Universal Display (together with Princeton University) has been awarded DOE project to demonstrate a novel smart window concept for residential and commercial buildings, based on transparent OLEDs.

UDC will create panels that integrate transparent OLEDs with reflective modulating light shuttering techniques. These windows will be able to switch rapidly from being a highly-efficient, solid-state white light source to being transparent for efficient daylight transmission.

PMOLED panels have started to appear in cars. In fact, three new automobiles (the Aston-Martin DB9, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet Corvette) features PMOLED displays. ABI research says that such OLED car displays have one main advantages, they last longer than the lamps used to illuminate conventional dashboards.

While the PMOLEDs cost more than conventional dashboards, fewer warranty claims can save a lot of money for luxury car manufacturers and dealers, and greater satisfaction for customers. The PMOLEDs used in those three cars above were made by Yazaki Corporation.

Univision says they will start mass producing full-color PMOLEDs in 2Q 2005 - for use in MP3 players and mobile phone sub-displays. Univision is already making monochrome and area-color PMOLEDs since October 2003.

According to the company's president, they started to install new equipment for their 2nd production line in December 2004. Univision hopes to sell 12 million PMOLEDs in 2005, up from 3 million in 2004.

China-based TCL Group will invest RMB587 million (around $70 million) in a new PMOLED production factory in Huizhou, Guangdong. China's Science & Technology Ministry will grant RMB5 million (around $600,000) for this factory.

Samsung Display's board approves the merger with Samsung OLED by the end of March 2005. Samsung OLED was established in 2001 as a joint-venture with Japan's NEC Crop (with NEC holding 49% of the shares).

p>In 2004 Samsung SDI bought NEc's stake in Samsung OLED, and is now set to absorb it. Samsung OLED capitalized at 174 billion Won ($167 million) posted a net profit of 70 billion won ($67 million) in 2004 over sales of 302 billion Won ($290 million).

Cambridge Display Technology is a public company now (NASDAQ:OLED) and it's been trading for a month. The share price has hit an all-time low today - $7.58.

That's a 37% drop from $12, the IPO price.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin today unveiled the Z800 3D Visor head-mounted-display (HMD). The Z800 uses two SVGA (800x600) 3D OLED displays (made by eMagin). It provides an immersive view equivalent to a 105" screen at twelve feet, and uses high-speed head tracking to permit 360 degree viewing. The Visor also includes state-of-the-art audio system with high-fidelity ear buds and a built-in noise-canceling microphone.

The Z800 will start shipping in Q2 2005 for $899. It will also be available for customization by OEMs.

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors announced the new Pictive User Kit - which is an assessment platform to simulate and test Osram's Pictiva PLED based PMOLED displays.

OSRAM also announced that Canada's DigiCharm is the first company that selected the user kit for use in its "wearable" products - which include highly customizeable name tags aimed to marketing and sales environments.

Samsung unveiled a new AMOLED panel prototype - which at 21" is said to be the world's largest OLED developed to date. It features Full-HD (1920x1080) resolution.