Face it, folks — the days of windows being just windows are behind us. Before long, our panes will double as widget displays or makeshift televisions, and AIST has the prototype to prove it. The demonstration seems to utilize technology that’s far different than that seen in Samsung’s iceTouch PMP , but it’s certainly no less exciting. According to DigInfo , AIST is developing florescent glass suitable for excitation by near-UV LEDs, and by combining this [borosilicate] glass with LEDs, it’s possible to obtain transparent, flat light sources.” Better still, we’re told that the prevailing thought is that this here technology could be used to develop see-through displays as well as “light sources and displays that use solar cells without modification.” Anxious to see what a transparent LCD could do for you? Hop on past the break, mash play and let your imagination run absolutely wild. Continue reading AIST shows off see-through display prototype on video AIST shows off see-through display prototype on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink    |  DigInfo  |  Email this  |  Comments

Ads on the iPhone, just as ads on the web, are something most users want to avoid. But some of the ad companies that are specifically targeting newer smartphone devices such as the iPhone are becoming increasingly inventive with their approach to advertising. A good example of this just launched today in the NPR app for the iPhone. In this app, the mobile analytics and advertising company Medialets is serving up an ad for the new album, Contra, by the band Vampire Weekend. At first, the ad just peeks out at the bottom of the NPR app, but if you click to expand it, it quickly takes up the entire device. So why would you want to do this? Because it’s a video for Vampire Weekend’s new song “Cousins” — and thanks to some of the iPhone’s unique features, you can actually interact with the ad, shaking your iPhone to change how the video looks. Sure, it’s not a huge amount of customization, but it’s much better than normal methods of advertising and it creates a sense of interaction with the ad. Naturally, you can also click the screen to show an option that will allow you to buy the album on the device. Companies like Google and Apple , two of the most important players in mobile right now, are scooping up some of these mobile ad companies left and right these days. Clearly, they think there’s a bright future for the medium as well. Watch the ad in action below. Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Google introduced the term “superphone” to the world yesterday when they unveiled the Nexus One Google phone . Right from the beginning of the hour+ presentation, Google execs were referring to the Nexus One as the first “superphone,” a term not previously widely used (of note – GigaOm has a reference to the term last summer). So what’s a superphone? It’s a marketing term and nothing else. Google VP and Android founder Andy Rubin talked about the term at length in the Q&A session, and we’ve grabbed the relevant parts of the video from the ustream archive and embed it below. Here’s part of the transcript (bolding added): The definition of a superphone…the difference between superphone & smartphone…the evolution of the platform is such that the openness, coupled with these marketplaces and these app stores, that makes it really easy for people to download 3rd party content; an ecosystem by which 3rd party developers can participate in the ecosystem; the Ghz processors; the more memory; the gigabyte storage…. these are all things that didn’t exist 2 years ago . So we thought that the industry needed another term to refer to these innovations . And again, this is a s powerful as your laptop was 4 years go . If anything, you’re carrying these around in your pocket, they’re with you all the time they’re always on… these are all new. So we wanted to refer to it by something and we think that “superphone” is the right way to refer to it. The bar is raising…These superphones are getting more and more sophisticated…everybody knows about Moore’s law…today’s superphone is tomorrow’s smartphone… “Today’s superphone is tomorrow’s smartphone,” says Rubin. I immediately thought of Highlander and the “there can be only one” quote (the immortals in the movie had to kill eachother until there was just one left). As soon as a new superphone comes out, any previous superphone is relegated to being a mere smartphone. There can be only one superphone. But what Google is really doing is making a not-so-subtle jab at the iPhone and other competitors. The Nexus One, he implies, is as powerful as laptops were four years ago. All those smartphones from two years ago (iPhone) aren’t superphones. Presumably even the iPhone 3GS, which may have been a superphone last summer when it launched, is a mere smartphone today. Only the Nexus One is a superphone. And soon, it will only be a smartphone as new devices are launched. It all makes my head spin. But that’s ok. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s phone. The Super-Duper-Phone ( too late, I already registered it ). It’s tomorrow’s superphone, when today’s superphone has become a mere smartphone. And today’s smartphones are something icky and untouchable. Crunch Network : CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

The Chumby One , much like the original , is an interesting beast. For all intents and purposes, it’s a mod-friendly box that sits on your nightstand and pushes out real-time information that it pulls down from the web. That said, the inbuilt display may be too small to be considered “glanceable” in some scenarios, and if you’re ferociously nodding your head up and down in agreement, we’ve a hack you should probably see. One xobs recently discovered that a composite video output could be added to the Chumby One, enabling it to output its information onto any display with such an input. Granted, the device can only support a single display at a time, but hey, who ever said you could have your cake and eat it too? Chumby One gets composite video output via marginally difficult mod originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink   MAKE  |  Bunnie Studios , ChumbyWiki  |  Email this  |  Comments

2009 is coming to a close, which means it’s time to reflect on the events that shaped the last twelve months. And there’s nothing like a whirlwind animated musical to put everything into perspective. Cue JibJab , which has just released their annual Year In Review : a two minute video romp that recaps the last year in all its glory. The video is packed will everything from momentous events like the induction of our first black President to moments of unparalleled stupidity (Balloon Boy). Even Three Wolf Moon made the cut. This is the fifth year that JibJab has produced their Year In Review, and we’re told it will be seeing airtime on a number of national television networks tomorrow. For those wondering how the video was made, the company has put together a thorough blog post detailing its production. Aside from the video, CEO Gregg Spiridellis tells us that JibJab is having a very strong holiday season. The entertainment portal, which offers customizable Flash videos, greeting cards, and a variety of other content, drew 33 million unique visitors in the last month according to Quantcast . Spiridellis adds that the site has served 90 million video views this quarter alone (which was likely helped in part by its always popular ElfYourself feature). Watch the video in the embed below: Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today! CrunchBase Information JibJab Information provided by CrunchBase Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors