Apple exploring hybrid e-ink/LCD display for iDevices
A recently published patent application suggests Apple is exploring ways to incorporate e-ink display technology into its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. And unlike other e-ink devices, Apple's hybrid system would be able to display sharp text in a range of lighting situations without sacrificing the ability to display full color, video, and graphics.
The application, Systems and Methods for Switching Between an Electronic Paper Display and a Video Display, was originally filed in October 2009. It describes a hybrid system that employs a combination of "electronic paper" with a more traditional color LCD or OLED display to gain the advantages of both display types. Such a display would be formed by sandwiching a transparent e-ink screen between a backlit color LCD or OLED panel on the bottom and a touch-sensitive glass panel on the top. The color display could display full color graphics and video, while the e-ink layer could display sharp text.
While that description sounds somewhat similar to Pixel Qi's hybrid e-ink displays which can switch between e-ink and color LCD modes, Apple's patent takes things a couple steps further. Control circuitry would analyze the video input and could switch modes depending on the type of content. Furthermore, the control circuitry could independently switch different areas of the screen to either mode as needed. For instance, a webpage may have a range of text with an inline video. The system could display razor-sharp text using e-ink, while the video is displayed using the underlying color display.
One particular feature of the system, according to the application, is that the control circuitry in particular analyzes the video input to determine how fast different elements are changing. If the rate of change exceeds the refresh rate of the e-ink display, the color display would take over. Imagine the webpage in the preceding example: if you scroll the page quickly, the color display would be used to smoothly animate the scrolling. Once the scrolling stopped, however, the e-ink display would take over for the text once again.
Apple files numerous patents every year, so the mere fact that Apple filed a patent for a hybrid e-ink display is no guarantee that it will incorporate the technology into a future product. However, the technology could particularly enhance the iPad for e-book reading purposes. The iPad's current display is great for reading books heavy on color images or that contain motion graphics or video, but the relatively low pixel density and backlit screen still makes reading long passages of text tiresome for many users. Many readers tend to prefer e-ink based devices like Amazon's Kindle for this reason.
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DoJ green-lights Google takeover of ITA with several conditions
The US Department of Justice says Google won't be able to move forward with its acquisition of airline software maker ITA Software unless it agrees to a set of rules designed to ensure continued competition in the market. The rules come as part of the DoJ's proposed settlement for the antitrust suit it filed against Google, but if Google agrees to the terms, the DoJ says its competition concerns will be resolved. Competitors, while somewhat pleased, still want more scrutiny.Under the proposed settlement, Google must continue licensing ITA's popular QPX software to airfare sites at "commercially reasonable terms," while also continuing research and development of QPX at a similar rate as ITA has. Google can't restrict airlines from sharing seat or booking class information with Google's competitors, and must set up a reporting mechanism for complaints about Google's behavior once it assumes control of ITA.
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Louisiana-style "teach the controversy" bill advances in Tennessee
Each year, dozens of states have bills introduced that target science education, mostly focused on the teaching of biology. Working off a template provided by a pro-intelligent design think tank, the bills would encourage the use of nonstandard teaching materials or targeted criticism of evolution; in some cases, they throw in climate change and the origin of life. In most states, they never make it out of committee, but Tennessee has made an exception this year, as the state's House passed a bill by a wide margin. So far, the only state to enact a law that targeted "evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning" has been Louisiana. For the last two years, schools in that state have been able to approve supplemental materials that cover these topics, giving local authorities the legal (but not necessarily the intellectual) ability to decide what might constitute valid scientific criticisms.
The Tennessee bill is somewhat different; rather than seeking to introduce new material into the classrooms, it effectively removes the ability of administrators to determine how a subject is taught. No school authority in the state "shall prohibit any teacher in a public school system of this state from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught." Even though it's supposedly about science education, there's an entire clause (one of only five) devoted to saying the whole thing has nothing to do with religion.
Tactically, that is probably a good decision for the creationists who are pushing for the bill. Supplemental materials are open to objective analysis of their scientific merit, which might go badly in court; verbal classroom instruction can be much harder to parse, and might come down to the words of students against those of their teacher. The shift may also be inspired by recent events in nearby Ohio, where a teacher was fired for conduct that included distributing creationist material to his science classes.
The state Senate is currently considering a similar bill. The National Center for Science Education is tracking the events there and in other states.
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