second monitor can also be used as a presentation device if you want to use it as a mirror instead. If you decide to use your iPad as your second monitor, you can also watch movies easily without having to deal with the time-consuming file conversion process.

This app works by connecting to a PC that is running a free Windows Streamer. And that's it, it's that easy. You can even pinch to zoom on your iPad and use other gestures as well that allow you to interact with the content on screen. Splashtop XDisplay is currently available now as a free app download though it does limit you to a 10-minute session each time you use it. If you want unlimited access, you will have to purchase an added in-app purchase for $9.99. However, Splashtop is currently having a promotion right now and is selling the unlimited access app for $4.99, but only for a limited time.

Source: ubergizmo - Splashtop XDIsplay turns your iPad into an extra screen for your PC

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Monitors and Flat-Panels Decreasing in Size, Weight and eWaste

The CEA, otherwise known as the Consumer Electronics Association, has just issued a report that gave details on the significance of the size and weight of our current-generation flat-panel TVs compared to previous incarnations. The report also indicated that e-waste recycling volumes have diminished as last-generation flat-panel tvs are being replaced in homes.

The report, which is titled "Materials Footprint Reduction of Televisions and Computer Monitors: 2004-2010", noted that flat=panel televisions of this day and age are 82% lighter and 75% smaller on average than previous models of similar screen sizes.In addition to that, the report also noted that 40" to 70" flat-panel televisions weigh 34% less than 13" to 36" CRT tvs.

According to VP of Environmental Affairs and Industry Sustainability with CEA Walter Alcorn, "The staggering reductions in materials in TVs and computer monitors have real and lasting environmental benefits, from the supply chain through recycling and disposal. Dramatically lighter and smaller TVs and monitors reduce the amount of resources needed to manufacture the product and slash the amount of required packaging and fuel used to transport these products. Furthermore, the sun-setting of CRT TVs is vastly reducing the amount of electronics to be recycled."

The CEA has coordinated the eCycling Leadership Initiative, which has a goal to recycle 1 billion pounds of electronics annually by the year 2016. The initiative has also targeted set measurement and transparency as one of its key principles as well as bolstering consumer education of eCycling. The initiative also plans on increasing the number of recycling locations and infrastructure needed to reach the 1 billion pound annual goal. This report is the first of many planned technical reports on issues relating to end-of-life electronics.

Source: Twice - CEA Study Sees Flat-panels Decreasing eWaste

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Acer Unveils Two New 3D LCD Monitors

3D HDTVs are becoming increasingly popular, as are 3D computer monitors. However, even though 3D is making waves in PC gaming, it has yet to take off like televisions have. Well, Acer is attempting to make the transition from 2D to 3D PC gaming even easier by introducing two new LCDs that offer full 3D capabilities.

Acer's newest device is the HN274H which acts as both a 3D LCD monitor as well as a fully-functioning 3D HDTV. This handy device supports Nvidia 3D Vision for 3D PC gaming and also supports HDMI 3D. What this means is that you have the ability to hook up a 3D-compatible Blu-ray player or a TV set-top box in order to watch movies or television in complete 3D as well. The HN274H is a 27-inch LED-backlit display that comes with three HDMI ports overall as well as a pair of Nvidia active-shutter 3D glasses.

The other new device that Acer is offering to help you make the jump into 3D entertainment is the step-down version, 23.6-inch HS244HQ. This smaller device lacks Nvidia 3D vision support and LED backlighting. However, it still comes with HDMI 3D compatibility and also includes a pair of Acer 3D glasses. In addition to that, the HS244HQ, like the HN274H, offers 1,920 x 1,080 full HD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a 2ms response time.

Both the HN274H and the HS244HQ are available now with the HN274H going fora retail price of a $689 and the HS2344HQ going for a $449. If you are looking for a moderately sized 3D HDTV and a large 3D gaming monitor, the HN274H will make a perfect all-in-one device with the HS2344HQ being perfect for a more mild enthusiast.

