Best Android Tablet Below $200

Everyone nowadays has a tablet PC or desperately wants one. Mini-gadgets are always fun and functional and a tablet PC is no exception. While smartphones allow you to make and receive calls, there's a limit to how much media playback and web-browsing is allowed. Plus smartphones do not have USB ports and cannot be connected to your TV (at least not yet). A killer combination of features and size is a tablet PC with the Android OS. Google's OS for smart and small devices is extremely user-friendly, very handy and nifty with its pinch-zoom ability and very very stylish.

While the tablet wars continue between bigwigs like the iPad, Motorola's XOOM and the BlackBerry Playbook, is there a cheaper tablet model out there? This may seem very surprising but there are good tablet PC's with the Android OS, available for under 200 dollars. Has your jaw touched the floor?

Technology being the diverse medium it is, will not give us just one model. Below are 6 tablet's, 5 under $200, 1 at $200 for your perusing.

I. Coby Kyros™ MID8125

• 8 inch LCD touch screen
• Screen resolution is 800 x 600 with 16:9 aspect ratio
• Android OS 2.3 version
• Use built-in app to enjoy eBooks
• Supports HD playback up to a factor of 1080p
• Connect tablet to your HDTV with HDMI port
• Will connect to Windows XP/Vista/7 and Mac and Linus computers
• Processor: 1 GHz; built-in memory of 4GB; expand memory with microSD slot, up to 32 GB
• Price: $160

II. Augen GENTOUCH NBA7800ATP

• 7 inch TFT touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution
• High-Definition support factor of 720p
• Supports web browsing, media files playback and ebook reading
• Expandable memory up to 16 GB with SD or MMC card slot
• Media formats supported: MP3/AAC/WMA/JPEG/BMP
• Ebook formats supported: PDF/E-PUB/.TXT
• Processor: 800 MHz, 256 MB RAM and 2 GB hard disk
• Price: Between $140 - $180

III. Zenithink 2 ZT-180

• 10 inch touchscreen
• Android OS version 2.2
• HD playback support with 1080p factor
• Built-in 1.3 MP camera
• HDMI port for connecting to HD device
• USB port supports 3G Internet modem (sold separately)
• Expandable memory up to 32 GB with SD slot
• Media formats supported: DivX/AVI/MPEG/RM/MP3/AAC/WMA/JPEG/BMP
• 1 GHz ARM 11 processor, 512 RAM and 4 GB hard disk
• Price: $190

IV. Ematic eGLIDE

• 7 inch touchscreen
• 2.1 Android OS version
• Supports movie, music playback
• Built-in voice recorder and FM tuner
• Use touchscreen or trackball and embedded stylus
• Connect the eGLIDE to TV or PC with HDMI port and cable to play tablet files in HD
• 3-axis gyroscope for complete rotation and motion sensing
• Use built-in Wi-Fi or connect 3G USB Dongle (sold separately) for high speed Internet
• Media formats supported: MP3/WMA/AVI/WMV/JPEG/FLV
• Ebook formats supported: PDF/LRC/.TXT/HTM/e-PUB
• Can connect to Windows 7, Vista, XP and 2000 OS PC, MAC and Linux
• Expandable memory up to 16 GB with SD slot
• 1 GHz Dual Core processor, 256 MB RAM, 4 GB built-in memory
• Price: Between $160 - $180

V. Archos 7 Home Tablet

• 7 inch backlit LCD touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution
• Battery life of 7 hours
• Supports HD video playback up to 720p HD factor
• Supported media formats: MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/FLAC/AAC/JPEG/BMP/GIF/H.264/MPEG-4/AVI/MP4/MOV/FLV
• SD slot allows expansion up to 32 GB
• Compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows machines for PC connection
• Processor: 600 MHz ARM 9 processor, built-in memory 8GB
• Price: $180

VI. Velocity Micro™ - Cruz Tablet T301

• 7 inch TFT touchscreen with 800 x 600 resolution
• Android OS version 2.2
• Built-in Wi-Fi supports 802.11n networks
• Battery life of 6 hours on single charge
• Pre-included apps feature Kindle bookstore and Amazon Appstore
• Media formats: MPEG-4/AVI/MOV/MP3/AAC/WAV and all image formats
• Ebook formats: PDF/TXT/HTML
• 4 GB SD card included free with tablet
• Processor: not mentioned, 256 MB RAM, 4 GB hard disk
• Price: Between $160 - $199

With respect to the price limit of $200, two excellent Android tablets, with a price tag of $199 each, are the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Nook Color from Barnes & Noble. Both tablets have impressive features for a reasonable price.

