14 DAY TRIAL // USB 3.0 is still a way off from becoming widespread, NVIDIA's Fermi has been getting delayed and Intel's Larrabee has been indefinitely put on hold. Not only that, but even the existing high-end graphics cards have been in short supply because of 40-nm yield problems. This slew of progress-hampering events may have led to the impression that technology isn't exactly advancing at the desired pace. For those end-users who believe that science isn't progressing quickly enough, Samsung has revealed a prototype for a device that 'reminds' of futuristic, Sci-Fi movies.
The product showcased by the company is a laptop whose specifications haven't exactly been paid much attention to. In fact, what the product is notable for is its futuristic OLED screen, whose more obvious trait is its transparency. The laptop's display has a transparency that can go as high as 40%, compared with other 'see-through' screens whose maximum is of 25%.
Unfortunately, there is no clear indication of the laptop's insides or the screen's actual resolution. From the video, it can be deduced that it is not exactly on the high side, although that is not surprising for a prototype model. The main issue now may be finding uses for such technology, although most Sci-Fi enthusiasts may have already been taken back to the various 'invisible' displays from futuristic films, such as Avatar.
It will be interesting to see if and how the screen will be capable of “switching off” the transparency, as end-users may not always want to see directly through it when playing media, reading documents or even playing games. Of course, the technology is still in the beginning stages, so high-end machines designed with similar screens are likely not set to emerge in the near future, especially considering the rather low resolution that the device currently seems to support.
Consumers will have to wait and see how things progress, although it might be more probable that the transparent OLED will be used mainly in professional and industrial applications than consumer-oriented products.
A video demonstration of the device may be seen here.