Paper Gadgets

Fujitsu announced a newly-enhanced color e-paper

2010-05-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Kawasaki and Tokyo, Japan, May 7, 2010 — Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of a newly-enhanced color electronic paper (e-paper) that features the world's highest-level color image quality. By extensively redesigning the panel structure and image re-write methods of Fujitsu's previous-version color e-paper, in addition to offering bright color, Fujitsu has improved contrast ratio to 7:1 (a threefold improvement compared to Fujitsu's previous version), and has made the image re-write speed twice as fast at 0.7 seconds compared to Fujitsu's previous color e-paper, thus enabling smooth image transitions and color display quality that is at the highest levels available for color e-paper.

Fujitsu's feature-enhanced new color e-paper will be exhibited as reference at Fujitsu Forum 2010, Fujitsu's largest annual event in Japan, to be held May 13 - 14 at Tokyo International Forum.

Background

E-paper is being heralded as an environmentally friendly electronic display medium that is lightweight and thin like paper, consumes little power, and allows an image to be freely redrawn. While most e-paper applications to date - such as e-book readers - have been monochrome (black and white), Fujitsu Laboratories pioneered the development and practical use of color e-paper, and in 2007 Fujitsu Frontech Limited brought to market FLEPia, the world's first portable information terminal equipped with a color e-paper display.

With demand on the rise for e-paper in areas such as e-book readers and public advertisements, anticipation is mounting for e-paper technology that can display color.

Technological Challenges

Although extensive R&D in the industry has been conducted for e-paper, in the past as it had been difficult to simultaneously achieve various functionality, such as the ability to feature brightness in color, and simultaneously enhancing brightness and greater contrast ratios while achieving faster re-write speeds, there is anticipation for improvements in color e-paper featuring further enhanced display functionality.

Overview of Newly-developed Technology

The new feature-enhanced color e-paper developed by Fujitsu Laboratories and to be commercialized by Fujitsu Frontech employs a layered construction found in cholesteric liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels with an image memory function, and makes use of the reflective properties in each color layer where the cholesteric liquid crystals reflect a specific wavelength of light of red, green, or blue (Figure 2). Compared to the reflective displays using a color-filter array widely used in conventional LCDs, Fujitsu's cholesteric LCD method allows for a display that features colors with greater vibrancy and brightness.

Fujitsu's new feature-enhanced color e-paper has achieved the world's highest color-image quality, in an extremely slim film panel. Key features of the new color e-paper are as follows:

1. Vibrant color display

Fujitsu Laboratories developed a new liquid-crystal material with superior reflective characteristics that can reflect more incoming light, as well as widening the aperture ratio (the effective reflective region) of the display panel to minimize light loss, resulting in a reflectance of 33% (1.3 times brighter compared to Fujitsu's previous color e-paper).

2. High contrast ratio

With a panel structure that suppresses excess reflection caused by the scattering of incident light when displaying black, the new color e-paper features a 7:1 contrast ratio (three times greater than Fujitsu's previous color e-paper).

3. Smooth re-writing of the display image

A newly developed driver control method results in re-write speeds that are roughly twice as fast the speeds of Fujitsu's previous color e-paper, enabling the re-write display of a high-resolution image (1,024 x 768 XGA) in 0.7 seconds.

Results

Enhanced brightness and contrast offered by Fujitsu's new color e-paper allows for more attractive, readable displays, while improvements in write speed result in smoother image transitions. These significant performance improvements in e-paper display technology have broadened its range of potential applications as a paper-like electronic media, such as applications in portable electronic media like e-book readers, public billboards and commercial advertising.

Future Developments

Fujitsu Frontech is scheduled to commercialize the new color e-paper technology this fall for the Japanese market. Fujitsu will continue with further development of its new color e-paper to apply it in portable information devices and other various applications.

Mirasol modular color e-reader

2009-11-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

Mirasol, a subsidiary of phone chipmaking giant Qualcomm, has been turning out tiny, clever colour screens for a while, but starting in the Autumn of next year, it’ll upscale its technology to 5.7-inch displays designed for e-readers. The display isn’t eInk, but a different technology that uses flexible membranes and a mirrored screen, which once set to a certain colour don’t need power to maintain. In other words, it allows for smooth colour e-reader displays without impacting battery life.

Mirasol’s screen isn’t backlit so is incredibly easy on the eye (221 dpi resolution), is full colour, and though the proof of concept here is a still, will even allow for 30Hz refresh rates – in other words, smooth video. Mirasol demoed video running smoothly on a smaller colour panel, and it was certainly watchable.

update: Video and more info can be found here: http://www.mirasoldisplays.com/ereader/

E Ink to be bought for $215M by Prime View International

2009-06-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — E Ink Corp., the maker of the innovative display for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader, said Monday it has agreed to be acquired by a Taiwanese company for $215 million.
The buyer is Prime View International, which has been Cambridge, Mass.-based E Ink's partner in making "electronic ink" displays for Amazon.com Inc. and Sony Corp.
The deal will help the combined company develop color versions of its displays and mass produce them by the end of 2010, said Sriram Peruvemba, E Ink's vice president of marketing. Current models show shades of gray.
Privately held E Ink is expected to demonstrate its latest color display prototypes Tuesday at a display technology show in San Antonio.
E Ink's displays are used in e-book readers because they look similar to regular paper and consume very little power. However, they take a relatively long time to switch between images, making navigation slow.
E Ink makes the top layer of the electronic ink displays, then ships them to Prime View, which adds a bottom layer that's similar to those used in LCD panels. Prime View bought the electronic ink technology of Royal Philips Electronics NV in 2005.
E Ink, which was spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it had raised more than $150 million from investors, including Intel Corp., Motorola Corp. and Hearst Corp. E Ink had first-quarter revenue of $18 million. It has not revealed whether it is profitable.
Peruvemba said E Ink expects to keep its offices and factory in Massachusetts and is continuing to hire, but the headquarters of the combined company will be in Taiwan.

Amazon inroduces Kindle DX

2009-05-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kindle DX–Amazon’s Large Screen Addition to the Kindle Family of Wireless Reading Devices

Large Kindle DX Display and New Features Provide Enhanced Experience for Reading a Wide Range of Professional and Personal Documents
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May. 6, 2009– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today introduced Amazon Kindle DX, the new purpose-built reading device that offers Kindle’s revolutionary wireless delivery and massive selection of content with a large 9.7-inch electronic paper display, built-in PDF reader, auto-rotate capability, and storage for up to 3,500 books. More than 275,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, including 107 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers. New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases are $9.99 unless marked otherwise. Top U.S. and international magazines and newspapers plus more than 1,500 blogs are also available. Kindle DX is available for pre-order starting today for $489 at http://amazon.com/kindleDX and will ship this summer.

“Personal and professional documents look so good on the big Kindle DX display that you’ll find yourself changing ink-toner cartridges less often,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Cookbooks, computer books, and textbooks – anything highly formatted – also shine on the Kindle DX. Carry all your documents and your whole library in one slender package.”

New Large Display

Kindle DX’s display has 2.5 times the surface area of Kindle’s 6-inch display. The larger electronic paper display with 16 shades of gray has more area for graphic-rich content such as professional and personal documents, newspapers and magazines, and textbooks. Kindle reads like printed words on paper because the screen works using real ink and doesn’t use a backlight, eliminating the eyestrain and glare associated with other electronic displays.

The New York Times Company and Washington Post Company are launching pilots with Kindle DX this summer. The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post will offer the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home-delivery is not available and who sign up for a long-term subscription to the Kindle edition of the newspapers.

“At The New York Times Company we are always seeking new ways for our millions of readers to have full and continuing access to our high-quality news and information,” said Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., chairman, The New York Times Company and publisher, The New York Times. “The wireless delivery and new value-added features of the Kindle DX will provide our large, loyal audience, no matter where they live, with an exciting new way to interact with The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Additionally, by offering a subscription through the Kindle DX to readers who live outside of our delivery areas, we will extend our reach to our loyal readers who will be able to more readily enjoy their favorite newspapers. Meanwhile, we are continuing to work with Amazon to make The New York Times and The Boston Globe experiences on Kindle better than ever.”

Kindle DX’s large display offers an enhanced reading experience with another category of graphic-rich content—textbooks. With complex images, tables, charts, graphs, and equations, textbooks look best on a large display. Leading textbook publishers Cengage Learning, Pearson, and Wiley, together representing more than 60 percent of the U.S. higher education textbook market, will begin offering textbooks through the Kindle Store beginning this summer. Textbooks under the following brands will be available: Addison-Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman & Prentice Hall (Pearson); Wadsworth, Brooks/Cole, Course Technology, Delmar, Heinle, Schirmer, South-Western (Cengage); and Wiley Higher Education.

Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Princeton University, Reed College, and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia will launch trial programs to make Kindle DX devices available to students this fall. The schools will distribute hundreds of Kindle DX devices to students spread across a broad range of academic disciplines. In addition to reading on a considerably larger screen, students will be able to take advantage of popular Kindle features such as the ability to take notes and highlight, search across their library, look up words in a built-in dictionary, and carry all of their books in a lightweight device.

“The Kindle DX holds enormous potential to influence the way students learn,” said Barbara R. Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University. “We look forward to seeing how the device affects the participation of both students and faculty in the educational experience.”

New Built-In PDF Reader

Kindle DX features a built-in PDF reader using Adobe Reader Mobile technology for reading professional and personal documents. Like other types of documents on Kindle, customers simply email their PDF format documents to their Kindle email address or move them over using a USB connection. With a larger display and built-in PDF reader, Kindle DX customers can read professional and personal documents with more complex layouts without scrolling, panning, or zooming, and without re-flowing, which destroys the original structure of the document. Everything from annual reports with graphs to flight manuals with maps to musical scores can be viewed on a single, crisp screen with Kindle DX.

New Auto-Rotation

Kindle DX’s display content auto-rotates so users can read in portrait or landscape mode, or flip the device to read with either hand. Simply turn Kindle DX and immediately see full-width landscape views of maps, graphs, tables, images, and Web pages.

New 3.3 GB Memory Holds Up To 3,500 Books

With 3.3 GB of available memory, Kindle DX can hold up to 3,500 books, compared with 1,500 with Kindle. And because Amazon automatically backs up a copy of every Kindle book purchased, customers can wirelessly re-download titles from their library at any time.

Incredibly Thin

Kindle DX is just over a third of an inch thin, which is thinner than most magazines.

3G Wireless, No PC, No Hunting for Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Just like Kindle, Kindle DX customers automatically take advantage of Amazon Whispernet to wirelessly shop the Kindle Store, download or receive new content in less than 60 seconds, and read from their library—all without a PC, Wi-Fi hot spot, or syncing. Amazon still pays for the wireless connectivity on Kindle DX so books can be downloaded in less than 60 seconds—with no monthly fees, data plans, or service contracts.

Syncs With Kindle for iPhone and other Kindle Compatible Devices

Just like Kindle, Kindle DX uses Amazon Whispersync technology to automatically sync content across Kindle, Kindle DX, Kindle for iPhone, and other devices in the future. With Whispersync, customers can easily move from device to device and never lose their place in their reading.

Massive Selection of Books—Plus Newspapers, Magazines, and Blogs

The Kindle Store currently offers more than 275,000 books, including popular books like New York Times Bestsellers, New Releases, and fiction and nonfiction released in the past several years. Dozens of newspapers and magazines are also available for subscription or single-edition purchase. BusinessWeek and The New England Journal of Medicine are available in the Kindle Store starting today, and The Economist will be available soon. Subscriptions are auto-delivered wirelessly to Kindle overnight so that the latest edition is waiting for customers when they wake up. Over 1,500 blogs are available on Kindle and updated and downloaded wirelessly throughout the day.

Kindle DX includes all the other features Kindle customers enjoy every day, including:

Wirelessly send, receive, and read personal documents in a variety of formats such as Microsoft Word and PDF
Look up words instantly using the built-in 250,000 word New Oxford American Dictionary
Choose from six text sizes
Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights
Text-to-speech technology that converts words on a page to spoken word
Search Web, Wikipedia.org, Kindle Store, and your library of purchased content
No setup required—Kindle comes ready to use—no software to load or set up
Amazon Kindle is sold through Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Bridgestone Develops Propietary Color E-paper Device with Pen-input Capability

2009-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Bridgestone Corp developed a color electronic paper (e-paper) device that supports pen input. The device combines the "QR-LPD," the company's e-paper device using its proprietary electronic powder and granular material, with a color filter and Wacom Co Ltd's electromagnetic induction type pen input tablet.

To enable the pen input, Bridgestone accelerated the screen refresh speed of the e-paper device. It now takes only 0.8 seconds to refresh the screen, whereas the company's previous A4-size e-paper device needs 10 to 15 seconds.

Although the company did not reveal the details, it quickened the refresh speed primarily by improving drive technologies, it said. This enhanced the device's ability to follow the pen input and enabled it to display input texts and graphics smoothly.

This e-paper device features a passive matrix panel. Bridgestone exhibited the new color e-paper device at a trade show taking place in Tokyo.

First Color E-Book Reader Goes on Sale

2009-03-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Tokyo and Kawasaki, Japan, March 18, 2009 – Fujitsu Frontech Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Limited today announced the start of consumer sales in Japan of the world’s first color e-paper mobile terminal, FLEPia, available for purchase from today through Fujitsu Frontech’s online store “FrontechDirect”. Developed by Fujitsu Frontech and Fujitsu Laboratories, FLEPia is the first ever mobile information terminal to feature color electronic paper (color e-paper). In addition to being lightweight and thin, the color e-paper mobile terminal features an easy-to-view 8-inch display screen capable of showing up to 260,000 colors in high-definition, in addition to being equipped with Bluetooth and high-speed wireless LAN. FLEPia is also power-efficient, enabling up to 40 hours of continuous battery operation when fully charged, and does not require power for continuous display of a screen image, consuming power only during re-draw. Featuring significant storage capabilities, when used with a 4GB SD card, the color e-paper terminal can store the equivalent of 5,000 conventional paper-based books when each book is 300 pages long at 600KB per book, thus being environmentally friendly.　In Japan, FLEPia can now be easily ordered from Fujitsu Frontech’s online store. As an additional option, through Fujitsu Frontech’s dedicated website, FLEPia users can purchase e-books from the largest e-book online retailer in Japan and download the e-books directly into FLEPia. As the only color e-paper mobile terminal commercially available, FLEPia offers a convenient, paper-free and eco-conscious enriched innovative mobile reading experience to users.

Background
Fujitsu Frontech and Fujitsu Laboratories co-developed proprietary color e-paper, and announced the launch of FLEPia in April 2007 as the world’s first color e-paper mobile terminal. Previously, commercial samples of FLEPia were available for purchase on a limited basis for corporate use only, as part of field trials of the first ever color e-paper mobile terminal. Compared to the FLEPia commercial samples which were used in field marketing, the latest FLEPia offers 1.5 times higher brightness and greater contrast, enabled through optimization of the color e-paper’s optical properties. Re-draw speed was also enhanced by 1.7 times. In addition to previously available high-speed wireless LAN, FLEPia is equipped with Bluetooth, enabling users to easily download and access various content from nearly any desired location.

Key Features
1. Lightweight, thin and high-performance: 8-inch screen displays up to 260,000 colors in high-definition
Weighing just 385 grams (385g) and only 12.5mm thick, FLEPia is lightweight and easily portable, while offering an easy-to-view 8-inch screen. Featuring world-leading color e-paper technologies, the mobile display terminal enables users to view a multitude of documents and images in high-definition at 768 dots x 1,014 dots (XGA), with up to 260,000 displayable colors (4,096-color and 64-color display is also possible, if desired).
2. Power-efficient color e-paper; enables up to 40-hour continuous battery operation
As the color e-paper employed displays text or images by reflecting external light, FLEPia does not require power to maintain screen display, consuming power only during re-draw (power consumption is approximately just 1/50 that of standard notebook PCs under similar usage conditions). When fully-charged, FLEPia offers up to 40 hours of continuous battery operation (conditions: display of 2,400 pages at 1 page per minute with 64 colors).
3. Feature-rich external interface (Japan: Bluetooth, high-speed wireless LAN)
Equipped with Bluetooth in addition to high-speed wireless LAN, FLEPia offers dial-up connection via various Japanese mobile carriers, thus enabling easy download of content featuring images and text (excluding audio and video content) from nearly any desired location. Also included as standard features are a USB mini-B connector supporting USB2.0 (480Mbps) and a SD memory card slot. Stereo speakers (embedded) offer audio playback of e-books, including picture books.
4. User-friendly operation: touch screen, digital stylus, scroll key, function buttons
A touch screen featured on the 8-inch display screen, along with a digital pen, enables easy operation of FLEPia. Also included are a scroll key and 6 function buttons, enabling users to freely and quickly implement commands on the screen in all 4 directions (up, down, left, right), as desired.
5. Two e-book viewers included as standard features (XMDF and .book formats)
Two popular e-book viewers widely used on PCs or mobile phones in Japan - “BunkoViewer” (XMDF format; “bunko” refers to “library” in Japanese) and “T-Time” (.book format) are included as standard features. These e-book viewers enable downloaded e-books to be easily read with FLEPia. The e-book viewers offer an enriched reading experience compared to conventional paper-based reading, enabling readers to jump from the table of contents to desired sections and freely enlarge or shrink text or images. A vast number of e-book sites are currently available on the Internet, and a wide range of approximately 20,000 Japanese e-books in either XMDF or .book format can be downloaded with FLEPia (see “Content Storage Capacity” under Specifications).
6. Equipped with Windows CE5.0 (Japanese version)
In addition to the content browser, Microsoft’s Windows CE5.0 (Japanese version) enables use of an internet browser, e-mail, and various software on FLEPia. Microsoft’s Office can also be used to generate text documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, making it possible to view a variety of documents - including e-mail file attachments - while in transit or in the field and away from an office environment, thus fully maximizing FLEPia’s multiple functions as a mobile information terminal. In terms of text input, a software keyboard and digital stylus make it possible to send e-mails and other text.