With a budget of $200, keep your expectations realistic. Don't expect an iPad-like device with just $200. Seven or eight inches is the maximum size in this price bracket. Built-in storage and features will be less in quality and quantity. But for an easy-on-the-wallet choice, such tablet models are ideal. If with just $200 you can get a mobile PC, it is kind of like having your cake and eating it too!

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List of Best Dual Core Android Phones

For people who live by their smartphones for whatever reasons, there are times when the average single core processor won't be enough. Whether its for work, file share, socializing or gaming, the rate at which all the apps in the world are evolving demands for a faster smartphone. So here are the best upcoming dual core smartphones that you can choose from.

Top 5 Dual Core Android Smartphones

They are big, they are powerful and they are a must have for anyone who lives on the go. Take your pick from among the best of the best.

Motorola Droid Bionic 4G

Features:

• Android 2.3.4
• 4G LTE Networks
• 1 GB RAM, OMAP4 Dual-core 1GHz processor
• 1735 mAh battery
• 4.3 qHD 540×960 TFT LCD
• 16GB internal storage memory RAM, microSD
• 8-megapixel camera

The Droid may win the race based on its battery power. The problem with dual core processors is that they use up too much power and the slimmer your phone, the weaker your battery and the shorter time for which your phone remains usable. But the Droid offers 10h 40min of talk time on one full charging. As far as competition with the iPhone 5 is concerned, rest assured that the Droid's 4G LTE Network is faster than what the iPhone can come up with, including the AT&Ts HSPA+.

Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II

Features:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor
• 16GB or 32GB of storage, micro SD apart from 8GB of phone memory
• 1GB of RAM
• 4.3 inches SUPER AMOLED Plus touchscreen of 480 x 800-pixel resolution
• 1080p video recording at 30fps
• Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh

There are only two things that can bother you about the S II. The first one is the price. The original reports stated the price of the phone to be around $800, which later settled to be around $599-$699 for the 16GB version. The other problem is the low resolution. But it really isn't that big of a deal as the colors the phone has are vibrant enough to nullify any pixellation. Also, the phone lacks a hardware camera button and you need to remove the battery when you want to take out the SIM card. Apart from that, the phone is regarded as the perfect dual core smartphone for anyone. If you can afford it, you will be a very happy Android user.

Motorola Photon 4G

Features:

• Android 2.3.3
• 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core processor
• 48GB combined storage capability
• 1GB of RAM
• 540 x 960 pixel resolution and 4.3 qHD display
• 8 Megapixel camera
• Standard battery, Li-Po 1700 mAh

The Photon will sell mostly because of its international GSM capability (via Sprint), making it a very convenient option for people who travel countries a lot. The other plus point for the Photon is its superb web browsing capability that actually manages to make surfing on the phone a fun thing to do.

HTC EVO 3D

Features:

• 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8660 Snapdragon CPU
• 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540-pixel Autostereoscopic 3D display
• dual rear 5-megapixel cameras with dedicated camera button, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• HDMI 1.4
• Standard battery, Li-Ion 1730 mAh
• 1GB internal storage, 32GB microSD external storage
• 1GB RAM

The biggest problem with this phone is its battery life. This sort of dampens the joy of having a phone with features too many to count.

HTC Sensation 4G

Features:

• Android OS, v2.3
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon
• S-LCD capacitive 540 x 960 pixels, 4.3 qHD
• 1 GB storage, 8 GB internal with microSD extension up to 32GB
• 768 MB RAM
• Standard battery, Li-Ion 1520 mAh
• 8 Megapixel camera

The phone wins for its 1080p video recording and stereo audio recording capability. The resolution of the screen is quite good too. There have been few minor issues with the phone heating up during usage, but nothing too serious.

More Phones

Those are the best in the business of dual core Android smartphones. There are other phones that are good too, but I found the above phones much better compared to them.

• Motorola Atrix 4G: The phone runs on Android version 2.2 Froyo (upgradable to 2.3.4 Gingerbread), the Tegra 2 AP20H chipset and comes with configurable camera settings.
• LG Thrill 4G: It comes with a 5 Megapixel camera and a 4 inch capacitive touchscreen.
• LG G2X: Slower than others due to its 526MB RAM, runs on Android 2.2 but will soon be ready for 2.3.

