NEC has been making displays for computers and digital signage for years. The company of late has been focusing on new green displays that sip power and save money on utility bills. The company has unveiled a new large format display called the P521.

The new display is a 52-inch unit with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. The LCD has a brightness of 700 cd/m2 and has integrated thermal controls and a timer to turn it off when not needed.

Hori’s HP3-87 adds an 11.6-inch screen to your PS3 using a wraparound structure. It includes stereo speakers, two headphone jacks, and composite or component input options. The resolution is 1,366 x 768, so it will handle the 16:9 signal with its 500:1 contrast ratio, 7ms response time, and 200 nits of brightness.

Those in Tokyo can get it on May 27, when the HP3-87 goes on sale for ¥26,040 ($276). We aren’t sure when it will have an international release, but hopefully soon, so we can get our PS3s portable too.

The Rilakkuma notebook is back and it features a touchscreen display. It comes from Kohjinsha and under the hood it packs an Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a DVD drive, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 1Seg TV tuner, a webcam, and an 8.9″ touchscreen display at 1,280 × 768 resolution.

Plus it’s cute on the outside. It should hit the market in June. Buy this one for the cute factor, not if you do any serious work on a laptop.

Sceptre has been making computer displays and other gear for a while now. The company has TVs in colors that you don’t often see from other makers. The latest offering from Sceptre is a 24-inch HDTV that is covered in shiny chrome.

The set has a 24-inch screen and supports full 1080p resolution. The screen can be used with a PC too supporting resolutions up to 1920 x 1080. Contrast is 4000:1 and the screen has a brightness rating of 300 cd/m2 and a panel response time of 2ms.

Most people who are familiar with the Wacom name think of the line of consumer and artist focused graphics tablets that let users draw or write directly on their computer screen. Wacom also has a full line of pen-enabled displays that are aimed at use in medical and other markets.

Wacom has added a pair of new pen enabled displays to its line called the DTU-2231 and the DTU-1631. The 2231 is a 21.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 that is designed for use in medical fields like radiology and other medical professions. The screen lets doctors make notes directly on images and highlight areas for review by other health pros.

We haven’t heard much interesting news from Toshiba lately, but today Toshiba UK has announced the new Satellite U500-1EX, a portable laptop with a 13.3” multi-touch screen. The Satellite U500-1EX feature multi-touch capabilities and uses Microsoft’s Touch Pack for Windows 7 which allows users to flick through files and folders just by touching the screen.

It also features some other touch controls, like tap and double-tap, drag, press and hold, and flick and rotate. If you like getting all touchy feely with your laptop, why not give it a go for $889?

I am a big fan of large displays in the living room and for my computer. However, there are uses for displays that have nothing to do with computer work or home theater. NEC has unveiled its latest large screen display that is aimed at the digital signage industry called the P701.

The huge screen measures 70-inches diagonally and supports full 1080p resolution. The contrast ratio is 2000:1 and the screen has an average brightness of 420 cd/m2. NEC integrates thermal tech to shut the display down if it overheats to prevent damage.

BenQ is all about staying ahead of the competition in displays with the V2220. It features 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, but the real kicker here is that it is just 15mm thick, which makes it the thinnest 21.5 monitor available.

It supports HDMI and headphone connection options, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 250 nits of brightness, 1000:1 real contrast ratio and a 5ms response time. The display will be launched in Taiwan within in a few months, and will be available everywhere else in June.

Sometimes products that are green cost more to purchase because of the green features. NEC has debuted another new LCD today that is both cheap and green called the AS171. The LCD is small by today’s standards at 17-inches.

The native resolution is 1280 x 1024 and the screen has VGA and DVI connectivity. Contrast ratio for the screen is 900:1 and it has a 5ms response time. The display is EPEAT silver rated and has Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0 ratings.

Years ago, I worked for a company that had its own marketing department. The people there were always complaining because the colors they saw on the screen of the computer wasn’t what printed out on the printer. This can be a big issue for designers and NEC has a new screen specifically for these users.

The screen is called the PA241W and is 24-inches with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. The big thing about the LCD is the 10-bit IPS panel with 14-bit lookup table that allows for billions of possible colors. NEC says the screen is good for 102% of the NTSC color gamut and 99.3% of the Adobe RGB gamut.

3M is more than just scotch tape and to prove it they’ve announced a new multitouch LCD at CES 2010. The 3M Display M2256PW is a 22-inch, high def multitouch LCD for professionals with a resolution of 1680 x 1050. Professionals meaning anyone who needs up to 10-finger input with fast response time.

Tom Cruise will want to check it out to practice for a minority Report sequel. The Windows 7-compatible display features DVI and VGA video inputs, an audio input, and USB ports. 3M is all set to show off some conceptual applications that they currently have in development for the platform at CES as well, which should be interesting.

If you’re tired of looking at your large desktop display to read your Tweets, then maybe it’s time to check out the UD7 USB display. This display will receive and display your Twitter updates, display system stats and other information.

Yes, this is basically a digital photo frame for $30. That isn’t too expensive if you have to see your tweets off your main display. Assuming you can see them at all since this is just 1.5 inches in size. They don’t call it micro-blogging for nothing.

So now we have two major manufacturers offering multitouch displays. Who will be the third? HP Compaq’s L2105tm is available today for $300. This display is fully certified for Windows 7 and features a 1920×1080 resolution, 1000:1 contrast, 5ms response time, and sports VGA, DVI-D with HDCP connections.

It supports one and two-finger control. If you are old school there’s a plastic stylus hidden in a nook around back.

It took them awhile, but drive makers are finally getting hip to the fact that we would like to see how much disk space is left without having to plug it in. About time. Western Digital’s My Book Elite and My Book Studio drives now feature labels on the outside displaying that always-on info.

That means even when it isn’t plugged in, you’ll get a 12 character label, and a second line that displays how much space is left on the disc. In both gigabytes and a graph no less. Simple solution huh? The USB 2TB My Book Elite is $280, and the 2TB My Book Studio with FireWire 800 and USB connectivity is $300.

Verbatim has announced its new line of InSight portable USB hard drives. The storage devices weigh less than 6 ounces and are only 6 inches in length. They are also “sleek” and “durable” sporting a “piano black” finish.

The drives are available in 320GB or 500GB sizes. The most interesting feature is the Always On display, which lives up to its name by being always on, displays the drive name and available free space, even when it isn’t connected to the computer.