Less spectacular than the Galaxy Dress, but classier. [Fasioningtech via Bornrich]

The “3D LED Wall” is on show at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition in Japan, and really highlights just how much of a boner Sony has for 3D right now. They’ve got 3D laptops, TVs and Blu-ray players planned, and don’t forget new games and a firmware update will bring 3D to the PlayStation 3 next year, too.

[TechOn via Engadget]

Backlighting is where an LCD stores all its mojo. It controls the brightness, the contrast, and the overall performance of a display. Not all LED backlighting is created equal though. Fortunately, there’s this great post explaining the intricacies of the different LED backlight types.

According to Wikipedia, the first commercial LCD TV with LED backlighting was the Sony Qualia 005 back in 2004. It used RBG LED backlighting, although it lacked the more recent ability to dim different sections of the screen that many current LED backlit TVs do. This means that these televisions are able to show blacks as true blacks, rather than a dull grey colour, thanks to the ability to turn off the backlight altogether.

Yet despite LED backlit TVs launching five years ago, it’s only in the past 18 months that the market has really started to offer LED TVs. Now, almost all TV manufacturers are promoting LED as the next big thing in TV technology. And until OLED becomes big enough and affordable enough, it probably is…

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

24,000 full-colour, super-thin LEDs, 4000 Swarovski crystals and enough iPod batteries to keep everything glowing for about an hour. This picture doesn’t do the Galaxy Dress justice, but the video comes close.

This gorgeous thing was designed by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz and they say that it’s the “the largest wearable display in the world”. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know that I wanted to cry when I read that the dress went straight from the sewing room to the museum mannequin, without ever being worn by a real woman. [Wired]

These EVE hypos cost only $US23 and even have LEDs to make it seem like the real thing. The actual needle looks way too thick to actually inject anything into any part of your body, unless you’re thinking what we’re thinking. But who needs fire and/or electricity shooting out of their arse? Oh wait, everyone. [Play via Nerd Approved]

This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It’s about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature’s ultimate machine.

“The mPower Reserve Battery offers an unprecedented minimum shelf life of 20 years and has an immediate activation to full power. Through an intricate battery design, mPhase developed a way to eliminate power dissipation before initial activation.”

The torch uses an intense, high-performance LED, and has an accessory USB connection to charge your mobile devices. It’s slated to arrive in March, but we hope to get a better look at it at CES in January. [CNETand Yahoo News]

They are not just light sources, however. These LED towers also collect rainwater and funnel sunlight to the multiple levels of the 1km long Expo Boulevard. [World Architecture News via Inhabitat]

Gaze Through LG’s Window into a Beauty

BORDERLESS™ Design Creates a Streamlined TV with Astonishing Picture Quality

Sydney, Australia, 9 November 2009 – LG Electronics (LG), a major player in the global flat panel display and audio-video devices market, today announced the Australian launch of its BORDERLESSTM range of premium televisions. The new LG SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV and SL80 Full HD LCD TV boast a unique single layer screen that represents the future of television design and offers consumers a more sophisticated choice in televisions.

LG’s BORDERLESSTM vision is to create the limitless freedom to see things in a whole new way. LG took a single sheet of glass and crafted it into something more – a television that represents the new standard in its class, one certain to become a design icon. With borderless freedom also comes endless connectivity. LG’s new BORDERLESSTM range offers consumers a greater range of entertainment choices in one product, with integrated Bluetooth, DivX and USB port. LG’s BORDERLESSTM television range has been designed to stand out among its kind and become the defining centrepiece of your living room.

LG’s latest masterpiece, the SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV, delivers picture quality as flawless as its smooth surface by using an LED backlight and LG’s advanced technology. The TV uses the unique Injection Compression Molding (ICM) technology and film lamination to eliminate the gap between the screen and the bezel. A special sheet of laminate film completes the SL90’s perfectly flat surface, causing the boundary between screen and the bezel to vanish while also significantly reducing glare. The result is a uniform, uninterrupted surface from edge-to-edge, with no visible borders. The screen and bezel are the same deep shade of black all the way across and LG even carried this down to the glasslike stand. With a depth of just 2.9cm, the SL90 is a beautiful window into a new world of home entertainment.

“LG’s SL90 BORDERLESS™ TV is captivating whether on or off, acting as an artistic centrepiece for any living room and drawing viewers in with its high-quality LED-backlit picture,” said Warren Kim, TV Category Manager, LG Electronics Australia. “Our SL90 and SL80 BORDERLESS™ TVs are a perfect example of why LG is leading in innovative design and working to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of consumers.”

Inside its glossy enclosure, LG’s SL90 hides technology that produces a great picture and makes the TV even more entertaining. An LED backlight helps produce an extremely high dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1 for truer blacks and finer gradations between greys. An anti-glare Full HD 1080p screen reduces distracting reflections and ensures that everyone in the room has a cinema-quality experience. For fast-moving action, LG’s TruMotion 100Hz technology improves sharpness and fine detail while reducing motion trails for exceptional clarity.