All phones are available in the market now. These smartphones are set to redefine what blazing fast on the mobile means. You would be joining many, if you intend to buy one of them and use your older smartphone as a second phone. All you need now is carrier information and you're set to buy your very first dual core smartphone.

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Understanding the difference between AMOLED vs LCD

Display technology is often a key battleground when it comes to top of the line handsets. But it’s not just display resolution and screen size that you’ll find on a spec sheet, manufactures also list different display types to choose between as well. Often you’ll find that manufactures stick to a particular display type, such as Samsung with its AMOLED technology or HTC opting for LCD, citing certain benefits over the competitions’ technology.

So let’s find out if really there’s a noticeable difference between these two displays technologies, if there is what sort of differences we can expect, and if the company marketing hype is to be believed.

The technology

First things first, let’s quickly go over the technological differences between the two display types before we delve into how this affects the consumer experience.

We’ll start with LCD, which stands for Liquid Crystal Display. The properties of this liquid crystal are a little complicated, but the important thing to know is that liquid crystals untwist when an electric charge is applied to them, which affects the frequency of the light transmitted through it. Combine this will two polarized panels and you can control the flow of light by twisting and untwisting the crystal molecules.

However, these liquid crystal materials don’t emit any light of their own, so a backlight is used behind the filter layer in order to generate light. A grid of integrated circuits is then used to control each pixel, by sending a charge down into a specific row or column. Colors are created by the use of red, green, and blue filters, known as sub pixels, which are then blended by varying degrees to produce different colors.

The construction of a red LCD pixel

AMOLED, on the other hand, uses lots of tiny colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) to produce light and different colors, which sounds quite a bit simpler. By adjusting the voltage, and therefore the brightness, of each of these red, green, and blue LEDs you can create a wide range of colors, or lack of colors (blacks).

The showdown

The most noticeable difference between these two screen types is the range of colors that can be displayed. The available colors that can be displayed are known as the color gamut, which is a portion of all colors that can be seen by the human eye.

Most types of media fit into the standard RBG color gamut, which most LCD screens aim to match. This is often why LCD screens are considered to be the most natural, but that’s simply because it most closely matches the color range used by other sorts of media. AMOLED displays offer a much larger gamut than LCDs, which can cause images to look much more vibrant.

The reason for the large differences lies in the way that these technologies work. Because LEDs can be individually controlled to a much greater extent, and development isn’t so concerned with the quality of filters as is the case with LCD, it allows the display to produce a wider gamut due to superior blending of primary colors. Another benefit of AMOLED is the greater control over blacks, which is achieved by dimming or turning off individual LEDs.

A gamut comparison between the Galaxy S4′s AMOLED display and the HTC One’s LCD display. The curved shape represents the visible spectrum, the black triangle is the sRGB gamut, and the white line is each display’s gamut. Notice the additional greens and blues with the S4.

However, a wider range of colours isn’t always better, as it can lead to images look oversaturated and can cause pictures to end up looking a tad distorted in extreme cases.

The strange thing here though is that LCD manufactures often aren’t satisfied with the look of their displays. In an attempt to make their displays look more vibrant, possibly just to keep up with the marketing of AMOLED displays, some LCD device manufactures often mess around with the levels of saturation, which can also end up ruining the color balance. If you’re looking for vibrant colors, then you’re probably better off with an AMOLED display with a decent colour balance, rather than an oversaturated LCD display. If you’re interested in a closer look at AMOLED/LCD saturation, then I highly recommend this video by Erica Griffin.

But it’s not all bad news for AMOLED displays, the technology does have some advantages over LCD. For a start the viewing angle tends to be a bit wider, as light can only travel through the LCDs crystal molecules and polarized panels at a limited angle, although this does vary from handset to handset. LEDs also react faster to changes in voltage than crystal molecules, which means that response times are often faster on AMOLED displays too.

One final point to consider is power consumption. As LCD displays are constantly powered by a backlight they tend to draw more power than OLED based displays, which can turn off LEDs when displaying darker images. However, different colored LEDs have different levels of power consumption, so energy draw is more consistent and predictable when used LCD technology.

