Big and Flat: LCD Monitor Prices Thin Out

Future Visions: Flexible, Portable, and Ultraclear

While plasma displays, projection systems, and large-format CRTs duke it out for supremacy in the big-screen arena, several emerging technologies promise to solve different display challenges. Some are already appearing in products, but most won't be commonplace for at least a few years.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs): How'd you like a personal digital assistant that you can roll up like a tiny, pencil-size window shade? OLED displays promise to make that roll-up PDA a reality. An emerging competitor to LCD technology, OLEDs use carbon-based (organic) materials that emit light when an electric current passes through them. They don't require backlighting, and they use far less power than active-matrix LCDs. Their organic materials can be deposited on cheap, flexible plastic instead of on the expensive glass used in LCDs. Some problems remain to be worked out, however, such as how to keep air-borne contaminants from leaking through the porous plastics. Currently paired with glass panels, the first OLEDs have already appeared in car stereo systems and cell phones; expect to see them soon in digital camera displays.

Ultra-high-resolution displays: One reason people don't like reading books on PCs or on e-books is that the screens are tougher to look at than paper and ink. Part of that problem is the relatively low resolution of a digital display: Notebook LCDs, for example, generally have fewer than 100 dots per inch, whereas any decent laser printer runs text at 300 dpi or more. Vendors are addressing this problem with two technologies that let you crowd more pixels per square inch: Toshiba has been experimenting with low-temperature polysilicon, while IBM has already used amorphous silicon to produce a monitor capable of 200 dpi. Unfortunately, these technologies are still very expensive.

Near-to-eye microdisplays: When you use your laptop on a plane, anybody can look over your shoulder at your work or at that DVD movie you brought. There is a workaround: new displays worn much like a pair of glasses. The image looks huge to your eyes, but your neighbors can't see a thing. Products have already arrived, including the slick, silver Olympus Eye-Trek series. Several models are available, ranging from an older $549 version to a new, sleeker, lighter, and more powerful $1199 version. That's not cheap, but it's definitely more affordable than a big screen or projection display, which is the kind of experience these glasses can approximate.