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The 404: 972: Where we pre-game for CES

Our favorite Australian, Ty Pendlebury, joins us on this last 404 episode before the main event of technology begins--otherwise known as CES.

Ty gives his opinion on what will be the hottest tech from the show this year, and it looks like OLED will be big. Already some manufacturers like LG have announced massive 55-inch OLED screens, skipping a few sizes in between. While recent HDTV technology like 120Hz has been questionable when it comes to image quality, the near-perfect black levels of OLED screens just might have you interested in buying a new HDTV again. Ty warns that the prices aren't anywhere close to what we've been accustomed to lately.

AVN also won't be going on at the same time as CES this year, so that's a disappointment. We also take a few voice mails, but we want to let you know that we love to hear your feedback when we get to Vegas. So please call us and leave us a message at (866) 404-CNET. In the meantime, we're packing our bags and getting ready for a slew of hopefully unforgettable shows.… Read more

More tablets, PCs, and TVs to adopt AMOLED displays

A host of smartphones already use AMOLED screens, and the prospects are good for more tablets and TVs to take advantage of these thin, fast, bright displays, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode) displays are ideal for tablets and TVs as they offer high contrast ratios, quick response times, and wide viewing angles. The technology also allows for such devices to be thin, flexible, and even transparent, the research firm notes.

On the other hand, AMOLED technology has faced challenges scaling up to screen sizes much larger than those on smartphones. But the latest improvements … Read more

Apple to unveil next chapter of iBooks

Smartphones sold like holiday hotcakes, you might be reading books and magazines on your next Wii U game console, and Apple has something up its iBooks sleeves.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple may unveil new iBook features Wii U may be your next eReader Report: 1.2 billion apps downloaded last week Nintendo sells 4 million 3DS units Google Plus traffic rises Google Election Hub Romney leads in Facebook fans Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Could LG's new 55-inch OLED be the best TV ever?

LG is expected to release the "world's largest" 55-inch OLED TV in 2012 that features four colors instead of the three-color RGB standard and promises better off-axis viewing than competitors.

Where Sharp added a yellow pixel to its Quattron technology, LG has added a white pixel to its OLED (organic light emitting diode) panel for a "brighter picture".

In terms of image quality, Sharp offers some stiff competition to the OLED, with its Elite Pro receiving a deeply impressive 9.5 rating from David Katzmaier last month

Traditionally, OLED offers higher contrast than both LCD … Read more

CNET Labscast 13: Onward to CES 2012, but first... (podcast)

We discuss our personal tech hits and misses of 2011; what we loved, hated and was overrated. Also, Scott and Ty weigh in on what will most likely be going on at CES 2012; the who, the what, and the why.

… Read more

Sony Personal 3D Viewer (heads-on test)

Hit play on the video above to witness our hands-on testing of Sony's thoroughly weird Personal 3D Viewer headset, which straps two tiny screens in front of your eyes to deliver a totally isolated movie experience.

The Viewer itself attaches to your head, and is secured in place by a series of straps. Two 0.7-inch OLED screens, each with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution, then fire images into your eyes, creating a 3D effect.

But does it look any good? Watch the video and you'll find out what we thought. Sadly you won't be able to see because you're watching in 2D. Bummer.

Read more of "Sony Personal 3D Viewer hands-on video" at Crave UK. … Read more

Apple investigating power-efficient OLED for mobile devices

In a recent patent application uncovered by AppleInsider, Apple is investigating the use of power-efficient organic light-emitting diode displays for its mobile devices, a technology that could help improve the battery life of iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

Apple is banking on OLED's light emissive approach, which has lower power constraints than LED's light transmissive technology, currently used in iPhones and iPads.

In short, when OLED displays need to show white, it uses a ton of power to do so. As AppleInsider notes, the darks are darker, the contrast ratio is better, and the power efficiency is outstanding--save … Read more

Samsung will soon sell bendable phones, too

Not to be outdone by Nokia, Samsung says it will introduce smartphones with flexible displays next year.

On its earnings conference call with investors this morning, the Korean company briefly mentioned its plans to bring the bendy phones to market in the coming months.

"The flexible display, we are looking to introduce sometime in 2012, hopefully the earlier part than later," said spokesman Robert Yi. "The application probably will start from the handset side and then migrate over to tablets and other mobile devices."

There were no further details on which product line might be among the first to get a bendy screen.… Read more

Darn, Samsung Galaxy Skin merely a concept

Concept cell phones are a dime a dozen these days.

Several months ago, for example, images of a flexible Samsung Galaxy Skin cell phone emerged courtesy of South Korean designer Heyon You. Nearly a dozen images showed a forward-thinking ultrathin, ultralight flexible OLED cell phone running a future version of the Android OS. There was even a set of specifications given that fueled excitement about the concept, such as a built-in projector and graphene as one of the phone's materials.

Recently, the International Business Times and the Telegraph ran stories confirming the Skin's existence, and a rumored release time frame of the second quarter of 2012.

In a brief statement to UK magazine T3, however, Samsung said the Skin is not in. "It is a project that has been carried out by design students and is just a concept product. Samsung was not involved in the project," a Samsung rep told T3. "The students used the name Galaxy Skin and the Samsung logo in their concept to make it look more like a commercial product." … Read more