This chart shows the lifespan of different colored PHOLEDs. Although the technology is a little different to AMOLED, the difference in colour lifespans is typical of all LED based displays.

The different LED energy levels can also shorten the lifespan of the displays. The blue pixels in LED displays require the most energy to power, but that also means that they can burn out faster. After a long time this can result in a slight tinting over part or all of an AMOLED display.

So which display wins

I know it’s a cop out, and you might here this a lot, but in the end it really is down to personal preference. Even within the same display types there are varying levels of saturation, gamut, and differences in calibration, so picking the best display type for yourself isn’t really an exact science. You could like HTC’s LCD displays but absolutely hate the look of LG’s. Typically, those looking for more vibrant displays will be better off with AMOLED, but well built and properly calibrated LCDs may provide a more realistic look.

On top of that, each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages that are also worth considering. If you’re looking for a long lasting display then you might be better off with LCD to avoid pixel degradation, whilst consumers looking for a better battery life and a wide range of colors could be better off with AMOLED. - source

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How ATX Power Supply Works

A step by step guide about 200 Watt ATX PC Power Supply function

Here you have the schematic diagram of ATX PC power supply from DTK company. This power supply was designed for ATX and provides a power output of 200 Watt. The integrated circuit TL494 utilised in this design is a very common power circuit PC power supplies having about 200W output. The circuit operates with a symmetrical power stage (push-pull) with regulation of the output voltage, in the following we will understand how ATX power supply works.

The mains voltage passes through the input filter (C1, R1, T1, C4, T5) and then feeds the bridge rectifier (D21 to D24). When the input voltage is switched from 230V to 115V, the rectifier works as a voltage doubler. Varistors Z1 and Z2 protect against over voltage present on the input line. The thermistor NTCR1 limits the input current until capacitors C5 and C6 are charged. R2 and R3 allow the capacitors to discharge after disconnecting the power supply.

When connected to the sector, the capacitors C5 and C6, 470uf each, are all then charged together of approximately 300V. At this moment a secondary power supply, controlled by transistor Q12, starts and produces its output voltage. After the voltage regulator IC3 the +5 V goes into the motherboard. It is necessary to operation of the logic circuits and for "the standby of some functions."

Another voltage, non-stabilized, goes through diode D30 to power the circuit IC1 and the control transistors Q3 and Q4. When the main power supply works, then this voltage comes from the 12V line through the diode D.

Sleep mode (stand-by)

In standby mode, the principal main power supply is blocked by the positive voltage produced by the secondary power supply and present on the contact PS ON of the connector through resistor R23. Because of this voltage, the transistor Q10 will conduct and drive Q1 which applies the reference voltage of +5V from pin 14 "IC1" to pin 4 of "IC1" (Deadtime Control). The circuit is switched to the totally blocked state. Transistors Q3 and Q4 are both saturated (conductive) and short-circuit the auxiliary winding of the transformer T2. These short circuits prohibit the appearance of a voltage on the power circuit. By the voltage on pin 4, we can control the maximum pulse width at the output of IC1. A zero volt voltage produces the widest pulses and at +5 V pulses disappear.

Now we can explain the working of ATX power supply

If someone pushes the start button of the computer, the logic circuit of the motherboard puts the input pin PS-ON at ground (GND). The transistor Q10 will be block which has the effect of Q1 also to block. The capacitor C15 begins his charging through R15. The voltage on pin 4 "IC1" decreases gradually to zero by R17. This voltage permit generating pulses whose maximum width is continually increasing. The main power supply starts gently.

During normal regime, the power is controlled by "IC1". When the transistors Q1 and Q2 conducts, Q3 and Q4 are then blocked. When we want to drive the power transistors (Q1, Q2), then we must block the driver transistors (Q3, Q4). The current passes through R46, D14 and one winding of T2. This excitation current generates a voltage on the base of the power transistor and, due to the reactive positive current, the transistor is rapidly brought to saturation. When the pulse is over, the two driver transistors are then opened. The coupling reactive positive current disappears and produces an overvoltage on the excitation winding and blocks quickly the power transistor. Then the process is repeated with the second transistor. Transistors Q1 and Q2 alternately connect one end of the primary winding of T3 to the positive or negative voltage. The power goes from the emitter of Q1 (collector of Q2) through the third winding excitation transformer T2 and then through the primary winding of the main transformer T3 and the capacitor C7 to the virtual centre of the supply voltage.

