Corning has just announced the next generation of its Gorilla Glass, aptly named Gorilla Glass 2. Not only is the new glass much harder but it’s thinner and is significantly more scratch resistant than the previous iteration.

Corning will officially unveil the new glass at CES next week, along with a 82 inch multitouch LCD display using the glass. While we’re not sure when we’ll begin to see devices ship with the glass but we can imagine it will become the go-to sturdy glass for manufacturers going forward. Gorilla Glass is currently found in almost 600 different products today and is protecting more than 500 million products worldwide.

In a nutshell, Gorilla Glass 2 is harder than other glass. We’d like to see just how or if this next generation Gorilla Glass compares to the Lotus Glass we heard about just a few months back.

Stay tuned for more Gorilla Glass love at CES next week where we will get to put it to the test.

Press release after the break

Corning to Showcase Glass Innovation for

Consumer Electronics Design at CES 2012

New Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 to be introduced

CORNING, N.Y., January 05, 2012 – Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced its plans for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week. The Corning booth, #12642 Central Hall, will showcase the critical role of highly engineered specialty glass in addressing emerging trends highlighted at CES 2012, including: increased functionality from smaller form factors; touch technology; connected devices in new application spaces; and sleek, durable large-format design aesthetics.

A key feature of Corning’s CES exposure will be the introduction of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2, the next generation of the popular, damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices.

“Corning Gorilla Glass has been a tremendous success for Corning, enjoying excellent market acceptance across mobile device industries. Handset and tablet device manufacturers are clearly driving toward higher functionality from thinner designs. Corning’s latest innovation in Gorilla Glass technology is very well positioned to meet these challenges and enable broader touch technology penetration,” said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. Product details will be included in an announcement planned for Monday, Jan. 9.

CES attendees can engage with Corning experts and technologies featuring the latest applications and benefits of Corning Gorilla Glass innovations. “As we did last year, we’ll provide consumers and customers visiting the Corning booth the opportunity to test first-hand the outstanding damage resistance and flexibility of this industry-leading, ultra-thin, and tough specialty glass,” Steiner added.

Corning Gorilla Glass, the technology that made Corning one of the most talked-about companies at CES 2011, is currently featured on more than 30 major brands and designed into more than 575 product models, spanning more than 500 million units worldwide.

The Corning booth will also explore the benefits of Corning Gorilla Glass in larger format, touch displays for education, entertainment, auto, and home appliance applications featuring new design possibilities. These include:

An 82-inch advanced multi-touch LCD display prototype featuring Corning Gorilla Glass as a durable, touch-sensitive, and elegant cover glass.

Touch-enabled automobile interior and home appliance center simulators demonstrating the enhanced user interface experience that thin, durable glass can enable in new design applications.

A centerpiece, Gorilla Glass-covered video wall, flanked by Gorilla Glass fabricated sound speakers, projecting the latest in Corning specialty glass technology news.

Additionally, Dr. Peter Bocko, Corning’s chief technology officer for Corning Glass Technologies and one of the foremost glass experts in the display industry, will be a panelist in the “Beyond the Flat Screen” session on Thursday, Jan. 12, 1:30 p.m. PST. He will discuss the latest advances in screen resolution, viewing angle, sunlight performance, and power consumption in an effort to isolate new products and opportunities.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 160 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy, and metrology.

[Via: Corning, AndroidCommunity]