Source: ZDNet - Acer introduces two new 3D desktop LCD monitors, including 27-inch LED-backlit display with HDMI 3D support

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Eizo Announces the Insane 36.4" DuraVision FHD3601 Monitor

Eizo is all primed and ready to launch a seriously eye-opening PC monitor that will have more than a few tech nerds lusting over it more than the forbidden fruit of Eden. Known as the Eizo DuraVision FDH3601, this monitor's main feature is the staggering 4096 x 2160 resolution. This is a marginally higher resolution then the current QFHD, or Quad Full High Definition (4x HD), resolution that is already set at an incredible 3840 x 2160 resolution.

What is good is that this monitor should compliment the enormous 36.4" screen size nicely and provide a very impressive 0.1995mm pixel pitch. The monitor features WLED backlight and is also capable of displaying a 700 cd/m2 brightness. If that is too bright for you, the FDH3601 can be reduced to 30 cd/m2 which gives it a perfect range of 670 cd/m2.

It is believed that the panel will use a form of IPS technology accompanied by wide viewing angles, 25ms ISO response time and a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio as well as true 10-bit per subpixel color support. Eizo has also added a plethora of inputs as well. This monitor comes with two DVI-D ports, two DisplayPorts and two USB 2.0 ports. Current bandwidth requirements do not allow for HDMI support so maybe that will be available on an updated model.

This monitor seems to be aimed at people needing a monitor big enough to display a lot of information on screen at one time. The graphics resolution would be perfect for gaming, that is if you aren't scared away by the horsepower you would need in a card to be able to play games to their full potential on this device. There is also the 350W power consumption to take into consideration.

If you want this device, then you are going to have to hop a plane over to Japan and make sure you have a lot of disposable income. The Eizo FDH3601 is set to launch in the land of the rising sun on September 7, 2011 for roughly $36,000. Availability outside of Japan has yet to be announced but that may be a good thing for people who are impulse buyers.

Source: PC Monitors - Eizo DuraVision FDH3601 - a 36.4" monitor with QFHD+ resolution

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Incorporating Smell Into the Entertainment Experience

What if while watching The Bachelorette, you could actually smell the roses that Ashley was handing out, or while watching The Food Network, you could smell the fresh herbs and spices in all of the delicious dishes that Paula Deen was cooking up? Well, we may not be far away from the days when smell will be incorporated into our TV viewing experiences.

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have partnered with Samsung and are hard at work developing technology that would incorporate scent into the entertainment experience. This technology is leaps and bounds ahead of the entertainment industry’s first attempt to incorporate scent with movies. “Smell-O-Vision” was the name that was given to the techniques that were introduced in the 50’s and 60’s. Obviously, they weren’t very successful. The latest technology seems incredibly sophisticated. Scientists have been said to be able to create over 10,000 different aromas from a relatively compact device.

"That's the hypothetical number," said Sungho Jin, a professor of NanoEngineering at UC San Diego and the leader of the research team. "It's a matter of programming. All the odors would be pre-programmed, like sound is synchronized with the image. So there are a lot of possibilities."

Jin does warn that everything that his team has developed to this point is merely a proof of concept, so don’t get too excited yet; however, it seems as though they are making lots of progress with the technology.

So how does it work, some might ask? Well, the device stores a liquid solution in several different tiny compartments. When it is time for a smell to be released, those compartments can be heated via a metal wire. Once heated, the solution becomes gaseous. The pressure that builds then opens a small compressed hole found within the compartment and the gas is released in the room to give off the scent correlating to what is occurring in the movie or TV show.

The breakthrough that was discovered by the team at UC San Diego was the mapping of the odors on an x-y matrix. This helps to greatly minimize the complexity of the system itself. Without this discovery, any device that featured the scent technology would literally require thousands of individual controllers to create the different aromas. The matrix that the team discovered allows the device to be small enough to fit into a cell phone.

"If you want to do 10,000 odors with 10,000 switches, that's a very complicated device. But if you have an x-y matrix system, that device is more practical. It's not a problem doing 100x100 on a 50-inch TV. Each chamber would be millimeter size. On a cell phone, you may not be able to do 10,000 odors. Maybe 100."

Jin continues explaining the possibilities with this technology. “For example, if people are eating pizza, the viewer smells pizza coming from a TV or cell phone, and if a beautiful lady walks by, they smell perfume, instantaneously generated fragrances or odors would match the scene shown on a TV or cell phone, and that's the idea."

