Here's one you may not have heard before: a manufacturer decides to stick a VGA touchscreen in some handset model not because it wants VGA resolution, but just because it got a killer deal on them. That's the rumor being floated on a handful of sites and forums about ASUS' monster P750 Windows Mobile 6 Professional device, with some sharp-eyed contributors noticing that each logical pixel on their devices' screens are actually comprised of -- count 'em -- four physical pixels. Indeed, a quick glance of the spec sheet for the alleged part number used reveals a "VGA/QVGA dual viewing mode," so the story seems to check out, and folks are apparently already hard at work enabling full 640 x 480 resolution on their beloved devices. Good luck, everyone!

We aren't saying that this is a widespread issue just yet, but a (rightfully) annoyed tipster has informed and shown us that his "refurbished" 8GB iPhone seems to have the same "negative black issue" that some iPod touch owners are currently grumbling about. Granted, he admits that the photo makes things look a little worse than they do in person, but the problem is still apparent. So, dear readers, are any of you experiencing iPod touch-like display issues on your iPhone?

[Thanks, Jason G.]

There's no denying that we were fairly taken aback by the beauty of the iPhone's screen, but leave it to a clever (and likely bitter) N95 owner to trump Apple's best shot with his very Nokia. While not nearly as ingenious as converting the device into a mapmaker, this crude demonstration explains how to increase the screen real estate linked to the N95 if you're willing to sacrifice your left (or right) arm. Granted, the "hack" did begin with a broken N95, so strapping a portable TV onto one's forearm and utilizing the device's video output was about the only real solution within arm's reach (ahem). Like it or not, it's laced in utility, and you can catch a video of the action after the jump.

[Thanks, Eirikso]

What's a smelly line sitter to do but leech off a nearby WiFi signal and catch last minute content of the mobile they're about the snag? In case you've been following along, Apple has released yet another video walkthrough that carefully explains ten more niceties of the iPhone. 'Course, we can't imagine anyone (well, there's always an outlier) having trouble resetting their device, setting up a passcode, or deleting a text message, but the kind folks at Apple are showing you anyway. Additionally, you'll catch instructions on how to silence the ringer, create a favorites list, assign a ringtone, browse in Cover Flow, edit text, and set up mail preferences. Go on, check out the vid in the read link, we promise we won't tell anyone you're still miffed by the lack of a number pad.

AU Optronics seems to know a thing or two about LCDs, and the engineering minds behind the scenes have apparently developed a few mobile screens that replace those wide borders with more pixels. The firm will be showing off its new 2.2-inch transflective panel with the "world's slimmest border of 0.9-millimeters" and its 2.7-inch panel which touts the "world's highest contrast ratio" (for its size, we presume) of 2,100:1, which just barely edges Sharp's iteration. The near-borderless display is reportedly "a half size smaller" than existing renditions, and the 2.7-incher claims to be uber-bright and offer up an unusually wide viewing angle as well. Unfortunately, it sounds like this technology won't be making its way up the LCD food chain, as one researcher noted that what you see here will be "mobile device-exclusive."

[Via FarEastGizmos]

Heck, plain ol' QVGA displays on phones are still a fairly scarce commodity in some parts of the world, but Hitachi knows you want... nay, need more. VGA, perhaps? Nope, keep going; think wider. Hitachi has officially started pumping out copies of its 2.9-inch, 800 x 480 cellphone display, promising web browsing experiences that could finally catch up with the 3G data speeds modern handsets are offering. The company points out that such crazy-fresh resolution typically leads to crazy-fresh battery drainage thanks to increased backlight brightness requirements, but engineers have apparently put in some late nights miniaturizing the circuitry and designing a new pixel structure to minimize power draw. Better yet, the panel promises a 170 degree viewing angle and a 400:1 contrast ratio. Only thing left, it seems, is for some scrappy manufacturer and/or carrier to step forward and announce a killer device wrapped around this sucker. Why do we get the strange feeling we should keep our eyes on NTT DoCoMo for that?

Some modern phones seem to have enough trouble with battery life as it is without throwing a glorious 16:9 display into the mix. Be that as it may, Sony's hard at work on exactly that, and we admittedly can't help but revel in the thought of dropping one of these suckers into a Sony Ericsson handset somewhere down the line. The screen is apparently only a part of their "RealityMAX" graphics subsystem that'll presumably handle all your MPEG and 3D acceleration needs, and at just under 3 inches long with a 432 x 240 resolution and 262K color depth, we've no doubt that watching a movie (or at least some manner of broadcast television) would be a very rewarding experience indeed.

Seems like every time we turn around somebody is doing an LCD smaller or bigger or thinner or bendier. In this case we have Samsung doing an LCD just plain awesomer, managing to squeeze a 640 x 480 resolution into a mere 1.98-inch panel. Samsung is saying the display is the first of its kind, and is targeting it for use in cellphones. Beyond the resolution, the display is rated at a plentifully bright 250 nits, decent 300:1 contrast ratio, and lovable 16 million colors. No word on when we'll see this in phones, but we'll sure be there with a drool bucket when one drops

Could your next Treo sport a black-and-white screen? Well, of course not all the time, but MobileRead has dug up a patent filed by the PDA and smartphone manufacturer that would throttle a device's screen down from Palm IIIc-style backlit color to Palm V-style monochrome when battery power drops below a certain threshold. While the idea doesn't seem all that innovative, Palm's "unique" take on this switcheroo would have the device prompt users to drop the color, and then automagically reinstate it when some of that sweet, sweet juice was added. It's great to see that Palm is trying to squeeze every last drop out of their products -- the screen switch could alleviate power consumption by as much as 75% -- but we'd prefer them to focus that zeal on other areas, like, say, allowing our Treos to actually make a phone call when the battery is still 25% full.