Dedicated customer-support website offers technical support, maintenance, software upgrades (Japan)
Fujitsu Frontech will offer a dedicated customer-support site, FLEPia World, on its Japanese website. FLEPia World will offer product information to potential customers considering purchase of FLEPia, in addition to technical and maintenance support to FLEPia users. Software upgrades will be offered free-of-charge.
Furthermore, customers will have the option of purchasing e-books through the FLEPia World website via Japan’s largest e-book online retailer - offered through a collaboration between the retailer PAPYLESS CO.,Ltd. and Fujitsu Frontech - and downloading the e-books directly onto FLEPia.

Pricing, Options, and Shipment

Product		FrontechDirect on-line purchase price** (Japan)	Availability (Japan)
FLEPia unit set* (White or Black)		99,750 JPY	From April 20, 2009
Options (sold separately)	Book cover (White or Black)	5,800 JPY	From April 20, 2009
Options (sold separately)	Storage case (White or Black)	5,500 JPY	From April 20, 2009

*Set includes USB cable (mini-B connector), AC adaptor, stand, wrist strap

**Prices include 5% consumption tax

Sales Target (Japan)

50,000 units by the end of 2010

Specifications

Dimensions, Weight	158mm (Width) × 240mm (Height) × 12.5mm (Depth. Thinnest section: 11.3mm) , Weight: 385g
Screen Size	8-inch (123.6mm x 164.8mm)
Unit Colors	White or Black
Resolution	768 dots x 1024 dots (XGA)
Number of Displayable Colors	260,000 colors (3 Scans); 4,096 (2 Scans); 64 colors (1 Scan)
Re-Draw Speed	1.8 seconds (1 Scan), 5 seconds (2 Scans), 8 seconds (3 Scans)
Wireless LAN (embedded)	IEEE802.11b/g（11/54Mbps *¹）
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Ver2.0+EDR
Memory	SD Memory Card*² (Maximum up to 4GB)
USB Connector	USB2.0 (480Mbps) mini-B connector × 1
Audio	Stereo speakers (embedded), headphone connector x 1
Power Supply	Lithium polymer battery (embedded), AC adaptor Fully-charged continuous operation： 40 continuous hours (Conditions: Display of 2,400 pages/at 1 minute per page/with 64 colors)
Content Storage Capacity (when used with a 4GB SD card)	Equivalent to 5,000 paper-based books when each book is 300 pages long with 600KB per book
Security	128Bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
Software	FLEPia application, Japanese version Microsoft Windows CE5.0, Japanese e-book viewers: BunkoViewer (XMDF), T-Time (.book)
CPU (embedded)	XScale RISC CPU
Environmental Operating Conditions	Operation: Temperature range: 5 to 35 degrees Celsius, Humidity: 20 to 80% RH Storage: Temperature range: - 10 to 50 degrees Celsius, Humidity: 20 to 80% RH

*¹ Figure indicates theoretical maximum transmission rate for standard

wireless LAN; does not indicate actual data transmission speed.

Fujitsu Explores Color E-newspaper Potential at Restaurants

2009-02-16T03:22:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu Ltd and Fujitsu Frontech Ltd will conduct a verification test of a mobile information terminal that uses color electronic paper with SoftBank Telecom Corp and Mainichi Newspapers Co Ltd.

Customers of "Termina Kinshicho Fujiya Restaurant" can pick up the terminals equipped with a color electronic paper module on the tables and browse newspapers and advertisements wirelessly sent to the terminals. The four companies will verify whether the electronic paper module can be accepted as a terminal for reading newspapers and other content, and whether the service can promote sales and boost customer satisfaction.

The test is scheduled for Feb 4 to 13, 2009, using Fujitsu Frontech's "FLEPia," a mobile information terminal incorporating color electronic paper. The companies installed four units of the FLEPia so that the restaurant customers can use them for free.

The content delivered to the terminals includes "Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun" (Mainichi Newspaper for Elementary School Students), advertisements for Fujiya Restaurant and the "Termina" shopping mall, timetables of JR (Japan Railways) trains and weather forecasts.

Users can read the newspapers by operating the terminal while waiting for their orders, or enjoy viewing the advertisements and timetables that are automatically switched to a different screen every several minutes when the terminal is not being operated, such as when the users are eating.

This system uses the "BB Mobile Point" wireless LAN service to deliver the content and to regularly update the content being displayed on the FLEPia.

The electronic paper modules use electricity only when they switch the displayed information. As they don't need to be charged during business hours, there is no need to provide electricity to the table. LCD panel-based terminals, which have been used on tables, require an electrical supply at the table.

Via Tech On

Android on E-ink device: proof of concept

2009-02-14T05:14:00.000-08:00

MOTO Development Group’s releases video “Android Meets E Ink” explaining and demonstrating their integration of Google’s Android operating system with an E Ink electronic paper device broadsheet kit.

Google developed Android explicitly to run on cell phones, but it is robust enough to run on other devices. Because Android is open source, and supported by a robust development community, it is a candidate to grow beyond its mobile device roots. MOTO Labs developed a custom USB driver to bring Google’s Android OS to the E Ink development kit.

The E Ink broadsheet development kit is connected to Beagle Board via USB. E Ink is an electronic paper display technology with a paper-like, high contrast appearance, ultra low-power consumption, and a thin, light form. It is “bi-stable” - meaning it only uses power when it refreshes the screen. The advantages of this kind of low-power screen device updated via wireless internet access could bring this connected technology to wearable computing or other screen uses that demand long-term deployment before recharging. Now a new world of creative developers can extend the functionality of and write applications for this low-power screen technology.

MOTO labs is working towards customized solutions that employ not only Android but Ubuntu, Linux, and Adobe AIR platforms for custom web-connected application development. We are actively extending our multi-touch and gestural interfaces expertise to these platforms. MOTO is also developing prototypes for better remote management of connected devices with a range of approaches from Mac & PC based device management applications to over-the- air wireless firmware and software updates. Stay tuned to labs.moto.com for more on this thread.

Google developed Android explicitly to run on cell phones, but it is robust enough to run on other devices. Because Android is open source, and supported by a robust development community, it is a candidate to grow beyond its mobile device roots.

The development of a USB driver brings Android operating system to the E Ink development kit. Now a new world of creative developers can extend the functionality of and write applications for this low-power screen technology.

Android Meets E Ink from MOTO Development Group on Vimeo.

Why E Ink?
E Ink is an electronic paper display technology with a paper-like, high contrast appearance, ultra low-power consumption, and a thin, light form. It is “bi-stable” - meaning it only uses power when it refreshes the screen. The advantages of this kind of low-power screen device updated via wireless internet access could bring this connected technology to wearable computing or other screen uses that demand long-term deployment before recharging.

Digging Deeper
MOTO labs is working towards customized solutions that employ not only Android but Ubuntu, Linux, and Adobe AIR platforms for custom web-connected application development. We are actively extending our multi-touch and gestural interfaces expertise to these platforms. MOTO is also developing prototypes for better remote management of connected devices with a range of approaches from Mac & PC based device management applications to over-the-air wireless firmware and software updates. Stay tuned to labs.moto.com for more on this thread.

Building a Bridge
Picture below shows how the E Ink broadsheet development kit is connected to Beagle Board via USB. A custom E Ink driver acts as the bridge.
The E Ink screen image shows the signature Android clock-scape.

Components
A diagrammatic view on how the application processor (Beagle Board) connects up to the display co-processor (E Ink Broadsheet) via USB.

Ideas for next generation connected devices? Email collaborate@labs.moto.com or leave a comment here.

Links
TI Beagle Board development kit
E Ink development kit

Amazon Kindle 2

2009-02-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2009-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today introduced Amazon Kindle 2, the new reading device that offers Kindle’s revolutionary wireless delivery of content in a new slim design with longer battery life, faster page turns, over seven times more storage, sharper images, and a new read-to-me feature. Kindle 2 is purpose-built for reading with a high-resolution 6-inch electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, which lets users read for hours without the eyestrain caused by reading on a backlit display. More than 230,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, including 103 of 110 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases, which are typically $9.99. Top U.S. and international magazines and newspapers plus more than 1,200 different blogs are also available. Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today for $359 at http://amazon.com/kindle2 and will ship February 24.

“Kindle 2 is everything customers tell us they love about the original Kindle, only thinner, faster, crisper, with longer battery life, and capable of holding hundreds more books. If you want, Kindle 2 will even read to you — something new we added that a book could never do,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “While we’re excited about Kindle 2, we know that great hardware is useless without vast selection. That’s why the Kindle Store offers customers over 230,000 books.”

New Slim and Sleek Design

The new Kindle 2 features a completely new design. At just over a third of an inch thin (0.36 inches) and weighing just over 10 ounces, Kindle 2 is pencil thin and lighter than a typical paperback. New buttons make it easy to turn the page from any holding position. The new 5-way controller on Kindle 2 allows for more precise note-taking and highlighting both up and down and side to side in lines of text. The new controller also makes it easy to quickly jump between articles and sections of newspapers. Kindle 2 comes with a redesigned power charger that is more portable than the previous Kindle charger. The official Amazon.com cover for Kindle 2, which is sold separately, has an integrated attachment hinge to ensure a secure fit and features a leather cover for style and durability. Patagonia, Cole Haan and Belkin also designed covers for Kindle 2 that are available in the Kindle Store.

New Crisper, Faster Display

Kindle 2’s 6-inch, 600 x 800 electronic paper display provides 16 shades of gray versus 4 shades available in the original Kindle, resulting in crisp text, and sharper images and photos. Kindle reads like printed words on paper because the screen works using real ink and doesn’t use a backlight, eliminating the eyestrain and glare associated with other electronic displays. With the latest electronic paper display, pages turn an average of 20 percent faster than the original Kindle for an even smoother reading experience.

New 2 GB Memory Holds Over 1,500 Books

With 2 GB of memory, Kindle 2 can hold more than 1,500 books, compared with 200 with the original Kindle. And because Amazon automatically backs up a copy of every Kindle book purchased, customers can wirelessly re-download titles in their library at any time.

25% Longer Battery Life

Kindle 2 customers can read for four to five days on one charge with wireless on and for over two weeks with wireless turned off.

New Instant Dictionary Lookup

Kindle 2 comes with the New Oxford American Dictionary and its 250,000 word definitions built-in, and with Kindle 2 definitions appear instantly at the bottom of the page.

New Experimental Read-To-Me Feature

Kindle 2 offers the experimental read-to-me feature “Text-to-Speech” that converts words on a page to spoken word so customers have the option to read or listen. Customers can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and their spot is automatically saved. Pages turn automatically while the content is being read so customers can listen hands-free. Customers can choose to be read to by male or female voices and can choose the speed to suit their listening preference. Using the read-to-me feature, anything you can read on Kindle, including books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and personal documents, Kindle 2 can read to you.

Still Wireless, Still No PC, Still No Hunting for Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Kindle 2 uses the same wireless delivery system as the original Kindle — Amazon Whispernet. Customers can wirelessly shop the Kindle Store, download or receive new content in less than 60 seconds, and read from their library — all without a PC, Wi-Fi hot spot, or syncing. Whispernet utilizes Amazon’s optimized technology plus Sprint’s national 3G data network and is expanded to cover all 50 U.S. states. Amazon still pays for the wireless connectivity on Kindle 2 so books can be downloaded in less than 60 seconds — with no monthly wireless bills, data plans, or service commitments.

Automatically Syncs With Original Kindle, Kindle 2, and future devices

Amazon’s new “Whispersync” technology automatically syncs Kindle 2 and the original Kindle, which makes transitioning to the new Kindle 2 or using both devices easy for customers. Kindle 2 will also sync with a range of mobile devices in the future.

Earth’s Biggest E-book Store Keeps Expanding, Plus New Stephen King Exclusive

The Kindle Store currently offers more than 230,000 books — up from 90,000 when Kindle launched. Books from numerous popular authors have been added since the original Kindle launched, includingJohn Steinbeck, C.S. Lewis, Beverly Cleary, Martha Stewart, Terry Goodkind, and Spencer Johnson.

Author Stephen King announced today that he is releasing a novella, “Ur,” which will only be available on Kindle. At the center of Ur is lovelorn college English instructor Wesley Smith, who can't seem to get his ex-girlfriend's parting shot out of his head: "Why can't you just read off the computer like the rest of us?" Egged on by her question and piqued by a student's suggestion, Wesley places an order for a Kindle. Smith’s Kindle arrives in a box stamped with the smile logo and unlocks a literary world that even the most avid of book lovers could never imagine. But once the door is open, there are those things that one hopes we'll never read or live through. Ur is available for pre-order beginning today and will be released later this month. For Kindle customers who pre-order, King’s new novella will download automatically when it becomes available.

The Kindle Store now includes many additional magazines and newspapers, such as The New Yorker, which is available for the first time on Kindle starting today. Magazines and newspaper subscriptions are auto-delivered wirelessly to Kindle overnight so that the latest edition is waiting for customers when they wake up. Monthly Kindle newspaper subscriptions are $5.99 to $14.99 per month, and Kindle magazines are $1.25 to $3.49 per month.

Over 1,200 blogs are available on Kindle today — up from 250 when Kindle launched. New blogs added to the Kindle Store recently include the Wired blogs, VF Daily and James Wolcott’s Blog fromVanity Fair. Blogs are updated and downloaded wirelessly throughout the day so Kindle customers can read blogs whenever and wherever they want. Wireless delivery of blogs costs as little as $0.99each per month and includes a free two-week trial.

Same Popular Kindle Features

Kindle 2 includes all the features Kindle customers enjoy every day, including:

Choose from six text sizes
Add bookmarks, notes, and highlights
Read personal documents such as Microsoft Word and PDF, and view images, all delivered wirelessly
Search Web, Wikipedia.org, Kindle Store, and Your Kindle Library where customers’ purchased content is stored
No setup required — Kindle comes ready to use — no software to load or set up

Kindle is available for pre-order starting today for $359 at http://amazon.com/kindle2 and will ship on February 24. Customers who are currently in line for the original Kindle will receive an automatic upgrade to the new Kindle 2.

E-paper that enables large screen displays with multi-tiling

2008-11-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

NEC LCD Technologies has successfully developed A3 and A4 sized electronic paper using the microcapsule electrophoretic system.

Developed by E Ink Corporation (USA), the electrophoretics system contains white pigment particles electrified with positive electrodes, and black pigment particles electrified with negative electrodes. Each pigment particle is contained in a clear microcapsule that is moved by applying voltage, which thereby creates a visible display. The prototype uses E Ink's "Vizplex Imaging Film."

The new e-paper modules leverage NEC LCD Technologies and advancements with TFT active matrix to secure 16 step grayscale, white reflectivity of 43% and a contrast ratio of 10:1 - giving higher visibility and gradation when compared to general newspapers.

By combining up to eight modules, which incorporate the company's original multi-tiling controller, the e-paper modules can be used to form large screen displays. The A3 e-paper module is composed of especially narrow frames, with two sides measuring just 1mm, which enables the creation of large screens that feature effective multi-tiling.

The displays reduce strain on the eyes by utilizing reflected light and paper which enables wide viewing angles and high visibility under direct sunlight. Power is kept to a minimum by using reduced electricity when displaying information and only a limited amount of energy is required to perform screen rewriting.

The A3 and A4 modules have drawn particular attention due to consumer's existing daily use of similarly sized paper - the slim light-weight design makes it an ideal portable electronic device for the avid newspaper reader and business manager.

The company say they will continue to promote the research and development of e-paper modules and will aim for large-scale production of new applications that address a wide range of uses spanning many different fields.

Samsung Exhibits Bend-resistant Flexible E-paper

2008-11-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd exhibited a flexible color electronic paper display that uses carbon nanotubes (CNT) for the common electrodes at FPD International 2008.

The 14.3-inch display is 0.3mm thick and has a resolution of 1060 x 750.

The company employed CNT to prevent the performance degradation of the electrodes after the flexible e-paper is repeatedly bent. The resistance of existing transparent electrodes made of IZO and other materials increases after the display is repeatedly bent. On the other hand, the resistance of the CNT-based transparent electrodes "hardly increases even after the display is bent 100 times," a Samsung staffer said.

The CNT transparent electrode, which was developed based on Unidym Inc's technology, has a transmittance of 90% or higher and a conductivity of 1,700S/cm, according to the company.

For the drive circuit, Samsung used an amorphous Si TFT that was formed on a plastic substrate by utilizing a low temperature growth process below 130°C. The company combined the drive circuit with E Ink Corp's e-paper film.

The display has a reflectivity of 40%, a contrast ratio of 10:1 and a color gamut of 5% NTSC.

Sharp showcases memory LCDs to compete with e-paper

2008-11-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

Sharp is apparently looking to take a slice out of the dawning e-paper market by showcasing LCD displays that can keep their last shown images even when power is disconnected from them.

These memory type LCD panels were displayed at the FPD International 2008 and featured both 8-color and monochrome panels. The panels ranged in size from 1.7-inches to 14.1-inches and were said to use a cholosteric LCD material in order to pull off the memory function. Sharp, however, was silent on further specifications on how these LCD panels worked, but did remark that the power needed in order to imprint the data on the LCD panels was, “relatively large.”

Sharp explained that these memory LCD displays could be used for inventory tags, restaurant menus, and public signage, according to reports. In fact, Sharp is testing 2.4-inch and 1.7-inch monochrome LCDs in supermarkets in Osaka, Japan to display prices on products.

