Microsoft

LG Electronics signed an exclusive marketing partnership with Microsoft, and LG's OLED TV technology is now the official TV partner of Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X gaming console.

LG says that its latest OLED TVs are the best way to enjoy gaming on the Xbox Series X, with features such as 4K resolution, 120 fps, an ultra-fast 1ms response time, low input lag and support for the latest HDMI specifications including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and enhanced return audio channel (eARC). LG's latest TVs also feature the HGiG HRD profile.

OLED producers are looking at under-the-OLED cameras - this is a great technology that could enable complete bezel-less smartphone displays without any pop-up selfie cameras. Samsung, in 2018, announced it is working on several behind-the-OLED sensors, including a camera. But China's Visionox is the first company that actually launched such a technology commercially.

Microsoft recently published an interesting research project (led by Sehoon Lim) that discusses the potential use cases of under-the-OLED camera and its advantages, and also the challenges - with AI technologies that could assist in solving these issues.

Hyperkin announced that Microsoft has approved its latest Xbox controller, which is a recreation of the original Xbox Duke controller. The new controller includes a monochrome (green) PMOLED display.

Hyperkin is still developing its controller so it is not clear when this will be released. The company also says that it will only produce the controller in a limited number.

Korean news site ETNews says that LG Display is partnering with Apple, Google and Microsoft to develop a foldable OLED display for smartphones. The plan is for LGD to start producing such displays in 2018. LG Electronics is also part of this project, but apparently the first customers for these displays will be the three US-based companies.

ETNews calls these displays "out-foldable" displays, which probably means that the target devices are a smartphone-sized devices that open-up to have a tablet-like display. According to ETNews LGD recently developed an impressive prototype of those displays. LGD news is carrying out most of the development of this display.

Microsoft just announced several new devices, including three ones with AMOLED displays. So first up with have the Lumia 950 smartphone, which is the company's first Windows 10 mobile phones. It features a 5.2" WQHD (2560x1440) AMOLED display, hexa-core CPU, 32GB of storage, a microSD slot, a 20mp PureView camera (with 4K video support and optical image stabilization) and a USB Type-C port.

Microsoft also launched the Lumia 950 XL, which offers the same hardware with a larger 5.7" display. The Lumia 950 will launch in November 2015 for $549 and the 950 XL will cost $649.

Back in 2014, Microsoft launched their first smartband, simply called the Band, with an LCD display. The company is now reportedly aiming to launch the Band 2 on October 6th, and according to a leaked photo it looks like it might be using a curved display:

The Band 2 looks very similar to Samsung's Gear Fit which was launched in 2014. The Fit had a flexible OLED - a curved 1.84" (432x128) Super AMOLED.

Microsoft research propose a new OLED power consumption technique (which they call FingerShadow) that uses local-dimming for screen areas covered by user fingers. Because OLED pixels only consume power when lit, this is a clever way to save power when people interactive with their smartphones or tablets.

According to Microsoft, they did a short study (10 users) and on average 11.14% of the screen is covered by fingers - which means FingerShadow can achieve a power saving of 5-22% (average 12.96%) with almost no overhead. Clever idea there Microsoft.

Nokia announced two Windows Phone 8 devices today. The lower-end one, the Lumia 820 has a 4.3" 800x480 Clearblack OLED display. Other features include a 1.5Ghz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (and a microSD slot) and a 8mp camera. The Lumia 820 will ship towards the end of 2012.

The second phone is the flagship Lumia 920, which unfortunately does not have an OLED. It does have a very good LCD though - 4.5" WXGA (1280x768) resolution. Nokia claims that this new LCD is the brightest one on the market (25% brighter in fact than anything out there) and it's also the fastest LCD Nokia has ever shipped on a smartphone. Other features include a 1.5Ghz dual-core CPU, PureView 8mp camera (with hardware stabilization and good low-light capabilities)

Samsung and Apple has a long history of legal battles, and during court Samsung submitted some evidence that detail a couple of upcoming Windows 8 phones, the Odyssey and the Marco. Both use sAMOLED (super AMOLED) displays, but we're mostly interested in the Odyssey - which will sport a 4.65" HD Super AMOLED UT display.

This is the first time I see Samsung use 'UT' after an AMOLED display. It's not clear what is this designation. It may be that this phone will use Samsung's plastic-based "flexible" YOUM displays - which will be unbreakable and very thin (UT=Ultra Thin?). But then I would have guessed they would have said "YOUM" and not sAMOLED. Samsung also has UT series of LCD TVs, and in those the UT means a very thin bezel (2.4 mm on the bottom and right, and 4.3 mm on the top and left) - so perhaps that's what they mean here too.

Microsoft research has unveiled a new research project that enables a 3D interactive desktop using a Samsung-made transparent OLED and a Kinect camera. The idea is that the user types on a keyboard that sits behind the monitor, and he can also manipulate 3D objects using his hands. The system also uses head tracking (to change the 3D perspective):

This isn't the first time Microsoft is using a transparent OLED in their research. Back in June 2010 Microsoft revealed a concept setup that uses a camera beneath a transparent OLED to create gesture-based interaction.