On Aug. 24, a jury slapped South Korean technology company Samsung with a $1 billion verdict in response to Apple’s claim that the corporation essentially ripped off its iPhone and iPad.  

But the family-run conglomerate—the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world—is smiling through the pain by rolling out technology it hopes will be perceived as innovative not imitative.

And one of Samsung’s recent launches may change the face of retail merchandising forever.

A 22-inch transparent commercial display called the NL22B will bring us one step closer to the space-age advertising kiosks featured in sci-fi flicks such as Minority Report.

A photo of the NL22B display (courtesy of Samsung)

Featuring a flat stage (perfectly sized for jewelry) inside a clear glass cube, the NL22B melds computerized imagery with real-world merchandise. And the sky’s the limit when it comes to creative possibilities. Imagine your top-selling engagement rings awash in images of glamorous brides, or a show-stopping necklace twinkling underneath a revolving blanket of stars. Intrigued? See below for more specs on the next-generation display unit.

• The NL22B—an all-in-one product—will feature a 22-inch transparent display with a resolution of 1,680 x 1,050 pixels, a built-in PC, an LED bar, a protective glass, and speakers.
• Interaction between computerized images and actual products is made possible by a thin LCD panel mounted on the front of the transparent display.
• The built-in PC runs on an AMD A4-3310M Dual-Core processor and comes with a media player and MagicInfo Premium software.
• You can apparently tell the different between real merchandise and digital imagery because of the rapid transmittance rate—which is 15 percent.
• The company says it can be used for constructing video walls (transmitting images to a wall of monitors).
• Looking for size? Samsung has a 46-inch model currently in the works.

JCK