HP Making Wrist Computer with Flexible Display

A watch to make Dick Tracy blush.

Both LG and Samsung have launched Dick Tracy-esque wristwatch cell phones. Now HP is fighting them for the title of most bad-ass watch ever with a new piece designed for the military. Unlike LG and Samsung, HP is actually referring to this thing as the Dick Tracy watch.

The watch will use HP's flexible display that has been talked about in recent months. Carl Taussig, director of information surfaces at HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, claims the thin plastic won't break and says it only has "the potential" to be flexible. A March demonstration of HP's flexible display shows HP's CTO rolling up the display and stuffing it in a poster tube, which would certainly suggest it has more than the potential to be flexible. However, Taussig's remarks could have something to do with the fact that CTO Phil McKinney said during the demonstration that rolling up the displays is not something you'll be able to do time and time again without damaging the material. McKinney said the display would eventually fail if rolled more than a few times, citing six as the maximum number of times you could bend the display.

CNN reports that HP's watch will show maps and other strategic information to soldiers in remote combat fields. The display will run on solar energy using panels printed onto the watches using a technology developed by PowerFilm.

HP hopes to have a prototype ready in about a year.

Sony: We're Not Arrogant; Apple is Arrogant!

Sony seems to have been thinking about Apple quite a bit lately.

At one time not too long ago, Sony was the undoubted leader in the video game space. It hit the industry with a bang with the original PlayStation which lead the generation. Then the PlayStation 2 hit and became an even bigger hit. But the lead didn't hold when Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3 at $599.

It seems that being removed from first place has humbled Sony, which now knows that it is capable of fault. No longer is Sony as arrogant as it once was. Now, it believes that another consumer electronics company has taken the crown of arrogance.

According to CVG, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia's managing director Michael Ephraim said to the Brisbane Times, "I don't think we [Sony] are arrogant anymore. I think we can name a company that is a fruit that is in the news a lot about their arrogance. I think they have taken the mantle from us, if we were ever arrogant!"

"I don't think we were arrogant. We know there are a lot of challenges in this space, but we're very comfortable, especially with 3D across the entire Sony group. There's no company that can deliver that like we can," Ephraim continued.

In related news, Engadget reports that Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer said during the Google I/O conference that the Android-based Xperia X10 smartphone was the best-selling handset in Japan, and that "when you beat Apple, you're dominating -- it's the new definition."

Apple Changes Tune, Will Accept Cash for iPad

She gets to keep her cash, though, as Apple hooked her up with a free one.

Earlier this week we brought to you the story of Diane Campbell, a disabled woman who saved up $600 in cash to buy an iPad. Sadly, she was turned away from the Palo Alto Apple Store when store staff told her that her cash was no good there. At the time, there was a policy in place that required those who wish to purchase an iPad or iPhone to do so with credit or debit cards.

Now that has all changed, after Diane Campbell had her story told by a local ABC TV station. Her story was told by other media and eventually reached Apple. Be it from the genuine story of Ms. Campbell or the bad press from the refusal of cash, Apple has changed it corporate policy in response.

Android 2.2 Froyo Shown at Google I/O

Google's next android OS update will come packed with tasty features.
Google officially revealed Android 2.2 "Froyo" Thursday at Google I/O. Most of what we've learned about the OS update was made official: 2x to 5x more speed than the recently-released 2.1 update thanks to the Just-in Time (JIT) Compilation, USB tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities, and a 2x to 3x speed boost in JavaScript for faster mobile browsing (and is apparently faster than Eclair and iPhone).

Mitsubishi's LCD Does 120 Hz Interpolated Full HD

Double your visual pleasure with Mitsubishi's upcoming LCD panel.
Mitsubishi Electric is said to be working on an industry first: a 23-inch Full HD display featuring a double-speed interpolation function. Dubbed as the DiamondCrysta Wide RDT232WM-Z (BK), the upcoming widescreen LCD will have a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, up to 5000:1 contrast ratio, and a 3-ms GTG response time.