LCD and E-ink dual-screen prototypes show up at IFA, one vendor already said to be on board

Well hells bells, it was only yesterday that the idea of an e-ink / LCD screen mash-up device was the stuff of patent dreams, and now it's a reality. The chaps at Stuff were shown the prototype handsets at a closed meeting at IFA, as expected with a regular screen on one side, and the e-reader-style display on the other. E-ink was apparently tight lipped about possible vendor interest, but they did confirm that one firm was working with the concept already. We're not about to make any leaps, but if we'd applied for the patent, we'd also want first dibs.

[Source: Engadget]

HTC to launch 5-inch smartphone in September-October

HTC will step into the large-size smartphone segment by launching a flagship model with a 5-inch display featuring a resolution of 1794 by 1080 pixels in September-October, according to industry sources.  Samsung Electronics, which pioneered the development of the 5-inch segment, also plans to release a 5.5-inch model, the Galaxy Note II, at the end of August, the sources noted.  The brisk sales of Samsung's 5.3-inch Galaxy Note have attracted a number of vendors in Korea and China to venture into the large-size segment, noted the sources.  LG Electronics stepped into the segment by launching its 5-inch Optimus Vu in May 2012, and fellow company Pantech rolled out its second 5-inch model, the Vega S5, in July.  In China, Coolpad has launched two 5-inch models, the dual-SIM 9930 and 9900, while K-Touch has released the W710, which supports Alibaba cloud computing services.

[Source: DigiTimes]