We’re only a day from the official announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S III, but that doesn’t mean the leaks are done. One of our contacts sent us a photo of the Samsung Galaxy S III’s boot screen as it is turning on, but wouldn’t allow us to post photos of the actual device. Maybe next time! Samsung is set to unveil the highly anticipated Galaxy S III during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently published details on a Microsoft patent relating to a two-sided smart device display system for phones and tablets, PatentBolt reported on Friday. The invention features an integrated second low-power, possibly E Ink, display on the back side of a smartphone or tablet that would contain certain types of information. The secondary display could provide vendors with an opportunity to move standard items like a clock off of the main display to free up space, or it could display a variety of other information that might otherwise not be shown. The second display would use its own low-powered processor and may reduce the power load from a device’s primary display. The patent appears to be similar in intent to Samsung’s “smart-device-skins” invention — a technology that may allow users to change the appearance of a handset using chameleon-like technology — and it could be used to display images or animations on the back side of a device.

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LG on Thursday unveiled the world’s first plastic e-paper display, which the company claims will “revolutionize the E-Book market.” The 6-inch E Ink display features 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution and can bend at an angle of up to 40 degrees. “With the world’s first plastic EPD, LG Display has once again proven its reputation for leadership and innovation with a product we believe will help greatly popularize the E-Book market,” said Mr. Sang Duck Yeo, Head of Operations for LG Display’s Mobile/OLED division. “Based on our success in mass-producing plastic EPD, we are excited as we look toward applying concepts from this experience to future developments like plastic OLED and flexible displays.” The display will be supplied to manufacturing companies in China first, and end-user products could launch in Europe as soon as the beginning of next month. Read on for LG’s press release.

LG Display Begins Mass Production of World’s First Plastic E-Paper Display

With advancements in functionality and design, Plastic EPD to revolutionize E-Book market

Seoul, Korea (March 29, 2012) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display, announced today that it has started mass production of the world’s first plastic electronic paper display (EPD) for use in E-Books. The 6″ XGA (1024×768), e-ink, plastic EPD is expected to revolutionize the E-Book market with its advancements in functionality and design.

“With the world’s first plastic EPD, LG Display has once again proven its reputation for leadership and innovation with a product we believe will help greatly popularize the E-Book market,” said Mr. Sang Duck Yeo, Head of Operations for LG Display’s Mobile/OLED division. “Based on our success in mass-producing plastic EPD, we are excited as we look toward applying concepts from this experience to future developments like plastic OLED and flexible displays.”

Innovations in Functionality and Design

The world’s first plastic EPD from LG Display offers users a paper-like reading experience with a plastic substrate that is as slim as cell phone protection film, and a flexible design that allows bending at a range of 40 degrees from the center of the screen. Compared to glass EPD of the same size and resolution, LG Display’s plastic EPD realizes a super slim thickness of 0.7mm which is 1/3 slimmer than existing glass EPD; as well as a weight of 14g which is more than 1/2 lighter.

E-Book users have long expressed a desire for more durable EPD, since around 10% of them have damaged their product screens from accidentally dropping or hitting them. When LG Display’s plastic EPD was put through repeated drop tests, from 1.5m above the ground or the average height of reading when standing, no damage resulted. When put through a break/scratch test involving hitting the display with a small urethane hammer, no scratches or breakage resulted.

As EPD gets thinner, lighter, and more durable with the introduction of plastic EPD, E-Books will be able to offer certain unique benefits compared to smart devices and tablets, including reduced eye fatigue and more efficient electricity consumption in addition to lower prices.

A Manufacturing Breakthrough

LG Display developed a unique technique to utilize the high TFT process, typically employed in general LCD manufacturing and with temperatures exceeding 350 degrees, in the production of its plastic EPD. By overcoming the obstacles associated with applying the existing production process to heat susceptible plastic, LG Display achieved a breakthrough with the successful mass production of plastic EPD able to maintain strong durability in high temperatures.

Availability

The world’s first mass-produced plastic EPD from LG Display will first be supplied to ODM companies in China, followed by completed products to be released in Europe at the beginning of next month.

Following the circulation of a highly improbably rumor suggesting Apple’s next iPhone will feature a 4.6-inch display, a new report counters with claims that Apple’s sixth-generation smartphone will likely feature a display size in line with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Apple watcher iMore, which has accurately reported information regarding unannounced Apple products in the past, reports that the screen on Apple’s next iPhone will be the same size or at least roughly the same size as the iPhone’s current display. The site also claims that the phone will feature a new smaller dock connector and an embedded 4G LTE radio. The new iPhone will launch this fall according to iMore, which is in line with BGR’s exclusive report from last year.