Additionally, Sharp did comment that these memory LCD displays are limited to indoor use only due to operational issues in hot or cold environments. It was also mentioned these new LCD panels with memory will be initially more expensive than standard LCD panels due to additional materials used in the manufacturing process.

Read more at Tech On! via SlashGear.

Hanvon Introduces World's First Five-Inch Electronic Book using Electrophoretic Technology

2008-11-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, Nov 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hanvon the leader in handwriting recognition products is pleased to announce the introduction of the world's first 5" Electronic Book series, based on the revolutionary E Ink Vizplex Display. This pioneering effort combines the best of electromagnetic pen input and electronic paper display into an ultra portable electronic book aimed as mass markets.
Hanvon's electronic book development team reports that the N510 consumes very little power, has a paper like appearance, offers 180 degrees viewing and is only 11mm thick. The Hanvon N510 Supports TXT, HTML, PNG, JPG, PDF, XEB, CEB, MP3, MTXT formats on its 167 PPI, SVGA (800 x 600 pixels) electronic paper display. The eBook also features a 1GB SD card and a mini USB port.
"The Hanvon N510 allows you to carry an entire library in your pocket," said Mr. Wang Bangjiang, General Manager for Hanvon. "We are honored and proud that our eBook was used in space during the historic Shenzhou-7 space mission this month. This speaks volumes about the quality of our N510 eBook."
Designed for outdoor use, the N510 features a sunlight readable electronic paper display in a rugged yet slim package. The high definition display not only has a paper like appearance, it has no EMI generating backlight/inverter making it ideally suited for hours of reading.
The Hanvon E-book series is designed to allow the user to not only read books but also input notes, edit and even paint electronically using Hanvon's advanced digital input technologies. The device also features audio listening capability with MP3 support.
Priced at about 2000RMB ($295 approx), the Hanvon N510 is aimed at users that want the flexibility and convenience of having hundreds of books and documents at their finger tips, at a reasonable price. Finally, the Hanvon N510 eBook is an environmentally responsible alternative to ordinary paper.
About Hanwang:
Hanwang Technology Co. Ltd., founded in 1998, is a leader in the fields of research, development, and manufacture of diverse intelligent pattern recognition technologies and products. We are headquartered in Beijing, China, and have about 500 employees, housed in a 23,000-square meter building. Following our strategy of globalization, we have set up a competitive system that is made up of our efficient design and research network, purchasing network, manufacturing network, sales and service network. Today, Hanwang owns one manufacturing campus, four advanced design centers, and over 5800 sales channels across the country.
SOURCE: Hanwang Technology Co. Ltd.

NEC Develops E-Paper That Enables Large Displays with Multi-Tiling

2008-11-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

NEC LCD Technologies has developed multiple sizes (A3 and A4 equivalent) of electronic paper (e-paper) modules using the microcapsule electrophoresis system.

Developed by E Ink Corp (USA), the electrophoresis system contains white pigment particles electrified with positive electrodes, and black pigment particles electrified with negative electrodes. Each pigment particle is contained in a clear microcapsule that is moved by applying voltage, which thereby creates a visible display. The prototype uses E Ink's Vizplex Imaging Film.

The e-paper modules are said to boast higher visibility and gradation when compared to general newspapers, and leverage NEC LCD Technologies' experience and proprietary advancements with TFT active matrix to secure 16 step grayscale, white reflectivity of 43% and a contrast ratio of 10:1.

Additionally, e-paper modules can be used to form large screen displays by combining up to eight modules, which incorporate the company's original multi-tiling controller. The A3 e-paper module is composed of especially narrow frames, with two sides measuring just 1mm, which enables the creation of large screens that feature effective multi-tiling.

E-paper's display utilizes reflected light and paper to produce wide viewing angles, provide high visibility under direct sunlight and reduce strain on the eyes of viewers. Moreover, e-paper minimizes electricity needs by maintaining display information without using power, and requires only low power to perform screen rewriting. The slim profile and light weight of the e-paper modules makes them suitable for portable equipment.

New display from E-ink: more flexbile than ever

2008-10-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

Ecnmag.com - October 08, 2008
E Ink announced general availability of its next-generation segmented display cells (SDC). The products are simple digit, icon and alpha-numeric displays, offering desirable readability in a paper-thin form factor that uses minimal battery power. The company asserts the new SDCs are 40 percent thinner with a wider operational temperature range and increased flexibility for repetitive 3-D bends or 2-D conformable solutions. Applications include consumer electronics, PC-accessory, display smartcards, capacity indicators, electronic shelf labels, signage and communications applications. The SDC displays use the same E Ink Vizplex technology that is shipping in popular electronic book devices. Three height levels are available, depending on backplane configuration: thin PET 330µ, PET 380µ or PI 375µ. PET options provide 200 µ design rules for the art work or space and trace of 8 mils by 8 mils. The finer pitch PI option uses 100µ design rules for 4 mils by 4 mils. Increased temperature ranges with operations from -10°C to 60°C, and storage from –25°C to 75°C. Organic non-rectangular unique shapes are possible, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs.

E Ink
627-499-6000, www.eink.com

Esquire to launch eink cover magazine on september

2008-07-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Newsstands across America will come to life this September when men's magazine Esquire rolls out the first magazine cover ever to use E-ink. That's the same core technology behind Amazon's e-reader the Kindle, Esquire's cover will flash "The 21st Century Begins Now" and the inside page will feature an E-ink ad by Ford who is sponsoring the effort.

The E-ink displays will be powered by a small battery that was designed in China for Esquire and reportedly cost six-figures to develop. To preserve battery life the covers will be refrigerated en route, and should power the E-ink for about 90 days. After that, your cover is done.

The E-ink technology is developed by a Massachusetts company of the same name.

e-ink-paper-display.jpgBut, Esquire editor, David Granger, is hoping to have at least one copy preserved for posterity. Discussing Esquire's current cover exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Granger told The New York Times he hopes the E-ink cover will end up in the Smithsonian one day as the first of its kind.

This development should be very cool to see, but don't expect the technology to become widespread any time soon: Esquire has penned an exclusive deal with E-ink to use the technology in print until 2009. Esquire says only 100,000 out of a circulation of 720,000 will get the E-ink cover.

E-ink: a newspaper verification test will start by the end of 2008

2008-06-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ryosuke Kuwata, E Ink Corp's vice president in charge of the Asia Pacific region, who is conducting market development for the company, revealed the worldwide advancement of the electronic newspaper project that newspaper companies are pursuing. (interviewer: Takuya Otani).

Q: What fields is E Ink currently focusing on as new applications of electronic paper following electronic books?

Kuwata: I think newspaper is the field that we are focusing on. I mean electronic newspapers that use electronic paper. Newspaper companies have made significant moves over the past year.

In fact, we have already been in touch with most of the major newspaper companies in Japan. We are likely to focus on the application for electronic newspaper for a while, reinforcing our support and other services.

Off course, Japanese newspaper companies are not the only ones that are making moves. First of all, US newspaper companies began to address electronic newspapers earlier than Japanese counterparts, as you know.

Hearst Corp, for example, is advancing specific discussion on electronic newspapers. Although it is not well-known, Hearst is investing quite a bit in E Ink. I guess that is because Hearst is also focusing on the electronic newspaper business.

I think it's more accurate to say that such moves in the US have recently traveled to newspaper companies in Japan and Europe. In Europe, for example, companies including Le Monde of France have just began to move.

Q: When are electronic newspapers likely to emerge in the market? And what terminals and services will they be like?

Kuwata: At the current moment, the newspaper company that is furthest ahead is expected to start a verification test using several thousands of terminals by the end of 2008. After the test, the company will gradually shift to a specific business in the second half of 2009, I expect.

As for the form of terminals and services, each newspaper company is considering it in accordance with its own policy. Hearst, for example, is attempting not only to supply content but also to develop its own terminal in house.

European newspaper companies, on the other hand, seem to be considering using existing terminals or contracting them out to OEM suppliers, based on their strong intention to focus on supplying content. Attitudes vary at each company.

Published at Nikkeibp

Orange to pilot world's first e-newspaper

2008-05-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

The world's first entirely electronic newspapers will go on trial in France next week, offering not only morning headlines but automatic updates every hour throughout the day.

The touch-screen, A5-sized, device uses "ePaper" and "eInk" technology to make it as much like reading normal newsprint as possible. It includes both WiFi and a 3G mobile chip so news can be refreshed every hour during the day, even on the move.

There are already electronic books on the market, notably Amazon's Kindle, which was launched last year but is yet to make it to non-US markets. But Orange's Read&Go is specifically designed to give the same impression as reading a traditional newspaper, including using display technology that paralyses bubbles of ink and is not, like a laptop screen, unreadable in bright sunlight.

The pilot scheme, in partnership with five French newspapers including Le Monde and Les Echos, will run until mid-summer, and could pave the way for a commercial service within a few years.

A key testing ground is the technology itself – including how it stands up to rolling updates from five major content providers and how easy the device is to use.

Orange has also already launched a worldwide call for next-generation flexible electronic paper technology with a view to replacing the rigid tablet being used in the pilot scheme with a more user-friendly format that could potentially be rolled up when not in use.

There are also major questions for the newspapers to answer about how the content is organised compared with a printed paper, and how stories are best laid out or divided according to what works in a smaller, digital format. But Orange insists the device will replicate the printed paper, rather than simply providing mobile access to the paper's online news website.

The business model for a commercial scheme is also under review – including the possibility of a subscription to one or more specific newspapers, or a pay-on-demand account.

But it is the advertising potential that is likely to grab media groups' attention. Printed newspaper circulations have been hard hit by the rise of internet news sites, with ad revenues falling in parallel. And despite considerable investment in websites allied to the national papers, the business model is yet to show a profit. Not only could a successful electronic newspaper device reinvigorate the sector's revenues but it could also open the door to more innovative advertising including interactive or location-sensitive marketing – some of which will be tested by Orange as part of this summer's trial.

Nicki Lyons, an analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "Anything that makes content easier to consume will have a significant impact. Newspapers have been quite innovative with the development of content online – they are streets ahead of television companies. There will be a tipping point where that investment starts to pay off."

E-ink annouces next generation segmented display cells

2008-05-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

E Ink(R) Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display technology, today announced general availability of its next generation segmented display cells (SDC). The SDC products are simple digit, icon and alpha-numeric displays, offering exceptional readability in a paper-thin form factor that uses minimal
battery power. The new SDCs are 40% thinner with a wider operational temperature range and increased flexibility for repetitive 3-D bends or 2-D conformable solutions. Applications include consumer electronics, PC-accessory, display smartcards, capacity indicators, electronic shelf labels, signage and communications applications. The SDC displays use the same E Ink Vizplex(TM) technology that is shipping in popular electronic book devices such as the Amazon Kindle, SONY Reader and iRex iLiad.

"When you need information to make a decision, an E Ink SDC display lets you see it quickly and clearly from any angle," said Russ Wilcox, President and CEO, E Ink Corporation. "With a paper-thin and flexible plastic display that can be cut to any shape, innovative product designs are limited only by the imagination of the designers."

"After an extensive review of display technologies, Delphi chose E Ink's segmented electronic paper displays for our wireless, bi-directional key fob that has been designed to offer car-to-user and user-to-car communication over an extremely long range," said Joe DiCarlo, Director of Engineering for Controls and Security in North America, Delphi. "The groundbreaking fob offers packaging flexibility and does not consume much power. Because it provides drivers valuable vehicle information and control, it is imperative that its display can be read in bright sunlight. Thanks to E Ink, that is possible."

"E Ink has enabled us to offer superior display solutions to the world's leading producers of smart cards for bank card and OTC token applications" said George Ou, CEO of Smart Displayer. "E Ink's displays are flexible, extremely thin, sunlight readable and consume very little power."

High Performance Rugged Displays

Thinner, more flexible and wider operation ranges all highlight the performance increase of the latest generation of E Ink SDCs. Three height levels are available, depending on backplane configuration: thin PET 330 microns, PET 380 microns, or PI 375 microns. PET options provide 200 micron design rules for the art work or space and trace of 8 mils by 8 mils. The finer pitch PI option uses 100 micron design rules for 4 mils by 4 mils. Increased temperature ranges with operations from -10(degree)C to 60(degree)C, and storage from -25(degree)C to 75(degree)C.

Think Outside the Rectangle

Organic non-rectangular unique shapes are possible, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs. Additionally, E Ink's SDC platform provides viewable angle of nearly 180(degree) and can be viewed under a variety of lighting conditions from direct sun to low-level ambient light. E Ink's Vizplex based electronic paper solutions are bistable, reflective displays which enable the image to remain for over a year with zero power.

Custom Design to Mass Production

Custom rapid product development is easy with E Ink's SDC "Design to Mass Production" program. Starting from a customer-supplied CAD file, E Ink typically can supply production-ready samples within eight weeks after artwork approval and enter mass production within twelve weeks. E Ink has partnered with several chip suppliers, including Dialog Semiconductor, Epson Semiconductor, Solomon-Systech, and Citizen who have developed compatible segmented display driver ICs.

Standard SDC Products

E Ink is now offering six standard SDC designs for fast prototyping and application specific solutions. Standard parts include stacked 10-bar, graduated 5-bar, 100%, MB/GB, 8-digit and 6-digit SDCs.

About E Ink Corporation

E Ink Corporation is the world's leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies. E Ink's technology is ideal for many consumer and industrial applications spanning handheld devices, eBooks, PC-accessories, watches, clocks, and public information displays and promotional signs. E Ink is a private corporation that includes among its investors and strategic partners TOPPAN Printing Company, The Hearst Corporation, Intel Capital, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and Motorola, Inc. E Ink news can be found at: www.eink.com.

Worldwide ART Technology, Funkwerk Information Technologies Karlsfeld (FITK) GmbH, Lexar Media, Motorola, Qwizdom, Seiko-Epson, Smart Displayer, and UPM have shipped products powered by E Ink's segmented ePaper technology.

Thinner, wider operational temp range, rugged ePaper SDCs enable
displays to go where none have gone before

New Chip from Epson promises new capabilities for e-ink displays

2008-04-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Epson and its subsidiary, Epson Electronics America, have joined hands with E Ink, a developer of Electronic Paper Display (EPD) technology, to jointly develop display controller IC. This new controller has been designed to bring new capabilities for E Ink's Vizplex-enabled electronic paper displays.

EPD low-power consumption screen technology is driving new mobile applications like eBooks, eNewspapers, tablet PCs, laptop secondary displays, eNotebooks, and eDictionaries.

The new EPD controller IC (part number S1D13521B) combines technologies from both Epson and E Ink. It will be offered in production quantities by Epson and as part of E Ink's upcoming AM300 Broadsheet prototype kit.

It promises to speed up the user interface of EPDs via better navigation, drop down/popup menus, responsive cursors, and real-time keyboard entry. The controller enables the display to perform up to 16 tasks in parallel, and supports pen input devices for annotations and sketches.

E Ink claims future devices using this chip could offer a fast menu interface, simple animations, higher grayscale levels, and user input through typing and touch.

Samples of the Epson S1D13521B will be available in May 2008. Production quantities will be available in August 2008. Sample price is US $18.

E-Ink is also offering a Broadsheet AM300 prototype kit for engineers to develop next generation ePaper products. Compatible with different sizes of active matrix displays, it allows users to create functional, low profile product mock-ups.

The AM300 will be shipping in June. It can be pre-ordered at E Ink's website.

Via CXOtoday Staff

Epson and E Ink Announce Breakthrough Controller IC for Electronic Paper Displays

2008-04-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

New chip enables faster navigation, multi-tasking, and real-time pen/keyboard input.

Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson"), a global supplier of semiconductor solutions, its subsidiary Epson Electronics America Inc., and E Ink Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display (EPD) technology, today announced a jointly developed display controller IC enabling new capabilities for E Ink’s Vizplex enabled electronic paper displays. EPD low-power consumption screen technology is driving an emerging class of new mobile applications, such as eBooks, eNewspapers, tablet PCs, laptop secondary displays, eNotebooks, and eDictionaries.

The new EPD controller IC (part number S1D13521B) was developed by combining technologies from both Epson and E Ink. It will be offered in production quantities by Epson and as part of E Ink’s upcoming AM300 Broadsheet prototype kit.

The Epson display controller will bring greater functionality to EPDs using E Ink technology by speeding up the user interface via seamless navigation, drop down/popup menus, responsive cursors and real-time keyboard entry. The controller enables the display to perform up to 16 tasks in parallel, and supports smooth and responsive pen input devices for annotations and sketches.

"Epson developed the powerful S1D13521 with E Ink to support new ePaper applications such as electronic newspapers, portable web browsers and industrial tablets" said Russ Wilcox, President and CEO of E Ink. "With the ability to address many screen regions simultaneously, future devices using this chip could offer a fast menu interface, simple animations, higher grayscale levels, and user input through typing and touch"

"Epson has, for many years, been offering various display controllers to the market. With this new controller IC, we are very excited to develop the emerging EPD display market together with E Ink. This new product development reflects our shared commitment to developing electronic solutions that help to conserve energy and natural resources and are friendly to the environment" said Ryuhei Miyagawa, Division Manager for Epson’s Semiconductor Operations Division.

Epson’s controller IC’s functionality is fully enabled when integrated into a display solution utilizing a host controller, tuned waveforms, and E Ink’s Vizplex-enabled active matrix electrophoretic displays. Its ability to perform regional updates contributes to a more responsive screen for both input and output usage. Samples of the Epson S1D13521B will be available in May 2008. Production quantities will be available in August 2008. Sample price is $18.