Although all of the advances with scented television experiences have been great, there are still some major issues that researchers need to address. The biggest issue right now seems to surround the limitations with how far a smell can travel. Smell travels at a much slower rate than say the light or sound on a TV, so what can be done to speed it up? Jin does not seem to be too concerned. "You can tell if somebody farts, you can smell it in three or four seconds,” he said “And that's like a two to three feet distance. For 10 feet, if you have a miniature fan, it can get to you in a few seconds or so. We keep thinking about the issues."

Jin said that smell-enabled TVs are likely years from being available to the general public, if they ever even show up. However, he believes that it is a field that has most definitely been underutilized and could make a huge impact if it is properly developed.

"Smell is one of the most important senses that we have. [With devices,] we use eyesight and hearing often. Touching is a little more difficult, and tasting would have safety issues. Smell is next."

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Samsung Creates Prototype Folding AMOLED Display

Ever been playing a game on your PC and get so frustrated that you just want to grab your monitor and throw it across the room? Yeah, me too. Well, that really isn't the most financially efficient way to play games. Computer monitors are expensive and breaking one is never a good idea. However, researchers may have hit a breakthrough with a visually seamless AMOLED screen that has the ability to be folded with absolutely no resulting crease.

This prototype, which was created, designed and built by researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea, was put through rigorous testing against 100,000 folding-unfolding cycles. The results of the testing produced absolutely no visible creasing and only a 6% decrease in screen brightness at the pivot line.

The AMOLED display consists of two panels placed on the bottom and top layer of silicone rubber. A protective glass cover is then placed on top of the optic sandwich for protection from scratches. This also allows it to act as a touchscreen. All of the components are placed inside a case that folds to a 180° angle that positions the two panels on top of each other.

Samsung has been talking about this type of technology for a while now, especially at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. While this isn't the single-piece rollable color screen we may have been thinking of, it is still a giant step forward.

Source: PC World - Samsung's Prototype AMOLED Folding Display Bends, Doesn't Break

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Increase in Computer Monitor Prices Inevitable

Manufacturers of computers and computer monitors as well as retailers have warned consumers of a pending increase in the price of computer monitors ever since the South African Revenue Service imposed an excise duty of 7%.

Since April, a 7% ad valorem tax, which was initially scrapped back in 2004, has been reintroduced due to that fact that some computer monitors are being used also as a television. The good news is that the price increases are being introduced gradually.

Spokesman for the South African Revenue Service Adrian Lackay stated a week ago that prior to April computer monitors and televisions did not have the same tax structure. Televisions were subject to a 7% ad valorem duty whereas computer monitors did not attract any ad valorem duty whatsoever.

As a result of that, computer monitors were imported duty-free for use in the television industry "to the detriment of the local manufacturing TV industry," according to Lackay. "The alignment of taxes between monitors and TVs will hopefully curb any further abuse to the benefit of the local manufacturing industry."

It was also noted that your average variety monitor that you usually find in an office would not be affected by the tax increase. Any monitor that exceeds 20.8" will attract a 25% import duty as well as a 7% ad valorem tax, according to CEO of Mustek David Kan.

Kan also noted that no company could absorb the increase so importers will pass it on through the channel and then on to consumers. According to Kan, "The margin in the IT hardware industry is too thin not to pass on."

According to IT Product Manager at Samsung Bennie Budler, "The major implication will be that the price of all monitors bigger than 21.5" would be about 34.4% higher. The extra cost will have implications for the customer."

It is expected that the prices of monitors are going to increase by around 15% and Kan stated that there had been no formal explanation from the South African Revenue Service about the new tax. According to Kan, "I do not understand why our country is protecting the TV assembly industry. There is no local content and it creates very limited jobs."

Kan also added that the International Trade Administration Commission's decision to protect the local TV assembly sector must be challenged. "If the tax is removed, every household will be benefiting from paying less. Nowadays, TV is not a luxury item."

In a recent statement from Samsung, the company noted that recent computer monitor shipments were halted in April in order to ensure that every company importing computer monitors was declaring them in the correct way. Lackay stated that larger monitors were now all liable to the same duty. The new tax amendment had been created to ensure that, from a duty perspective, a monitor's principle application was now purely of academic interest.

Source: Business Day - Computer monitor tax 'will push up price'

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