Sometimes, these rotations bring big payoffs, such as when 3M realized that the problem of laptop battery life was really a problem of energy used up too quickly for illuminating the screen. 3M researchers applied their knowledge of see-through adhesives to create an optical film that focuses light outward, producing a screen that was 40% more efficient.

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Fujifilm also sought new outlets for its expertise in film: for example, making optical films for LCD flat-panel screens.

ECONOMIST: Technological change

Manufacturers in China would have a dreadful time producing good conventional film cameras, for example, because of the complex optical, chemical and mechanical processes that must be mastered.

ECONOMIST: Manufacturing in Japan

The lens on the STYLUS XZ-10 is a 5x optical zoom that covers a focal range from 26-130mm (35mm film camera equivalent).

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As can be seen, traditional film use is 15% or less with digital technologies such as optical discs, hard disk drives, magnetic tape and flash memory are the bulk of modern recording media.

FORBES: End of the Reel

In his 50-year career, Ovshinsky received more than 400 patents in the U.S. and more than 800 foreign patents covering a range of technologies, including nickel-metal hydride batteries, rewritable CDs, DVD optical discs, flat-screen liquid crystal displays, hydrogen fuel cells, thin-film solar cells and others.

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