Posted 11/14/08 at 06:07:06 PM by Andy Salisbury

Major notebook vendors like Dell and Apple are going to have a much easier time delivering those beautiful LED backlit screens in the near future, as the price of LEDs are projected to go down by 50%.

While the amount of notebooks that actually had LED backlighting in them was only 5-6% in the first three quarters of this year, that’s expected to shoot all the way up to 25% during this fourth quarter. Even still, it’s projected that up to 40% of notebooks will have LED backlighting in 2009.

At the current rate, it looks like LED backlighting will be standard sometime real soon. That’s a bright future that we look forward to.

Read More

Comments 

9

TAGS 

apple, dell, laptop, hardware, led, cheap

Posted 10/09/08 at 09:51:29 AM by Paul Lilly

The LED revolution has begun, and we're not talking about those flashing lights emitting from your PC's chassis. Display technology is seeing a shift towards LED backlighting, one in which Dell says will account for all of its notebooks by 2010, and the notebook market as a whole is expected to see 30-40 percent penetration by next year. On the desktop front, Lacie is already there and the company's newest display lays out a spec sheet that's hard not to drool over.

Lacie's new 700 series, which has its sights set on professionals rather than gamers, is available in 20, 24, and 30-inch form (models 720, 724, and 730 respectively). Each model sports an RGB-LED backlight the company claims will "mimic real life by embedding some of today's most advanced display technologies."

On paper, Lacie appears to be right. The 700 series sports ultra-wide gamuts of up to 123 percent of Adobe RGB, a backlight stabilizer technology capable of adjusting settings in real time, and 14-bit Gamma Correction lookup tables which, according to Lacie, allows the displays to produce improved gradient rendering without banding and smoother color transitions "that are 64 times more precise than on consumer-quality 8-bit monitors."

As for pricing, brace yourself. The 4:3 720 model will run $1600 sans hood, or $2040 with. Tack on a color meter and the tally comes to $2290. The 16:10 724 version runs $2300 ($2930 with hood, $3180 with color meter), and the flagship 730 smacks you in the wallet for $4600 ($5850 with hood, $6110 with color meter).

Read More

Comments 

1

TAGS 

lcd, monitor, display, LaCie, led, build a pc

Posted 10/09/08 at 06:29:49 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Wi-Fi is fast emerging as the most popular technology for wireless communication between disparate gadgets, but security remains a major concern. However, researchers at Boston University’s College of Engineering are working on an alternative way of connecting devices that will be innately more secure than Wi-Fi.

They intend to use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) for wireless communications. If they are able to develop an optical communication technology, LEDs could then be used in the same manner as Wi-Fi access points. These LEDs could also be used as a low-power source of light.

Moreover, an LED-based communication technology will enjoy a distinct security advantage. It will be more secure compared to Wi-Fi due to the inability of light to penetrate through opaque surfaces like walls.

“Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires,” said an ebullient Thomas Little, a BU engineering professor, about the idea. Soon, our networks will quite literally “light up”.

Read More

Comments 

2

TAGS 

network, wireless, wi-fi, hardware, led, Research, light, communication

Posted 10/08/08 at 10:16:17 AM by Paul Lilly

Only two companies - Crucial and Corsair - offer system RAM outfitted with activity-indicating LEDs, and of those two, Crucial becomes to the first to port the light show over to DDR3 modules. The kit in question is the Ballistix Tracer PC3-10600, and like previous Tracer models, the DDR3 version sports red and green LEDs running along the top in between the black aluminum heatspreaders.

The new kit needs 1.8V to run at its default 1,333MHz frequency with 6-6-6-20 timings. Normally that wouldn't be cause for concern, but as we learned yesterday, Intel's upcoming Core i7 platform may not play nice with performance memory requiring more than 1.65V and could actually damage the processor. Following the press release of Crucial's new modules, TomsHardware got in touch with Lexar regarding future compatibility, who had this to say:

“We’re working closely with Intel and other motherboard manufacturers,” said the Lexar spokesperson, “to ensure we have Crucial memory products that support the upcoming platforms and technology. We haven’t finalized our products to date, so we’re not able to share specific product details at this point in time. We’re confident we’ll have Crucial products that support these new, upcoming platforms.”

