Samsung SDI (Samsung Display Interface) is looking to spearhead the manufacturing of wide VGA (or wVGA, 480 x 800) OLEDs for handhelds. In English, that means the company, together with Clairvoyante, Inc. is looking to make high-res displays for our compact gizmos.

According to a press release, Samsung and Clairvoyante has teamed up to make the wVGA active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) dream come true. The joint venture will be making use of the Clairvoyante's PenTile subpixel rendering technology and will be resulting (hopefully) in a 3.08-inch diagonal screen perfect for upcoming handheld applications.

Right now, we only have displays of up to quarter VGA (qVGA or 240 x 320) because of the challenges in manufacturing, among other things. According to the release, it will be made possible since "PenTile technology makes it possible to attain this improved performance by eliminating one-third of the subpixels while maintaining the same display resolution."

Sung-Chul Kim, Samsung SDI vice president had this to say:

Our partnership with Clairvoyante will create a new PenTile OLED panel that will lead the handheld market with a power-efficient, high-resolution OLED panel that supports continued innovation in emerging handheld applications.

And Samsung seems very confident about the project (just like Sony and its XEL-1 OLED TV), indicating an ETA of Q1 2008 for samples and Q3 for the mass production. For tech heads out there, here are the specs:

• Specifications: 3.08 inch PenTile RGB OLED from Samsung SDI
• Diagonal 3.08 inches
• Luminance 200 cd/m2
• Contrast 1000:1
• Power consumption 400 mW
• Color Gamut (NTSC) 100%
• Format Wide VGA 480 x 800

 

Samsung caught the mobile phone community's eye when it first came out with its ultra-thin bar phones. Now it's back with the second generation of slim phones led by the Samsung E210 shown above.

What's even more amazing is the fact that with the reduction in mass, the phone didn't make any cuts in as far as features are concerned. It's the best of style, portability and utility all in one small package. Its dimensions are scaled at an impressive 92×44x16.5 mm and weighs only 82 grams. No word on when this Samsung contraption would be out, but its price tag could be US$ 202.

These are its complete specs:

• GSM 900/1800/1900, GPRS class 10 connectivity
• 120×160 px, 65K color OLED screen
• 96×96 px, monochrome external display
• 1.3 mpx camera
• 176×144/15 fps video capture
• 10 MB of Internal memory
• microSD memory card slot
• Bluetooth, USB

In the past, bigger was always better. As technology found a way to make them things tinier, smaller seems to have gotten more attention. The world's smallest cellphone called Haier Elegance has just launched in the UK.

Lightweight contender Haier Elegance measures in at 9.1 x 3.5 x 1.8cm (3.58 x 1.38 x .71 in) and weighs in at 64g, though it sure packs a mean left hook. The mobile has a built in MP3 player (built in memory 128MB) with expandable memory options by 1GB Micro SD, an FM tuner, Bluetooth (stereo), OLED display plus Tri-Band GSM. The size has sadly affected battery life - three hours of talktime and 11 hours of MP3 playback.

Haier Elegance is currently being offered by Unlocked Mobiles at 164.99 GBP (or around US$ 326). Check out the video from T3 TV for a quick preview of the phone. Hmm... Stubby fingers might not be so advisable on this mobile phone.

Wait, what?

It seems that everything nowadays is a combo. You can get a combo drive, a TV-VCR combo, and gaming consoles that doubles up as pseudo CPUs. Now you can get a mobile watch.

SMS Technology's m300 Mobile Watch boasts of the whole she-bang of cellphone features like Bluetooth, a music player, USB connectivity, and dial up networking. Of course having it in wristwatch proportions have limited it to a 1 inch OLED display and no keypads. This gets released on March 25 and comes in a number of colors which includes pastel pink, electric blue and yellow.

While we're left to wonder how we're going to send SMS messages, dial phone numbers, how long the batteries would last before they go kaput, and how to answer a phone call, you can check out some snapshots of this mini cellphone in action.

See more pics after the jump!

If you're too busy or forgetful to even remember to charge your trusted cellular phone, then Philips may have something that we'll tickle your fancy. Recently, the company unveiled the Philips Xenium 9x9s - a sleek looking phone which could go for 30 days without charging. Yes folks, it's the Energizer Bunny of mobiles.

Aside from an uber-long battery life, there's nothing extraordinary about it though. It has the usual features like a 1.3 megapixel camera 18 MB of internal memory, an outside OLED display, and all that jazz. The reason for its long battery life is its 950 mAh (milliampere-hour) battery which, aside from getting by without charge for 30 days, could also give you roughly nine hours of talk time.

No word yet on its price tag and availability, but we'll surely tell you more about it as more info comes our way.

The latest accessory for your Sony Ericsson mobile is small, makes a ticking sound, fits on your wrist, tells the time and displays Caller ID. Of course, it's the Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth watch, the next must have item on your list of wireless devices you want for Christmas. The Sony Ericsson MBW-100 is actually made by watch company Fossil and not Sony Ericsson themselves and features an analog display with stainless steal casing and a small OLED display that shows incoming calls using Called ID and Bluetooth technology which wirelessly links your phone to your watch.

Pushing a button on the watch can decline the call, allowing you to get rid of that unwanted call without even reaching for your phone - the ultimate feature to keep your phone calls discreet. Other features include out-of-range warning (for when you exceed the bluetooth range limit), SMS indication and play, pause and skip control for the your Sony Ericsson's MP3 player.

What more could you ask for in a watch? It looks good, has great functionality and is compatible with a huge range of sony Ericsson phones - the K610, K610i, K618, K790, K800, V630, W710, W850, Z610, and the Z710. The Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth watch will go on sale globally during Q4 of 2006, just in time for Christmas with a guideline retail price of approximately $380.

The three-buttoned, programmable Optimus Mini Three Keypad is finally hitting the gas pedal! As described by their creators, Optimus mini is a blank sheet. It’s hard to say what a usual monitor is worth until you open an image on it. The same goes for Optimus mini: the more plugins that support applications there are for Optimus Configurator, the more indispensable the keyboard is for daily use.

And to add to the excitement is the fact that this baby is now shipping, and customers who pre-ordered this one will be receiving their very own Optimus OLED Keypad by mid-August in the United States. However, if you live in in Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Lithuania and you ordered for this one,  it will ship on September 1. For other people who ordered it and doesn't live in the mentioned areas, you'll be receiving your keyboards by August 15.

If you order now, you'll be able to snag one of this for $126, but if you wait until August 2, you'd have to shell out $160 bucks, almost $40 more than its price tag as of now until August 1. So if you're salivating over this one, you better get your own keyboard now while you got some time.

Some people are put off by handsfree kits for cellphones. Sure, they can be lifesaving devices while driving, but let's face it, not everyone wants a device sticking out of their ears. Oftentimes, the wires get all tangled up and untangling them is a pain. Thank God there are wireless handsfree kits around. But they're nothing like the Nokia Icon.

Designed by Lopez Revol, the wristband and ring hands-free set has a duochromatic OLED display which shows SMS, incoming calls, and graphics. It also works as a watch.

Whenever someone rings your mobile, the wristband will flash up messages from the handset. The ring changes color to show you've got a message or a call. Both  the rings and wristband are made of rubber so they fit users of all proportions. They come with interchangeable sections for a quick color change.

The Nokia Icon connects to the 7280 phone via Bluetooth. Now, that's one hands-free kit with a personality! No info on price and availability yet, but we'll keep you posted. (This one looks like a keeper!)