E-Ink
The big news, and big hit of the show was the first prototype from E-Ink, in collaboration with Philips -- a thin, crisp black and white display that really did resemble paper. Brighter than LCD, with an unlimited viewing angle, it consumes far less power, and in fact, the image remains on-screen after power is shut off. Three-Five Systems (see below) has announced a competing system -- a high-contrast, "paperwhite" LCD display.
OLEDs everywhere
Clearly the next big thing, Organic Light Emitting Diode displays can be paper thin and flexible, made of a plastic substrate (instead of glass) coated with transparent conductive material. They are self-emitting and so do not require backlighting, as LCDs do. Primitive versions are already in use in some Pioneer car stereos and Motorola cel phones. Currently, the sizes are small and resolutions low. But eMagin now has SVGA resolution OLEDs in the works, and with IBM has developed a wristwatch prototype (which has a Linux OS). Other developers:
Universal Display Corp.
Kodak OLEDs
RIT Display
Small Displays
MicroOptical Corp. is selling VGA resolution displays that clip on to a pair of glasses. I tried this and was somewhat impressed. The unit is small but far from unobtrusive, and the image is crisp; it only appears in one eye, enabling you to see what you're doing, like a heads-up display. The addition of an accelerometer or gyro compass would make it really interesting! They also make a pair of glasses with an integrated QVGA (320x240) display. Less obtrusive through certainly not a chic pair of glasses.
The technology behind this or any LCD display -- from eyeglasses to monitors to projectors -- is pretty much the same: one or more tiny LCD displays, often on a chip (called LCoS or liquid crystal on silicon). It is literally a tiny screen, and OEMs use optics to blow it up to the size they need. For projectors or high-end monitors you'll typically find the resolution limited to 1024x768. However, Three-Five Systems has introduced a 0.85" diagonal active-matrix LCoS display with a "WUXGA" resolution -- 1920x1200. Developer kits are available!
Inviso is bringing some consumer products to market using small LCD technology, including an eyeglass display, and the "eCase" -- a portable, WinCE-powered computer with tiny screen that you hold up to your eye.
Optrex America makes small, rugged LCD panels with a wide temperature range; resolutions up to 256x64.
Other Display Technologies
Cambridge Display Technology is exploring the use of light-emitting polymers as an alternative to LCDs.
Noritake makes vacuum flourescent displays -- small, bright readouts similar to LED but brighter, flatter, better for small text.
Electroluminescence
Perhaps you've seen the Timex "Indiglo" watches, in which the entire dial lights up at the touch of a button, or those small, flat nightlights that cost next to nothing and give off a dim, diffuse glow. They are made of an organic or inorganic phosphor -- a luminescent material which, when an electrical field is applied to it, generates light. Display manufacturers started paying attention to them because they have a wide temperature range, and can provide good monochrome image quality, fast video response time, and good viewing angle in a display. You can have multiple colors on a single sheet. Big companies like Sharp and Fuji have been prototyping thin-film EL displays but they are still limited to small, low-res, mostly monochrome versions. But stay tuned...
LCD Monitors
IBM has begun shipping (to government labs) the world's highest resolution monitor -- a 22" LCD with resolution of 3840x2400@204dpi. Several companies make LCD screens for outdoor use, with anti-reflective coatings, brightness enhancement films, rugged housings, and temperature control. See Rainbow Displays has engineered large (37.5" diagonal) displays consisting of several smaller LCDs tiled to make a single large image, an alternative to a plasma monitor.
Other rugged LCD manufacturers:
Siemens
Thomas Electronics
Silver Cloud
Vertex
Polarvision
Other LCD manufacturers:
Mitsubishi Angleview
AND Displays
EDT
Kent Displays
Industrial Electronic Engineers
LCD Backlighting
Backlighting technology is quite interesting: many manufacturers use traditional, albeit tiny, cold cathode flourescent tubes to backlight LCD screens. Like the compact flourescent bulbs that replace your incandescent ones, they can operate at fairly low voltages (tinkerers take note -- down to 5 volts), they're dimmable, and they come in a range of colors. To get an even spread of light across the whole surface, the tubes are twisted into zig zags or various curvy shapes, and can be custom made. Manufacturers will put them behind a plastic sheet which is imprinted with a white, reflective ink dot pattern. LCD Lighting, Inc. makes them in colors plus UV and IR. These lamps are powered using a tiny DC-to-AC power inverter such as those made by Applied Concepts. CTS Corp. makes inverters (and other interesting products) using piezoelectric technology.
Some manufacturers are starting to look at electroluminescent panels (see above) to replace flourescent tubes, especially for smaller displays. Others (such as Powertip Technology) use a single, superbright white LED, with a microlenticular lens to spread it out.
Touchscreens
Check out the Synaptics Clearpad. It's a transparent overlay that can fit over any surface, including curved surfaces! They have several other interesting technoliges. See also Cybertouch -- manufactures various types of touchscreens.
Sensors
See Elmwood Sensors for flexible, transparent heaters. Used to keep warm the LCD screens on gas pumps, which don't like low temperatures. Elmwood also makes transparent, conductive film.
Miscellany
Rumor has it that JVC is readying a projector with native 2048x1536 resolution, but was unable to locate any info on their site. Need projection screens? Try Nashua. Plasmaco has a 60" HD plasma with 160 degree viewing angle. Schott makes display glass that's as thin as it gets -- 0.03mm -- and can be bended into shapes.