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

Vigor Gaming has announced that they will be coming out with five new notebooks. The new products range from entry level units all the way up to a gaming system perfect for LAN parties.

All the laptops come with an 8X DVD+/-R/RW Optical Drive, wireless LAN, Bluetooth connectivity, biometric security system, TV tuner (remote available upon request), a built-in 1.2 to 2.0 Megapixel camera, and Microsoft Windows Vista Home. The RAM of each of the models are upgradeable to up to 4GB.

Each unit comes with a one-year limited parts and labor warranty (extendable to three years) Knowing how much gamers like to modify their systems, the company is also offering to customize any of their offerings. This includes even the paint schemes, allowing players to frag in style.

The full list of available Vigor Gaming notebooks along with their specifications after the jump!

According to Computer Supermarket UK, they've got the cheapest 20.1-inch, widescreen LCD TV/Monitor in the world, and its sporting an attractive GB£ 129.95 (US$ 250) price tag, although that doesn't include shipping and handling or VAT. So if you were always hoping to replace that bulky CRT or break the 17-inch barrier for your PC's LCD monitor, here's your chance.

Computer Supermarket's NQ211 is primarily an LCD TV, complete with a built-in TV tuner and interfaces for all applicable home entertainment systems. While still using rather dated, but trusty Active Matrix technology, the LCD does sport a widescreen profile (16:9 aspect), allowing viewers to enjoy widescreen-formatted movies and games.

Along with S-Video, component and RF connections, the LCD TV will also accept DVI and VGA input, allowing it to interface with PCs and consoles. It also boasts a 1200:1 contrast ratio and an 8ms response time for vivid color and performance.

As of press time, Computer Supermarket's got 192 of these black beauties in stock, so interested parties better hover their cursor over the read link below before stocks run out.

While the ultra-techie in me is reeling from the E-155C that Gateway spit out just this April, it seems that it wasn't the only convertible laptop-slash-tablet PC that the consumer computer company had in the works. A source reported to Tablet PC Review that another model, dubbed the E-295M, was also listed as one of Gateway's products under the tablet PC category.

This development came after students were required by the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) to own a tablet PC for educational use. A tablet PC comparison chart was provided for students to select their preferred products and lo and behold: another Gateway-branded platform was found: the "Gateway 295 Series."

Further investigation led Tablet PC Review toward the University of South Dakota, where they claim to be already using the tablet PC for their nursing program. It was here that the unit was seen to be labeled as the Gateway E-295M - confirming itself as a product under the 295 series.

Now while little is known about the tablet PC entry of the 295 series, the comparison chart seems to point out that the 14-incher will pack good hardware specifications underneath its miniature interior. The reported specs, according to the comparison chart, are as follows:

• Core 2 Duo T7100 1.8GHz or T7300 2GHz processor
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 60GB-100GB hard drive
• Integrated Intel GMA x3100 graphics
• 14" WXGA TFT Active Matrix display (1280x768)
• Wacom and touchscreen capabilities
• Standard 8-cell battery

Specifications from the University of South Dakota claim that the laptop could be sold at a slightly pricey US$ 1,700, and the charts from IMSA note that the unit is already available for order since May 29, 2007. That's probably good news, since competitor DELL has yet to release their own lineup.

Sony's announcement that it will begin sales of 11-inch organic light emitting diode (OLED) monitors before the end of the year has caused rival companies to step up their own OLED screen development plans. However, as reported by AV zombie, South Korean electronics company Samsung doubts that the electronics giant will not be able to deliver on their promise.

"I hope Sony will really do it, but considering circumstances, I doubt they will be able to start selling it this year," said Yoo Eui-jin, vice president and chief of Samsung SDI’s OLED team. "Maybe it would be possible for them to make a hundred or a thousand units as artifacts, but no more than that."

The advantages of OLED screens (greater range of colors, brightness, theoretically lower costs, etc.) over their LCD counterparts has had manufacturers racing to get them out of the factory and into consumers' homes. Samsung currently plans to introduce active matrix OLED screens for mobile phones and other portable devices instead of TVs.

The Toppan Printing Co, Ltd  has successfully developed a 5.5-inch Active Matrix OLED screen. This type of screen is much brighter and sharper than a Passive Matrix Screen. It  also features a longer life span with small energy consumption and a wide field of vision angle. The screen undergoes a fabrication process similar to a relief film impression, which  results in a smooth and uniform panel. The display is expected to be used on television sets and cellular phones.

Active Matrix OLED features:

• Size: Diagonal 5.5 inch wide
• Drive system: Active matrix drive
• Number of pixels: 400 (RGB) x 234
• Pixel pitch: 300um
• Resolution: 80ppi

The screen is expected be sold in 2007.