The new sets look gorgeous, eliminating those annoying borders, at the same time, display area will get 1-inch larger without the set itself increasing in size from 2010′s models. The LED D8000 has a brushed metal bezel that’s so thin, you really don’t see it unless you’re standing right next to the set. The D7000 still has a thin black bezel with a touch of red color along the edge, but it’s still nearly impossible to see from a distance.

The D8000 offers a 240Hz refresh rate, 2ms refresh rate, and LED backlighting. It’s also got built-in Wi-Fi and Samsung’s newly announced Smart Hub technology. The set ships with a remote control with its own 3″ LCD screen, which can actually stream content to its screen as well. Both sets offer 3D capability using Samsung’s new lighter-weight 3D glasses.

Samsung didn’t reveal release dates or prices for the new displays yet, but I’d assume we’ll hear more in the coming days and weeks.

As the picture above shows, the Mythos XTR-50 is meant to accompany the super thin LED TVs that are starting to come out of the market. But even if you don’t have equally slim TVs, the Mythos XTR-50 ‘s size make it a good bet for people with limited floor areas. When mounted to a wall, the Mythos XTR-50 has an overall frequency response of 92Hz – 30kHz. It has a sensitivity of 92dB, and an impedance of 8 ohms. The recommended amplifier power for driving the XTR-50′s is 20 to 100 watts per channel.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Check out Definitive Technology for more information and pics. If you’re already convinced that you want one, then it means that I’m a good salesman.  The Mythos XTR-50 is available online, but only for US citizens. It sells for $700 (USD) at both Amazon and Crutchfield.

[via Gearlog]

Let’s start with the hardware: The iPad will come packaged in a svelte 0.5″ thick package with an aluminum body and glass screen, and weighs in at 1.5 pounds. The screen is a bright LED backlit IPS LCD, measuring 9.7″ diagonally.

The screen on the iPad offers a sharp 1024 x 768 resolution, which is plentiful for a display of its size. That said, the 132 pixel-per-inch density isn’t as sharp as say, the Skiff e-Reader. As expected, it’s a full multi-touch screen.

The iPad is powered by Apple’s very own A4 CPU, running at 1GHz. This chip is said to be very powerful, and requires very little electricity to keep it ticking along. In addition, the iPad will include everything you’ve become accustomed to with your iPhone 3GS – an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and a digital compass. The Wi-Fi + 3G model will also include A-GPS and cellular data capabilities, while the cheaper Wi-Fi only model will not.

There’s even a special iPad keyboard dock coming out, which will let you use the iPad instead of a netbook PC, and you’d rather not use the on-screen keyboard.

There’s a built-in rechargeable battery that can crank out up to 10 hours of media playback and Wi-Fi internet access, so runtime should be plenty for most users. But if you were looking for the weeks-between-charges features that e-Book readers offer, you won’t want to ditch your Kindle or Nook just yet (just wait for the iPad 2.) The iPad also has a built in microphone, speakers, and a 30-pin dock connector just like its little brother.

You’ll be able to play high-def video at up to 720p/30fps resolution H.264 video using an external cable, but when watching videos on the iPad screen, you’ll be limited to 1024×576 on-screen for widescreen content, since the display is designed more for computing, gaming and book reading than for movie watching.

In terms of apps, the iPad comes pre-loaded with a full version of Safari for web browsing – and can handle full-size web pages with aplomb. That is, unless they require Flash. Apple, you really need to give in to Adobe and embrace Flash again. I know it could compete with the App Store, but now that you’ve got a device with a full-screen web browser, it’s inexcusable that it doesn’t support Flash.

There’s also a Mail app that’s on par with what you’d find on a desktop computer. I also like how the iTunes experience that’s on board is very similar to the full desktop app.

Photo browsing looks like it’ll be a breeze with the built-in gallery manager (which is sort of like iPhoto in a portable form-factor). And while there’s no built-in memory card reader (boo!), Apple will be offering a separate camera connection kit for pulling images from digital cameras via USB or an SD card.

