There has been excitement recently, that the much-anticipated next generation OLED display technology for consumer TVs and computer monitors will finally make an entrance in the market in 2012. Fuelling this, was the announcement last week that LG is to showcase their OLED TV at CES this month. Sony was also due to introduce OLED TVs to consumers. However, this plan has now been shelved, according to The Daily Yomiuri, with Sony only continuing to sell this technology to corporate customers such as broadcasting companies, along with the associated research and development into better displays. The reason for dropping the consumer market is partly due to poor business performance in this area, so Sony cut back on capital investment, which in turn reduced its price competitiveness with its Korean rivals such as LG and Samsung.

This is a shame, because for a healthy and good value OLED TV and monitor market, there need to be many players competing with each other, which will drive down prices and increase product quality over time. However, if OLED takes off in the consumer space, it seems very unlikely that Sony wouldn't return to it eventually.Sony XEL-1 OLED TV.Picture credit: engadget

Having already released a 15.6-inch display (the e1649Fwu) that gets both signal and power via USB, AOC is upping the ante this year and at CES 2012 it will showcase a bigger USB monitor. Named e2251Fwu, the display in question is just 10.6 mm thin and features a 22-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel, an LED backlight, a 5 ms response time, a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1, a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m2, a removable stand, and, of course, USB connectivity.

The e2251Fwu will ship in February and will cost $199.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today introduced the next evolution of its award-winning Central Station, the Series 7 Samsung Smart Station, as well as a redesigned Series 7 HDTV monitor for a whole-home solution. Part HD monitor, part wireless docking station, the second generation Series 7 Smart Station (CB750) builds upon the successes of its predecessor and now integrates with mobile devices in addition to notebook PCs, peripherals, network and AV, providing users with a simple and convenient way to increase productivity.

The new Series 7 HDTV monitor (TB750) includes HDTV functionality with a built-in TV tuner and integrated wireless display (WiDi) technology from Intel for added connectivity to the TB750 as well as integrations with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for added versatility. The Series 7 Smart Station, available in 24- and 27-inch configurations, and the Series 7 HDTV monitor, available in 24- and 27-inch configurations, will be available on display during the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at Central Hall booth #12004, January 10-13.

Next week at CES 2012, Samsung Electronics will show off for the first time its new Series 9 premium monitor, a slim and sexy widescreen called S27A970 which features a 27-inch PLS (Plane Line Switching) panel capable of a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

Samsung's creation also has an anti-glare edge-to-edge glass display, an aluminum stand and base, a response time of 5 ms, 178/178 degree viewing angles, a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, a maximum brightness of 300 cd/m2, two 7 W built-in speakers, a 2-port USB 2.0 hub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, plus a Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) enabling connectivity with MHL-supporting smartphones and tablets.

The Series 9 S27A970 is expected to become available in March priced at $1,200.

HP today unveiled new consumer PCs and commercial displays that offer consumers and professionals superb design, performance and convenience. Launched in advance of the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the new lineup includes:

• HP Omni27 PC - the company's first 27-inch all-in-one PC, and the first non-touch HP PC to feature HP's exclusive Magic Canvas software for a truly engaging experience.
• HP Pavilion HPE h9 Phoenix PC - the most powerful HP Pavilion PC to date, it is engineered to run power-hungry applications, such as video editing and games, with ease.
• HP Compaq L2311c Notebook Docking Monitor - built to pair with a notebook PC via its USB port, creating an efficient, comfortable workspace for mobile professionals.
• Affordable HP LV1911 and LV2011 LED Backlit LCD Monitors - delivering intelligent design and reliable business performance at a great value.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the 24-inch MultiSync EA243WM, the second addition to the next generation MultiSync EA Series of desktop monitors for high-performance enterprise users.

The LED backlighting of the EA243WM allows for a slimmer profile, lighter weight and increased power savings compared to previous generation models. It offers touch-sensitive controls that are integrated into the bezel, making display adjustments easier and more intuitive than ever. Smart sensing technology automatically detects your work conditions to determine the proper display brightness with ambient light and human sensors.

Just as 2011 draws to a close, HP has decided to add another Compaq-branded, business-oriented monitor to its product offering, the 20-inch LE2002xm. This new widescreen features a slim design, an LED backlight, a native resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels, a 5 ms response time, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio), a typical brightness of 250 cd/m2, built-in stereo speakers, and dual input options - D-Sub and DVI.

The Compaq LE2002xm is backed by a three-year warranty, it costs $155 and is set to ship next week.

Next month after CES 2012, NEC is set to release a new LCD monitor, a 24-inch model known as LCD-EA243WM (that's the white version, the black one is named LCD-EA243WM-BK) which features an LED backlight, a TN panel with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels (WUXGA), and no less than four connectivity options - D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort.