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After numerous mobile lawsuits from Apple, Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung explained that the company plans to be more aggressive in securing patents that can be used to defend itself, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. During the company’s annual shareholders meeting, Sung said that due to slow industry-wide growth and strong competition, the company was bracing for a tough year. “The electronics industry will enter a low-growth period,” he said. “Reorganization of the industry will gain speed and competition among global players will intensify.” Shareholders also approved the company’s plan to spin off its LCD division on April 1st. Samsung posted record revenue last year — thanks largely to its Galaxy smartphones — and looks to enhance its competitiveness in hardware, while strengthening new businesses including medical equipment in 2012. BGR exclusively reported last month that Samsung will launch its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone later this year with a 1080p high-definition display, a ceramic case and a quad-core 1.5GHz Exynos processor.

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Late last month, Samsung confirmed that it will start mass production of flexible displays this year. The first set of screens will come off the line in the second or third quarter of 2012, with the second batch will be built in the second quarter of 2013. The South Korean manufacturer has dabbled with contoured displays in the past, however a flexible display could allow a device to be fully folded and unfolded like a book. According to Samsung, the displays are capable of decreasing power consumption by cutting the supply of operating power to a display based on the degree to which it is bent, PatentBolt reported on Monday. In a recent patent filing, the company states that flexible displays are bendable, can be made to appear crooked, and can be folded and rolled up like a magazine, all while maintaining the visibility and other features common among flat displays.

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Foxconn plans to build five additional factories in Brazil to produce liquid crystal displays for future Apple products. The plan was announced by the Secretary of Planning and Development for the State of São Paulo, Julio Semeghini, and reported by Brazilian news outlet, Folha. The five factories are in addition to the one already believed to producing iPads and iPhones, and each is reportedly set to employ roughly 1,000 workers. In addition to building Apple products, the factories will also manufacture notebooks, batteries and general electronics products. Officials from both Foxconn and the Brazilian government are said to be meeting to finalize the agreement soon, which São Paulo and neighboring states are rallying for. “We are awaiting the return of the executives of the Chinese New Year celebrations for taking up the negotiations,” said Semeghini.

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Apple has reportedly already started production of its next-generation iPad 3 tablet. Bloomberg broke the news on Twitter on Friday afternoon, though it did not immediately provide any further details. The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case, twice the battery life of the current iPad 2 model, and a 1,536 x 2,048-pixel HD display. The most recent rumors have suggested that Apple will release the new tablet in March.

UPDATE: Bloomberg flushed out its preliminary report, claiming that the iPad 3 will support 4G LTE. The site also claims to have confirmed that the new iPad will feature a new HD display and a faster quad-core processor, in line with numerous earlier reports. Factories are also said to be running 24 hours a day in an effort to create as much stock as possible before launch.

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We just met with Corning during CES in Las Vegas to check out its new Gorilla Glass 2 panels for smartphones and tablets. The new glass is 20% thinner than before, but just as strong and scratch resistant as the original Gorilla Glass. The thinner build will surely help manufacturers make smaller and lighter smartphones. We stayed to watch a pressure test, images of which are in the gallery below, and were impressed with the strength of the glass. Corning said that it’s already shipping the new panels to phone manufacturers and that we will see smartphones on the market soon with the new glass. We were also told that Gorilla Glass 2 will be used in new Windows-powered computers later this year. Be sure to check out our gallery below.

Apple may currently be prepping a huge display upgrade for its MacBook Pro line of notebook computers that would be on par with the bump from its iPhone 3GS display to the Retina Display on the iPhone 4. Citing sources from within Apple’s component supplier chain, DigiTimes on Wednesday reported that Apple will add new display panels to its MacBook Pro laptops in 2012 that pack a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels. The new displays would quadruple the resolution of the current 1,440 x 900-pixel screen on the 15-inch MacBook Pro, just as the 960 x 640-pixel Retina Display on the iPhone 4 quadrupled the iPhone 3GS’s 480 x 320-pixel panel. The report notes that both Acer and ASUS are planning high-end ultrabooks with upgraded 1920 x 1080-pixel displays next year as well, up from the 1,366 x 768-pixel displays used on early ultrabook models.

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LG officially announced the Optimus LTE on Tuesday. The phone will make its debut in South Korea and offers a large 4.5-inch display with a “True HD IPS Display” that has an incredibly sharp 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It is also loaded with 20GB of storage, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat and a 1,830 mAh battery. The Optimus LTE runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and is available in black. “Our goal is to be a leading player in LTE devices by continuously offering best-in-class products based on our LTE patents and knowhow,” LG CEO and President Dr. Jong-seok Park said. Read on for the full press release. 