The new Tracers are available now from Crucial's website.

Read More

Comments 

1

TAGS 

ram, Crucial, Memory, DDR3, led, build a pc, ballistix tracer

Posted 10/01/08 at 10:49:02 AM by Paul Lilly

Dell last week said it planned to make a major push in outfitting all of its notebooks with LED backlighting by the end of 2011, which not only represents a step towards being green, but will have customers saving green to the tune of $20 million based on a 220 million kilowatt-hour reduction. That's good news for all involved, and it gets even better if other OEMs jump on board, and it appears they are.

Citing "market watchers," DigiTimes reports that LED backlighting will make headway anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of the notebook market in 2009. Overall penetration for 2008 has been much less at 10 percent, but Dell and other big name notebook vendors have put an increased emphasis on LED-backlight models resulting in a strong 15 percent penetration in the fourth quarter. Momentum is expected to carry over to next year and beyond.

Read More

Comments 

0

TAGS 

mobile, notebook, laptop, led, green

Posted 09/25/08 at 11:33:45 AM by Paul Lilly

We've seen a major push in the past 12 months towards going green, and Dell apparently wants to lead the charge. Last month the OEM became the first major computer maker to announce it had achieved its goal of becoming carbon neutral, but Dell isn't finished focusing on the environment, saying that all of its notebook displays will see a transition to LED in the next 12 months. This latest move is part of an attempt to become the 'greenest' technology company worldwide.

Starting December 15, 2008, a full two-thirds of Dell Latitude and E-Family notebooks will boast mercury-free LED backlighting, as well as coming standard on the Dell Precision M2400 and M4400 mobile workstations. Benefiting more than just the environment, Dell says its move will result in a combined customer savings of about $20 million and 220 million kilowatt-hours in 2010 and 2011.

Read More

Comments 

0

TAGS 

mobile, notebook, dell, laptop, led, backlight

Posted 08/22/08 at 01:07:35 PM by Paul Lilly

More than just the light of the future, LEDs are emerging in the here and now, and not just small markets either. New York City's Department of Transportation has contracted with the Office for Visual Interaction (OVI), a lighting design group, to test pilot LED street lighting. If the test goes well, it could lead to all 300,000 of NYC's street lamps being replaced with LED versions.

But it's not just the lamps that are getting overhauled, but the pole design as well. The OVI contract calls for a complete redesign, one which will like take on a sleek look with dedicated channels to hang various decorations.

The $1.175 million contract is expected to result in a payback period of two to three years for each pole replaced, along with a 25 to 30 percent power reduction. But the real savings will only come if the test proves successful. The initial demonstration will replace just six street lamps, with the testing period lasting until fall of next year.

Read More

Comments 

4

TAGS 

led, lights, street lamp, gas lamp

Posted 07/22/08 at 11:46:49 AM by Paul Lilly

Don't worry, you needn't fear seeing your neighborhood turned into a tricked out light display with gimmicky LEDs (the same can't be said about your neighbors' PCs), but inside those homes, incandescent and compact fluorescent lightbulbs might be on their way to becoming extinct. Helping put them on the endangered tech list are researchers at Purdue University who claim to have found a way to create low-cost LEDs.

Light-emitting diodes are said to be about four times more efficient than your standard lightbulb, they're easier on the environment, and with a lifespan perhaps as long as 15 years, LEDs seem destined to light up your living room. One thing preventing them from doing that are the high manufacturing costs, driven in large part by a costly sapphire substrate used to make LEDs. Compared to conventional incandescent and fluorescent lightbulbs, LED replacements would be at least 20 times more expensive.

Find out how researchers from Purdue University say they can get around the cost barrier associated with LEDs after the jump.

Read More

Comments 

2

TAGS 

consumer electronics, led, lighting, purdue, light, lightbulb