Virtually every aspect of information technology has sold itself as better
than paper. More convenient, faster, more interactive -- look at all those
hyperlinks! -- kills fewer trees, you name it. Two companies working on a new
display technology, however, are promising to deliver a product as much like paper as
possible.
At a San Jose symposium, Philips
Components and E Ink Corp.
demonstrated the first prototypes of high-resolution, active-matrix
electronic ink displays for smart handheld devices.
The displays promise paper-like
quality, with sharp colors and high readability not seen in the LCD displays
on current devices. They also may prove useful to enable the kind of highly graphical
mobile applications promised by 3G technologies. Because they are more readable in
various lighting conditions, the displays could be worth their
weight in ink just by making it easier to go mobile.
"This is going to enable a new generation of mobile devices that are
lighter, thinner and have much more readable screens," Russ Wilcox, E Ink
cofounder, vice president and general manager, told Wireless Newsfactor.
High Visibility, Low Power
The prototypes are on display this week at the Society for Information
Display Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition. Each prototype is a
5-inch-diagonal sheet of E Ink's electronic ink integrated with Philips'
display technology.
E Ink's electronic ink offers displays with nearly the crispness of paper.
Because it contains the same coloring agents as normal ink and paper,
electronic ink is more than six times brighter than reflective LCDs, exceeds
newspapers in contrast ratio, and reads easily in both dim light and full
sunlight, according to E Ink.
Like paper, electronic ink displays have a
clear image that can be seen at any angle without a change in contrast,
unlike LCDs. The companies also expect their displays to be up to twice as slim as
traditional LCDs.
A power  -saving bonus is that electronic ink displays allow a fixed image to
remain on the screen even after the power source is shut off, which can
improve battery life.
The bright paper-white background of electronic ink
also eliminates the need for a backlight in most conditions, according to
the company. When commercialized, electronic ink displays will draw less
than one-tenth the power required by other low-power handheld display
technologies, such as reflective LCDs.
Working Relationship
The partnership that produced these prototypes is only four months old, but
commercial release won't come at quite such a lightning pace. Philips and E
Ink said their fast-track efforts will put high-resolution, electronic ink
displays for handhelds on the market in 2003. (continued...)
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