Synaptics puts touch on the back of tablets

Synaptics had a really nifty tablet tech called Sensa, aimed at fixing multi-touch errors, on display at CES. The idea behind it is simple enough, detect and remove erroneous touches from the hand holding the device, and turn them in to useful input.

Like all simple concepts, Sensa is a hard problem to solve technically speaking, but Synaptics did. If you are holding a tablet, you probably have four fingers on the back, and your thumb on the front. If that thumb touches the edge of the screen, then a swipe elsewhere becomes a zoom or a shrink, and things get weird. How do you tell a finger touch on the front from a, err, finger touch on the front? Not easily.

The way Synaptics solved this problem is pretty cool though, they put a full touch panelsensor on the back of the tablet and detected where fingers were on it. If the back sensor sees four fingers, as seen by the blue dots in the picture below, one touch near the margins on the front sensor can be safely mapped out as a the hand holding the device, not a voluntary input. Once you are told how it is done, the solution is obvious enough, but no one had done it before Sensa.

The blue dots are the fingers you can’t see

Once you know the position of the hand, you can do all sorts of tricks with what Synaptics calls ‘grip events’. You can make UI changes like one or two handed input modes, infer some use cases, and most usefully map out potential errors. The best one however is called dynamic margin control. This basically sees where your thumb is on the screen, maps the input out, and moves the margins over so the text is not blocked by it. There are two modes, one moves the whole margin over, the other pictured below just wraps text around your finger automagically. It is really nifty and useful, but not exactly a difficult thing to understand.

Magic is in the details, and the back sensor

One use case for Sensa that we hope Synaptics does explore is nothing more than a normal tea cup. This technology could easily detect the proverbial ‘pinky up’ position that is the bane of correct society and deliver lethal electric re-education ‘hints’ upon detection. Gesture error prevention and margin control are nice, but Sensa has the potential to do no less than help cleanse the gene pool with technological efficiency. Lets hope Synaptics decides to uses their advances for good, not just tablet frivolity.S|A

NJYTOUCH

Uni-Pixel: A True Analysis Of Risk Vs.

I’ve written about Unipixel (UNXL) before here, but wanted to give an update due to new developments, new information, and the several Seeking Alpha articles that followed mine in the past three weeks. But first, a brief summary on the company.

Unipixel is a micro-cap technology company focused on performance engineered films. It has two main products right now: UniBoss and Diamond Guard. Diamond Guard is a cover film that is extremely thin/light, highly scratch resistant, and virtually unbreakable. UniBoss is a highly customizable patterned grid used in touch sensors as an alternative to current ITO models. For more information on these products, see my previous article (linked above) or Green River Asset’s article here. Both will provide excellent background and I highly suggest reading them both before continuing, as I skip over much of the detail included.

I will focus on UniBoss, since it is the more exciting of the two products, although Diamond Guard could also potentially produce significant revenue. As in my previous article, I want to focus on two aspects: The opportunity and the risk.

Opportunity

The touch screen market is huge and growing fast. DisplaySearch estimates that it will grow from $16 billion in 2012 to $32 billion in 2018. Note that this is for the whole touch screen, not just the touch sensor. Based on the following article from DisplayBank, the touch screen panel market size is approximately 65% of this total amount, or about $10B in 2012 and $20B in 2018. However, UniBoss is half the cost of current ITO technology, so really the total market is $5B now and growing to $10B in 2018. This is the expected market that UniBoss is going after.

Keep in mind that touch screens are not a fad. They are here to stay and growing fast. Microsoft is fully devoted with its release of Windows 8. Also, many other companies announced their full support for touch screens at CES: Intel, Lenovo, and of course Dell.

Let’s focus on these “large-screen” devices and look at the market on a per unit basis. Morgan Stanley estimates that in 2013, there will be near 600 million large-screen devices (desktops, notebooks and tablets) shipped. If we assume that just half of the notebooks/desktops are touch enabled (less than the 60%-100% claimed by Lenovo, Dell and others), then we can expect approximately 216 + 371*.5 = 400 million large-screen touch-enabled devices shipped in 2013 and 352 + 370*.5 = 550 million in 2015. At $20 per square foot, this translates to a little under an $8B market in 2012 and $11B in 2015 – a little above the estimates presented earlier.