The Broadsheet AM300 prototype kit being offered by E Ink is the fastest way to start working with E Ink technology using the Epson EPD controller. The Broadsheet kit will enable engineers to rapidly prototype and develop next generation ePaper products. Compatible with 5-in., 6-in., 8-in., and 9.7-in. active matrix displays, the kit allows users to quickly create functional, low-profile product mock-ups using the kit’s modular design. The AM300 will be shipping in June and is available online at www.eink.com for pre-order.

E Ink Announces Major Strides in Its Flexible Display Program

2008-01-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- E Ink Corporation, the leader in electronic paper display technology, today announced advances in its flexible display program with Dr. Michael McCreary highlighting these advances at the recent USDC symposium.

Partner LG.Philips LCD recently announced the world's highest resolution 14.3-inch flexible color display at the January 2008 CES show. This display utilizes E Ink's Vizplex Imaging Film with LG.Philip's metal foil and plastic substrate backplane. The resulting display is less than 300 micrometers thick with a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels and is both rollable and bendable, with no image distortion. "The potential applications for this display are incredible and will allow our customers to create new products that are not only convenient to use but also save natural resources. This represents the next generation in display technology." Said Mr. In-Jae Chung, the company's Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President.

Last week, partner Polymer Vision announced plans to mass produce a rollable display device, Readius(TM) aimed at cell phone applications. The rollable display in the Readius also contains E Ink's Vizplex Imaging Film. "People are demanding greater choice and flexibility in having overall instant access to personal content and information" said Karl McGoldrick, CEO of Polymer Vision. "They do not want to be concerned with small screens, not being able to read in sunlight, a dead battery or a device being too bulky to carry in their pocket."

Partner Plastic Logic announced that it had raised $100 Million in funding and was building the first factory to manufacture plastic electronics on a commercial scale. "Our revolutionary flexible displays using E Ink's Vizplex technology will radically change the way the world receives information," said Dr. John Mills, COO of Plastic Logic.

E Ink has worked with these, and other industry leaders including Prime View International, Samsung and Epson, in developing flexible displays for the market and has pioneered a number of "world's firsts" in the display industry. Displays using E Ink Vizplex Imaging Film are ideally suited for flexible display applications due to their thin form factor and inherent flexibility. E Ink's electronic ink is an image stable reflective display technology that uses ultra-low power but is easily read under any lighting condition including direct sunlight. Unlike liquid crystal displays, the image on E Ink displays looks the same from all viewing angles and will not distort when touched or flexed, making electronic ink the ideal display medium for flexible displays and portable devices.

"We believe the flexible display market will grow at the CAGR of over 120% in the next three years and be over $600 Million in 2010, and electrophoretic display will continue to be the lead among all the display technologies for flexible display." said Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, senior analyst of iSuppli Corporation who is the author of iSuppli's Flexible Display report (2008 version).

"E Ink was founded on the vision of Radio Paper(TM), that is, flexible wireless displays," said Dr Michael McCreary, vice president of advanced research and development at E Ink Corporation. "We are excited that our partners are moving forward with electronic solutions that are not dependent on breakable glass substrates, and, together with E Ink Vizplex Imaging Film, enable new applications that require extremely light weight and rugged displays."

Folding device coming soon

2008-01-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Polymer Vision has announced that its first device with a rollable display will hit the market by the middle of this year.

The Readius will include the features people have become accustomed to in a high-end phone: tri-band GSM with HSDPA support, email, mp3 player, SD card slot, etc.

But it will also include something definitely not available on other phones: a 5-inch display flexible enough that it can be folded up, making the whole device roughly the size of a typical smartphone.

This screen uses technology that has been developed by Polymer Vision. This eInk-type display has several advantages -- it doesn't require a backlight, for example -- but has one significant drawback: no color. Instead it will offer 16 shades of grey.

This will not be a touchscreen. Instead, this phone will be controlled through 8 buttons. Exactly how this will work is not yet clear.

"People are demanding greater choice and flexibility in having overall instant access to personal content and information" said Karl McGoldrick, CEO of Polymer Vision. "They do not want to be concerned with small screens, not being able to read in sunlight, a dead battery or a device being too bulky to carry in their pocket. Readius solves these worries and is generations ahead of anything else out there today".

More Details on the Readius

Because of its unique display, Polymer Vision is emphasizing the Readius' usefulness as an ebook reader, but its feature list doesn't end there.

It will be able to get email from POP3 and IMAP accounts, and play MP3s. However, because of its slow screen refresh rate, it will not be able to play video.

To store ebooks and music files, the Readius will have an SD card slot with SDHC support, allowing it at least 8 GB of capacity.

What operating system this model will use has not yet be revealed, but it will run on a 400 MHz processor and include support for ActiveSync.

This smartphone will be 4.5 inches tall, 2.25 inches wide, and 0.8 inches thick (115mm x 57mm x 21mm). It will weigh 4 oz. (115g)

Because it doesn't need a backlight, this phone will allow users to read for at least 30 hours on a single charge.

Polymer Vision is not saying yet what the Readius will sell for.

More information is available on this company's web site.

Luxury e-ink watch

2007-12-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

- Art Technology Ltd announced today the launch of its Phosphor(TM) branded luxury chronometers, featuring a dual Analog-Digital wristwatch using E Ink's electronic paper display technology.

Phosphor(TM) is an emerging brand in the luxury timing industry that marries sharp design with next generation technology. The Phosphor E Ink watch represents its first line of fashion watches.

The gleaming

metal case features a bold geometry, generously oversized buttons and knobs, and a luxuriously thick strap. However what makes the Phosphor E Ink watch truly unique is that the entire watch dial is an E Ink Vizplex(TM) electronic paper display.

The E Ink technology depicts digital time with the look of electronic paper and can be read accurately and instantly from any angle - vastly improving on dull liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that typify previous digital watches. The customizable dial allows the owner to select among styles, from the precise detail of full numerals and indices to the simplicity of no markings at all.

"The phosphor watch with the ink on paper look E-INK display has a significantly better viewing angle than watches with typical Liquid Crystal displays, and a much better contrast in high brightness situations than any emissive display," said Chris King, SID Fellow, and co-founder of Planar Systems.

Previous luxury watches using E Ink displays have been limited to small editions and priced at $2,000 or more. Art Technology is selling this watch directly from its website at www.phosphorwatches.com for $250 - affordable for any watch enthusiast who will enjoy the combination of luxury and convenience of the analog-digital Phosphor E Ink watch.

E Ink's cutting edge Vizplex film based electronic paper technology enables a new generation of watch devices with the following display benefits:

Ultra High Contrast: The display is made up of pure black and pure white particles, which allow the same contrast as found on a printed page; more than twice the contrast, of a conventional LCD panel. It can be easily read in either bright sunlight or in dimly lit environments.

Low Power Consumption: Since the display is readable under very low light conditions, no backlighting is required. The display also has an inherently stable 'memory effect' that requires no power to maintain an image. For these reasons, battery life can be extended.

Wide Viewing Angle: With a viewing cone of 180 degrees, the electrophoretic technology overcomes the disadvantages of conventional displays when it comes to off-axis viewing. Together with its high contrast, it allows the user to read the time at a glance from any angle.

About Art Technology Limited

Art Technology is a private Hong Kong based company that partners world-class watch production with sharp design utilizing emerging technologies. It currently markets these new watches under the Phosphor(TM) watch brand.

www.phosphorwatches.com -0- media contact: Art Technology 2892 N. Bellflower Blvd., Suite #485 Long Beach, CA 90815 T: 310.721.2624 pr@phosphorwatches.com

Download the product documentation in PDF

E-book readers round up

2007-11-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

via wired

Qualcomm enters e-paper video race

2007-11-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

A novel electronic-paper display developed by Qualcomm can deliver high-quality video images, making it more versatile than other e-paper technologies. The display employs microscopic mechanical switches that turn pixels on and off at rates more than fast enough to display video.

The first versions of the display will be monochrome; one is featured in an Audiovox Bluetooth headset, released this week. A two-color display will be used next year in a phone made by the Chinese phone company Hisense. Full-color versions will follow.

Like ordinary paper, e-paper displays are designed to be reflective, making them much easier to view in a range of different lighting conditions, such as bright sunlight, than are traditional displays, such as backlit LCDs. The other main advantage is that they are bi-stable, meaning that once they have been switched to a state, they will hold that state without requiring an electrical current. The benefit of this is that they use considerably less power. These features make them ideal for applications such as signs and electronic books, including Sony's eBook reader.

In most e-paper displays, however, pixels switch on and off too slowly to display video, says James Cathey, vice president of business development for Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, based in San Diego. Indeed, other e-paper technologies can take longer than half a second to respond. Such slow switching can lead to "ghosting," in which moving subjects blur. In contrast, pixels in the new Qualcomm display can switch in just tens of microseconds--fast enough to produce sharp video images. Cathey says that this ability to use the displays for video could make e-paper less of a niche technology and suitable for more mainstream multimedia displays for mobile devices like cell phones.

The new display technology uses a novel method for producing color. The method employs mechanisms that are similar to the ones that give films of oil on water a colorful sheen, says André Arsenault, a chemist at the University of Toronto, and cofounder and chief technology officer of Opalux, a Toronto-based e-paper startup.

When light hits a film of oil, it splits, with some reflecting and the rest passing through the oil before being reflected off the surface of the water. The light reflecting off the oil is slightly out of phase with the light reflecting from the water. As a result, light waves interfere with each other, with some wavelengths being reinforced and others canceled out. The distance between these surfaces determines which colors are amplified and which are canceled. Films of oil of a certain thickness, for example, would amplify green light while canceling out red and blue light, making the oil appear green.

In the display, each pixel consists of several color-specific cells that mimic the film of oil on water. Each cell is made up of two reflective layers, one on top of the other. The top layer is only partially reflective, allowing some light to pass through it and bounce off the second surface. In each cell, the gap between these surfaces is spaced so that constructive interference occurs for only one specific range of wavelengths, causing them to amplify a single primary color while canceling out other colors. To create a full-color display, each pixel is made up of three different types of cells, each having a different-size gap between the layers that reflects red, green, or blue.

Each cell can be turned off by bringing together the two layers using an electromechanical switch. (When there is little space between the layers, no visible light is amplified, making the cell appear black.) The switch moves after a pulse of voltage and stays in place until another pulse moves it back. As a result, the display is bi-stable, using little energy except to change the image.

By combining different sets of colored cells as subpixels, researchers can get any color of the spectrum, says Cathey. These MEMS devices are very robust, he says, and have been demonstrated to be reliable for more than 12 billion cycles.

"I personally think this technology is very cool," says Arsenault. But because of the fabrication processes used to create MEMS devices, there is a constraint on how big such displays can be made, he says, which is the reason that Qualcomm is targeting small mobile displays.

What's more, the energy savings will only apply when the display is used to view static, not video, images,

says Johan Feenstra, one of the founders of Liquavista, a spinout from Philips Research, based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, which is also developing e-paper capable of video rates. "Bi-stability is only useful when you have an application where you don't change the image often," Feenstra says.

For video, this isn't the case because the pixels have to be switched on and off almost continuously, says Guido Aelbers, chief operating officer at Polymer Vision, also in Eindhoven. "The moment you go to high speeds, you lose the low-power advantage," he says.

Even so, both Aelbers and Feenstra believe that having video capabilities as well as color opens up a much bigger marketplace for e-paper displays. But with LCD technology constantly improving and costing less, it could well give the new display a run for its money, says Aelbers.

Via MIT

Color E-ink and video expected soon

2007-11-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

The new Amazon Kindle e-reader, unveiled yesterday, is the latest in a line of ever-improving black-and-white e-paper displays that don't use much power and are bright even in daylight; they more closely reproduce conventional paper and ink than do backlit displays. But bigger technology leaps are imminent. E-paper pioneer E Ink--the company whose technology underpins the Amazon gadget's display--is prototyping versions of the electronic ink that are bright enough to support filters for vivid color displays, and that have a fast-enough refresh rate to render video.

Add it all up, and it represents an emerging trifecta of color, video, and flexibility set to transform a display technology once seen as suited only for rigid black-and-white e-readers like the Kindle and the Sony Reader, and other niche applications like train-station schedule displays that don't need to change quickly. "This latest thing they've done with the video is a key milestone in the history of e-paper technology development," says Gregory Raupp, director of the Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University. "Until this point, you have been limited to static image applications."

E Ink's basic technology uses a layer of microcapsules filled with flecks of submicrometer black and white pigment chips in a clear liquid. The white chips can be positively charged, the black chips negatively charged. Above this layer is a transparent electrode; at the base is another electrode. A positive charge on the bottom electrode pushes the white chips to the surface, making the screen white. A negative charge pushes the black chips up, rendering words and images.

But the basic technology only produces a black-and-white image. So, E Ink has been refining the ingredients, the electronics, and the mechanics of that process. For example, in recent months the company has developed ultrabright inks that reflect 47 percent of ambient light--a significant improvement over the 35 to 40 percent in existing E Ink black-and-white displays. Higher reflectivity versions should go into commercial products, such as the Sony Reader, in the next year or so.

This higher brightness makes color displays possible. E Ink uses transparent red, green, or blue filters affixed above the picture elements. In essence, software controls groups of microcapsules sitting below filters of particular hues, and it only turns the microcapsules white when those hues are sought. The E Ink filters are custom-made by a partner, Toppan Printing of Tokyo, to work well with the specific shades, brightness, and reflectivity of the E Ink technology. The first color experimentation began several years ago, but it has been steadily improving in brightness and contrast, says Michael McCreary, E Ink's vice president of research and advanced development. He offered no estimate for a commercialization date.

In another set of advances, tweaks to the E Ink particles and their polymer coatings, and to the chemistry of solution inside the microcapsules, have helped improve the speed at which the particles can move. McCreary says that for years, conventional wisdom held that E Ink technology could never be made video ready, because particles had to be moved through a liquid. But E Ink has done it, thanks to polymer particle coatings and "special stuff in the clear liquid," McCreary says.

In the company's Cambridge, MA, headquarters, two prototypes show the payoff. One is an e-reader display in bright, vivid color. Touch a button, and an image of a bunch of flowers appears; bring the display outside, and it shines brighter because it is reflecting ambient light. (As with black-and-white e-paper, until a user changes that image, the unit consumes virtually no power.) The other prototype, a six-inch display hooked up to a computer, showed a video clip from the animated movie Cars. It was a bit grainy but was switching frames 30 times per second. Two years ago, the switching time in products with E Ink technology was just one frame per second.

While the video version is still several years from market, "this was a landmark milestone in the history of e-paper," says Russ Wilcox, E Ink's CEO. Invoking the long-held dream for e-paper--that it can be an electronic replacement for real newsprint--he added, "You can imagine a USA Today weather chart where clouds are actually moving."

E Ink is working with several leading display makers to develop flexible transistors that will create E Ink and other color displays that are bendable and even rollable. LG Philips recently announced the world's first 14.1-inch flexible color e-paper display using E Ink technology. The color version uses a substrate that arranges thin-film transistors on metal foil rather than on glass. And last month, Samsung used E Ink technology to set a new world record in terms of the resolution of a large flexible color display. (Samsung's 14.3-inch screen has a 1,500-by-2,120-pixel resolution.) No commercialization date has been announced for these technologies.

Other companies are also making advances in e-paper. One of them, San Diego's Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, has developed a MEMS-based version that can produce video-ready refresh rates and will appear in monochrome and bicolor displays in the next year or so. (See "E-Paper Displays Video.") But E Ink is generally acknowledged to have the best technology in terms of simulating the look of paper, says Raupp, whose research lab has partnerships with 16 display makers, including both E Ink and Qualcomm. "Put the two side by side--which one looks like paper? There would be no contest," Raupp says of E Ink and Qualcomm. The move into video and color "expands the application space" and makes E Ink a leading candidate to become a fixture in flexible displays, he adds.

via MIT

Amazon's Kindle is out

2007-11-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

From the Kindle team at amazon.com:

"Three years ago, we set out to design and build an entirely new class of device—a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The result is Amazon Kindle.

We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot and is designed for ambidextrous use so both "lefties" and "righties" can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time.

We wanted Kindle to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, so we made it wireless. No PC and no syncing needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, we deliver your content using our own wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you’ll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills—we take care of the hassles so you can just read.

With Whispernet, you can be anywhere, think of a book, and get it in one minute. Similarly, your content automatically comes to you, wherever you are. Newspaper subscriptions are delivered wirelessly each morning. Most magazines arrive before they hit newsstands. Haven’t read the book for tomorrow night’s book club? Get it in a minute. Finished your book in the airport? Download the sequel while you board the plane. Whether you’re in the mood for something serious or hilarious, lighthearted or studious, Kindle delivers your spontaneous reading choices on demand.

And because we know you can't judge a book by its cover, Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. This way, you can try it out—if you like it, simply buy and download with 1-Click, right from your Kindle, and continue reading. Want to try a newspaper as well? All newspaper subscriptions start with a risk-free two-week trial.

Kindle’s paperback size and expandable memory let you travel light with your library. With the freedom to download what you want, when you want, we hope you’ll never again find yourself stuck without a great read.

We're very proud to introduce Amazon Kindle and we hope you like it as much as we do."

Product Overview

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times.
More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post.
Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.
Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

Technical Details

Display: 6" diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale
Size (in inches): 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7"
Weight: 10.3 ounces
System requirements: None, because it doesn't require a computer
Storage: 256MB internal (approximately 185MB available for user content); available SD memory card slot supports up to 4GB SD memory cards (SD memory card not included)
Battery Life: Leave wireless on and recharge every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.
Charge Time: Approximately 2 hours
Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint's high-speed data network (Check Wireless Coverage)
USB Port: USB 2.0 (mini-B connector) to optionally connect to a PC or Macintosh computer
Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted mono speaker
Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), MP3, natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MOBI, PRC through conversion
Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, book cover, rechargeable battery
Documentation: About Your Kindle Manual; Kindle User's Guide pre-installed on device
Warranty and Service: 1 year limited warranty and service

Watch a demostration video here

Amazon Kindle will be available on Monday

2007-11-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to introduce its highly anticipated electronic book device at a New York event Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the company's plans.