With LG’s recently refined Invisible Speakers, the SL90 sounds exceptional without the need for unsightly speaker grilles that would ruin the TV’s aesthetic. LG’s new Invisible Speaker, easily hidden on the bottom of the set, delivers superior sound quality and makes the TV appear even slimmer.

The SL90’s ability to connect wirelessly to an entire library of digital content is as attractive as the TV itself. Bluetooth brings music and photos from compatible mobile phones directly to the big screen without any cables. This same technology can be used to connect wireless headphones for private listening. A USB 2.0 port hidden on the SL90’s back opens digital media options even wider, playing JPEG, MP3, MPEG4 and DivX files from external hard drives, memory cards (through a memory card reader) or thumb drives.

“When we were creating the SL90, we had to break down numerous barriers in our minds,” said Simon Kang, CEO and President of LG Home Entertainment Company. “This was the first time we used our Injection Compression Molding technology for a TV and we had to free ourselves to think of a new BORDERLESS™ design. The TV is free from physical borders and its ability to easily connect to digital media means that its entertainment possibilities are just as BORDERLESS™ as its design. This is the beginning of a journey for LG TV.”

The second model in LG’s BORDERLESS™ range is the SL80 Full HD LCD TV. Unlike conventional LCD TVs, where the panel is recessed slightly within a thick plastic frame, LG’s new SL80 has a single-layer design that sets the panel flush with the narrow bezel surrounding it. LG even went so far as to ensure that the all of the TV’s exterior components perfectly match the colour of the LCD panel when the TV is turned off.

“The SL80 is unlike any Full HD LCD TV you’ve ever seen before. It’s a true work of art,” said Warren Kim, TV Category Manager, LG Electronics Australia. “With its BORDERLESS™ design, the TV appears to be a window into a new world of Full HD entertainment. This TV perfectly combines artistic design with the ultimate in picture quality and easy-to-use features, making it unlike anything else in the market.”

Also featuring ICM Technology to create a more unified and sleeker look for the TV, the SL80 utilises LG’s laminating technology, preserving the SL80’s looks by making the TV scratch resistant.

The Full HD SL80 boasts incredible picture quality thanks to LG’s TruMotion 200Hz technology, which significantly reduces motion blur and streaking for fast moving images, using scanning backlight technology. This also brings the TV’s response time down to a blistering 2 ms. In addition, a 150,000:1 dynamic fine contrast ratio brings far greater depth to every scene, with blacks that are dark as night and vivid colours.

LG’s exclusive Smart Energy Saving Plus technology helps make both the SL90 (Five and half Star Energy Star Rating) & SL80 friendlier to the environment, reducing power consumption while also ensuring optimum picture quality and reducing eyestrain for viewers. It uses LG’s Intelligent Sensor, which analyses the ambient light in the room and automatically adjusts picture settings and backlight intensity accordingly.

“People are very selective about the furniture and artwork for their homes,” continues Kim. “They want something beautiful, something that reflects their personalities. Until now, they have not had this choice when it comes to flat panel TVs. With LG’s new SL80 and SL90’s slim, BORDERLESS™ design, people can now choose a TV that reflects their high level of sophistication and taste while also delivering incredible picture and sound.”

LG’s Full HD LED LCD TV (SL90) is available now in 47” and 42” sizes (47SL90QD – SRP $3,799, 42SL90QD – SRP $3,099).

LG’s Full HD LCD TV (SL80) is available now in four screen sizes (55SL80YD –SRP$4,499, 47SL80YD –SRP$2,799, 42SL80YD – SRP$2,299, 37SL80YD – SRP$1,799).

LG SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV

l BORDERLESS™ Design
l Perfect Slim 2.9cm
l 3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
l TruMotion 100Hz
l Full HD 1080p
l Picture Wizard
l AV Mode
l 24p Real Cinema
l Expert Mode (ISF Ready)
l Bluetooth
l HD DivX
l USB 2.0
l Intelligent Sensor II
l Smart Energy Saving Plus
l Clear Voice II
l Invisible Speaker

LG SL80 Full HD LCD TV

l BORDERLESS™ Design
l TruMotion 200Hz
l Full HD 1080p
l Picture Wizard
l AV Mode
l 24p Real Cinema
l Expert Mode (ISF Ready)
l Bluetooth
l HD DivX
l USB 2.0
l Intelligent Sensor II
l Smart Energy Saving Plus
l Clear Voice II
l Invisible Speaker

For more information please visit www.lge.com.au/borderless or call 1300 LG CARE (1300 542 273) for stockists.

Less than six bucks for an 8-LED lamp that won’t even be a blip on your electricity bill? Why not grab one, especially if it somehow pisses off your telco? [Uxsight OhGizmo! via Wired]

Jack Schulze and Timo Arnall made this stunning video by using a specially-made LED wand, long-exposure photography, some animation, and a metric ton of patience. I, on the other hand, will be using the next few moments, my eyes, and an ounce or two of amazement to appreciate the supposedly paranoia-inducing beauty of RFID. [PopSci]