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Where Are All of the OLED Products?

Posted by Cliff on from the adopting-new-tech dept.

ttennebkram asks: "OLED's are the cool technology behind the new displays that will be bright, thin, and energy efficient. I bought my Motorola Timeport back in 2001 and LOVE it. Lots more products were supposed to be on the market by now. I was disapointed that the new Handspring Treo's don't use it, instead opting for the old fashioned color LCD's. Searches on Google return the hype from 2 years ago, but very little recent info. Any word on upcoming handhelds or cellphones using this technology? Thanks."

26 comments

  1. OLEDs by m0rph3us0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I love the OLED on my timeport, im in the process of ordering several OLEDs for modding my computers at home. Nothing like an MP3 control panel / syslog / nice graphing doohickey on the front of the computer.

    1. Re:OLEDs by Cave+Dweller · · Score: 1

      Where are you ordering those from? Just wondering... been thinking of getting an LCD panel or somesuch, but this seems way cooler.

  2. Try Google. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And sort by date

    1. Re:Try Google. by ttennebkram · · Score: 1

      Thank you, but actually, yes, I DID try Google, several times. Their date searching is horribly broken and useless; something I have ranted about before (but not on slashdot).

  3. This fall, PDA size next year by waytoomuchcoffee · · Score: 4, Informative

    link

  4. Definition of OLED by Krelnik · · Score: 3, Informative
    I guess I'm not a true geek, because I wasn't aware it meant Organic Light Emitting Diodes. Follow the link for more info.

    No I'm not karma whoring, already at max.

  5. conspiracy? by greywire · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Well apparently they're still trying to figure out how to make them reliably. It does seem odd, though, that they already say they are cheaper and quicker to make than LCD's which implies that they know how to do it cheaper and quicker already.. so where's the problem?

    They sound as though they would pretty much make LCD's, as well as plasma displays, CRTs, and just about every display technology you can think of completely and utterly obselete, which makes you wonder if maybe they are purposely lagging on introducing the technology...

    --
    -- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
    1. Re:conspiracy? by benh57 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I seem to recall that they were having "fading" problems with the OLEDs - the colors fade. Is that device you got in 2001 still bright?

    2. Re:conspiracy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Display manufacturers would love to have OLED products on the market right now, and they're working on it. It just takes a long time to move from a small scale product demo to a workable large-scale manufacturing process. Big companies aren't as stubborn as you think; competition demands that they be flexible. There's no global display manufacturing conspiracy, no men in black suits and blacker helicopters supressing breakthroughs in OLED tech...

    3. Re:conspiracy? by Yarn · · Score: 3, Informative

      True. It's not just that they have short lifetimes, but different colours have different lifetimes. As of last year (when I last look at the subject in any detail) the red OLEDs had 20,000+ hour lifetimes, green had 10,000h+ and blue had ~1000h.

      So your display would start off white, then slowly go yellow.

      --
      -Yarn - Rio Karma: Excellent
    4. Re:conspiracy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yeah! And the makers of nylon stockings PURPOSELY make them with an extra-flimsy stitch so they'll wear out and you have to buy more! And, and, and the auto manufacturers, don't even get me started, they build new car engines with SPECIALLY DETUNED CARBURETORS to reduce gas mileage because they're ALL IN BED WITH THE OIL INDUSTRY and want you to buy as much gas as possible! Also, the music industry grossly overcharges you on CDs relative to what it costs to make them because they're a bunch of insanely greedy motherfuckers! And--

      Oh. Wait.

    5. Re:conspiracy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dictionaries, on the other hand, are not OBSOLETE.

  6. Pioneer car stereo by Polo · · Score: 3, Interesting


    Here is a pioneer car stereo with an OLED panel.

    1. Re:Pioneer car stereo by muonzoo · · Score: 1

      My Pioneer car stereo had this in Apr 2000! So... I'm sure they've been capable at some scale for a while.

    2. Re:Pioneer car stereo by pbrammer · · Score: 1

      Why aren't the new Pioneer radios (DEH....) with organic displays in color?? All of the photos are monotone. My older Pioneer organic display had at least some color to it... With today's technology, why can't they make them full color?
      I guess that's why I need to integrate a laptop into my vehicle.
      Phil

    3. Re:Pioneer car stereo by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

      I was at Sears last night and they had a few OLED car stereo face-plates. One had a Wolfenstein/3d-style first-person maze navigation on it when it was idle.

      Stupidist thing ever.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    4. Re:Pioneer car stereo by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 1
      why can't they make them full color?

      Somebody else pointed out that Blue OLEDs currently halve a lifetime of about 1000H. In an 'always on' part of the display (e.g. clock) that's about 40 days.

      Even a 20,000 hour MTBR means that you're going to be replacing the OLED display about every 2 years... Not good enough to make for happy customers in the long run. One solution might be for the manufacturer to make cheap pop-in replacement screens for the unit -- and comit to manufacturing them for a period of time -- or to simply ship the unit with a handfull of pop-ins.

      --
      OS Software is like love: The best way to make it grow is to give it away.
  7. Up and Coming: Universal Display Corp by no_such_user · · Score: 2
    Check out Universal Display Corp, one of the major players in the field. From their web site:

    Imagine a world where the news and information you want to see is available in non-traditional ways -- you can find the weather and the latest stock quotes from the ultimate handheld communication device -- the size of a pen.
    These and other exciting technologies are being developed and commercialized by Universal Display Corporation, a world leader in the development of innovative Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED) technology for future generations of flat panel displays, lasers and other light generating devices.
    1. Re:Up and Coming: Universal Display Corp by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 2

      Gee, that copy sounds like those stupid AT&T commercials from about 6 years ago showing people buying concert tickets at ATM's and other nonsense, claiming that AT&T would be providing these services.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    2. Re:Up and Coming: Universal Display Corp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahhh, yes.. I haven't though of those for some time.

      Have you ever been burned to a crisp by an orbital communications laser?

      You will,

      and the company that will bring it to you is AT&T ;)

    3. Re:Up and Coming: Universal Display Corp by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 2

      Hey, they didn't adopt the Death Star as their logo for nothing!

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    4. Re:Up and Coming: Universal Display Corp by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 2

      It's no mistake that they chose the Death Star as their logo.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  8. cool! by Hadlock · · Score: 1

    my friend has one of those. very unusual display, never seen one since till i saw the link there in the post. his is going on 2 years now, and it's as bright as ever. if you think about it, cell phones are only actually "used" about 3-7% of their total life (unless, of course, you're one of those fuckers who always has to be on the god damned phone), so the display in reality should last as long as the phone does otherwise.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
  9. it's waiting to be needed by a key market by bbc22405 · · Score: 1

    OLED will take off as soon as it can provide a superior viewing experience for ...

    PR0N!

  10. Ancient history? by sczimme · · Score: 1

    I bought my Motorola Timeport back in 2001

    Wow, all the way back in... last year? Golly. :-)

    --
    I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
  11. current news by eracerblue · · Score: 1

    Sanyo & Eastman Kodak