The news about a flexible, unbreakable smartphone display has been echoing in the tech corridors for a while now. Finally, Samsung showed off its much-awaited flexible-display technology, dubbed Youm, at its closing keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
In what could be perceived as a hint that Samsung's long-pursued efforts to develop flexible screens are nearing a successful closure, the company showcased a flexible OLED phone prototype along with a working screen that can be rolled up into a complete circle. "Imagine the products you could design with this," said Brian Berkeley, senior vice president of Samsung Display at the company's keynote address. "It's only going to get better."
Instead of the glass display that is being used in smartphones in the market, the Samsung innovation uses a thin plastic making the display more bendable and unbreakable even if dropped. Explaining the innovative possibilities of the technology, Berkeley showcased an unnamed prototype phone featuring a screen that runs down to the rear edges of the device on the right side. Though Galaxy-maker refrained from detailing much on the specifications of the product, it revealed the device has a 5-inch screen with a 16:9 ratio touchscreen and a resolution "about" 720p.
Getting a closer look, The Verge reported that the device is currently just a proof of concept that in its present form cannot perform much functions than to just display landscape-oriented notifications. Though the prototype looked a real cool tech demo, report said it lacked most of the features of a real-time smartphone such as an operating system, radio, camera and other features. The device is just a prototype, which is more like a touch-sensitive digital picture frame that can move images with a low-power processor, the report said.
Interestingly, Microsoft seconded the Samsung initiative as its Chief Technical Strategy Officer Eric Rudder played out a video showing the prototype of a Windows Phone with the Youm display. Rudder said the software giant is working to bring the Youm display on to its Windows Phone 8 software.
The CES enjoyed some other surprises from Samsung, not just its innovative technologies. The company featured an appearance by former president Bill Clinton who spoke on its charity efforts "Samsung Hope for Children foundation." The tech world expects to hear more from the South-Korean tech giant on its ground-breaking display technology at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