The differences come from the fact that DisplayBank and DisplaySearch are probably not accounting for the large transition in notebooks/PCs to touch screens as this is “new” information from CES this year. It was previously assumed that touch screens would not become too substantial in these devices as the cost was too high: Adding a touch screen to a laptop currently costs about $200-$400 to the end-user ($40-$90 for the ITO touch screen multiplied a few times for various margins). As an example, Sony just revamped its VIZIO T13 line to include touch screens. The base model increased from $770 to approximately $1,100. UniBoss will only increase the total cost by about $50-$150 to the end-user (an estimate given similar ratios).

I have already discussed why UniBoss is superior to ITO and other ITO replacements in the previous articles at the top, and believe that it is therefore not unreasonable to assume a conservative 5% market share. Using the $8B market in 2012 (based on units), this amounts to $400 million in revenue, and does not include any potential revenue from smartphones or other touch devices.

What does $400M in revenue mean in EPS? Well, Unipixel states that its gross margins will be “well north of 50%.” We could use this number, however what if margins are much higher? Unipixel has also stated that the most expensive part of the conductive film is the film itself, costing $0.10 per square foot. Throw in labor costs and yield and machine depreciation, and it is clear that, at a sale price of $20 per square foot, the revenue will in fact be “well north” of 50% and could easily be in the 80% to 90% range.

Now, all of this is assuming a 5% market share, or $400M in revenue. But how likely is this? Well, at $20/square foot, Unipixel would have to sell 20M units, or about 1.66M units per month for an entire year. According to Unipixel, it expects to be ramped up to over 3M units by the end of 2013, with its first major customer — rumored to be Dell (DELL) — accounting for near 1.3M units per month by the end of 2013, and potentially more in 2014. Unipixel doesn’t even have to sign any more deals this year and it will still produce upward of $260 Million in revenue, or about $6.5 in EPS using 50% margins. Give that a 20x P/E and we’re looking at a $130 share price, just from the current customer, which is already signed. But how committed is this customer? Well, it will be writing four checks to Unipixel throughout 2013 for a total of $15M just to help it build out capacity. That’s right, the customer is putting up millions of its own dollars just to help Unipixel build the capacity to provide it with touch screens.

To further support this data, one can look at the Craig-Hallum research note that was published yesterday (Jan. 22) when it increased its Price Target from $22 to $24. These numbers seem low compared with what I am postulating, however, it readily admits this:

As for 2014, which we are using in our price target calculation, we are only assuming that they produce at 200K units/month for the entire year. We obviously think these numbers are quite low, especially considering that they are ramping capacity to over 6x our estimates by the end of 2013. When looking at a scenario analysis, which we published in our December 10th note, it is clear that the company has the ability to generate more than $9.00/share in earnings next year with just the existing partnership.

Below is a chart to calculate potential EPS given various margin assumptions on the left and unit sales per month at the top. I have assumed the following: OpEx of $12M per year for each 1M units produced per month. Taxes of 35%. Fully diluted share count of 14M (it is actually around 13.5M).

		Units per month in Millions
		0.5	1	2	3	4	5
Gross Margin	50%	2.5	5.0	10.0	15.0	20.1	25.1
	60%	3.1	6.1	12.3	18.4	24.5	30.6
	70%	3.6	7.2	14.5	21.7	29.0	36.2
	80%	4.2	8.4	16.7	25.1	33.4	41.8

I personally believe that a P/E of 25 or 30 is fair given the growth, but even at a conservative P/E of 15 the price targets get very large, very quickly. Keep in mind that Unipixel recently raised its capacity ramp to over 3M units per month by the end of 2013. At just 50% margins, this will allow for over $15 EPS.

And yet, the price is currently at $15 per share. So clearly there must be significant risks, right?

The Risks

Dilution: As with any small company, one of the risks is dilution. However, that seems extremely unlikely with Unipixel. The company has $15M in cash, zero debt, it will be receiving an additional $15M throughout 2013 from the PC Manufacturer, and it will soon be cash-flow positive. Management has repeatedly stated that it will not be needing to do any more secondaries, thanks in part to the Preferred Pricing Agreements (detailed in Green River Asset’s article above).

Manufacturing: Unipixel does not have mass-production up and running yet, and until it does, this will be a risk. It currently owns one printing line (able to produce 1M units per month) and has already ordered two more. It also owns one plating line, which it is currently building / testing. Each plating line can output 100k units per month — it has already ordered two more for April and parts for eight more for the second half of the year. Based on the orders, it seems it is very confident that mass-production will work and it will be able to fill this capacity (probably because of the current customer’s needs and potential future customers). Up until now, it has been producing UniBoss at a 3rd-party facility using the exact same equipment. The only difference is that it didn’t utilize the roll-to-roll technology, but it is very confident that this will not cause any issues. Apparently, so is the PC manufacturer.

