Foldable Displays

Last week has brought us a number of news on the foldable displays.
First, and probably the most important is the US patent application 20100064244, submitted by Qualcomm.

A multi-fold mobile device with a configurable interface is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method includes detecting a hardware configuration change from a first configuration to a second configuration at an electronic device that includes at least a first panel having a first display surface and a second panel having a second display surface. The hardware configuration change includes a change in a relative orientation of the first display panel to the second display panel. The method also includes automatically modifying a graphical user interface displayed at the first display surface and the second display surface at least partially based on the second configuration.

In parallel there was the very interesting quarterly conference call by QuickLogic. During the Q&A session, there was an interesting exchange between Brian Coleman and Andy Pease:

Brian Coleman – Hawk Hill asset management

Okay. At the Uplinq Conference, you announced an RGB Split PSB. What kind of applications – form factor these applications market does the PSB like that –?

Andrew Pease

A PSB like that would principally going into a pretty complex Smartbook – excuse me, Smartphone, and without telling you too much about what their planning, it is actually a multiple – the screen it is side-by-side. So it's actually to create a bigger viewing area and still keep the small form factor of the Smartphone. So, imagine if you had a Smartphone that hinged in the middle or maybe it could even possibly a multiple hinges, you could open it up and basically see an image that would span across two displays.

Brian Coleman – Hawk Hill asset management

That's not something that you develop on the fly hoping somebody would need it, it sounds like something was developed for a specific project?

Andrew Pease

Well, it was a problem that people came to us with frankly. There was an ODM, that was given a requirement by a fairly large OEM and said that they wanted that type of form-factor and they were trying to solve the problem of taking an RGB signal and splitting it all in one direction in other words serializing the signal up one end and de-serializing the signal on the other end. So, we were able to do that for them.

Andy Pease is talking here about a real problem, real ODM manufacturer, real QEM vendor and real QuickLogic solution delivered.

And then Yanko Design came with this nice foldable phone design made for SonyEricsson. I smiled when reading the Yanko comments:

I love covering concept phones that may not have substance to them (tech-backing), but nevertheless are fun to read about.

Actually... there is the evidence of strong tech - backing to this product. Multiple working prototypes already exist. We should expect a phone with a foldable display on the market some time in 2011. I bet there are a number of companies wanting to be the first to introduce it. Any bets who will be the first with this revolutionary and magical device?