ATX power supply Output voltages stabilization

The output voltages of +5 V and +12 V are measured by IC1 through R25 and R26. Other voltages are not stabilized and are determined by the windings and the diodes polarity. On the output, the filtering coil is necessary to remove high frequency interference.

This voltage is evaluated before the coil, by the pulse width and cycle time. On the output, after the rectifier diodes, a coil is common to all voltages. When we keep the direction of winding and the number of turns corresponding to output voltages, the coil will work as a transformer and we have a compensation for the irregular charges of the individual voltages.

In practice, voltage deviations of 10% of the value are specified. The reference of the 5V voltage of the internal regulator (pin 14 of "IC1") is applied, through the voltage divider R24/R19 to pin 2 of "IC1" which is the inverting input of error amplifier. The output voltages of the power supply are applied, through the voltage divider R25, R26/R20, R21, to the non inverting input of the error amplifier (pin 1 of "IC1"). R18 and C1 stabilize the regulator. The output voltage of the error amplifier is compared, through the capacitor C11, to the voltage of the ramp.

When the output voltage decreases, the voltage on the error amplifier then increases. The pulse excitation is longer, the power transistors Q1 and Q2 conduct longer, the width of the pulse before the output coil is larger and the output power increases. The second error amplifier is blocked by the voltage of the pin 15 of IC1.

PowerGood circuit

The motherboard needs the "PowerGood" signal. When all output voltages are stable, the PowerGood signal rises to +5V (logic). The PowerGood signal is usually connected to reset signal.

Stabilization of the +3.3V voltage

Look at the circuit connected to the +3.3V output. This is an additional stabilization for offset the loss of voltage in the cables. An auxiliary wire on the connector measures the 3.3V voltage on motherboard.

ATX Overvoltage circuit

This circuit is composed of Q5, Q6 and a number of discrete components. Like in LCD TV power supply, it monitors all output voltages. When limits are exceeded, the power is off.

For example, when I short-circuit by error -5V to +5 V, the positive voltage will then go, through D10, R28, D9, to the base of Q6. This transistor now conduct and drive Q5 which applies the reference voltage of +5V to the pin 14 "IC1", through diode D11, the pin 4 "IC1" (Deadtime Control signal) which blocks the power supply. It is then kept blocked by voltage, now present on the emitter of Q5, and applied to the base of Q6 passing through D12 and R30, until the high voltage input line is disconnected.

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Best Way on Testing Laptop Backlight (CCFL) and Inverter

We will be concentrating on LCD Inverter and CCFL bulb.

Laptop with black screen problem is commonly caused by:

1. a defective backlight, which is the cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) bulb malfunction
2. defective laptop’s inverter board
3. no video output going to the LCD Screen

It is not an easy job repairing laptops specially if we don’t have parts that we can use to replace to the parts we are suspecting to be the culprit. So now, we will going to try to make our own tools for testing a bad CCFL backlight of a laptop.

Tools Needed For this Project:

1. 9volts battery
2. 9v battery connector
3. known good CCFL inverter from any laptop or LCD monitor.

Once you have the tools that we needed, we can continue to the next procedure.

About The Video Output:

If the laptop is equipped with an external monitor connector, we can easily check if the problem of having a black screen is caused by a faulty video card or GPU within the laptop or maybe the problem resides inside the LCD which is the inverter and CCFL bulb.

Connect an external monitor to the VGA Port of the laptop and check if there is a video output to the monitor.

There is some model of laptop that requires you to press a FN key plus a key with a picture of a monitor to switch between the LCD laptop to external monitor.

Then now, if you get a video on your external monitor then you now know there is a LCD screen, CCFL bulb and inverter board problem. If the external monitor doesn’t get any video at all, then suspect a video (GPU) or video cable problem.

Checking the CCFL Bulb:

On checking whether your CCFL bulb if it is still functional, we can use our own known good inverter to test the CCFL bulb is still working or in good condition.

Using the Known Good Inverter:

Now, with our known good inverter, connect the CCFL bulb. And next, supplies a power to it using our 9v battery. A laptop inverter is usually powered by 12v and up but with our 9v battery, it is just enough to start the circuit of an inverter.