Other: There have been two SA articles written recently, which were very negative toward Unipixel. They can be read here and here. Both articles have been brilliantly refuted by Green River Asset here and here. But I will touch on them briefly. Both articles focus on the following points: The market isn’t really that big, Unipixel’s tech is unproven, and there are strong competitors. I feel as though I have painted a very clear picture as to why the market is actually very large. I have done this through estimated touch sensor revenue projections as well as looking at actual units of devices being sold. I even took the liberty of using many of the same articles that the second negative article (by Benjamin Wiley) linked to.

As for Unipixel’s tech being unproven, this is impossible for me to discuss. I have no way of proving to myself or anybody else that the technology is viable. But on the other hand, these authors have no way of proving that it is NOT viable. In the end, we can do as much due diligence as we want and speak to as many engineers as we would like, but the only way to know for sure is to view demonstrations. Here is a great demonstration that not only shows the great ability of UniBoss, but also its transparency. Also, keep in mind that the large PC Manufacturer would not have signed up and asked for limited exclusivity and put forward $15M for production if it was not impressed. Also, numerous institutions including FMR, Bank of America, and Wellington, all own over 5% of the shares outstanding and clearly have faith in Unipixel’s technology and ability. Most importantly, however, the company believes in itself. Employee compensation is heavily weighted in stock options and just last week on January 15, the company issued stock grants to itself at a price of $16.35 vesting in August of this year. It clearly believes that it we will be much higher by then.

Finally, other competition. The main competition is Atmel’s xSense (also copper metal-mesh), however it is not nearly as inexpensive as UniBoss. From talks at CES, it is clear that Atmel (ATML) is advertising its product as an improvement to ITO, and not as a competitor to UniBoss. I have even heard chatter that Atmel is in talks with Unipixel about developing a new controller for the company. Other competitors would be Cambrios and other silver metal-mesh companies. While these are certainly competitive, they are also not nearly as inexpensive as UniBoss and they do not provide any significant advantages (again, information is from talks with people at CES).

I’m not trying to suggest that Unipixel will get 100% of the market share. Even if it miraculously had capacity, this would never happen. However, I am trying to suggest that it is not at all unreasonable to expect a 5%-10% market share, and maybe significantly higher. In all, it is clear to me that the potential for Unipixel this year is huge and the risks are, in actuality, quite small. I expect more customers to sign up in the coming months, especially once they get manufacturing up and running and prove that it is feasible.

Unipixel will be having its earnings announcement for Q4 around March 1 (still unconfirmed), and I’m sure that by then it will be able to discuss much more of this in detail. Until then, I expect potential catalysts to be any press releases of new partnerships / customers or PRs relating to the first plating line being functional.

NJYTOUCH

Synaptics puts touch on the back of tablets

Reports are circling around Apple’s supply chain of a potential shift in the company’s display strategy for its future iPhones and iPads — moving back to LCDs and away from touch panels — but a drastic realignment of its supply chain is probably not likely, observes DisplaySearch.

Calvin Hsieh, senior analyst at DisplaySearch, cites a report from China that Innolux has delivered “touch on display” samples for the iPhone, another China report that Innolux and AU Optronics have provided “one-glass solution” (OGS) samples for the iPad Mini, and his firm’s own analysis that theiPhone 5 uses in-cell touch technology but the iPad mini uses a glass/film dual ITO (GF2, or DITO) structure. With both those processes struggling to attain good yields, could Apple end up changing its display technology adoption midstream?

TOD is a proprietary on-cell touch technology developed by Innolux in which the sensor is located on the upper glass (the color filter substrate) beneath the top polarizer. On-cell touch combines both LCD and touch so it must meet Apple’s LCD display requirements; Hsieh notes, adding that Innolux accounted for less than 10% of iPhone 4 display shipments (3.5-in, 960×640). “If Apple were to adopt TOD, it would very likely request that Innolux share its technology, structure or even patents with Apple’s other LCD suppliers in order to ensure adequate supply,” he writes,” and Apple also probably would want to take over the controller IC and algorithm from any Innolux partners (e.g. Synaptics). Apple already owns DITO patents, he adds.

The OGS display technology is an even more complex problem, Hsieh points out. OGS integrates the touch ITO sensor circuits into the cover glass, via two possible methods: a piece type such as “touch on lens” (TOL) or a sheet type, each accomplished with a different process. Either way the X-Y sensor patterns are on the same side of the substrate, so it’s called a “SITO” structure or “G2.” Touch panel maker TPK owns patents for the piece-type OGS method, and claim they have key SITO patents as well and are suing Nokia and Chinese panel maker O-film, Hsieh notes; whether the aforementioned Innolux-AUO partnership could produce the technology given the TPK patents is unclear, he says.