Representatives from Amazon were not immediately available for comment. The Journal said the news was reported earlier on CNET's Web site.

Industry speculation about the new Amazon device -- reportedly named "Kindle" -- has occurred for the past year, the Journal said.

The newspaper also said Amazon has been preparing its digital book store for the launch of the new device by making inactive links to electronic books called "Kindle" editions available on the product pages of various books.

E-paper History: An Interview with Nick Sheridon, Father of E-paper

2007-10-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

In the 1970s, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Xerox PARC) was a powerhouse of innovation. Many aspects the modern computer, namely the mouse, laser printer, Ethernet, GUI, computer-generated color graphics, as well as a number of important computer languages, were invented at PARC around that time. Yet another development, nearly lost among those important breakthroughs, was invented in 1974 by PARC employee Nicholas K. Sheridon. The Gyricon, a Greek term for rotating image, was to be new display technology for the Alto personal computer; eventually, it became the basis for modern e-paper technology.

Nearly 35 years later, TFOT sat down with Nick Sheridon to ask him about his historic invention.

In the late 60s and early 70s, Xerox PARC was developing and attempting to get Xerox management to appreciate the Alto personal computer; they never did. It was the world's first office and word-processing computer, but this remarkable machine had one serious drawback: the cathode-ray tube display it used—the best available—was not bright enough, and the contrast was not great. People that used the machine did so in a darkened room, with the lights turned off and the window shades drawn. Several of us scientists were asked to try to find a better display, hopefully one that could permit operation in a brightly lit ambient. I invented the Gyricon rotating-ball display and a display based on a physical phenomenon I called “electrocapillarity.” The electrocapillarity display worked by moving colored liquids against a white background. The rest of the group worked on electrophoretic displays (eventually dropped due to lifetime problems).

A piece of history: one of the first Gyricon material to be made, about 2 centimeters on a side from the 1974 era. The image was produced by placing an
A piece of history: one of the first pieces of Gyricon material to be made, about 2
centimeters on a side from the 1974 era. The imagewas produced by placing an "X" shaped electrode on the Gyricon sheet and applying a voltage. Normally, the Gyricon
does not save images for 30+ years, but a special procedure was used in this case
to save the image.

I codeveloped the Gyricon and electrocapillarity displays for about 18 months and finally decided the Gyricon would be easier to develop. Hoping to get back to the electrocapillary display, I delayed applying for patents until the early 90s. When my patent applications were laid open in Europe, a university group revived the work and changed the name to “electrowetting.” Electrowetting is widely studied and is considered a promising candidate for electronic paper. I published a paper on the Gyricon and made several presentations. Several patents were applied for. About this time, I met the Xerox head of corporate research in the PARC cafeteria. He complimented me on my display work but pointed out that Xerox was not in the display business. At this point, I realized the Alto was not going to be developed by Xerox. He strongly urged me to invent new printer technology to counter the erosion of the Xerox copier/printer market by the Japanese.

I stopped the Gyricon work and eventually invented a new electronic-printing technology based on ionography. This became a large program at Xerox, consuming perhaps $150 million; this number is hard to establish. We developed and were in early-manufacturing operations of the world's first multifunction desktop machine—printer, copier, input scanner, and fax—when this program was cancelled. This left me free to invent the concept of electronic paper.

Much has been written about the incredible myopia of Xerox executives of the time, so I won't go into that except to say that there were numerous other opportunities to enormously expand Xerox's business that were similarly fumbled. Xerox had enough money to create an incredible research lab with top-notch people, but Xerox management could not shake off the copier mentality.

Via TFOT. Read the complete interview here

Photonic-Ink Technology Under Development

2007-10-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Toronto based Start-Up Company Opalux has developed a new type of electronic ink, based on photonic crystals called P-ink. The new crystal-based e-paper can display colors in a way that current technology has not enabled until now. This promising technology, which is just taking its first steps, could become commercial within the next two years, promising low power consuming, low cost, color rich, electronic paper displays.

According to Professor Geoffrey A. Ozin from the Department of Chemistry in the University of Toronto, who developed the new photonic crystals with Opalux, P-Ink is made of a metallopolymer opal gel. The metallopolymer opal gel reversibly swells and shrinks when electricity is applied or removed. Another similar photonic crystal developed by Ozin is called Elast-Ink. Elast-Ink is made of an elastomeric opal that undergoes reversible dimensional changes in accordance with the mechanical force applied to it.

Until now, photonic crystals only reflected a very specific wavelength that could not be changed after the crystal was formed. Opalux was able to produce a photonic crystal that is electrically tunable, meaning that is can reflect different wavelengths. Because the crystals are able to reflect light in many wavelengths, they can display an array of colors, ranging from Ultra-Violet to Infra-Red, and including the entire visible spectrum of light. The photonic crystals are embedded within a sponge-like electro-active polymer, which is laid between electrodes. An electrolyte fluid controls the electricity applied to the crystals.

According to Opalux, their photonic crystals technology has many advantages, including high brightness, low power consumption, a relatively quick response time (Opalux states sub-second switching speed - sufficient for text and images but not for video), potential flexibility and durability. Cost, which is a major factor in current electronic paper technology, should increase only linearly in accordance with the size of the e-paper.

Opalux is currently working on developing the first prototype e-paper based on P-ink technology, aimed at the commercial billboard market.

Opalux has demonstrated reverse opal films that permit mechanical activation of optical properties from IR, through visible to the UV range.
Opalux has demonstrated reverse opal films that permit mechanical activation of optical properties from IR, through visible to the UV range.
A second technology currently under development by Opalux is based on Elast-Ink, which according to the company, can be activated by mechanical pressure alone. According to the company, the Elast-Ink can be used without electrical power or an attached network and includes visible (color) instant verification. The technology could be used for a variety of biometric-based security devices that require very low or even no power at all.

via TFOT

E Ink Raises $16 Million Funding

2007-10-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

E Ink Corp., a Cambridge, Mass.-based provider of electronic paper display technologies, has raised $16 million in "Series B" venture funding, according to a regulatory filing. The company has now raised over $130 million in total VC funding since its 1997 inception.

Shareholders include FA Technology Ventures, Intel Capital, Motorola, Special Situations Funds, Hearst Communications and Toppan Printing Co.

Via Pehub

Les Echos first French electronic newspaper edition daily on iRex iLiad

2007-10-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Les Echos, the French leading newspaper in electronic newspaper publishing and iRex Technologies, the Dutch pioneer in electronic paper solutions would like to announce their cooperation in introducing the Les Echos electronic paper edition on the iRex iLiad for the French market by September 2007.
Subscribers of Les Echos newspaper and interested new subscribers will get an attractive offer from Les Echos to enjoy their daily newsmagazine on an iLiad electronic paper device. Two different editions: Les Echos and AFP, updated every hour (7am – 9pm) from Monday to Friday via the WiFi delivery direct into the electronic paper device, without the need for a PC.

Statement Philippe Jannet: “This will introduce a new era of newspaper publishing. It is a tradition of Les Echos to be the first to bring innovative solutions to their readers. With the subscription our readers will get an attractive offer of a year subscription of Les Echos with multiple editions, two free e-paper editions (one dedicated to Personal Finance information and one to Stock Exchange information), an extra AFP edition, some free e-books and the electronic paper device at a great bargain.”

On behalf of iRex Technologies BV, Willem Endhoven, VP of marketing and Business development comments: “We have envisioned for some time the potential of electronic paper solutions for the newspaper industry. We are very pleased that, in cooperation with Les Echos, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the whole system of content delivery of multiple editions per day over Internet. Together with Les Echos we made it attractive to their readers to receive this advanced portable device that reads like paper for your books, notes, documents and now also: your newspaper. This will set the trend in the newspaper industry.”

About Les Echos
Founded in 1908, the French daily newspaper Les Echos is the paper of reference for business leaders.
Les Echos has a circulation of 140,313 (OJD 2005) and is read by 486,000 business leaders and decision-makers (IPSOS FCA 2007). The editorial staff is made up of 190 journalists (with 12 foreign correspondents) and approximately 40 regional correspondents.

Created in 1996, Lesechos.fr is the leading French business and financial web site. It provides all the up-to-date financial news and related date, including the markets and business information. Lesechos.fr is the first
information website in Europe, exploring a hybrid model (free content paid by advertising and content reserved to website subscribers). Today Lesechos.fr have more than 25,000 subscribers, more than 1.5 million unique visitors/month and is one of the rare information website to be profitable.

Providing the ideal complement to the paper edition and the lesechos.fr website, this new mobile e-paper reader combines the reading quality of the paper, the advantages of mobility, instantaneous updating and the rich content of the internet.
http://www.lesechos.fr

Press contact Les Echos:
Sonia Khatchadourian
skhatchadourian@lesechos.fr
Phone : +33 1 49 53 65 47 / 66 12
Fax: +33 1 43 59 00 02
For more information about the e-paper offer of Les Echos see http://www.lesechos.fr/epaper/inscription.htm

Sony's PRS-505 eBook reader now available

2007-10-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

You can get it in two flavors here for only $299!

If you wonder what are some of the most important changes between the old and the new reader here is the official answer:

1. The PRS-505 has a new screen that has a faster refresh than the PRS-500's screen and is also a bit lighter. The new screen also supports 8 shades of gray vs. 4 on the PRS-500.

2. The User interface is much improved with:

* Page turn buttons moved the right side of the Reader
* The Numerical numbers now match up against the screen so when menus are displayed the appropriate button is to the right of the entry.
* The Menu key is now by itself and clearly marked
* The Jog stick is gone replace with four way arrow buttons and a center enter button.

3. Books have become easier to search as there are now tools that sort the books into alphabetical groupings for Titles or Authors.

4. The PRS-500 had a single storage media slot that could handle both SD or Memory Sticks. These cards could support either 2GB (SD) or 4GB (MS) for a maximum external storage of up to 4GB. The PRS-505 has two slots in parallel that allow for SD and Memory Stick Duo cards. These cards can support up to 2GB (SD) and 8GB (Memory Stick Duo). Because there are two separate slots the total amount of external storage the PRS-505 can support is up to 10GB.

5. The USB functionality is much improved

* The PRS-505 supports the USB 2.0 standards which allow for faster transfer of data.
* The PRS-505 can be charged when the battery is empty from the USB port of almost any PC even if there is no software loaded on it. The PRS-500 needed to be plugged into a PC running pre-installed software before it can charge and even then it could not charge if the internal Reader's battery was dead.
* The PRS-505 works as a mass storage device so you can plug it right into your PC and transfer unsecured files without the need of eBook Library software.

6. The Connect Reader software is being replaced with "eBook Library v 2.0" which does look and work much like the older software. The only noticeable difference is that with a PRS-505 the new software can use a new Auto-sync feature. Please note that the PRS-505 cannot work with the older Connect Reader software.

With a compact and lightweight design you can take the Reader Digital Book almost anywhere. And with plenty of internal memory9 and a slot for optional removable memory cards, you can take hundreds of titles, user-selected Web content or other supported documents for reading on the go5. It will hold approximately 160 averaged sized eBooks in internal memory4 and hundreds more with optional removable memory cards.

How to bring color to eink paper

2007-09-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

From The Economist

SOME new technologies appear from nowhere. Others are heralded by such long fanfares that it seems they will never arrive. Electronic paper is surely in the second category. The idea of a display screen that has the clarity and flexibility of paper has been around for at least a decade. It has found a few niche, black-and-white applications in mobile phones and “electronic books”. As a mass-market, full-colour product, however, it has conspicuously failed to show up.

Nil desperandum. Sooner or later someone will create the winning formula. And the latest attempt to do so, by a Canadian firm called Opalux, uses objects called photonic crystals to produce electronic paper that has bright, sharp colours.

Until now, attempts to make electronic paper colourful have used the traditional approach employed in liquid-crystal screens and cathode-ray tubes. They have, in other words, relied on pixels that have three subunits, each responsible for one of the primary colours. Varying the intensity of these primaries creates the illusion, from a distance, of the intended hue.

Doing things this way, however, exacts two prices: brightness and resolution. With only a third of the screen occupied by each primary, two-thirds of the potential output is wasted. For the same reason, the illuminated parts of the pixels are smaller and further apart than they could be, so the image is fuzzier. What is needed is a pixel that can change colour in its entirety. And that is what photonic crystals allow.

The defining characteristic of a crystal—any crystal—is that it is composed of regularly arranged components. In familiar crystals, such as salt, sugar and diamonds, these elements are atoms or molecules. But the elements of a crystal can be larger than that, as long as they are regular.

In a photonic crystal, the elements are about the same size as the wavelength of light—a few hundred nanometres (billionths of a metre). But for the crystal to do its job, those elements must also be electrical insulators.

The reason for this last requirement is that light is a form of electromagnetic radiation—in other words a wave in which electric and magnetic fields continuously leapfrog each other. Being insulators, the elements of a photonic crystal constrain this propagation, permitting some wavelengths to pass while denying passage to others, which are thus reflected. The result, since wavelength equates to colour, is that photonic crystals reflect coloured light.

Exactly what colour is reflected depends on the spacing between the elements. Alter the spacing and you alter the colour. And that is how Opalux’s product, dubbed P-Ink, works.

In P-Ink, the elements of the crystals are tiny beads of silica, 200 nanometres in diameter. These are embedded in a spongy “electroactive” polymer. A pixel is built by sandwiching a layer of P-Ink, along with a small amount of electrolytic fluid, between two transparent electrodes. The pixels are then built into displays by embedding them and their electrical connections in a sheet of another polymer, this time transparent and flexible.

By applying a voltage across the electrodes of a pixel, the polymer can be made to absorb or expel some of the electrolyte and thus expand or contract. That alters the spacing between the elements of the crystal. The whole pixel thus changes colour—indeed, it can be tuned to reflect any desired colour.

That fact alone would make Opalux’s technology worth considering for displays in general. But the third characteristic required of electronic paper, besides high resolution and flexibility, is that the image should remain when the power is switched off—and that, too, is the case for P-Ink. Once in the polymer, the electrolyte stays there until a newly applied voltage coaxes it out.

The one thing that may hold P-Ink back—and which has, in part, been responsible for the non-arrival of electronic paper more generally—is what is known as the refresh rate. This is the speed at which a pixel can change colour. For video that needs to happen at least 25 times a second if the eye is to be fooled into seeing continuous motion. The refresh rate for P-Ink at the moment is about once a second, so the trumpeters are not quite ready to put their instruments to their lips. But Opalux’s scientists are working on it. If they can speed it up, expect another fanfare soon.

Amazon.com will unveil the Kindle in october

2007-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reported that in October, the online retailer Amazon.com will unveil the Kindle, an electronic book reader that has been the subject of industry speculation for a year, according to several people who have tried the device and are familiar with Amazon’s plans. The Kindle will be priced at $400 to $500 and will wirelessly connect to an e-book store on Amazon’s site.

That is a significant advance over older e-book devices, which must be connected to a computer to download books or articles.

Hopes for e-books began to revive last year with the introduction of the widely marketed Sony Reader. Sony will not say how many it has sold, but the Reader has apparently done well enough that Sony recently increased its advertising for the device in several major American cities.

“Digital readers are not a replacement for a print book; they are a replacement for a stack of print books,” said Ron Hawkins, vice president for portable reader systems at Sony. “That is where we see people, on the go, in the subway and in airports, with our device.”

Amazon has been showing the Kindle to book publishers for the last year and has delayed its introduction several times. Last fall, a photograph of the device, and some of its specifications, leaked onto the Web when the company filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to get approval for its wireless modem, which will operate over a high-speed EVDO network.

Several people who have seen the Kindle say this is where the device’s central innovation lies — in its ability to download books and periodicals, and browse the Web, without connecting to a computer. They also say Amazon will pack some free offerings onto the device, like reference books, and offer customers a choice of subscriptions to feeds from major newspapers like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the French newspaper Le Monde.

The device also has a keyboard, so its users can take notes when reading or navigate the Web to look something up. A scroll wheel and a progress indicator next to the main screen, will help users navigate Web pages and texts on the device.

People familiar with the Kindle also have a few complaints. The device has a Web browser, but using it is a poor experience, because the Kindle’s screen, also from E Ink, does not display animation or color.

Some also complain about the fact that Amazon is using a proprietary e-book format from Mobipocket, a French company that Amazon bought in 2005, instead of supporting the open e-book standard backed by most major publishers and high-tech companies like Adobe. That means owners of other digital book devices, like the Sony Reader, will not be able to use books purchased on Amazon.com.

Nevertheless, many publishing executives see Amazon’s entrance into the e-book world as a major test for the long-held notion that books and newspapers may one day be consumed on a digital device.

“This is not your grandfather’s e-book,” said one publishing executive who did not want to be named because Amazon makes its partners sign nondisclosure agreements. “If these guys can’t make it work, I see no hope.”

Bookeen: new ebook reader

2007-07-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Bookeen announces its new Generation 3 Cybook, based on the latest groundbreaking Vizplex™ epaper technology from E Ink, as well as an agreement with Mobipocket, an Amazon company, to license and distribute the Mobipocket™ leading ebook format on the Cybook.

Based on the latest groundbreaking Vizplex™ epaper technology from E Ink, this ebook reading device offers an impressive 6" screen showing off a 166 dpi resolution.

