Starclouds

I just got my advance copies of the November 2007 Scientific American, which has my article on the new IMOD mobile phone displays by Qualcomm. (”Brilliant Displays,” pg. 94.) The interferometric modulator (IMOD) technology itself is pretty cool; basically, it’s a high-tech, controllable version of the iridescence seen on the wings of certain tropical butterflies. (Thus the headline above, which I cribbed from the SciAm cover.) But what I really found intriguing as I was researching the story was the way the technology was being driven by consumer choices. IMOD is competing in a very tough market, dominated by LCDs. But it promises big advantages over LCDs in terms of low power consumption (= longer battery life) and being reflective rather than backlit (= readable in bright daylight, as opposed to effectively turning black.) Neither advantage would matter all that much except that more and more people are wanting to use their cell phones for text messaging, Web browsing, playing games, watching videos, playing music, etc, etc, all of which make long battery and readability critical.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether IMOD can deliver, versus some other LCD alternative like OLEDs. But in the meantime, the contest is fun to watch–and a reminder that technology is driven as much by social choices as by its own internal DNA…

Enjoy the article!