There’s more to Apple use of OGS display if it chooses that route. Sheet-type OGS has a compressive cover-glass strength of 500-6600 Mpa; Corning’s IOX-FS and Gorilla glass have 600-700 Mpa for smartphone sizes and cannot be used in sheet type, Hsieh says. Piece type has the higher CS value but are difficult to mask-stamp and align under lithography, and throughput may be low.

Among iPhone 5 panel suppliers only LG Display offers everything from in-cell touch LCD to cover glass lamination (consigned by Apple), Hsieh notes. Other in-cell touch LCD makers Japan Display and Sharp rely on partners for the cover glass. If Innolux and AUO continue with their OGS partnership, they have a choice:

An integrated offering of LCD, OGS sheet patterning (cover glass with SITO sensor), and lamination let Apple specify the IOX-FS glass sheet with compressive strength of Gorilla 1; “In this scenario, LG Display will never give up and must be one of the suppliers,” he notes.

Integrate the LCD, OGS piece-type sensor patterning, and lamination, using consigned cover glass pieces from other finishers (e.g. Lens One). The challenge here is expanding tools, throughput, and yield for piece-type patterning, to be acceptable for the iPhone’s >100M unit base.

All that is somewhat speculation, though, because long-term Apple touch supplier TPK already “has excellent OGS sheet and piece-type technology, and high lamination yield rates,” and is unlikely to simply hand over that business to new entrants. “Although AUO and Innolux have advantages as LCD makers and can shorten the supply chain by producing LCD and touch at the same time, TPK has strength in OGS integration from sensor patterning, cover glass finishing (for sheet type), to module lamination,” Hsieh writes. “Thus, there is a good chance that TPK will once again be a key touch supplier to Apple if it decides to change touch structures.”

NJYTOUCH

ViewSonic Smart Display VSD220 Review

It’s hard to review ViewSonic’s new Smart Display VSD220 without thinking back to another of the company’s unusual products that we reviewed almost a decade ago: the Air Panel V110.

The Air Panel used Microsoft’s “Smart Display” technology to essentially let you remotely control your PC over Wi-Fi for browsing and MP3 streaming. Not to rehash ancient history, but Smart Display was just another charred carcass on the long road to a successful consumer tablet computer.

Besides functioning as a desktop-size Android device, the VSD220 can serve as a stand-alone touchscreen monitor for a full-fledged PC.

ViewSonic’s new Smart Display VSD220, though, is actually nothing like its predecessor and, in fact, shows how much the world has turned. While the Air Panel tried to leverage desktop power, the new Smart Display VSD220 reverses the tide by leveraging tablet technology in a desktop.

The Smart Display VSD220 is essentially a 22-inch, 1920×1080 touch-enabled monitor withAndroid 4.0.4 in it. That’s right, there’s no need to hook it up to a PC—you just run Android directly on the monitor. Think of it as an Android-in-one.

The unit features a dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP 4428 Cortex CPU with a PowerVR SGX 540 GPU. The screen is an LED side-lit panel with optical touch sensors. Unlike the capacitive-touch overlay that your tablet or phone uses, optical is actually affordable in a large screen. A capacitive-touch panel alone at 22-inches would cost about $900.

The unit sports two standard USB ports on the right, a Micro USB port on the left, Ethernet, audio out, Micro HDMI in, and a microSD slot. Android has had USB HID support for some time and adding a USB mouse and keyboard to the VSD220 let us navigate the interface and type mostly without issue. Some of the apps we ran, such as Minecraft, ran only with touch.

In performance, the unit was incredibly underwhelming. We couldn’t find the data sheet for the OMAP 4428, but we’d guess that it’s two notches below the OMAP 4430 used in the Kindle Fire. As much as the original Fire was a breakthrough tablet, performance on it sucked. In scrolling and panning, you can tell the OMAP4430 and PowerVR SGX GPU are underwater here. The situation is not helped by the OMAP’s support for only dual-channel low-power DDR2. Just as with a notebook or desktop PC, the more memory bandwidth you can get, the more performance you’ll see in your applications.

Although it’s not a direct comparison, we decided to see how the Smart Display VSD220 compared to Google’s Nexus 7 tablet in a few benchmarks. The result was ugly for the ViewSonic.