Bookeen's new product looks stunningly thin: it is the size of a paperback, the thickness of a magazine, for a weight of only 6.1 ounces (174 g). It boasts an impressive battery life of 8,000 page flips, allowing for an average reading time of 1 month without recharging. The device is compatible with all USB enabled computers, independently from the operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux...) and also offers an SD slot for virtually unlimited library storage space.

Concerning content availability, Bookeen also announces an agreement with Mobipocket, an Amazon company, to license and distribute the Mobipocket™ leading ebook format on the Cybook. The Mobipocket™ format offers access to a vast amount of copyrighted books ranging from bestselling Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" to the latest Hillary Clinton biography. There are currently about 50,000 titles from the world's leading publishers available from dozens of online ebook stores.

Following its original open and multi-format strategy, Bookeen offers a true freedom of use regarding supported documents formats. Cybook owners are free to read personal and public domain content. "On the Cybook, you don't need to convert your files to an exotic format or upload them to any proprietary web site. You simply transfer your files directly to the device and read them natively," said Laurent Picard, co-founder of Bookeen.

The Cybook Gen3 has entered production and will be directly available next September from Bookeen online web store at bookeen.com, in different packs starting at $350. It will be the first product to include the new E Ink Vizplex™ technology, offering the brightest and fastest switching epaper display of the market.

"The screen is truly like a sheet of paper, it can be viewed from nearly any angle and in a wide range of lighting conditions, including direct sunlight," said Michael Dahan, co-manager of Bookeen. "The ebook industry will clearly reach another stage with the new Cybook." Laurent Picard added: "Our ongoing partnership with Mobipocket is a great opportunity to bring their tremendous digital content to a new category of customers and to offer the most competitive device to the end user."

To learn more about Bookeen and the Cybook, visit http://www.bookeen.com

About Bookeen
Bookeen is a privately held company -- based in Paris, France -- founded in 2003 by Michaël Dahan and Laurent Picard. Bookeen team pioneered the e-book industry as soon as 1998, designing and releasing the first commercial e-book device in Europe in 2000. From 2003 to 2006, Bookeen shipped the previous generation Cybook to over 40 countries. Both a hardware and software technology innovator, Bookeen has a comprehensive knowledge of the electronic publishing industry and is a global provider of digital content solutions.

Web site: http://www.bookeen.com

Specs:

Size:
4.7" x 7.4" x 0.3"
118 x 188 x 8.5 mm
Weight:
6.13 ounces -174 g
battery included
Screen:
6" E Ink® Vizplex screen
[4.8"x3.6"- 122mmx91mm]
600x800 pixels, 166 dpi
B&W, 4 gray-scale
Daylight readable
No backlight
Portrait and landscape mode
Controls:
buttons "ON/OFF", "Up ", "Down", "Right ", "Left", "Enter ", "Cancel", "Menu", "Music".
Power Supply:
Universal AC 100~240V, DC 5V 700mA
Plugs: Euro 2Pin, UK 3Pin, US 2 Pin
Operating system:
Linux 2.4.18
Software suite:
Bookeen® Multi-format ebook reader
Supported image format: Jpeg, GIF, PNG
Supported sound format: MP3

Sound:
2.5mm stereo headphone plug
Expandability:
SD Card slot
Case:
Dark brown leather case (optional)
Certification & Regulation:
FCC/CE
Color:
Shiny black

Battery:
Rechargeable built-in Li-Polymer battery (800mAh)
8000 page flips battery life
Processor:
Samsung® S3C2410 ARM920T 200MHz
ROM memory:
8 MB
RAM memory:
16 MB
Storage memory:
64 MB Data Flash
Connectivity:
USB Client (v2.0) - Mini USB B connector

In the box:
Cybook ebook reading device
USB cable
User's guide
Charger (Deluxe version)
Leather case (Deluxe version)
1GB SD card (Deluxe version)

Remembering the first anouncements of Eink

2007-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

I found this story at The NY Times, dated November 30, 2000. Interesting thing to look back and see how much the technology has grown since then:

Flexible Displays for Electronic Ink

By LISA GUERNSEY
Published: November 30, 2000

SCIENTISTS in Cambridge, Mass., have demonstrated what they say is the world's first flexible display using electronic ink, bringing engineers one step closer to creating a changeable display screen that is nearly as portable, lightweight and easy to read as paper.

''It is about the stiffness of a mouse pad,'' said Paul Drzaic, director of display technology for E Ink, a start-up company working on flexible display technology.

The prototype, which was unveiled last week and can be viewed at www.eink.com, looks about as thick as a mouse pad, too, mostly because of flexible padding added to prevent the prototype from being ripped accidentally,. But E Ink executives have said that the product could eventually be as thin as four sheets of paper.

The prototype was created as part of a joint project between E Ink, which was founded by physicists from the Media Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Lucent Technologies, which has created flexible plastic circuits. E Ink's core technology consists of an ink that responds to electric charges, enabling words or images to be displayed on a relatively thin screen without the need for a conventional cathode-ray tube monitor or liquid crystal display screen.

Until recently, the ink was applied to rigid boards because the technology relied on brittle silicon chips to regulate the electric charges. In fact, E Ink's first product, called Immedia, looks a lot like a billboard, several examples of which are hanging in retail shops to deliver changing messages to passers-by.

Now, with the help of Lucent's circuitry, the company is working to produce bendable displays that can respond to electronic signals and still be folded or rolled. Some technologists have envisioned that this technology could lead to something like an always up-to-date newspaper that displays information carried over the wireless Internet.

In addition to their flexibility, the plastic circuits designed by Lucent are relatively inexpensive, Dr. Drzaic said. While silicon chips require expensive fabrication factories, the plastic circuits are printed, or stamped, onto a plastic substrate, a technique that Lucent and E Ink say can be done en masse at a relatively low cost. The two companies are looking for a manufacturer to develop the technology.

The one drawback to the plastic chips, Dr. Drzaic said, is that they cannot handle as much current as silicon, which means that it is unlikely they could be used in anything as power-hungry as a personal computer any time soon.

''But,'' Dr. Drzaic said, ''the E Ink material does not need that much current.'' It merely responds to simple electric charges, instead of complex commands. ''In that sense,'' he said, ''plastic circuits and electronic ink are a perfect match.''

But silicon-based technology still plays a role. Electronic ink will always need traditional chips to handle the more complex tasks of taking orders from computers, said E Ink's chief executive, Jim Iuliano. He said he envisions the technology taking a hybrid form, like a book with a rigid spine attached to pages that are thin and flexible enough to roll up.

Mr. Iuliano said he has also heard from at least one watch manufacturer who is interested in using the flexible displays on the wristbands of high-tech watches.

''It's a natural for these kinds of applications,'' he said.

Eink Watch Giveaway

2007-07-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Engadget is giving away a custom, limited edition, watch made by E Ink

As stated "E Ink, the company that developed that whole electronic ink / electrophoretic display thing, had just nine custom watches hand-built -- eight will be worn on the wrists of members of the company's board, and the last one will be given away here on Engadget! The watch itself is an analogue timepiece with a monochrome digital face that shows date, time, and numbers for the hands in white on black or black on white. Yes, the watch even comes with a certificate of authenticity."

To enter the giveaway you need to post a comment at the engadget post.

Good luck!

E Ink Opens New Markets for Segmented Electronic Paper Displays

2007-06-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E Ink Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display (EPD) technology, today announced a distribution agreement in which Electronic Paper Technologies Solutions (EPTS) will offer E Ink’s Vizplex™ Imaging Film based electronic paper displays across its extensive network throughout the Mediterranean.

Under the terms of the agreement, EPTS will leverage its Center of Excellence for Custom Segmented Display Cells. E Ink’s EPDs appeal to the region’s and world’s search for unique display technology solutions that can rely on EPTS expertise in convergence of broadband wireless, electronic content delivery, long battery life, and a beautiful display.

“As E Ink’s display technology continues to expand into new and existing applications, creating a network of value-added partners accelerates the market’s adoption of electronic paper,” said Ryosuke Kuwada, E Ink, VP of Sales and Marketing. "EPTS has the technical skills, marketing capability and sales network in Europe that will give companies significant benefits when designing with this revolutionary technology.”

Custom Segmented Displays

SDC products are thin, plastic display cells that show a bright image with ultra-low power consumption. They offer innovative product design possibilities because they are paper-thin and can be cut to virtually any shape. Further, product designers can take advantage of image stability, which enables the image to remain highly legible for over a year without power.

E Ink’s segmented technology was selected by Motorola for its ultra-slim Motofone F3 GSM handset, by Lexar for its JumpDrive Mercury and Secure II Plus USB drives with capacity meter, and by Seiko for its sleek luxury line of Electronic Ink watches. All of these products have recently won international awards for breakthrough design and valuable features.

Rapid product development is available with EPTS/E Ink’s custom segmented display sample program. Starting from a customer-supplied CAD file, E Ink typically can supply production-ready samples within six to eight weeks after artwork approval, and enter mass production within 12 weeks. E Ink has partnered with several IC developers, including Dialog Semiconductor, Epson, Solomon-Systech, and Citizen, who have developed compatible segmented display drivers.

New Vizplex Eink technology launch by NeoLux

2007-06-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

NeoLux Co., Ltd. of Korea today announced the launch of NUUT, a new e-book device with electronic paper screen. NUUT is the first commercial consumer device with an electronic paper screen released in the Korean market.

The essentials:

-Adopted E Ink's Vizplex TM Imaging Film, newest-generation electronic paper display
- Over 50.000 bookc and comics from major Korean publishers available on the e-book store (www.nuutbook.com)
- Most affordable e-book reader with electronic-paper screen on the market.
- Stores over 1.000 e-books in internal memory

NUUT is the first of its kiind to host a Vizplex TM electroninc paper screen. Vizplex TM is the newest, fastest and brightest electronic paper display yet from E Ink Corporation, with an 80 percent improvement in refresh rate and an 25 percent improvement in brightness over the previous version of electroninc paper. Unlike LCD, E Ink's electroninc paper display offers paper-like readability under sunlight, a viewing angle of near 180 degres, and ultra-low power consumption of about 5 percent of that of conventional LCD, among other advantages.

NUUT also boasts 512 megabytes of internel memory large enough for 1.000 e-books or more, and a rechargeable battery good for up to 7.500 page turns with a single charge, in a light, copact package. Yet NUUT is priced at about $280, the lowest of all e-paper-based reader available in the world's market.

Content availability is a particularly attractive aspect of NUUT. As of today, over 300.000 volumes of e-books can be read on NUUT. That number is many times the largest number of e-book volumes available for any single e-book device previously.

NUUT's softaware offers convenient features with easy-to-use control. A variety of page turning methods, footnote viewing, and music playing are some of the features included in NUUT's software. The footnote viewing feature adds convenience to reading scholarly and professional materials as well as regular books, and tne musix-playing-while-reading function is apt for learning foreign languages. English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese languages in various font sizes are supported.

With the newest electroninc paper screen, a new combination of components, vast content availability, convenience, and affordability unwitnessed thus far.

"We are very pleased to be the first to launch this next-generation display device in Korea," said Woo-jong Kang, CEO of NeoLux. He also added, "We hope NUUT will play a key role in the growth of Korea's e-book industry".

"E Ink is delighted to see electronic paper products coming to korea, one of the leading countries in the wordl for growth of digital books and for using the latest technologies. We are sure everyone will enjoy the NUUT." said Ryosuke Kuwada, VP Asia of E Ink.

NeoLux will offer over 50.000 books and comics on its Web store at www.nuutbook.com, as well as NUUT and accessories. More contents in further varieties, such as newspapers, magazines, professional contents, and textbooks, will be added down the road. For further details, please visit www.nuutbook.com. For further inquiries, please contact: Jae-yong Yang, Senior Manager (Tel: + 82-31-740-9944, email: jyyang@nuutbook.com) Neolux, Co., Ltd. Lire aussi sur http://www.eink.com

Digital paper that talks to you

2007-06-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

The large boards and store displays already exist as prototypes. They talk to you directly, using digital information embedded in the paper. You simply touch various parts of the display to get information to stream out of printed speakers. And this coming technology can be used in many areas, from advertising to tourist information at attractions.

Research teams at the Mid Sweden University forestry industry research program Fiber Science and Communication Network (FSCN) are working on the fourth generation of paper products that can communicate with computers. This integrates paper with the digital world.

"We combine paper with printed graphic codes and electronically conductive ink that is engineered to be sensitive to pressure. Then digital information is embedded in the paper, and when it is touched, the information comes out via printed speakers," says Mikael Gulliksson, project leader for media technology in the comprehensive research project.

A large display board is already in use to show how the marketing of new travel destination, for instance, can be carried out by having the recipient enter the advertising world. When the person touches a picture or text, he or she hears the audiovisual advertising message. Instead of a flat advertising surface, this advertising invites people to enter into and interact with the message. Applications could be for advertising campaigns, marketing, and events. Other possible areas are product displays in stores.

The same technology has been used in a prototype for a 'music display board.' On this slightly bowed board, a number of music albums are printed directly on paper. Just as with a regular sound system, you can sample music by touching the front of the album. The sound is then streamed right out of the paper. The board can easily be replaced as soon as there are new recordings to be marketed. This new display technology is inexpensive, combining images, sound, and space in a new an environmentally friendly way. After use, the displays can be tossed into the recycle bin. View a video of a large display board at
http://mkv.itm.miun.se/projekt/paperfour/

The three research teams in the project include scientists from materials physics, media and communication science, and electronics. Paper Four is a research project that collaborates with the paper industry in the mid-Sweden region. The aim is to develop an entirely new paper-based product platform for marketing products and services.

Questions can be directed to:
Mikael Gulliksson, cell phone: +46 (0)70-514 5275; Micke.Gulliksson@miun.se.
Kristina Brink, mobiltelefon +46(0)70-521 9884; Kristina.Brink@miun.se

Dialog Semiconductor Launches Integrated Display Drivers For E Ink Segmented Displays

2007-05-29T07:49:00.001-07:00

Long Beach, CA - Dialog Semiconductor Plc has launched a new range of display drivers and evaluation kits to support electronic paper segmented displays from E Ink Corporation. The DA852x drivers are highly integrated solutions capable of driving 20-, 64-, 96-, 192- and 256-segment paper-thin electronic displays which can be integrated into several applications such as mobile phones, capacity meters (e.g. memory cards), electronic shelf labels, watches and clocks, games, medical devices, smart cards and other consumer devices. Each display driver device is available in both LGA package and bumped die format and only requires two external capacitors to complete a small form factor system solution.

The segmented display panels for which the DA852x driver ICs are designed provide electronic paper displays (EPD) with the capability to display both alpha-numeric characters and graphical icons. These displays are based on E Ink's Vizplex( Imaging Film, which has a number of benefits over existing display technologies, including being reflective and easily read both in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments, plus being able to be seen at virtually any angle - just like paper. The bi-stable display technology also requires zero power when in static image mode, making this technology ideal for ultra-low powered operation.

The DA852x devices integrate all of the important functions required for successful functioning of an E Ink segmented display panel. The input supply can be driven directly from a battery in the range of 1.8V to 3.3V and a fully integrated charge pump is used to generate the regulated high voltage outputs required for the display. Control via a serial SPI interface allows the devices to be integrated with a wide range of microcontrollers. The system architecture can be further enhanced as several devices can be cascaded together to expand the drive capabilities and provide further solutions for different applications.

To shorten the design and development cycle, Dialog has also developed a range of evaluation kits to support each display driver IC. The evaluation kit enables system development using a Windows based graphical user interface. This allows designers to import their own display design and generate all the necessary sequences to successfully operate the E Ink segmented display from a PC environment. With full access to the control and display interface, the evaluation kit can be used to integrate both software and hardware in a production system solution.

Samples of the DA852x E Ink segmented display driver ICs will be available in June with mass-production expected from October.

SOURCE: Dialog Semiconductor Plc

E-paper products shown at SID

2007-05-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

"LONG BEACH, Calif. — Electronic paper seems to be coming of age. E Ink Corp. exhibited a slew of recently launched products at the Society for Information Display conference here this week. The Cambridge, Mass., company also showed flexible-display prototypes from half a dozen E Ink customers, signaling a rapid advancement in flexible displays across the industry in the past year.

Meanwhile, Nemoptic, another e-paper contender, talked about its first-generation product for electronic shelf labels for grocery stores, a $10 billion market. Also at SID, Nemoptic is launching its A4 e-paper display for application in business and government offices and point-of-sale displays. The company has already shipped samples to major office equipment suppliers.

Notable "world firsts" using E Ink technologies included a flexible, color 14-inch electronic-paper panel from LG.Philips LCD on steel foil and the biggest-ever glass monochrome electronic-paper panel — 40 inches on the diagonal — from Samsung Electronics.

E Ink also announced that a research breakthrough in its ink chemistry has achieved video-switching speeds for the first time. "Our research team is demonstrating here an ultrabright ink that is approaching 50 percent reflectance of ambient light, compared to 35 percent in shipping monochrome products," said Michael McCreary, vice president of research and advanced development at E Ink.

Samsung Electronics demonstrated a 40-inch display using E Ink's Vizplex technology, which consumes 300 milliwatts at one frame per minute, or 1/500 the power consumption of a conventional LCD. Such a display using electronic ink would be appropriate for digital signage and office information applications, according to E Ink.

One of he most popular e-books incorporating E Ink displays is Arinc's eFlyBook, the General Aviation eReader used by commercial pilots to look up airport takeoff-and-landing approaches.

Six segments
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Jacques Noels, CEO and president of the management board of Nemoptic, has defined six strategic segments with differentiated features and display sizes for his company's BiNem technology. They range from 1 x 3-inch electronic shelf labels to e-books, newspapers, albums and larger (10- to 14-inch) displays for the education and professional markets.

