Display breakthrough makes your screens visible only to you, now available to manufacturers
Rain Technology, a Colorado-based display innovator firm, recently announced it was ready to revolutionize AR glasses. Now the company has made its patented switchable privacy displays available to manufacturers.
What do these displays do? Simple: you can switch them between private and public modes, the former of which makes it so that your screen is only visible from a certain angle. This has traditionally only been possible via aftermarket films applied to screens. These films, understandably, are a permanent solution.
Rain Technology is in talks with major companies like Apple, Google and Meta, meaning your iPad could receive this tech in the near future. General consumers and enterprise customers alike would benefit greatly from such displays. I, for one, do not want to be judged for my Reddit feed while waiting at a bus stop. Don’t ask.
What do these displays do? Simple: you can switch them between private and public modes, the former of which makes it so that your screen is only visible from a certain angle. This has traditionally only been possible via aftermarket films applied to screens. These films, understandably, are a permanent solution.
Forget OLED, I want to browse social media in peace. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Dubbed ‘Laptop Switchable Privacy’, the tech is aimed at popular laptop manufacturers like Dell, HP, Lenovo and Apple. These displays can be switched over into private mode in under a millisecond via buttons, software, hardware or even eye tracking.
What I found really cool is that, when these displays are in private mode, you can choose what others around you see. The screen can appear black, metallic or even show a logo to peripheral viewers. Rain Technology claims its technology can retain clarity and brightness for the primary viewer in both private and public modes.
Robert Ramsey — CEO at Rain Technology — believes that this display technology will provide customers with “the highest level of device data security on the market”. I’m inclined to agree, and I’m quite interested in seeing which companies take Ramsey up on his offer moving forward.
What I found really cool is that, when these displays are in private mode, you can choose what others around you see. The screen can appear black, metallic or even show a logo to peripheral viewers. Rain Technology claims its technology can retain clarity and brightness for the primary viewer in both private and public modes.
The switchable privacy tech is currently compatible with LCD displays, with the company promising support for other display types soon. Rain Technology also just won the “SalesTech Innovation” award at MarTech Breakthrough Awards, a market intelligence organization.
Things that are NOT allowed: