Visionary Sound for Tomorrow's PCs

New audio technology from British company NXT turns LCD laptop displays into stereo speakers, with vastly superior sound

Laptop screens are for displaying images, right? Of course. But nowadays, that's not all: In one of NEC's latest models, the screen also serves as a pair of stereo speakers. It's not just a marketing gimmick to boost sales to high-tech junkies. The liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) actually produce better sound than the typical laptop speaker…

What turns an LCD panel into a stereo speaker are two little piezoelectric gadgets mounted behind the screen on each side. Piezo devices convert electricity into motion or vice versa. Here, sound signals are transformed into screen vibrations that generate sound.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Neat! This must be one of the first key laptop innovations not driven by Apple.