Nemoptic, headquartered near Paris with a production unit in Sweden, is applying its bistable nematic technology to LCDs. Display content remains on view without using any power thanks to the technology's internal-memory effect.

Nemoptic has signed on with Seiko Instruments Inc. for high-volume manufacturing of its bistable LCDs at Seiko's Microtechno plant in Akita, Japan. The first units are expected to roll out at the end of the second quarter. The Seiko plant has a worldwide reputation as one of the most modern sites for high-volume production of color supertwisted-nematic liquid-crystal displays."

VIA

Ricavision eReader

2007-05-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Eink devices are beggining to pop up among different applications and vendors.

RicaVision introduces the Home E-Reader for Windows Vista

The Home E-Reader is a small handheld portable Windows SideShow device that connects wirelessly to a Windows Vista PC. It combines the convenience of electronic documents with wireless access to Windows Vista. It has a reflective eInk type display that is optimized for reading documents so that reading with the Home E-Reader is as comfortable as it is on paper. It can cache a large number of pages on the device so that it can also be used offline. It also includes stylus capability.

As small and lightweight as a single book, the Home E-Reader allows users to download and take along newspapers, books, and documents, or upload them to share with family, friends, or co-workers. In addition, the stylus capability enables the user to make notes that can be easily transferred to a PC. As electronics become more integrated into our contemporary lifestyle, a device like the Home E-Reader may become essential to access the computers with the ease of ordinary pen and paper. For personal or professional use, the Home E-Reader can add significant value to Windows Vista experience.

The Home E-Reader uses the SideShow as the primary GUI and Windows Vista as the means by which pages are actually rendered for display on the device.

Source: Ricavision

Great story on ebooks and the Illiad

2007-05-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

For me, the most important moment came reading a Sherlock Holmes story when I suddenly realised I'd been following the tale for several minutes having completely forgotten about the Iliad itself. This, of course, is essential: how many of us could get anything out of a book if we were constantly saying, in a small voice, "Hey, look at me - I'm reading this thing"?

read the full story at The Guardian

First 14.1 Inch Color ePaper Display

2007-05-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

LG Philips LCD has announced developing the world's first 14.1-inch flexible color electronic paper or e-paper display, according to reports.

The company claims that this product, which showcases the next generation in display technology, is equivalent in size to an A4 sheet of paper, and can be rolled up as well.

The innovation uses electronic ink to produce a maximum of 4,096 colors. It can be viewed from a full 180 degrees. Thus, the company says, images when viewed on this 14.1-inch flexible color e-paper always appear to be crisp, even when the display is bent.

Like the Black and White e-paper that LG Philips introduced last year, the color version too uses a substrate that arranges TFT on metal foil rather than glass, which allows it to regain original shape upon bending.

The color e-paper also uses a color filter (CF) that is coated into the plastic substrate, allowing it to display color images.

Besides, according to LG Philips, the newly developed e-paper displays are energy efficient, and only use power when the image changes. They are really thin, measuring less than 300 micrometers.

In a statement, Chung In-Jae, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, LG Philips, expressed the view that these color e-paper displays represent the next generation in display technology.

via techtree

More on the new E Ink technology

2007-05-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- E Ink Corporation, the leading provider of electronic paper display (EPD) technology, today announced the launch of its next-generation electronic ink technology, offering significant improvements in performance and shipping under the new trade name Vizplex(TM) Imaging Film.

"E Ink continues to be at the forefront of the electronic paper revolution. This is a major improvement because the electronic ink in the imaging film switches twice as fast and the image is 20 percent brighter," said Russ Wilcox, president and CEO of E Ink. "We gave it the distinctive Vizplex name so that everyone can easily recognize the next generation. Simultaneously, we are enhancing our whole solution with more screen sizes, improved electronics, support for more gray levels, and developer kits for prototyping."

New Sizes to Support More Applications

E Ink and PrimeView International (PVI), the pioneer and currently the world's sole active matrix EPD maker, jointly announced TFT modules built with Vizplex, in an expanded size range that includes 1.9", 5", 6", 8" and 9.7" diagonal displays. The new modules will be available this summer. The new sizes are targeted at monochrome device applications including mobile phones, MP3 players, PC accessories, smart handheld devices, signage, electronic dictionaries, e-books, and tablets. The previous display generation was only available in a 6" size and was targeted at e-books.

"We are pleased to offer our advanced technologies, proven streamlined manufacturing process and volume capacity to our electronic paper customers," said Dr. Scott Liu, chairman and CEO of PVI. "We have already begun using E Ink's Vizplex Imaging Film in a range of sizes and are confident the market will welcome this new technology."

New Display Controller

E Ink also announced the sampling availability of the Metronome(TM) Display Controller, which adds new functions at a lower cost. The Metronome 8T125100A is a simple, low-power chip that can drive a range of display sizes and resolutions and supports added grayscale depth and lower-level control over the display. The Metronome architecture is designed to integrate with the host processor and memory. This enables a lower cost bill of materials for the total device. The part can be purchased from E Ink or in volume from PrimeView International. E Ink will also continue to support the Apollo controller architecture that emulates a parallel printer port and offers ease of integration for rapid prototyping.

Active Matrix Prototype Kits

To accelerate customers' evaluation and product development, E Ink will offer EPD prototyping kits in more sizes and with both Metronome and Apollo display controller options. The new kits can be pre-ordered now at www.eink.com/kits.

"Using the previous AM-100 prototyping kit, our company was able to quickly explore our design ideas for a revolutionary medical tablet," said Bob Caspe CEO, Emano Tec. "With the new larger size kits, we will be able to design exactly what we need for our next generation product."

More About the New Vizplex(TM) Imaging Film

In addition to dramatically faster update speed, the Vizplex generation of active matrix products offers improved image quality.

The following table highlights the improvements with Vizplex:

--------------------------------Previous Generation Vizplex
--------------------------------Imaging Film----------Imaging Film
------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Typical Switch Speed------------1200ms----------------740ms
------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Peak Switch Speed (monochrome)--500ms----------------260ms
------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Brightness (typical reflectance)-32-35%---------------40%
------------------------------------------------------- --------------
Supported Grayscale Levels-------4 levels (2-bit)----8 levels (3-bit)
------------------------------------------------------- --------------

E Ink also announced today the expansion of its team with three new executives. "E Ink Corporation Expands Team with New Board Director, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Product Development" is available on the company's Web site: www.eink.com.

E-Ink Upgrades Panels

2007-05-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

Vizplex_imaging_film You have to see e-ink to "get" the easy-on-the-eyes effect, intended to reflect light (like a proper book) more than generate it (like a screen.) Looking at the specs — four levels of grey, refresh rate from hell — doesn't do it justice. Their new version of the ingenious display film, however, named "Vizplex," gives those numbers a bump.

Refresh rates are nearly doubled, from 1.2 seconds to 740ms, with the contrast ratio (reflectivity, to be precise) increased from 32-35 percent to 40 percent. There will also be eight levels of grey. The newer model will also allow allow for a wider range of panel sizes, meaning we could see paperback- and magazine-sized models for the fall (they're also touting 2-inch cellphone/DAP screens).

via wirednews

The paperless paper, an Editor and Publisher special

2007-04-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here I transcript the text from the original story at http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis//2007/04/part_1_the_paperless_paper.php

Well, the newspaper world could do with a glimpse of hope. And there it came: after all the signals of steady decline, at least in the industrialised world, digital paper finally offers a perspective for innovation and growth of the beleaguered sector. The digital paper technology combines the best of two worlds: the look and feel of the traditional paper and the versatility of the online editions (see 'E-Readers, Background'). The promise it offers is mind boggling: a newspaper era without newsprint, rotation presses and complicated distribution lines: all serious cost factors. The practice however is less convincing. The enabling e-ink technology is around for several years, but its application is still scarce and purely experimental. That is, until now.
How electronic reading panes are going to change the very nature of the business

With improved functionality of the gear and sophistication of the embedded software, we witness an array of initiatives across Europe and beyond. In a series of three contributions, a number of the most interesting e-reader projects are briefly described. Today a report about the landmark field test the Belgian financial paper De Tijd held last year. The next piece will describe a recently started joint initiative of five Dutch newspapers, and in a third contribution Roger Fidler, the American founding father of the electronic newspaper concept, will give his assessment of the digital paper revolution.

While virtually all newspapers were still ignorant of the digital paper arrival, the Belgian newspaper De Tijd, together with the Flemish research centre IBBT and Philips affiliate iRex Technologies (left), organised a three-month field test for 200 test readers of the paper. The group consisted mostly of well-educated males with a vibrant professional life style: the men on the move. This panel received a daily update of the paper and could select and read articles of choice on the Iliad e-reader iRex had provided and calibrated for the test. The project was intensely guided and researched. The test results give a good insight in the potential as well as the limitations of the e-reader technology at this stage.

It turned out that the test users associated the electronic reading experience with the classical paper rather than an online newspaper edition. Consequently, they were expecting the look and feel of the print product, but now projected onto their mobile e-reading pane. No particular interest in last minute updates, that is in this instance. As such, the device was evaluated as a complementary tool, the ideal travel companion. A pleasant add-on though; a good 45 per cent would consider purchasing the device if a regular journalistic service would be available.

Especially the portability and excellent readability under daylight conditions were highly rated, a noticeable difference with the performance of LCD displays of standard laptop computers. The test users were less satisfied with the rather slow page refreshment time and the general device lay-out; the first problem has been remedied meanwhile by the hardware provider but the latter (the ‘user-in-control’ feeling) requires further development.

Concerning the e-reader content, the proof readers made clear that the used PDF-copy of the print paper was not an appropriate format. The trusted click-through functionality worked well but additional personalisation options (archiving, electronic clipping for instance) and a search function would be welcome. These findings demonstrate that at the user side, the hybrid character of the technology is recognised and appreciated.

The De Tijd-project also looked into the various business models for e-readers. Four possible scenarios were identified, based on two main factors: the level of openness (open versus proprietary solutions) and nature of the content (one source or a variety of sources). The most simple scenario is the newspaper add-on: an e-reader service as an extension of the existing print edition. In the kiosk model, not one newspaper but also other edited volumes such as further papers, magazines, books etc. can be uploaded to the device. The iTunes model is based on the assumption that readers are ready for the purchase of single articles from a preferred provider and then make the collections (me-papers) themselves. The fourth scenario draws on the web model; the reader buys the device and then happily collects the content of Rollable screen E-Reader by Philips subsidiary Polyvision
his/her choice, free and/or paid-for.

These scenarios were assessed by several Flemish stakeholders and media specialists. The general opinion was a continued belief in the present power of editorially composed content and at the same time a growing understanding of the preference of especially younger generations for free and open web-enabled solutions in the times to come.

For more detail about the De Tijd project, contact nico.verplancke@ibbt.be

The Paperless Paper: E-Readers, Background

The often proclaimed mobile, personalised multimedia electronic paper is quickly maturing: the e-reader has arrived. Trend Watch even referred to the device as “literature’s iPod”. A pivotal role is played by the e-ink mounted devices companies like Sony (left), iRex Technologies and Fujitsu have launched. Electronic ink, originally a product from the Xerox labs, is based on the (electronic) activation of vast numbers of small moving ‘balls’, which, depending on their charge, turn black or white. That delivers a permanently refreshable, highly readable monochrome picture with a resolution of 170 pixels per inch. Once a picture is established, it doesn’t require energy.

The breed of e-readers using this technology has a striking resemblance with the print medium it is supposed to replace: excellent readability, certainly in daylight conditions, portability, and in the near future the same fold-up format (once the present solid back is replaced by a flexible plastic substrate) we love so much in the paper predecessor. So, e-ink based e-readers combine the once unbeatable qualities of the print product with the speed and immediacy of the internet. They more than deserve our curiosity and professional attention.

Next contribution in this series: the battle for appealing e-reader content.

Source: written by Jan Bierhoff, Director of the European Centre for Digital Communication

''Electronic paper'' edging toward reality

2007-04-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Reuters) - "Electronic paper" has long been hyped as the future of newspapers and books, but products like e-books have been slow to take off. That may soon change, say executives involved in the pioneering technology.

While Internet companies are scanning libraries of books and making them available online, E Ink Corp., which emerged out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology a decade ago, is seeing a surge in orders for its portable, foldable displays that mimic conventional paper to carry such books.

"Nine different companies launched products last year based on the technology," said Russell Wilcox, E Ink president. "In the last nine months we've gone from manufacturing tens of thousands of parts to millions of parts."

Among those products are Sony's Reader tablet, whose black-and-white displays can be read in bright sunlight or a dimly lit room from almost any angle -- just like paper -- without traditional back-lit screens that chew up power.

While the displays are becoming more flexible and conserve power, they face other limitations such as working only in monochrome and failing to display video -- areas critical to attracting advertisers and consumers to the technology.

Wilcox said E Ink, whose revenues have grown at a rate of 200 to 300 percent annually in the last three years, is testing a color prototype that could be launched next year, potentially opening the technology to e-magazines and e-newspapers.

Underscoring its aspirations to mainstream media, the company's chairman is Kenneth Bronfin, president of the interactive media division of Hearst Corp., which publishes 12 daily newspapers and 19 magazines including Cosmopolitan.

E Ink holds more than 100 patents on its "electrophoretic" ink technology in which electric charges are sent along a grid embedded in the paper that cause tiny black and white particles to move up and down, creating text and images.

TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP

Motofone, Motorola Corp.'s low-cost mobile phone for the developing world, uses the technology because of its ability to conserve power, along with Seiko Epson Corp.'s wristwatch, a flash-memory stick and several other devices.

James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research, said E Ink needs the technological leap into color and ability to show video before it can reach the masses.

If it can achieve that, McQuivey said, E Ink could threaten to displace the cheap and ubiquitous liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), while revolutionizing how we think about reading.

Electronic billboards, for example, would no longer need to be bulky or costly to erect. They could be hung from just about any wall or folded into the back of a car for easy transport.

"It's so clearly apparent when you use the technology that it could revolutionize so many screens in our lives and it could put screens on things that don't have them but could or should," said McQuivey.

Another challenge for products like e-books is that the number of books available to download in the United States and Europe remains relatively small.

But Sony reckons that will change as consumers discover the ease of using one device that stores hundreds of titles, and as the Internet makes downloading easy.

"More and more things are going online from Amazon and others," said David Seperson, a product manager of Sony's Reader. "We're seeing real growth in digital text."

"Also there is a potential shift in what people would consider reading. It used to be mainly books. Now there are blogs. And there's all kinds of Internet things which will work well because you can take that stuff off the computer screen, and take it with you to the beach and start reading."

© Reuters

Readius video demo

2007-03-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

E Ink Ranked as the Third Most Innovative Company in the Electronics and Instruments Industry

2007-03-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

Patent Board™ Ranking Published in The Wall Street Journal Shows E Ink Ahead of Giants Like Hitachi, Sharp, 3M, Fujitsu and Kodak

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E Ink Corporation, the leading provider of electronic paper display technology, is considered among the most innovative companies in the electronics and instruments industry, according to The Patent Board Patent Scorecard recently published in The Wall Street Journal. The Patent Scorecard is published by The Patent Board, a provider of tools and metrics for patent analysis and intellectual property investing. The Patent Scorecard uses the Patent Board's industry-standard data and proprietary analytical tools to assess patent value, and ranks companies worldwide in 17 industry sectors.

“E Ink has built an early and broad patent position in electronic paper, flexible displays, and printed electronics; all are expected to be explosively growing markets in the next decade,” said Russ Wilcox, president and CEO of E Ink. “Our scientists and engineers are innovating rapidly and their work ranks with the best of the global giants in the field of electronic devices.”

“From a patent quality perspective, E Ink has a very strong and influential portfolio,” said Eric Gillespie, Patent Board COO. “In addition to ranking third within our electronics scorecard, E Ink sits at the number one spot for industry impact and is 26th overall in our Patent Board 500™. The 500 looks globally across industries and ranks the top 500 technology innovators by technology strength. The ‘industry impact’ metric measures how influential a company’s patent portfolio is on the development of technologies in other companies. Overall, E Ink’s patent portfolio is of high quality.”

E Ink’s patent portfolio provides the company with broad protection for its innovative electrophoretic display technology. The company’s issued patents cover topics including methods for manufacturing of the electronic ink material, processes for assembling finished displays, and techniques for integrating electronic paper displays in products.

A growing number of inventors have been inspired by the applications of E Ink’s technology. In fact, more than 1,000 patents have been granted and are pending for inventions based on E Ink’s electronic paper displays.

Outside of electronic paper, many of E Ink’s patents have also had broad applicability in fields like organic electronics and flexible semiconductor manufacturing. E Ink has recently been awarded claims on techniques to print semiconductor particle films, pattern organic semiconductors and produce organic dielectric films at low temperatures.

With 107 U.S. patents issued and over 100 additional patent applications pending, E Ink anticipates the pace of new patent issuance to continue. The company has also received and applied for international equivalents of many of its U.S. patents.

Full colour e-papers could hit the streets in 2 years

2007-02-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

Whilst first versions of the epaper have been prodiuced to give black and white content, Mike Nelson, general manager of sales for Fujitsu Europe said that full colour epaper is possible in two years.

It makes sense that new technology moves more towards consumer demand – and that appears to be full colour content. Many newspapers are moving towards full colour versions, particularly in the UK.

Nelson spoke to Journalism.co.uk at the conference saying: "All the print media has moved to colour. When you read your newspaper its in colour. I don't believe the industry will accept going back to a black and white format just to embrace the new technology.”

He went on to say: "It's probably two years away before we can get the screen manufacturing technology up to scratch for an A5 or bigger size in colour. That is when we can talk about distributing magazines and so forth on it."

