Sony's second-generation mobile gaming console, the PS Vita is set to launch in the US on February 22, and web sites are already publishing reviews. While it offers great hardware, excellent AMOLED display and good controls, it's also expensive, has poor battery life and suffer from poor software sometimes. Basically it's all about the games, and time will tell whether this will be as popular as Sony's first generation PSP. The Japanese launch of the Vita was reportedly a dissappointment for Sony.

The Vita features a 5" touch Samsung-Made OLED display (960x544), a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor and a quad-core PowerVR (SGX543MP4+) GPU (Sony says that it is as powerful as a PS3), Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and 3G (AT&T, optional). Gaming controls include dual analog sticks, motion controls and a multi-touch pad on the rear side.

Konica Minolta has successfully developed a high-accuracy inkjet head capable of 1-picoliter drop size, the first for printed electronics applications. The new print head utlilizes the company's proprietary MEMS technologies for the first time. KM will start offering the new inkjet printhead (the KM128SNG-MB) in sample quantities by this spring.

The new print head is resistant to various inks required for industrial applications and suitable to use with low-viscosity inks. It can be used for all sorts of applications, including OLED display patterning and OLED lighting thin air coating.

Universal Display and Acuity Brands presented advances in their stripes white OLED architecture project. A stripes OLED is made from thin stripes of red, green and blue OLEDs. When you put a diffuser panel on top, it appears white. The stripes architectural results in efficient panels, that are also color tunable (2500-4000K).

UDC reports that the project is proceeding well - and in fact the pixel performance exceeds the project's goal. They fabricated the first 15x15 cm panel samples already and both companies are on target to deliver the actual luminaries in 2012 (which are based on the same design as the Kindred and the Revel - the lamps that use LG Chem's OLED panels). UDC is also working to further optimize the panel's performance.

Update: CNet now reports that Samsung said this was incorrect - and the release date is set for the second half of 2012. Oh well...

CNet reports that Samsung told them that they can expect the 55" Super OLED TV (The KN55ES9000) to be launched in the UK around the Spring of 2012. That means around March or April 2012, which is actually good news (at CES Samsung said that the TV will launch in Q2 or Q2 2012).

We'll probably have to wait for the actual launch to hear the price in the UK. In any case, Samsung's TV has a 55" Direct Emission OLED panel that supports active-shutter 3D and Samsung's Smart TV and Smart-Interaction technologies. It includes a camera can can be controlled via a remote control, voice control, motion control and face recognition.

DisplayBank posted an interesting article detailing the current status of the OLED market and their forecasts for 2011-2016. DB says that the AMOLED market will enjoy fast growth in the near future, and will reach $17 billion in 2016:

Small displays will still be the largest sector in 2016, accounting for almost $12 billion. Medium displays will only account for about $1.5 billion. OLED TVs will enjoy a quicker growth - from only $200 million in 2012 to $3.9 billion in 2016. These numbers are quite in-line with forecasts by DisplaySearch ($20 billion in 2018) and iSupply (300 million small AMOLEDs shipped in 2015 and 2.1 million OLED TVs).

Rolith says they are developing a new proprietary nanolithography technology that uses its "Rolling Mask" lithography system (RML). Rolith says that the new technology will enable low cost, high throughput and large area nanopatterning, and is suitable for OLED panels. In fact the company is seeking collaboration with companies - to jointly develop this technology.

Rolith's technology is based on a novel concept of continuous (conveyor, or Roll-to-Roll) nano patterning using cylindrical photomasks. A prototype was designed and built in 2011 in partnership with SUSS Microtec which allows patterning a 300 mm x 300 mm plates or 12 wafers. Rolith has successfully demonstrated printing dense nanostructures with less than 300 nm features, and are currently working on enhancing the resolution. The company's roadmap promises scaling up to 1m substrates in 2012 and up to 3 meters in the next 2 years. They are also developing a technology that will handle flexible substrates.

Sony's OLED program is now focused on medium (7" to 25") OLED panel used in professional monitors. With consumer OLED TV coming from Samsung and LG soon, Sony is also considering entering this market. We had the good chance of talking with Gary Mandle, the product manager of Sony's OLED products for the professional market. Gary has worked within the Sony Professional Solutions Group for more than 26 years in the development and marketing of new display products - including CRT, SXRD (LCOS), LCD, and now OLED products. His current focus is on Sony’s OLED technologies intended for video and film production & post production applications.

Q: Sony is currently offering 7.4", 16.5" and 24.5" professional OLED monitors (TriMaster EL^TM) and also OLED monitors for the medical market. Can you update on your current offerings?

A: For professional television and film production, Sony now has seven OLED models. These are offered in three series, each categorized according to performance and features sets to match different applications. Our PVM lineup includes the PVM 740 (7.4 inch), PVM 1741 (17 inch), and the PVM 2541 (25 inch). These are used in areas where you need something that is relatively cost effective and lets you see within the image. These are used in editing, dallies review, graphics generation, and special effects.

The EU announced a new OLED lighting project called IM3OLED (Integrated Multidisciplinary & Multiscale Modeling for OLEDs) that aims to develop a software tool for multiscale OLED lighting modeling. The tool will enable a more systematic R&D process - which will accelerate efficient OLED design development.

The IM3OLED software will predictively model OLEDs in 3D and at all length scales from molecular to large-area devices. It will include molecular calculations, electrical and optical simulation, 1D-3D light extraction and scaling / integration effects. It will also incorporate a dynamic feedback loop, enabling developers to accurately predict how changes in one area of OLED development affect other areas. This will allow multiple OLED properties to be optimized simultaneously.

Sony announced managemental changes and a new CEO and president effective April 1. The new president, Kazuo Hirai, announced his future plans - which include a reinforcement of Sony's core business, rebuilding of its TV business, reformation of its business portfolio and acceleration of innovation.

Sony XEL-1

Regarding the TV market, Sony plans to minimize investment in non-competitive fields, but they will make major investments in OLED TV, Crystal LED and other technologies and products that use Sony's own technologies.

We just got word from LG Chem that the company finished development of their first OLED lighting panel, and have started mass production. The "type 1" panel, or the LG-OLED-041 is a 100x100 mm square panel that features 4,000K, CRI>80, 45 lm/W and 10,000 hours lifetime (LT70) at 3,000 nits. The active emitting panel is 90x90 mm, and the whole panel is 2.44 mm thick (including the optical film and PCB. The OLED itself is 1.84 mm).

LG Chem is already developing the 2nd generation (or "type 2") panel which will up the efficiency to 60 lm/W and the lifetime to 15,000 hours. The size will be the same, but the color will be 3,500K. LG Chem will start mass production of type 2 panels in 2Q 2012. LG Chem further says that it decided to offer these new panels at "lower prices" - although we do not know the actual price yet.