The iPad will also include all of the other usual suspects including an iPod app, YouTube, video player, notes, calendar, contacts, and access to the App Store for downloading the same apps that run on the iPhone, as well as apps that are iPad-specific. And iPhone apps can be run either at original size, or blown up to full screen mode (althought I’m not sure how ugly apps that use bitmapped graphics will get in this mode).

One big change from the iPhone and iPod Touch is the mobile iBook store. This will offer numerous full-size books, magazines and newspapers from major publishers. While you don’t get the battery life of a Kindle or Nook, you get a full color screen that you can read in the dark – which is awfully nice.

Apple has announced that iPad pricing will start at $499 (USD), with the Wi-Fi only version hitting late this March, and the Wi-Fi + 3G models to come in April. When all is said and done, there will be 6 available configurations:

• Wi-Fi: 16GB ($499) / 32GB ($599) /64GB ($699)
• Wi-Fi + 3G: 16GB ($629) / 32GB ($729) /64GB ($829)

There are alot of things to like about the iPad, but many things that are disappointing to me. I would have thought a face mounted camera would have been great for video chat, and there’s no good way to get your high-def video off of here and onto your TV. And the lack of Flash support is just downright ridiculous at this point. They also neglected to add multitasking support, so bouncing between applications won’t be as smooth as on your MacBook. Still, as an entertainment device, my curiosity is piqued sufficiently that I will probably pick one up when it hits the Apple Store this Spring.

You can check out more details on the iPad over at the Apple website.

The Skiff Reader has a huge 11.5″ diagonal touchscreen, and a native resolution of 1200×1600 pixels at an astoundingly sharp 174 pixels-per-inch. Just how sharp is that? The screenshot below is only at 72 pixels-per-inch, and it’s already pretty impressive.

The next-gen metal-foil e-paper display (made by LG) is also shatterproof and crackproof. With a screen like that, this is truly the first e-reader that I’ve seen that could give newspapers and magazines a run for their money.

While it has a great large screen, it still has a super svelte thin profile magnesium body that’s every bit as nice as anything you’ve seen on any e-reader before it. The reader can run for about a week on a single 2 to 3 hour charge, and has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and 4GB of on-board storage (and an SDHC slot for additional memory). In addition, Skiff has signed a deal with Sprint to provide 3G network access for downloading content, and they also will sell Skiff Readers in Sprint stores.

No word yet on pricing or a release date – only “later this year”, but the Skiff is definitely one to watch.

Chicago startup FLEx Lighting claims to have come up with a way to manufacture LED backlighting that’s as slim as just 0.02″ (appx. 0.5mm) thick. Their new method for producing LED backlights involves coupling LEDs to a flexible film lightguide. As a result, the light can be used to produce edgeless LED/LCD television sets, and a more even backlight with far fewer LEDs than other edge-lighting technologies. And since the backlight material is flexible, it can be produced using a roll-to-roll manufacturing process, which will keep costs even lower than other LED lighting technologies. I’m hoping someday, it might enable the production of curved displays. The ultra-thin lighting technology can also be used to produce flexible banner advertising.

FLEx plans on showing off their new technology to prospective buyers at the upcoming CES show.

The Newman Newsmy A18HD (nice name there) is a new media player out of China, which claims to offer a spectacularly svelte 9.8mm thick form factor (which is a couple of millimeters thinner than an iPhone at it’s thinnest point). In addition to its striking looks, the A18HD has 16GB of built-in memory, and sports an oversize 5-inch, 16-million color LCD display.  The device can play videos in 720p resolution,  but the screen’s resolution is an underwhelming 480 x 272, so you’ll want to connect the included component video cable if you have any hope of playing back your flicks at higher resolutions.

Audio formats supported include MP3, WMA and FLAC, while video can be played in RM, RMVB, AVI, and FLV formats (although I’m not sure if you need to do any conversion first, which is often the case with cheap Chinese media players). The A18HD also supports what Newsmy is calling “64-bit games” – whatever those might be. I doubt you’ll be playing your old N64 titles on here, but I could be wrong.