The way to make a success of this market is through a collaboration. It's not just a product market where we make the screens and someone else integrates than and sells them to a third party who distributes media on them."

Much better to have all the elements of that business together from the start to make sure the end product and the end distribution is viable."

Source: Journalism.co.uk

E Ink 2007 Global Mobile Awards winner

2007-02-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

BARCELONA (3GSM World Congress) - February 16, 2007 - E Ink Corporation announced today that two products featuring its industry-leading electronic paper display technology received top honors at the GSM Association's 2007 Global Mobile Awards. The awards celebrate the highest achievements in the mobile communications industry. Polymer Vision received the Most Innovative Technology Award for its unique rollable display. Motorola won the Best Ultra Low Cost Handset Award for it MOTOFONE F3 GSM mobile phone.

"These global awards are the latest recognition of the cutting edge products now reaching consumers with E Ink's electronic paper displays," said Russ Wilcox, president and CEO of E Ink. "Our technology is bright, ultra low-power and paper-thin. This is a leap forward for anyone who wants to view information on a portable device."

Polymer Vision was honored for developing a GSM mobile phone with a foldable display, putting a big display into a small handset for the ultimate in convenience. Polymer Vision's displays are powered by E Ink's High Resolution electronic paper displays. The displays are bistable, meaning they only use power when an image is changed, so the Readius device can support the increased display size without sacrificing on long battery life. The foldable design of the Readius was achieved using Polymer Vision's plastic electronics technology and should appeal to both gadget and fashion lovers.

Motorola's MOTOFONE F3 re-establishes expectations over how a value-priced handset looks and feels and what it delivers. The handset's large, high contrast screen, powered by an E Ink Segmented Display is readable in direct sunlight, making it practical to use the phone outdoors. Additionally, the display is plastic, lightweight and ultra-low power, making it ideal for mobile and power sensitive applications by eliminating the weight and breakability of glass used in traditional LCD displays. This is the second award the MOTOFONE has received recently as it was named one of CNET's five coolest things at CES 2007 in January.

E Ink's technology has received many other accolades and awards. E Ink received a "Best of Small Tech Award" from Small Times because it, "successfully ushered the technology out of the lab and into real-world applications." E Ink also received a "Gold Display Component of the Year Award" from the Society for Information Display (SID), "for its substantial innovation in the science and technology of electronic paper display technology."

Telecom Italia and Polymer Vision announce the “CELLULAR-BOOK”

2007-02-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

The First mobile device with rollable display for reading personal information, newspapers and books

TELECOM ITALIA through TIM will co-develop and market in Italy the world’s first rollable display enabled personal device for digital content distribution while Polymer Vision will market the device in the rest of the world

Rome - Eindhoven - February 5, 2007 - Telecom Italia and Polymer Vision today announced an agreement which will see the leading operator of the Italian mobile industry and the pioneers of the rollable display industry join to develop and launch the world’s first rollable display enabled mobile device to market in 2007.

The innovative terminal will be presented to the Industry as a world first at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona from February12th (booth in Hall 2, D 06). The device uses the unique Polymer Vision rollable display technology which enables mobile devices to incorporate a display larger than the handset itself and offers a readability similar to printed paper. The product follows up on the rollable display technology based concept device Readius® presented by Polymer Vision less than 18 months ago at the IFA Consumer Electronics Trade Fair in Berlin.

While smaller than a typical mobile phone, the new device features a display which extends up to 5-inches and may simply be stored away after use by folding it, thanks to the flexibility of the polymer based display material. The device features the largest display available in the industry for the same form factor, the 16 grey levels combined with a high contrast and high reflectivity display for paper like reading experience enables comfortable reading, even in bright sunlight. Future developments include colour and moving image capable display.

The rollable display enables reading entire newspapers as well as books that can be delivered and bought through TIM’s mobile network via a regular SIM Card within the device - and then stored in the terminal’s memory which will be extremely large (starting from 4 Gigabytes available in the first models).

Combined with TIM’s mobile services, the device will permit instant access to personalised data, e-mail, news, information feeds and location sensitive maps wherever and whenever. The always-on user experience is made possible through an optimised combination of cellular (EDGE/UMTS) and broadcast (DVB-H IP data-casting) mobile functionalities as well as a mini-USB slot for PC and wired/wireless broadband data connection.

Together with superior text and graphic content, the new device will also download and play music, audiobooks and audio podcasts. Featuring single-handed navigation and control via an innovative touch sensitive LED user interface, as well as intuitively simple software, users will enjoy a new unique experience in managing, accessing relevant and personalized high value content. With the extremely low power consumption of the display, the new device will deliver an exceptional 10 days of average usage time between battery charges.

Telecom Italia will exclusively market the innovative terminal in Italy.

For additional information visit the Polymer Vision website: www.polymervision.com

Mass e-ink for 2008

2007-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Cambridge, UK – 3rd January 2007 – Plastic Logic announced today that it will build the first factory to manufacture plastic electronics on a commercial scale. The facility will produce flexible active-matrix display modules for ‘take anywhere, read anywhere’ electronic reader products. It will utilize Plastic Logic’s unique process to fabricate active-matrix displays that are thin, light and robust; enabling a reading experience closer to paper than any other technology.

To fund this comprehensive commercialization program, Plastic Logic has completed a first closing of $100 million of equity finance led by Oak Investment Partners and Tudor Investment Corporation. Existing investors Amadeus, which led the seed financing of Plastic Logic, Intel Capital, Bank of America, BASF Venture Capital, Quest for Growth and Merifin Capital also participated. The financing is one of the largest in the history of European venture capital.

Bandel Carano, Managing Partner at Oak, said “Plastic Logic has created a pioneering technology that will revolutionize the way that people interact with their media on the move. This investment is a perfect fit with Oak’s vision of future media interaction through handheld devices.”

Rob Broggi, Vice President and Director of Technology, Media and Telecommunications Equity Research at Tudor, added “This investment meets our objective to find and participate in the most exciting investment opportunities globally, particularly in mobile and nanotechnology sectors.”

Hermann Hauser, Director of Amadeus commented “Having backed Plastic Logic from day one, I am delighted that the first full commercialization of plastic electronics is now firmly in our sights. With this investment we are not only scaling up a great company - we are also creating a new electronics industry that will become a significant addition to silicon.”
The facility will produce display modules for portable electronic reader devices – a product category that is predicted to grow to 41.6 million units in 2010. It will have an initial capacity of more than a million display modules per year and production will start in 2008. Dresden in the ‘Silicon Saxony’ region of eastern Germany has been chosen as the facility location following an extensive worldwide site selection process.

“Our displays will enable electronic reader products that are as comfortable and natural to read as paper whether you’re on a beach, in a train or relaxing on the sofa at home.” stated John Mills, Chief Operating Officer at Plastic Logic. “Wireless connectivity will allow you to purchase and download a book or pick up the latest edition of your newspaper wherever you are and whenever you need it. The battery will last for thousands of pages so you can leave your charger at home.”

“Even in this age of pervasive digital content, our research shows that consumers are very reluctant to read on laptops, phones and PDAs,” said Simon Jones, Vice President of Product Development at Plastic Logic. “We still carry around enormous amounts of paper. However, people are making less room in their lives for the weight and bulk of paper and are becoming more sensitive to the environmental impact of printing to read. We believe there is a substantial unfulfilled need that Plastic Logic can meet by making digital reading a comfortable and pleasurable experience.”

Reader feedback on the De Tijd e-ink experiment

2006-12-04T03:03:00.000-08:00

As stated in the Editors Weblog, "80 Dutch and Flemish editors and researchers gathered in the European Journalism Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands, to assess and discuss several prototypes of novel newspaper products or services". Among these, the De Tijd e-ink prototype and the conclusions on the e-paper experiment received substancial attention:

This summer, a fairly large field test has been conducted by the Belgian financial paper De Tijd, using the Iliad, an e-ink mounted reading pane produced by Philips subsidiary i-Rex. E-reader devices are mobile to start with (A5 folder size), have the look and feel of normal paper, don’t require a lot of energy and show superior reading quality in daylight conditions.
Nico Verplancke of IBBT summed up some final results delivered by the group of 200 test users. Feedback is positive, in general. Half of the group would consider buying a device provided the delivered content is sufficiently compelling. A strong recommendation was to speed up the refresh time and improve layout of content. Meanwhile, i-Rex has issued improved software with better performance characteristics.
Further development is required though, to promote the device from the present
e-book to the aspired e-newspaper status. De Tijd will not continue with the experiment, but five Dutch newspapers have meanwhile joined forces for a continued research effort, more focused on the creative part of the venture, the development of the right editorial formats. IBBT will join this consortium as well.

Via Editors Weblog

E-ink goes mobile with Motorola

2006-11-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

(PRESS RELEASE) Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a global leader in wireless communications, today announced the global debut of the highly anticipated MOTOFONE at an event held in New Delhi, India. MOTOFONE is set to redefine the mobile phone market place and strengthen Motorola's drive to connect the next billion mobile phone users. The Indian launch will be followed by a rapid international rollout.

Based on Motorola's evolutionary new SCPL design platform, MOTOFONE is the first of a new breed of handsets designed to disrupt today's communications landscape by cutting across price tiers, product segments and international markets.

"In the weeks and months to come, consumers from around the world will enjoy the benefit of the technological innovations packed into MOTOFONE," said Ron Garriques, president, Mobile Devices, Motorola Inc. "Today's global launch marks a major milestone as Motorola continues its drive to connect the next billion mobile phone users."

In both GSM and CDMA, MOTOFONE re-establishes expectations over how a value-priced handset looks and feels and what it delivers. Offering an intuitive new interface built with icons and voice versus text, as well as voice prompts specifically tailored to local markets, the handset makes it easier and friendlier for first-time users to navigate, place a call, and retrieve messages. Its large, high contrast screen, powered by a revolutionary ClearVisionTM display makes it easier to use the phone outdoors.

E Ink Corporation, the leading supplier of electronic paper displays, is providing the display technology behind MOTOFONE's ClearVision. The changeable electronic ink display is easy to read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments from virtually any angle - just like paper. Additionally, the display is plastic, lightweight and ultra-low power, making it ideal for mobile and power sensitive applications by eliminating the weight and breakability of glass used in LCD displays.

"E Ink is unleashing the design freedom of Motorola which enables disruptive innovation," said Russ Wilcox, CEO of E Ink Corporation. "Today's launch marks an unique moment in the display industry as it shows that electronic paper displays are entering the mainstream."

Availability The GSM version, MOTOFONE F3, is available today in India and will roll out in international markets in the coming weeks. Motorola is working towards shipping the CDMA version, MOTOFONE F3c, by the end of 2006.

Introducing an SD card with Eink info panel

2006-11-15T03:39:00.000-08:00

New York, November 8, 2006 – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) today announced A-DATA Technology as an International CES Best of Innovations 2007 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for “info SD” at the International CES New York Press Preview. The Best of Innovations awards are given to the most highly honored products in each of the 31 product categories within the Innovations Design and Engineering Awards.

A-DATA’ info SD is the world’s first SD card that utilizes bi-stable display technology, allowing the independent display of the available space on the card at any time without additional power. In addition, info SD is capable of showing 2 characters for name and 4 digits for free capacity via auto-calculation.

About A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd.
A-DATA is the world’s second largest vendor of memory modules (DRAMeXchange, July 2006), 2006 Taiwan Top 20 Global Brands as well as Emerging Brand (Interbrand, September 2006). The company’s main product lines include memory modules, Flash memory drives/cards, and multimedia application products. To find out more about A-DATA and its products, you can visit the A-DATA website at www.adata.com.tw .

Newspapers want working devices, less hype

2006-10-31T04:20:00.000-08:00

(Ifra press release) Darmstadt/Tokyo, 23 August 2006 – Ifra’s eNews 2008 initiative, set up to help publishers create business in the coming e-reading world, is nearing the end of its first year. The project now has 27 member companies; 23 publishers and four technology suppliers, from 11 European countries, Japan and the USA. This week, the eNews 2008 member companies are in the Japanese capital in order to meet, and visit the leading mobile and e-reading technology developers.

Since the launch of eNews, and particularly in the past six months, the interest in e-reader technology and applications has exploded in international media – from specialised trade magazines to big national dailies. While this has provided the Ifra initiative with a lot of welcome coverage, not all the articles published have been as well researched and founded in reality as project leader Dr Stig Nordqvist might have hoped: “E-readers have been hyped quite a lot in the press this past spring. In the last year we have seen a promising development in e-paper displays, black and white with rich contrast, good improvements in speed in for example the E Ink v2.5\2.6 and Bridgestone QRP technology. We have also seen colour filter solutions from interesting new alternatives, for example Fujitsu. Despite all this, I still think that the e-reader devices so far are disappointing.”

During the visit to Tokyo, Mr Kenichi Shiraishi of Sony talked to the eNews 2008 participants about the eBook market, stating that the reason the e-reading market is still so small is that “there is no good device on the market yet, optimised for reading. And there is no good content management system either.” Commented Meredith Artley of the International Herald Tribune: “The more you [the technology developers] can focus on news at this point, the more friends you will make in the publishing industry. The more options and flexibility in terms of format, the more interesting it is going to be to sum up and cooperate with you in this context.”

The publishers taking part in the eNews 2008 initiative are working actively to prepare themselves to take advantage of the new e-reader medium, when it becomes reality. However, to date the technology needed to launch services to readers is not there, despite promises from suppliers such as iRex Technologies, an eNews member, which was due to launch its iLiad e-reader in April. The devices are now on the market, but do not work satisfactorily. Dr Nordqvist says: “We have had serious problems with the earliest release of the iLiad. The speed is too slow to be acceptable, and so far this is not really a consumer’s product. Worse than the speed is the user interface, which I find illogical.”

In addition to the two days in Tokyo spent meeting with and hearing presentations from the leading e-reading technology developers and the two leading Japanese mobile operators, KDDI and NTT DoCoMo, during their week in the Japanese capital the eNews 2008 members will spend three days in a seminar, including workshops and speakers, among them representatives of the Japanese mobile success story – from content providers to mobile payment companies. Dr Stig Nordqvist adds: “When the technology falls into place, whether the devices become more like mobile phones, tablet-PCs or like a future version of the iLiad, i.e. an e-reading device, we strongly believe that there is a huge consumer market for e-reading content.”

The eNews 2008 project will run for another two years, during which time activities will include further seminars, study tours and commissioning of consumer research.

Jinke V2 Eink device video

2006-10-26T01:22:00.000-07:00

Video of a demo version of the Jinke eink device, by THJahar available at YouTube

You can check more about the device at Jinke or see related stories here at PaperGadgets weblog: Jinke New eBook Device

Specification
Dimensions: 194mm(L)*133.6mm(W)*13.4mm(H)
Main Display: ePaper (Eink technology) 6 Inch 800*600 pixel 4 greyscale
Slave Display: STN 254*96 Pixel
Storage: 64MB Nand Flash ,SD/MMC card(Support 1GB capability )
Weight: 290g(Include battery)
Battery: Li-ION 760mAH
Input: Key, Touch Panel (only slave display)
I/O: USB1.1
Working Temperature: 0¡æ¡«40¡æ
Keeping Temperature: -20¡æ¡«55¡æ
Function: MP3 Player
Format Support: PDF Viewer, WOLF Viewer(WOLF File Format:convert from txt,htm,DOC ,PDF,Excel,PPT,Images,mp3 ets),HTML Viewer,TXT Viewer
Hardware: CPU:Sumsang Arm 9 200Mhz, SDRAM : 32M Bytes,SD(MMC)IO
Software: LINUX OS

Interesting FAQ about the Jinke V2
Can V8 and V2 support OEB format?
A:V8 can't support OEB format. We will think about supporting OEB format in next generation of V2.

What's the price of V8 and V2?
A:The suggested retail price of V8 is 299 USD. V2 is 349 USD.

When will the V8 and V2 be released?
A:V8 has been sold. The consumers of Chinese Mainland can buy it from the agency or order it online. The samples of V2 will be available by the end of June of 2006.

How to buy V2?
A:You can order it online or buy it from the agents.

Where can I buy V8 and V2?
A:You can order V8 from agencys in China or online order.
V2 focuses on European and American markets, after it releasing, we will offer a global agent list to the consumers.

Do V2 and V8 support RTF, DOC, PPT, and XLS files?
A:Wolf printer is software, which can convert RTF, DOC, PPT, and XLS into WOLF format. Then these files can be read in V product. Wolf printer will be offered with the V product.

Can V model work while charging? And Can it be long time charged?
A:V model can work while charge and it can be long time charged. Battery fully charged need three(3)hours.

What kind of battery does V model adopt? How long the battery last after charging?
A:V model adopts rechargeable battery. It can support the power for turning not less than 8000 pages; music playing for up to 10 hours.

Can V2/V8 play music while an ebook reading?
A:Yes, V2/V8 can play music while you are reading an eBook.(except audio eBook).

E-reader market heating up

2006-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

According to "ePage Insights", an AFAICS Research Newsletter, in the US "sales of the Sony Reader got off to flying start with most retailers selling out within a few days. An initial batch of 10,000 units of the new reader was delivered to Sony US in September and these went on sale in around 750 shops across the US as well as via online outlets such as Amazon and of course Sony’s own online sales operation."

About the devices sold on 300 Borders shop, it says that "these typically sold out of the dozen units they had received within the first two days".

Via ePage Insights Newsletter

"Firm casts new light on reading"

2006-10-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

some insight in E-ink business side, from the Boston Herald

"E-Ink, which makes a film that requires little light, is very much responsible for the Sony Reader’s book-like display.

It’s a technology the company said it can extend to newspapers as well. Though E-Ink isn’t responsible for manufacturing products, its film could be used to make highly flexible electronic newspapers, