Editor's note: Geeks have been treated to yet another innovative creation - an intelligent wearable device laying the role of a mobile theater and effecting a virtual environment for users. The inventor, a Shenzhen startup and rising tech star, calls it a part of its "Inteple" strategy, representing a combination of the world's two tech greats Intel and Apple, that's geared to making changes to the world.

The world turns dark and quiet. Everything around you becomes irrelevant. You immerse yourself in your own fantastic world, with Hollywood blockbusters at the top of your mind.

But you are not in a theater - you're probably in the office, on the plane or even in bed.

Such scenarios have been realized by Royole-X - the latest creation of Royole Corp, a Shenzhen-based startup and rising technology star with a valuation tag of more than $1 billion.

As an intelligent mobile display device, Royole-X looks different from other electronic products like iPad. It incorporates a head-mounted display (HMD) and noise-reducing headphones in one body, enabling it to play the role of a mobile theater by creating a virtual environment for users.

But Royole-X is not only a theater. It turns itself into a game machine when it is linked to a mobile phone, bringing gamers to the breathtaking world of motor racing or boxing, with the mobile phone acting as controller.

Liu Zihong, chief executive officer of Royole Corp, believes the birth of the smart device points to a breakthrough in a traditionally insoluble situation.

People have two instinctive demands for display products - portability and a high-definition large screen - Liu says, but they are contradictory.

"If you have a portable device, like a mobile phone, its screen is normally small. But, if it has a high-definition large screen, like a TV set, then it's not portable," he explains. "Royole-X has now come up with a solution."

With a resolution of 3,300 pixels per inch, Royole-X has the world's highest-definition display. The device's foldable design means it can be hand-held or put in a bag as an ordinary headset.

"Royole-X is not an ordinary virtual reality device, but an artwork with delicate design in both appearance and structure," Liu says.

After almost two years of research and development, Royole-X was officially launched on Sept 15. It is Royole Corp's first product that sells directly to individual consumers and represents a part of the company's development strategy which Liu calls "Inteple".

"Inteple is the combination of Intel and Apple. We hope to own technologies for producing both basic components and entire products, and develop '2B' (to business) and '2C' (to consumer) businesses simultaneously," says the 32-year-old entrepreneur.

In August last year, the company created a sensation by launching its first "2B" product - the world's thinnest full-color flexible display of 0.01 millimeter. The innovative technology is expected to bring a fundamental change to the shape of electronic products.

"The mobile phone, for instance, may be able to be rolled up into the shape of a pen in future," Liu says.

The introduction of two creations within almost a year shows the vitality of the three-year-old technology firm and Liu's determination to make changes to the world.

The young entrepreneur quit his job as a developer at IBM in the US, where he got his doctor's degree at Stanford University and plunged straight into business in 2012.

The company currently operates in Shenzhen and the Silicon Valley. Liu believes the unique environment of the two places provides the foundation for the quick and smooth launch of the two products.

According to Liu, the bulk of Royole-X's components supply comes from Shenzhen, taking advantage of the city's sound industry chain in electronic products, while the Silicon Valley, known for its innovation, contributes to the technological development.

The market of HMD - an application field of virtual reality technology - is expected to witness robust growth in the next few years, with the compound average growth rate tipped to reach 88 percent, according to US-based market intelligence company ABI Research.

By 2020, roughly 65 million HMD units are expected to be sold globally, it says.

"In future, mobile phone-based virtual reality devices, like Samsung's Gear VR, may outperform those that can perform functions without the mobile phone, such as Oculus Rift, because the former is lower in price and technical requirements," says ABI analyst Eric Abbruzzese.

Although Royole-X falls into the latter category and was born four years after the world's first 3D HMD - Sony's HMZ-T1 - Liu is optimistic about its performance.

"Royole-X solves the problems confronting current HMD products, like low resolution, poor visual effect and an imperfect look," he argues, while admitting there is still much room for improvement to make it lighter and thinner.

That also explains why Royole-X is created and, from a broader perspective, the origin behind the company's efforts.

"Solving problems in the industry or in society", as Liu puts, "is the most important intention that drives us."

sally@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 10/15/2015 page7)