Universe’s Tech Blog

Over the last couple days, Google has been the recipient of some interesting domain transfers. Remember GDrive? It is software currently being used by Googlers under the codename Platypus — giving them online storage for their files.

GDrive.us was transferred to Google on Thursday — I don’t understand why they are snapping up so many of these domains unless it will be available to the public eventually. They currently own Gdrive.com/org/biz/us/ca/co.uk/eu/de/jp and probably more.

Another interesting transfer on Wednesday was GoogleDashboard.com — it was previously registered to someone in New York. The only thing I can imagine this domain representing is Google ramping up development for Apple’s Dashboard on OSX — they already have a few dashboard widgets, maybe we will see more soon?

SED-TV is something that no amount of words can describe. It is something that must be SEEN to be believed; literally. SlashGear journey in to the world of SED-TV through an actual demo. But, what exactly is SED-TV? To unravel the mysteries of SED-TV, a history lesson is quite helpful.

55-inch SED Display with 100,000:1 contrast ratio exhibited at the “FPD International 2006” in Pacifico Yohohama convention center.

There’s nothing like a great rivalry between companies, especially if it’s over one product. The consumer decides who wins this tug of war, and in the process gets the best possible end result. Both companies strive to win over the customer, by any means necessary, whether it is a lower price, more extras, or just anything that takes that extra step to make us happy. This is what lies in store for the electronic giants Toshiba and Canon.

Canon began to visualize and develop SED-TV as early as 1986. In 1999, Canon joined forces with Toshiba in the development of this new technology. With the future looking so bright, the two started a joint venture company: SED Inc. However, fate has brought these two seemingly friendly corporations in to a battle for a better SED-TV. That’s right; SED-TV will be available from BOTH. Who will become the leading company to place their name on it? Well, that part is up to us.

So, now that the history lesson is done, you might be wondering what exactly SED-TV is. In many ways, SED-TV is the future of display as we know it. SED stands for “Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display”, a name that those not blessed with “digi-genius” will be unable to comprehend. Simply put, this type of display takes the best parts of CRT monitors (the fat one’s), and puts it in to the body of flat panel one’s (skinny one’s).
For simpletons, this explanation will do, but for those who are brave, read on for more details on what will undoubtedly revolutionize display viewing.

For the tech junkies, here’s how SED-TV works. The display consists of two flat piece of glass, sealed with a vacuum in between. One of the glasses is covered with electron emitters, while the other is covered with phosphorus. These are both methods used in CRT televisions today. The vacuum in between the glasses is only half an inch thick, which allows for extremely thin monitors. Each electron emitter is matched up with a pixel on the monitor, allowing extreme precision in images! Imagine the clear concentration of each pixel, offered in an extremely thin package; this is essentially SED-TV.

So, the technology is brilliant, but what is the end result? Again, this is something that must be seen to believe, but a basic description is possible. With the extreme precision of SED-TV, visual quality is superior to anything we have seen on the market. For one, angle viewing is no longer a problem. With other flat panels, sitting on the side of the monitor at an angle, there is a significant loss of quality and view. This is not a problem with SED-TV, as everyone sees the same gorgeous images!

SED-TV is also so precise, that an object moving at high speed can still offer crisp clear letters! On any other TV, a blur would utter this impossible, but not with the SED-TV display. Colors are extremely vivid and unbelievably sharp, offering views that are as lifelike as it gets. Words do this display no justice; it must be viewed to fully comprehend what SED-TV is. Luckily, SlashGear offers an exclusive demo of SED-TV that you will not find anywhere else. So, click on that link, sit back, and enjoy viewing the mind-blowing quality.
It’s important to note, that the demo is running on 720p, and is a video, so the quality is a bit worse than the actual technology. The final product is slated to run on 1080p, which only adds to the solidity of the display. Also, the demonstration is running on a 36” monitor, but final products will be much larger, including an announced 55” version with 8600:1 contrast ratios! The final product should become available sometime in 2007 worldwide.
Now, wipe off your drool and face the facts. Such revolutionary technology doesn’t run cheap. Though no official word on price has been announced, think BIG. Most people will probably be unable to afford one of these 55” badboys in the living room. This product will most nearly be aimed at large companies that host big social events. For example, a big SED-TV monitor would be perfect for a movie-of-the-year premier.

SED-TV is the future of digital image displays; it’s as simple as that. There is currently nothing on the market that comes remotely close to Canon’s offering. Now, the question remains, how will Toshiba respond to Canon’s extremely successful debut of SED-TV technology? Either way, we are all in for a great treat as this technology becomes more widespread. Well, that’s enough text about SED-TV, go ahead and click on the videos, and see the breathtaking future in action.

Bye-bye click wheel?

If a recent patent filing is any indication, Apple Computer may abandon the iconic wheel that has become virtually synonymous with its popular iPod music players.

The company had previously explored replacing the click wheel with a virtual one as part of a touch-sensitive display. But now Apple appears to be looking at a third option: a touch-sensitive frame surrounding the display. Rather than click a physical button or press a virtual one on the screen, users would touch an area on the frame to operate their iPod.

IPod designers face a challenge in trying to create a device with as large a screen as possible while still providing an array of functions and an easy way to access them, Apple noted in the patent application, filed in June but not published on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Web site until Thursday. The problem with touch-sensitive screens is that they usually generate virtual buttons or windows that “overlay the content being displayed,” the company said. This new approach may solve that problem.

Apple representatives did not return calls seeking comment on the patent filing.

It’s not surprising that Apple is exploring different interfaces for a device that would probably be first and foremost a video player, said Van Baker, an analyst with research group Gartner. Because movies and TV shows typically run much longer than songs, users wouldn’t need to interact with the iPod as often, Baker noted.

“The need for having that navigation available is not as significant,” he said.

But don’t mourn the click wheel’s passing yet, Baker and other analysts say. An iPod with a touch-sensitive frame or even one with a full screen may never see the light of day, they said.

“Apple files patents for a lot of products that never make it to market,” said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, an industry consulting firm. “You really can’t read too much into their patent filings without understanding that is part of their normal business procedure.”

And even in the patent application, Apple didn’t completely jettison the click-wheel idea. One of the diagrams in the filing explores the possibility of a hybrid that would have both a touch-sensitive frame and a virtual wheel.

Click wheel or no, Apple’s filing also hints at another interesting feature in this full-screen iPod: a sensor that would determine whether to display images and text vertically or horizontally depending on how the user was holding the gadget. The touch-sensitive controls would also change based on the device’s orientation.

It was unclear from the filing whether Apple would use the touch-sensitive frame in all of its iPods or just the rumored replacement for its top-of-the-line video-playing one. And the patent filing is only the latest in a number of related ones that have fueled speculation Apple will soon release a full-screen iPod to play movies and TV shows downloaded from its iTunes store.