LG LAUNCHES OPTIMUS LTE, FIRST 4G HD SMARTPHONE IN KOREAN MARKET

SEOUL, Oct. 4, 2011 – LG Electronics (LG) today announced the Korean market
launch of LG Optimus LTE, the first mobile device in the country to offer 4G
connectivity with the highest resolution IPS display available on a smartphone.
Developed in close collaboration with sister company LG Display, Optimus LTE
features a striking 4.5–inch “True HD IPS” display which offers advanced resolution,
brightness and clarity and shows colors in their most natural tones, as they were meant
to be seen.

Optimus LTE also delivers enhanced performance with 1.5 GHz dual-core processor,
running on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS platform. With a large 1,830 mAh battery,
Optimus LTE is perfectly suited for multimedia usage. In addition, the device enables
content sharing seamlessly through HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance).

“LG Optimus LTE is the first smartphone in Korea to offer vivid and clear HD content
on a 4G network,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics
Mobile Communications Company. “Our goal is to be a leading player in LTE devices
by continuously offering best-in-class products based on our LTE patents and knowhow.”
According to a recent report by Jefferies & Company, LG was listed as the global leader
in LTE patents with ownership of 23 percent of approximately 1,400 LTE patents filed
worldwide, with a financial value of almost USD 8 billion. LG demonstrated the
world’s first LTE technology in 2007 and developed the world’s first LTE modem
chipset in 2008. LG introduced the world’s fastest LTE technology in 2010 and

LG-SU640 / LU6200 SPECIFICATIONS

Network LTE & HSPA+(SKT) / Rev.A (LGU+)
Chipset 1.5GHz Dual-Core
Memory
20GB (Internal 4GB, Micro SD 16GB),
1GB RAM
Micro SD (up to 32GB)
Display
4.5 inches True HD IPS Display (1280 x 720)
Camera (Main / Front) 8.0 MP AF with LED flash / 1.3 MP
SW Spec (OS) Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Features

Battery 1830 mAh
Connectivity HDMI, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct
Multimedia TDMB
Size Width x Height x Thickness 132.9 x 67.9 x 10.4 mm
Weight 135g
Color Black

Apple and other manufacturers may introduce new products with curved touchscreen displays next year, DigiTimes reported on Monday. Apple has reportedly contacted its iPad and iPhone glass suppliers, Lens Technology, G-Tech and Fuji Crystal, and will supply them with equipment for polishing glass. Curved glass displays are not typically used on smartphones, although Google and Samsung did equip the Nexus S with a concave screen and it was noticeably more comfortable during phone calls. The curves also protect the screen from scratches when a phone or tablet placed face-down on a surface. Dell also went with a curved display on its Venue Pro Windows Phone, though it opted for a concave curvature. Corning, which provides scratch-resistant screens for a number of smartphones, has already developed a curved version of its popular Gorilla Glass, but it is unclear if that screen will be used on future Apple products.

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A defect found in some iPhone 5 display panels may result in short supply next month, suggesting that Apple’s iPhone launch may once again be marred by angry customers unable to get their hands on Apple’s latest and greatest. DigiTimes reported on Friday that Apple display supplier Wintek has identified a defect called a “delayed bubble” in some display panels may affect its ability to meet Apple’s supply demands. Read on for more.

The defect described involves a bubble that appears between the panel and the lamination layer only after the displays are sent out for assembly. Wintek would not confirm or deny the report when contacted by DigiTimes for comment, though it did state that all of its products are being delivered on schedule. According to the report, Apple’s fourth-quarter shipment goal for the iPhone 5 is in the 25-26 million unit range. Wintek is estimated to be supplying between 20% and 25% of the display panels used in Apple’s iPhone 5.

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In early August, we reported that Apple started boosting its iPad 2 display panel orders with Samsung after LG’s panels failed to meet the iPad maker’s quality requirements. DigiTimes said on Friday that LG has addressed the quality issues and has now boosted its shipments back to their original levels. The South Korea-based company reportedly shipped 4 million 9.7-inch iPad 2 panels during the month of August, up from the 2.4-2.5 million it shipped in July, and it is expected to maintain its current volume through September. Taiwan Economic News said Foxconn-owner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. has boosted its projected iPad 2 shipments for the third quarter to 20 million units, although DigiTimes said Apple is expected to ship 12-15 million iPad 2 devices.

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The iPhone 5 display will be no larger than 4-inches according to panel suppliers speaking to DigiTimes, which also revealed that Apple will ditch the current glass case on the iPhone 4 for a metal-backed chassis on the next-generation iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 display is expected to be between 3.5 and 3.7 inches and the latest rumor is in line with earlier reports that suggested the phone will be thinner and lighter than the current iPhone 4. The iPhone 5 is also expected to offer an 8-megapixel camera. BGR recently reported that AT&T will launch the iPhone 5 in October according to statements made by a vice president with the carrier.

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