We know that performance isn’t the top check-off item on thin-client OSes, but we’d like smooth scrolling at least. ViewSonic engineers surmised that the slow performance could be from the optical digitizer, which doesn’t have the resolution of capacitive touch—but the unit felt slow using the mouse to move around, as well.

By now, we’re sure you’re asking the pesky “why even build such a device?” question. At this point, we don’t know. We understand that some computer phobes may find such a low-maintenance device appealing, but for all others, we’d suggest a pass. The unit does have one redeeming quality: Hook an HDMI and USB cable to your PC, and you can run it as a touch-enabled panel for Windows 8.

But for us to even consider this device, we’d want a faster CPU and GPU along with an optimized OS such as Jelly Bean. Then we’ll talk.

NJYTOUCH

New Panasonic Plasma TV Range

Like Panasonic’s 2013 LCD TVs, the plasma range offers access to the firm’s Viera Connect Smart TV platform for apps, catch-up TV, VOD services and more. There’s also a handy built-in media player for access to content via USB or DLNA (local network). One thing that’s different about Panasonic’s plasma range, though, is that unlike the firm’s LCD TVs, the plasmas use active-shutter 3D technology. That means you can enjoy 3D viewing in full resolution (Full HD: 1920 x 1080 pixels). However, active 3D glasses rely on built-in electronics, making them heavier and more expensive than passive models.

ZT60 Series

Panasonic’s new flagship plasma TV for 2013 is the ZT60. It features a brand new plasma screen, called the Studio Master Panel, as well as boosted screen brightness and contrast. The anti-glare finish also promises to be more effective than in 2012 models, and this year’s TVs are made with no lead or mercury.

This TV comes with all the usual high-end features, including a “3000 Hz” motion compensation mode (although there’s no mention of the actual screen refresh rate), a dual-core processor, voice controls and a second remote with a touchpad (Viera Touch Pad Controller) for quick and easy navigation in the TV’s menus. Plus, there’s a built-in webcam for video chat with Skype.

A fun new Touch Pen function has landed in Panasonic’s high-end plasmas too, which lets you draw pictures on the TV using a compatible stylus. That should keep the kids quiet for a while!

The ZT60 will only be available in one size: 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ZT60.

VT60 Series

The VT has all the same functions as the ZT60, except that it doesn’t get the all-new screen panel. It uses the same Infinite Black Ultra panel as the VT50.

This TV will be available in three sizes: 50″ (127 cm) TX-P50VT60, 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ST60 and 65″ (165 cm) TX-P65VT60.

ST60 Series

The ST60 uses an Infinite Black Pro panel and comes with a motion compensation mode announced at 2500 Hz. Unlike the two higher-end models, there’s no dual-core processor, second remote, voice controls or Touch Pen functionality. This is clearly a more basic TV, but picture quality should still be pretty good, as this plasma inherits most of its tech specs from the ST50.

This TV will be available in four sizes: 50″ (127 cm) TX-P50ST60, 55″ (140 cm) TX-P55ST60, 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ST60 and 65″ (165 cm) TX-P65ST60.

NJYTOUCH

Science and technology: Apple Cuts iPhone 5 Display Orders By 50%

Science and technology: Apple Cuts iPhone 5 Display Orders By 50%: Journal reported on Monday that Apple is confronting low demand for its new iPhone 5, reason why the Cupertino-based company has cut the d...

Apple Cuts iPhone 5 Display Orders By 50%

Journal reported on Monday that Apple is confronting low demand for its new iPhone 5, reason why the Cupertino-based company has cut the display orders for its flagship smartphone by 50%. The reputed publication is quoting sources close to the matter that say that Apple has also cut the orders for other iPhone parts, as well.

According to the sources, we are talking about a cut of 50% for the iPhone 5 displays that are supposed to ship in the January – March time frame. There’s also another source that claims that Apple did the same for other iPhone components.

Even tough this might suggest that Apple’s iPhone 5 is not selling well, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, yet, as the Cupertino-base company might as well have enough parts on stock, so it would make no sense for the suppliers to ship new ones.

On the other hand, Apple might also get ready for the production of a new iPhone model, the yet-unannounced iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S, or The iPhone, or whatever they decide to call it). Therefore, it’s part suppliers might get ready to kick off the production of the parts for the next gen iOS-powered smartphone.

An article written by the guys at Nikkei confirms the information, showing that Japan Display and Sharp touch screen manufacturers have registered drops in LED displays orders for the first quarter of 2013.

It was reported that Apple initially planned to order 65 million touch panel units from the two aforementioned companies, but, for some reason, the number have been reduced.