If you’re willing to take a gamble on one of these, head on over to Ownta.com, and plunk down your hard earned $142.71 (USD). I have a funny feeling that none of the instructions are in English.

[via Ounae]

Developed by Taiwan’s ITRI, fleXpeaker technology produces arrays of tiny speakers that can be joined together to make high-quality speakers of almost any size – meaning they could be the perfect companion for that unlimited-size OLED display you just covered your entire house with. While its frequency response doesn’t go below 500Hz, at least the fleXpeaker can reach highs up to 20 KHz.

The technology is designed to allow embedding of speaker elements into anything from everyday consumer electronics devices to massive posters and banner ads with built-in sound. fleXpeakers also consume very little power so could be perfect for other portable applications. Check out the video clip below to see (and hear) an early prototype of the fleXpeaker in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now if only they made some flat subwoofers to go with these…

A rotating 3″ display folds flat onto the side of the camcorder when not in use, and all video is stored on an SDHC card to keep things really down to size. The Camileo S20 offers a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, and while it doesn’t have any optical zoom, its 4x digital zoom should get the job done for basic home video needs. The camera also sports an HDMI output, and a YouTube quick key for one-touch uploads to the ubiquitous video site.

No word yet on a release date, but the MSRP for the S20 is £119.99 (about $195 USD), which makes it just a comparable in price to the 720p Flip Mino HD.

[Toshiba UK via gdgt]

Measuring in at 13mm thick, this portable GPS is definitely one of the slimmest units I’ve seen. Although last time I checked, my iPhone 3GS is actually a hair slimmer at 12.3mm thick, but I suppose that’s splitting hairs. Regardless, as standalone units go, this one could be the thinnest. The compact GPS features a 5-inch diagonal LCD touchscreen, and is powered by a SiRF-Atlas III processor. The device runs on the Windows CE 5.0 operating system, and takes map files loaded onto a MicroSD card. The system offers voice guidance, 2D and 3D map modes, as well as day and night modes for the display.

In addition to its GPS capabilities, it can play media files in MP4, AVI, 3GP, MOV, WMV, M4A, WAV, MP3, WMA and even SWF formats. There’s even a built-in FM transmitter so you can send the audio to your car stereo. And it does all this for just $100 (USD).

So that sounds okay, right? Well, here’s the bad news. According to Chinavasion’s product description: “This model is compatible with most brands of GPS software – however hardware specific software such as Garmin may not run on this unit. As the wholesaler, Chinavasion provides the GPS- enabled hardware only, not the software. Chinavasion provides no warranty or customer support regarding GPS software. Chinavasion cannot provide downloads / links / advice regarding GPS software. Any software installation you undertake should be performed or supervised by a professional… Actual GPS voice and display languages depends on the GPS software package.” So unless you know where to go digging for Windows CE-based GPS applications and maps, it sounds like this super-thin GPS could be pretty much useless.

If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind trolling around some Torrents looking for GPS software, you can order one here. Just don’t blame me when you drive your car into a drainage ditch.

The MacBook Paper is about twice the thickness of a sheet of paper, and it too fits inside of an envelope. Be sure to check out the video clip below to see the new micro laptop in action.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Best of all, you can get your own for free. Just head on over to apcommunity to grab yours. And no, this isn’t real.

[via TUAW]

The new MacBook Air features a striking aluminum case design, and is skinny enough to fit inside of a standard manilla envelope. To put it’s size in perspective, the iPhone is about 0.45″ thick, so the average thickness of the MacBook Air is virtually the same as the iPhone.

In addition to its gorgeous exterior, the Air features a 13.3-inch widescreen (1280×800) display with LED backlighting, which minimizes power consumption, as well as providing an instant-on picture when the lid is opened.

Despite its slim form-factor, the MacBook Air manages to include a full-size keyboard, with solid tactile feedback. What’s super-cool is the fact that the keyboard offers backlighting which automatically turns on in darkened locations. There’s also a huge trackpad that’s the first to offer multi-touch capabilities similar to those found on the iPhone. Apple also managed to squeeze in a built in iSight camera for online video chat sessions.

