Samsung to market AMOLED to the masses, maybe

David Swan
Sunday, 07 February 2010 16:38

Your IT - Home IT

Samsung's transparent AMOLED technology is set to launch within the next 12 months, but is it the 'next big thing'?

Plastic Electronics has reported that Samsung Electronics will release products using its clear active matrix OLED displays within the next 12 months. Samsung first displayed prototypes using the clear AMOLEDs during January's CES 2010. However, this is the first sign yet that the models on display will actually head to retail in the near future.

The laptop that utilized Samsung's clear AMOLED allows users to see objects placed behind the screen while still allowing the user to see whatever's displayed on screen.

According to Plastic Electronics, the first device to be commercially released using the technology will be not be the laptop but Samsung's IceTouch MP3 player, or YP-H1. The YP-H1 is a portable all-in-one device that plays music, DVDs, FM radio stations, and more.

Reid Sullivan, VP of audio/video and digital imaging marketing at Samsung Electronics America, said that the AMOLED display should raise the bar for the next generation of portable devices.

"We have a lab in Korea that is currently working on developing a laptop with partially-transparent screen," Sullivan said. "Soon, I imagine that all Samsung's audio-visual products will feature this technology. We want to be the first in this market."

The technology has quite a "wow" factor, although first hand reports from CES suggest any movement behind the screen made long term viewing too distracting.