Connect the black probe from our battery source to the yellow wire, which is usually the 12v supply coming from laptop circuits, but to find more accurately the connection of the power source of an inverter, all you have to do is to find where is the connection of the SMD fuse in the circuit of the inverter. And the black probe to the ground screw hole of the inverter board.If our CCFL bulb lights up like in the picture below, then we now know that our CCFL bulb is good and working and now we can suspect that our inverter board is bad.

Checking Inverter:

Since that our known good inverter have able to light up the LCD Screen, and then connect the inverter of the laptop back to its position. Then we are going to conduct a test to it using the procedure we did to our known good inverter. And if it won’t lights up the CCFL bulb, then we can suspect that our inverter is defective and needs to be replaced to a new one or simply you can check it if the fuse is open. If it is open, try to make a jumper through the fuse using a thin wire to serves as our fuse, then redo the testing again with same procedure as we use on our known good inverter.

Checking the Power Supply Line:

If our known good inverter light up our CCFL bulb and the Laptop’s inverter also lights up using the 9v battery as its power source, then we are going to suspect the 12 volts power supply line from the laptop’s motherboard.

Let us get our multitester/multimeter and set it to DC Volts.

Plugged our AC Adapter and turn on our Laptop.

Put the black probe to the ground screw hole on the motherboard and the red probe to the yellow or the supply line and see if you have a voltage reading on that connection.

If you are can’t read any voltages from the connector then let us suspect a problem on the motherboard itself and this needs a lot of knowledge and experience on repairing Laptop.

At this point, we will have to bring the unit to a technician who have the knowledge of repairing a complicated problem of a Laptop.

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IPS vs AMOLED vs SLCD – smartphone displays explained

You’ll spend most of your time looking at the display more than anything else but what are smartphone display panels made of?

As with any technology, smartphone display panels are a mega business on their own. Japanese component and notebook giant Toshiba has had to brush aside rumours that Apple was planning to invest in a new production line built by Toshiba Mobile Display, such is the demand of high-quality, high-resolution display panels.

But when you start looking at the specs of smartphone displays, it can get very confusing very quickly. You might think you’re just looking at a bunch of pixels but how those pixels are created can affect everything from the price of your phone to how long the battery lasts.

The type of display your smartphone has is typically described by an alphabet soup – LTPS, AMOLED, SLCD, Super AMOLED and TFT LCD all represent different technologies used in the production of display panels. Knowing what each type does, its benefits and drawbacks will help you understand just how good (or not) your phone is.

LTPS – Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon

If you see these written as a display type, forget it – LTPS is a description of a manufacturing process, not a display technology. Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon can be used to make different types of screens – AMOLED as well as standard LCDs. It’s a way of creating tiny silicon crystals that go into making the pixels of a display. The “low temperature” part is important because it means this process can create screens using low temperatures, allowing low-cost substances such as plastics to be used as the backing material on which the display panel is infused or created. As a result, it also means you can create more flexible display panels.

AMOLED – Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode

Okay, this is a type of screen technology. OLEDs or organic light-emitting diodes have been around for a while now and they have one significant benefit: to produce black, you simply turn an OLED off. To produce a light colour, they have to produce light. So they have huge potential for power savings in mobile devices.

The “Active matrix” describes how each OLED is addressed or controlled. The alternative is a passive matrix display where rows or columns of OLEDs are addressed rather than individual pixels. As a result, AMOLED displays are not only brighter, use less power, they’re also faster.

The problem is that AMOLED panels are in high demand, with that demand exceeding supply.

The other issue with AMOLEDs is that because of the fabrication process, they can be difficult to see if viewed in direct sunlight. AMOLED panels are typically three layers, the AMOLEDs, the touch-panel sensor layer made of glass and then the top glass protective surface with air in between each layer. The diffusion of light through all three layers causes the AMOLED light to be diffused and difficult to see.

AMOLED panels are used in a number of phones including Google’s Nexus One and early versions of the HTC Desire.

Super AMOLED

So Korean giant Samsung decided to come up with a different method that combined the top glass layer and the touch-panel glass layer into one.

This promotional video gives you a brief overview of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology.

By reducing the number of layers and removing one air gap, light dispersal is reduced, making these AMOLED displays easier to see in bright light.

Samsung uses the Super AMOLED panel in its Galaxy S phone and is expected to use it inside the upcoming Nexus S.