It’s not clear yet whether LG Display, another important screen supplier for Apple, was affected, as well.

njytouch

RTI Ships KX7 In-Wall Touchpanel and SURFiR Companion Remote

Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI) is adding two new ways for homeowners to get their control on. The company just announced the KX7 in-wall color touchpanel controller (pictured right) and the SURFiR companion remote (below).

So whether you like something in-wall or something that can move around the house with you, RTI has you covered.

The KX7 is the in-wall color touchpanel controller. It’s a self-contained control system with a 7-inch WVGA (800x480) multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, as well as analog and digital video viewing capability. It has an infrared output for control of devices up to 1,000 feet away, as well as an RS-232 port. Other features include a 10/100 Base-T connection for Power over Ethernet (PoE) and inputs for composite, S-Video, component, and wired and wireless Ethernet.

For something more portable, the SURFiR is a low-cost companion remote. Designed to work with your iOS or Android devices, it’s for users that enjoy the look and feel or a smartphone or tablet, but also want hard buttons as an option. It works with RTI’s RTiPanel app and can be paired with any of RTI’s XP control processors.

NJYTOUCH

Apple Rumored To Be Testing Foxconn Subsidiary’s Touch Panels For Next iPad mini

Apple is already working with Foxconn on the touch display panels to be used on the second-generation iPad mini, reports The China Times.

Specifically, the Cupertino-based tech company is working on the next iPad mini’s display with Shenzhen Century Science & Technology (SCST), a subsidiary of the Chinese manufacturing company.

The current, first-generation iPad mini has a 7.9-inch non-Retina display. As a matter of course, Apple is expected to switch to a Retina panel for the so-called iPad mini 2.

But according to rumors in the industry, Apple is also planning on incorporating monolithic or one-glass solution (OGS) technology for the device’s display.

To this end, sample OGS photomasks from SCST are said to have already been delivered to Apple for testing for the iPad mini 2.

Should an agreement come to fruition between the two parties, SCST will enter Apple’s supply chain as a panel supplier for the device.

SCST is also expected to collaborate with Innolux, which is Taiwan’s largest LCD maker.

If things go according to plan (or according to rumors, at least), SCST will join LG Display and AU Optronics as Apple’s iPad mini display suppliers.

NJYTOUCH

TPK sues over touch panel tech in Nokia, Huawei phones

Taiwanese touch panel maker TPK Holding said it filed two patent infringement lawsuits against five companies in China, including Finnish handset maker Nokia and some Chinese partners of Nokia and Huawei.

In its lawsuits filed at a Xiamen court, TPK also sought to ban the sale of handsets and is seeking damages of 26.91 million yuan (US$4.32 million) each from Nokia and its partners, and 66 million yuan (US$10.6 million) each from Huawei’s partners, Taipei Times reported Thursday.

TPK said Nokia’s Lumia 610 smartphone contained parts that illegally incorporated its patents to produce thinner and lighter touchscreens. This “one-glass-solution” technology is also used in making touch panels for tablet computers, it added.

The lawsuit against Nokia also included the Finnish company’s Taiwanese manufacturer for the Lumia 610, Compal Communications, and Chinese electronics retail chain Suning Appliance Co, which sells the phone in Xiamen.

The other lawsuit involved the Huawei C8821E smartphone, which TPK said also contained a touchscreen that infringed on its patents. Hence it is suing Huawei’s Shenzhen-based touch panel supplier, O-film Tech Co, as well as Xiamen Zhongbo Trade Co, which sells that phone.

According to Taipei Times, this is the first time in TPK’s 10-year history that it filed a patent lawsuit.

An official from TPK’s legal department said the lawsuits aim to create a stable and fair environment for its customers and the whole touch panel industry, and also have a reasonable return on its research and development.

“We will not rule out the possibility of resolving the patent disputes by signing cross-licensing agreements with those companies, or by charging royalties,” he said, adding that initial rulings on patent infringement cases usually come within 10 months to 15 months.

TPK may file similar lawsuits against Nokia other than in China if the company collects sufficient proof, the official said.

The company owns about 400 patents and has 1,000 new patents under review. It also invested more than NT$10 billion (US$344.8 million) in developing new technologies over the last three years, the report said.

NJYTOUCH

Science and technology: Taiwan's Top-Three Touch-panel Makers Expand Capac...

Science and technology: Taiwan's Top-Three Touch-panel Makers Expand Capac...: Driven by growing sales of smartphones and tablet PCs, along with increasing demand for Win8 touch NBs, the largest two suppliers of touch p...