The system runs on a brand new Intel Core 2 Duo processor, available in either a 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz speeds. In order to cram all those brains into such a tiny body, Apple worked with Intel to shrink the size of the processor by about 60% from previous models. Both models include 2GB of RAM, which does not appear to be expandable at this point.

Battery life is rated at 5 hours, with Wi-Fi active, but in order to keep things thin, the battery is built in and not user-replaceable (let’s hope these batteries last a really long time). Connectivity includes 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), a single USB 2.0 port and a micro-DVI connector for hooking up an external monitor. Apple also left out the DVD drive to help lighten the load. If you must use CDs or DVDs, you can either pick up a $99 external DVD burner (the Air SuperDrive), or mount discs wirelessly from another computer.

Pricing for the MacBook Air starts at $1799 for the base model with a 1.6GHz CPU and an 80GB hard drive. For an additional $1300, you can upgrade to a 1.8GHz CPU and a super-speedy 64GB solid state drive, but the $3098 price tag makes that model cost-prohibitive. Apple is taking pre-orders now, and they should start shipping orders by 1/31/2008.

By using an array of plasma “tubes” aligned between film electrodes, they’re not only able to keep the display super slim, but the display can actually be bent. While it might not be immediately evident from the photo, the image on the big screen shows the flexibility of the screen material up close.

In addition, plasma tube technology is designed to seamlessly stitch together small unit pieces to construct larger displays. So for instance, multiple 1-meter square base unit could be combined into a larger 1 x 2 or 2 x 3-meter display without retooling.

At this point, the technology is in the very early stages of development, but if they can manage to gear up for production, it could find its way to market in the next 5 to 10 years.

[via TechOn]

For comparison’s sake, most of today’s 52-inch LCDs measure in around 4 to 5 inches deep at their thickest point. The new televisions are expected to offer a super-wide color gamut as well as an astounding (but likely to be exaggerated) contrast ratio of 100,000 to 1.

While not much else is known about the prototype design, Sharp does intend to take it to market in just a couple of years (2010 to be exact.)

[via Impress via Engadget HD]

Now the company has announced that they are cutting the thickness of the player down to an insanely slim 6.9 millimeters. To put that in perspective, Apple’s super-svelte iPhone is just about 11 millimeters thick.

The new media player will be renamed to the Oppo V9 and should be available later in the year.

To put that in perspective, the displays are just about the thickness of heavy card stock paper. The initial panels are just 2.2-inches diagonal, and planned for use in mobile phones and other portable gadgets.

Samsung plans on ramping up production of the super-thin displays in the coming months, but initial yields are only around 40 percent, meaning about 60 percent of displays produced end up in the scrap pile. That will result in higher retail prices for now. However, as OLED production quality increases, screen size will increase and prices should fall.

[via Fareastgizmos]

Up until now, most LCOS rear projection sets have been around 19- or 20-inches deep. JVC’s new line of slim “HD-ILA” 1080p sets (Sony LCOS sets are called “SXRD” – you say po-tayto, I say po-tahto) are both under 12-inches deep. The 58-inch HD-58S998 (10.7-inches deep) and the 65-inch HD-65S998 (11.6-inches deep) are designed for installation inside of cabinets or even for wall mounting. By completely overhauling the traditional RPTV mirror and lens system, JVC has been able to substantially reduce the depth required to project an image.

The sets tout a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and native 1080p resolution, as well as Genessa image processing circuitry which is said to provide high-quality image upscaling. They also include an on-board ATSC/DRC/QAM/NTSC tuner, so the sets are ready to receive high-def content right out of the box. The 58-inch model ($3299 USD) will hit shelves in January 2007 and the 65-inch model ($4199 USD) is expected in March 2007.

Keep in mind that past sets that have slimmed down in this way have had some issues with image distortion, so you’ll want to wait for the early reviews before you plunk down your hard-earned cash.

[via Engadget]