Qualcomm Buys Display Technology Startup for $170M

Iridigm, a start-up based in San Francisco, CA, is the patent-holder of iMoD, a display technology that promises to be better and cheaper than today's LCD. The manufacturing process itself is a subset of the one used to manufacture LCD screens, except that less steps are needed. It's therefore less expensive. Amusing fact, Iridigm say that their technology is derived from studies on Butterflies wings. The company claims that the readability would equal the one of a printed glossy magazine (printed at 300dpi), even in direct sunlight, someting that plagues most consumer devices display today. The Wireless industry has been looking for ways to keep their high margins because income derived from voice is falling like a rock. Data services (emails, web, commerce) and pay-per-download applications such as games or ringtones are the next big cash generators. Qualcomm knows it and they also know that all those services will need an advanced display technology.

[Iridigm website] [Qualcomm Press Release]