SLCD – Super liquid-crystal display

LCD has been the mainstay for display panels from PDAs to notebooks to TVs over the last 15 years or so. What makes Super LCD so super is said to be improved light bleeding so that blacks actually look a bit more like black than they typically used to, giving better overall contrast. In comparisions with AMOLED, some reviews suggest that SLCD gives warmer colours than AMOLED. However, battery life appears to be worse with SLCD displays.

SLCD shouldn’t be confused with S-LCD, which is the name for the Samsung/Sony joint venture for manufacturing LCD panels.

Smartphone maker HTC began using SLCD panels in its Desire smartphones in August 2010 due to shortages in AMOLED panels from Samsung. If you have an early Desire, it’ll more likely have an AMOLED panel whereas those manufactured after August 2010 will have an SLCD panel instead.

IPS – In-plane switching

Apart from poor contrast ratios, the other issue with LCD panels is poor viewing angles. The further you move of the centre axis of an LCD panel, the worse the image becomes until you begin to see the reflected negative of that display. In-plane switching is a more expensive solution to the viewing angle problem by changing the direction in which the liquid crystal molecules move. So instead of the normal right-angle or perpendicular switching, IPS panels switch molecules in the same plane as the panel. It means light transmitted through the molecules can be seen at (almost) any angle.

IPS technology is most often used in LCD monitors – and usually at prices three times the going rate. It’s the technology behind Apple’s Retina display in the iPhone 4.

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Super AMOLED Vs Retina Vs OLED Vs LCD Vs IPS: What’s the Difference?

There’s no denying that there are LOTS of different Android phones on the market, and what there also happens to be lots of are different types of displays. I don’t know about you guys, but I think it can get pretty confusing hearing about Super AMOLED, Retina, OLED, LCD, and IPS displays, so I thought I would do my best to explain some of the key differences between all of the different types of displays you can find on smartphones.

LCD

LCD displays start with a backlight that’s always on, and require light in order to create black, white, and colors. High end LCD’s have the reputation for creating the most accurate colors and “grays”, but are often calibrated (on purpose) to produce weaker red, blue, and purple colors to keep power consumption down. LCD screens also age slower, and can easily withstand thousands of hours of use.

OLED

This particular type of screen requires no light in order to produce black, but only needs it to produce white and colors. Because of this, it can be considered as a battery saving display. OLED displays are often brighter, but can often suffer from oversaturated green colors. They also age a lot faster than LCDs, with red and blue colors deteriorating faster than green. That might not sound like a big deal, but it can cause the color balance to suffer over time. OLEDs are also more expensive to make, which has caused many manufacturers (HTC for example) to switch from AMOLED to LCD displays.

Super AMOLED

Don’t let the title “Super” fool you. This is simply Samsung’s proprietary name and approach to making OLED displays. In other words, Super AMOLED=Samsung OLED. Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus, and HD Super AMOLED only really have one major difference: sub pixels.

Screen pixels are generally made up of red, green, and blue sub pixels that combine to create other color combinations. For example, Samsung’S Super AMOLED uses Samsung’s PenTile layout, and the same pattern of red, green, blue, and green sub-pixels, which typically has fewer sub pixels than the layout used in LCD displays. The larger sub pixels are effective in letting in more light, which lead to brighter and smoother images, which is seen on the Galaxy S2, Samsung Droid Charge, and the Samsung Infuse 4G. Super AMOLED HD is simply the same PenTile Super AMOLED display, but with a higher resolution of 1280 x 720. These screens are featured in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, and the new Samsung Galaxy S3.

IPS and Retina

IPS , which stands for “in plane switching, is actually a premium LCD technology that’s known for having a wide viewing angle and clear picture. You can find this display in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The “Retina Display” that Apple uses is based on IPS technology, and if you’ve ever seen an iPhone in action, I’m sure you can attest to how great the screen is. The Transformer Prime features an IPS display, and I can personally attest to how great the colors are. The newly announced Transformer Infinity will feature a "Super IPS" display 1920 x 1200.

And the best display is?

So which type of display is best? There’s no real answer for that, as it will most likely boil down to personal preference. I personally prefer IPS and Super AMOLED displays, but that certainly doesn’t mean that any one display is better than the other. They all have their strengths and their weaknesses, with some having more textured and brighter colors, while others produce colors differently to reduce battery consumption.

