SEOUL, South Korea - Tired of irritating smudges, dust and fingerprints on laptop computer screens? LG.Philips LCD has come up with a dirt-resistant, easy-to-clean panel.
A special coating on screens used to reduce glare also had a tendency to retain dirt and oil, the company said. A second coating to make screens dirt-resistant was costly and time-consuming.
Now, a single coating can do both jobs, LG.Philips said.
"Our new panel employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," Ahn Byung-chul, who leads development of advanced technology at the company, said in a statement. "Dirt and oil can easily be wiped away."
LG.Philips LCD Co., the world's second-largest manufacturer of liquid crystal displays, said the new coating even facilitates the removal of ink.
The new technology is slated to go into production the first half of 2008, first on the 15.4-inch widescreen panels LG.Philips makes for notebook computers and later for notebook panels of all sizes by the end of next year.
John Soh, an analyst at Goodmorning Shinhan Securities Co. in Seoul, predicted the technology will be popular with students as they often use writing instruments such as pens in conjunction with laptops.
The Seoul-based company competes with South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co. for global dominance in liquid crystal displays, which are used in flat screen televisions, computer monitors and mobile phones. While ranking second in the overall LCD market, LG.Philips is first in screens for laptops.
A service of the Associated Press (AP)