NEC's incoming widescreen also has a 5 ms response time, a dynamic contrast ratio of 25,000:1, 250 cd/m2 typical brightness, a four-port USB 2.0 hub, two 1W built-in speakers, an ambient light sensor, and an 'ergonomic' stand allowing for up to 130 mm height adjustment and 90-degree panel rotation.

The LCD-EA243WM/LCD-EA243WM-BK is supposed to become available in Japan as of January 18, priced at 45,000 yen (~ US $576).

LG Electronics has today unveiled in South Korea a sexy new (passive) 3D monitor, the 27-inch Cinema 3D DM92 series. While most details about this display will be supplied at CES 2012 in January, LG couldn't refrain from teasing and mentioned that the DM92 has a slim (1 mm) bezel and makes use of an e-IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel with 178/178 degree viewing angles.

The DM92 also boasts an LED backlight and hopefully it comes with a native resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. Hopefully.

Next month at CES 2012 in Las Vegas (January 10-13) monitor maker AOC is promising to showcase a widescreen display which includes a built-in iPhone/iPod touch dock. This extra allows people to view videos or photos taken with their Apple-flavored handheld on the monitor's 23-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel, or to listen to the music on the device via the monitor's SRS Premium Sound speakers.

Beside this slim, sleek, and dock-enhanced monitor (called e2343Fi), AOC will show off at CES a new USB-powered display, and a fresh, passive 3D display.

LG Electronics (LG) and Intel entered into a strategic alliance to adopt and jointly promote Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology. Intel WiDi will be embedded into next year's LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, making them the first in the TV industry to feature Intel WiDi technology. Intel WiDi is a wireless connectivity inter-face which allows for instant, high-definition viewing of content stored in notebooks and other external mobile devices on large screen TVs, projectors or monitors.

"Through this strategic alliance, CINEMA 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner," said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Company's TV Business Unit. "Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition."

Windows 8 implements a radical new user interface called Metro for desktop PC's, which has so far received a mixed reception. However, there's many other changes under the hood and one of those is how password security is handled, which we look at here. It's a fact of life, that in today's modern world, we have to remember a plethora of passwords and PIN's, which can be daunting. This leads to security issues as users end up writing down passwords and/or create very insecure ones which can be easily guessed. Windows 8 aims to uphold strong password security, while at the same time, easing the burden on the user. Also, passwords can be obtained in various ways by miscreants, such as phishing, keylogging, guessing, and cracking. Windows addresses each of these problems in three main ways:

Optical disc drives have been pretty cheap for years now, yet there is enough money in the business, that three executives managed to collude in price fixing of these devices, scamming HP, Dell and Microsoft in the process - and in the end the consumer, who foots the higher prices. The three are from Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. (HLDS) and have reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on price fixing charges for optical disc drives during the 2005-2009 timeframe. According to Security Week, the three executives, Sang Hun Kim, Young Keun Park, and Sik Hur, will each pay $25,000 USD in fines and serve little sentences of seven to eight months in prison at a "correctional facility" aka prison, that is yet to be decided.

Acer America Corp., the number one provider of 3D displays worldwide(1), today introduced the Acer HR274H, a 27-inch 3D monitor featuring new advances in 3D technology. Featuring Acer's innovative chip-based solution, the new monitor can convert any 2D content to 3D, allowing anyone to watch their favorite movies, videos, photos and games in 3D.

With crystal clear 1920 x 1080 resolution, it is the ideal monitor for advanced 1080p full HD gaming on a PC, Blu-ray Disc console gaming, widescreen movie playback and multimedia and productivity applications.

LG Electronics (LG) extends its glasses-free 3D monitor lineup with the 25-inch DX2500, which incorporates glasses-free parallax barrier 3D and head-tracking technologies. With the DX2500, LG becomes the first in the industry to receive TÜV Rheinland certification for a glasses-free 3D monitor.

"LG is taking glasses-free 3D monitors mainstream with the DX2500," said Si-hwan Park, Vice President of the Monitor Division at LG's Home Entertainment Company. "With the DX2500, we are making the LG brand synonymous with glasses-free 3D monitors. In 2012, we'll continue to expand our range of glasses-free 3D monitors featuring different designs and advanced functions."

Love 'em or hate 'em, Apple has a habit of trend setting. When Apple released their original iPad, it had a meager low resolution 1024 x 768 resolution display which was scoffed at by many, yet it didn't stop it from being a runaway success. And the iPad 2 didn't improve on it, either - perhaps surprisingly, since the original formula worked so well. However, in early 2012 Apple plans to introduce its new Retina display equipped next generation iPads, offering a very high 2048 x 1536 resolution. On the 9.7" screen of an iPad, this would make the pixels all but invisible to anyone, except for those with the sharpest of 20-20 vision, giving the screen superb clarity and wow factor. These will be incorporated into its next generation iPads, which is expected to push the PC notebook market to use higher resolution displays too in order to remain competitive.