LG and Samsung demo prototype see-through AMOLED screens

Imagine a pane of glass on your desk--plug it in and suddenly it shows your Windows desktop.  LG and Samsung have both revealed prototypes of transparent screens that do just that at the FPD trade show in Yokohama, Japan, which focuses on display technology.  To do it, they've both used AMOLED technology.

As you can see from these photos, the panels themselves are transparent.  That's possible because every pixel is an individual source of light, meaning there's no need for backlighting.  Instead of sitting in an opaque frame, they allow 30% of the light to pass, meaning you can see straight through them.

Some lucky visitors had the chance to try out some of these transparent AMOLED displays.  First up was LG's 15'' screen, which seems perfect for laptops.


Right now, we don't know anything about when they're likely to be available in consumer products, but transparent AMOLED is certainly a technology to keep your eye on ..