CONSUMER
Digital paper gets closer to reality
26-05-2003
by Ralph Averbuch
Philips and E Ink, the developer of paper-like displays, have unveiled new, joint prototypes with vastly improved resolution.
The prototypes, which were on show at this year's Society for Information Display Exposition and Symposium in Baltimore, USA, included a dual-display electronic reader designed by Philips. The sharp display features a resolution at 160 pixels per inch (ppi), much higher than previous public efforts from E Ink. This advance comes courtesy of the company's electronic ink display material and Philips' custom designed thin-film-transistor (TFT) backplane and supporting driver electronics.
"This is the first time E Ink and Philips have integrated such custom components into a fully functional display and it is a major milestone in the two companies' continued progress towards commercialisation," said Jim Veninger, Philips general manager, new displays business development.
Alluding to plans for commercial roll-out of this new display technology, Dan Button, E Ink's vice president and general manager said, "E Ink and Philips will be the first to commercialise true paper-like displays using electronic ink technology with mass production of electronic ink modules for our lead customer in early 2004 and broad commercial availability later that year."
E Ink's electronic ink displays have caught the imagination of the techno-literate classes, due to their thin, paper-like qualities and low-power consumption. Electronic ink displays are currently being developed for many applications, from handhelds to large format replacements for PC displays, though E Ink is just one of a number of companies seeking to exploit the opportunities of thin and flexible display technologies.
Similar technologies are already being trialled as a viable alternative to current mobile phone displays, due to their low-power characteristics.
Images of the E Ink prototypes are available from the E Ink Web site.
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