Taiwan's Top-Three Touch-panel Makers Expand Capacity

Driven by growing sales of smartphones and tablet PCs, along with increasing demand for Win8 touch NBs, the largest two suppliers of touch panels in Taiwan Wintek Corp. and TPK Holding Co Ltd. are both expanding capacity and personnel. Chimei Innolux Corp. (CMI), one of the largest panel makers in Taiwan, is setting up a complete production line of touch panels in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP). 

Besides controlling capital expenditure strictly, CMI is also aggressively expanding capacity of touch panels, targeting active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), which call for high-end manufacturing process. 

In response to high demand for Win8 tablet PCs and NBs, CMI is not only establishing a full supply chain of touch panels in STSP, but also has added production capacity of 500,000 pieces of windows integration system (WIS) monthly. 

TPK saw consolidated revenues in the first 11 months up 20.28% from 2011 to NT$151.36 billion (US$5.05 billion). 

Wintek cooperates with Quanta Computer to fill orders for Win8 products from brand vendors including HP, Dell, and Lenovo. Along with growing design projects with Nokia, Google, and Asus, Wintek's monthly shipments of one glass solution (OGS) panels exceeded five million pieces as a new historical high. 

NJYTOUCH

iPhone 6 Rumors: Apple May Adopt New Touch Display Features For 2013 iPhone Release

Apple may be pursuing a new kind of touch panel technology for its next-generation iPhone, presumably called “iPhone 6.” A new report released by The China Times on Thursday said “Apple intends to switch to other touch technology in the next generation of mobile phones,” mentioning a “Touch On Display” panel that’s currently being developed by Innolux Corp., one of Apple’s many suppliers.

“Due to interference problems from the built-in touch panel [and] the frequent sensitivity issues in the Apple iPhone 5, Apple intends to switch to other touch technology [sic] in the next generation of mobile phones,” The China Times said.

The China Times explains that Innolux’s “Touch On Display” panels are both thin and tough; compared to traditional touch designs, the touch panel itself is only 0.5 mm “and can do a 10-point full-featured multi-touch,” meaning the display is significantly more sensitive too.

Innolux has reportedly been licensed by Sharp to use IGZO technology on its 3G and 5G lines, which may indicate Innolux’s intentions to play a bigger role in supplying parts to Apple. It’s also possible that Innolux’s “Touch On Display” panels use Sharp’s IGZO display technology, which would mean that Apple is indeed exploring options beyond the same in-cell screen used on the iPhone 5.

Is Apple Returning To On-Cell Displays So Soon?

The iPhone 5 is the first iPhone to feature “in-cell” technologies, compared to the “on-cell” display processes used in every iPhone released prior.

Compared to on-cell technologies, in-cell displays effectively remove a layer between the multi-touch screen and LCD display, making the screens thinner, stronger and more sensitive to touch while less sensitive to environmental changes.

On paper, it sounds like in-cell tech has on-cell beat. So why would Apple switch back?

While the reasons for a possible switch aren’t clear, it could be that Apple is not pleased with the screen’s sensitivity for multi-touch motions -- after the iPhone’s release in September, customers complained about an issue where the screen had trouble recognizing rapid diagonal swiping.

While the motion in question doesn’t affect most users – most apps don’t ask for diagonal swiping – some games like Fruit Ninja do rely on diagonal swiping quite often. This singular screen issue may seem trivial or minor to some customers or fans, but Apple may think it’s a bigger deal.

Either In-Cell Or On-Cell, The Key Is IGZO

The China Times has a mixed track record with accurate reporting, but many other news sources have also similarly reported on Apple’s apparent interest in featuring new panels on the iPhone 6, even if those other reports didn’t mention Innolux’s new “Touch On Display” tech.

In late December, DigiTimes and Apple analyst Horace Dediu both mentioned Apple’s alleged investment in the ultra-thin IGZO displays produced by Sharp, predicting inclusion of the technology in Apple’s next batch of iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. Dediu also pointed to Apple’s recent $2.3 billion investment in “product tooling, manufacturing process equipment and infrastructure,” believing the cash was used to help bail out Sharp, which had been in financial straits in 2012. Sharp is reportedly going “all in” on IGZO technology, so it’s possible Apple saved Sharp to leverage its investment in the next generation of displays.

IGZO display technology is not only thin and tough, but it can even handle higher screen densities than Apple’s Retina Display, which is visually stunning on its own. IGZO displays can reportedly handle display densities north of 330 ppi; for a quick comparison, the new iPad 4 can only achieve 264 ppi.

