Samsung tablet concept shows a see-through, bendable future (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Samsung smartphone-ish, tablet-ish sized device is see-through, bends at will, and changes size according to what kind of app you want to use. Lest we forget, the device translates, explores, and locates, among other things. It shows images on either side, at the same time. Really? Yes, but. Samsung has released a concept video of a transparent, flexible 3D AMOLED display based tablet of the future, not anywhere near now. The video shows a user walking around the streets brandishing his wafer-thin see through rubbery device that is sized somewhere between smartphone and tablet, performing a range of tasks that connects him to people and places.

With all the visual interest going on in this video, the most attention among bloggers and mobile device enthusiasts is being centered on the bendable, AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display.

That is where mobile devices are headed in the near future, even though the concept device shown in the Samsung video, with all its bells and whistles, may be far off.

OLED is a display technology and the “active matrix” points to the control of pixels. AMOLED technology is already in use and is seen as becoming a staple in the new generation of screen displays, Samsung considers itself the leader in AMOLED technology.

The company demonstrated 'bendable' AMOLED screens earlier this year. According to numerous reports, bendable AMOLED smartphones from Samsung are due in 2012.

While some bloggers wonder why, beyond novelty, they and others would want to have a device that bends, some strong reasons are easily found from those tracking new technologies in mobile devices.

Louis Bedigian of Benzinga lists some key advantages. Bendable screens can withstand impact and be less likely to break or crack; bendable screens open up new possibilities in wearable computing; new applications, especially in gaming, can leverage the screen’s physical flexibility. Users can not only tilt and twist but bend the screen to influence gaming elements.

Nokia has also been teasing away in promoting a similar future of smart devices with concepts of flexible, bendable phones. Also, according to reports, the firm’s research and development unit, the Nokia Research Center, has been working with scientists at The University of Cambridge to create products that can change the appearance and interface of handsets. Besides exploring technology that allows a phone to be controlled by squeezing and twisting, Nokia is reportedly exploring technology involving wearable phones.

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