So next time you’re browsing around the shop looking at different phones, try to see if you can spot the differences in the displays. Keep in mind that this article was only to provide a brief overview of the key differences of the displays, as there are obviously other technical factors that come into play with their individual construction. With some you might see nothing, but for others you might notice a considerable difference. The infographic that we made back in early May (below) tells you which types of displays are featured in 7 popular Android phones, and could help to provide a bit of an overview of which phones carry which displays. - Source

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Lumia 900 display beats Galaxy S and iPhone 4 displays in visibility tests ?

AMOLED displays, although beautiful to look at, have had issues performing under bright sunlight. The first phones to use AMOLED displays were barely usable outdoors. Eventually the technology improved, specifically when Samsung introduced their Super AMOLED displays, which had significantly better outdoor visibility, and these days AMOLED displays are even outperforming LCDs when it comes to visibility under sunlight.

One such AMOLED display belongs to the Nokia Lumia 900, which despite its AMOLED nature performed very well under bright light, thanks to Nokia’s Clear Black Display technology, in a comparison test performed by DisplayMate. Compared to the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4, the display on the Lumia 900 came out on top with 90 points, with the Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S narrowly managing to get the second position with 80 points and the LCD on the iPhone 4 coming in at third with 77 points.

They also had older phones such as the Motorola DROID X and the HTC Desire and you can see from their poor scores of 20 and 15 points respectively how much further AMOLED technology has come in the past two years alone.

We just find it curious as to why DisplayMate chose to compare the Lumia 900 with two year old phones like the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4. Something more recent such as the HTC One X and the upcoming Galaxy S III would have made much more sense.

You can find the results of their test in the link below. - Source

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Huawei Ascend P2 vs Galaxy S3 vs HTC One

Hauwei unveiled some pretty snazzy phones at CES last month, but the company isn’t done trying to impress smartphone buyers around the world. At Mobile World Congress Huawei unveiled the Ascend P2, a follow up to the P1, that bears the promise of being the world’s fastest smartphone. The speediness Huawei claims is not just in the processor, but in the data connection as well. By utilizing LTE Cat-4 generation networking, the P2 can achieve speeds of 150 megabits per second (the iPhone 5 gets 100Mbps). The Ascend P2 even charges faster thanks to 2-amp charging that gets the battery full in less time.

With it’s 4.7-inch display featuring 500 nits of brightness to show off a heavily customized UI on top of Android, the Ascend P2 is in direct competition with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and the new HTC One.

Here’s how it compares:

Specification	Ascend P2	Galaxy S3	HTC One
Size	8.4 thick (mm)	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 (mm)
Weight	122g	133g	143g
Screen	4.7-inch IPS	4.8-inch Super AMOLED	4.7-inch LCD
Resolution	1280×720 pixels	1280×720 pixels	1080p
OS	Android 4.1 with Emotion UI	Android 4.1 with TouchWiz UI	Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5
Storage	16GB	16/32GB	32/64GB
SD Card Slot	TK	Yes	No
Processor	1.5GHz quad-core	Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)	Quad-core Snapdragon 600
RAM	1GB	2GB	2GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera	Front 1.3MP, Rear 13MP	Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP	Front 2.1MP, Rear 4MP
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 4.0
Battery	2420mAh	2100mAh	2300mAh
Charger	Micro USB	Micro USB	Micro USB
Marketplace	Google Play Store	Google Play Store	Google Play Store
Price	€399	$200+	TBA
Availability	Orange (EU), unlocked (US)	AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon	AT&T, T-Mob, Verizon

The Ascend P2 holds up well in comparison to the new HTC One flagship phone, and out-specs the Galaxy S3 (admittedly an “old” handset) in several areas. What’s surprising is that the P2 doesn’t have full 1080p resolution, which is the trend for new Android smartphones in this size class. It’s great that the phone has wide viewing angles, can be used even with gloves like the new Nokia Lumias, and is protected by Gorilla Glass. Will the lack of full HD matter to everyone?

Huawei is taking the same route as Samsung, HTC, and even LG in putting a heavily customized skin over Android and bundling in a ton of apps and services to enhance the Android experience. Some people love this approach and others really hate it, so the Emotion UI may prove polarizing. That 1GB of RAM could prove a problem in this area.

The 13 megapizel camera on the back is another of Huawei’s selling points. As HTC reminded us recently, megapixel count isn’t the only thing that determines pixel quality. The promise of HDR (high dynamic range) photos and video plus sharper pictures using digital zoom point to a camera that will give even HTC’s ultrapixels some competition.

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