One of the better advantages of IGZO display technology is its lower power consumption. Most Apple products, from the iPhone 5 to the iPad 4, require cartoonishly-big batteries to achieve just 8 hours of power -- this is because current-gen Retina Displays are extremely power hungry. If Apple wanted its iPhone 6 to not only last longer during the day but also charge faster when plugged in, IGZO seems to be the way to go for the next generation of iOS devices.

Giving credence to these rumors, Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) reportedly plans to develop a Retina Display for the next-generation iPad Mini, which may require IGZO technology to pull off a feasible Retina Display.

"With the disclosure of the specifications for the next-generation iPad Mini by Apple Inc., AU Optronics Corp. has been developing a retina panel with resolution as high as 497 ppi," reported the SinoCast Daily Business Beat via MENAFN. "It is said that ultra-high resolution can not be developed without the technology of indium gallium zinc oxigo (IGZO), and the technology of Gate IC on array (GOA) is also indispensable since the next-generation iPad Mini will have an ultra-narrow frame. The technology of GOA helps save the room of IC on the rim and narrow the frame of the screen to the largest extent."

Sharp and Innolux may need to get moving on these displays if they hopes to get their displays featured in the next-generation of iOS devices this year. On Nov. 19, DigiTimes said Apple's suppliers are expected to churn out a new iPhone and new iPad "around the middle of 2013."

"Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013, which will boost demand for ICs in particular communications-related chips during the latter half of the first quarter," said DigiTimes, citing "market observers."

iPhone 6: What We Know

I'll be blunt: We don't know much about the alleged iPhone 6. Besides reports of accelerated chip production -- what else is new -- we've heard very little else about Apple's seventh-generation iPhone. However, if Apple pursues any of its recent patent filings, we may see the iPhone 5S or 6 feature advanced haptics and sensors, possibly built directly into a flexible display.

A newly released patent filed in March but published in September described tactile keyboards, flexible displays and laser microphones and speakers built into an iPhone, designed to conform to the user's needs. Flexible displays would allow for easier holding and typing, while the highly advanced tactile screens would create buttons when needed so the user can feel "keyboard" letters as they type, or touch the topography on Apple's Maps.

It's wishful thinking that Apple would include all these technologies in the next iPhone rather implement them over time, but it's certainly fun to think about.

NJYTOUCH

科学和技术的：共通感带来一个触摸屏，iPhone的背面了解更多：http://techland.time.com/2013/01/07/sensus-brings-a-touch-panel-to-the-iphones-behind/ ＃ixzz2HMhFoH93

科学和技术的：共通感带来一个触摸屏，iPhone的背面了解更多：http://techland.time.com/2013/01/07/sensus-brings-a-touch-panel-to-the-iphones-behind/ ＃ixzz2HMhFoH93

Sensus Brings a Touch Panel to the iPhone’s Backside Read more: http://techland.time.com/2013/01/07/sensus-brings-a-touch-panel-to-the-iphones-behind/#ixzz2HMhFoH93

Canopy

It’s come up with an iPhone case, called Sensus, that adds touch-sensitive panels to the rear and sides of the phone. To get a feel for it, I tried a short demo of a space shooting game, where you must drag a small spaceship around while firing at incoming enemies. Controlling the ship through the rear touch panel instead of the iPhone’s touch screen prevents your fingers from obscuring the action. (This may sound familiar to owners of Sony’s PlayStation Vita, which has a rear touch panel built-in.)If you ever wished your fat fingers would stop getting in the way of your iPhone’s touch screen, a company called Canopy thinks it has an answer.

Canopy has other uses in mind for Sensus. For instance, it’s developed its own camera app with functions mapped to the touch sensitive strips on the sides of the phone. That way, you can tap the edge of the phone to turn the flash on or off, or to adjust other settings. Sensus relies on the iPhone for power, but doesn’t eat away any battery life when its touch functions aren’t in use.

(MORE: Check out TIME Tech’s complete coverage of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show)

It’s an interesting concept, but one that will have a tough time gaining momentum. The usefulness of the device will be entirely dependent on app developers, who must add Sensus functionality to their software. At launch, Canopy expects support from roughly 20 to 50 apps–an insignificant sliver of the hundreds of thousands of apps in Apple’s store. Still, Canopy’s chief strategy officer, Matt Pacyga, said that several large game publishers have shown interest.

Canopy plans to launch Sensus this summer, priced somewhere between $59 and $99. It’ll be available for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5. Pacyga seemed unsure about the possibility of an Android version, given how many different-sized phones are on the market.

You can check out a video of the Sensus case in action below.

NJYTOUCH