Our bodies bend and twist, so why can’t our gadgets? Next week at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung will be unveiling their much anticipated 5.5 inch flexible phone screen.
It seems as though consumer electronics are going to way of the fruit roll up. Forget flip phones and the archaic notion of folding things ups and putting them away. Welcome to a generation of gadgets that are durable, yet malleable with the ability of extreme versatility.
While Samsung Display (an offshoot of Samsung Electronics), might be leading the way, competitors are also experimenting with the same technology. Last year, Nokia, the Finnish telecommunications manufacturer – most famous for their virtually indestructible early 2000s “brick phone” – unveiled a kinetic interface that is controlled by the way the user bends and twists the screen. And while consumers complain about e-books not being the same as real books, LG Electronics released a prototype that mimics the bendability of paper to give users that tactile experience back – sans the old book or fresh newspaper smell.
Samsung’s unveiling could be a revolutionary leap closer to bendable smartphones. The screen will be 1,280×720-pixel HD resolution with a 267-pixel density and will curve without having to render. In the past, Samsung has unveiled similar bendable phones, but that were smaller and much lower resolution.
Did I mention they will also be presenting a 55-inch television screen that has the same ability to bend and twist? Could this be a burgeoning trend?
Whatever the case, bendable screens will have their place as a trend in the near future of electronic product design. The question of whether it will be a short-term fad or a mainstay in our gadgets is another question altogether.
To see Samsung’s demo of the technology, you can visit the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas, January 8 through 11, or sit back and wait for the inevitable YouTube video.
Lol when I told the guy at sprint about these new phones they were working on that bend he just looked at me like I was dumb. Guess they don’t know that much about upcoming products
How great to not crap your pants in fear every time you drop your phone!