Cell phone displays growing “Sharper”

Consumer electronics giant Sharp today announced a new kind of cell phone display technology that should improve the resolution of tiny screens by a factor of four.

The 2.2″ liquid crystal display boasts a contrast ratio of 2,000-to-1, far better than the 500-to-1 screens we see in use today. Sharp is ready to roll out these tiny screens, and has set its sight on the cell phone industry. The company expects to see $850 million in sales as soon as next year.

The mobile TV phenomenon is already popular in Europe and Asia, and its effect on the American cellular industry is growing thanks to services like Verizon’s VCAST. As more users become accustomed to watching video on smaller screens, the demand for such devices is expected to rise. At least, that’s what Sharp executives believe:

“The culture for watching TV on cell phones is catching on.”

It will be interesting to watch the technological build-up for the kind of mobile content that is, as of now, still something of an unknown to many cell phone users.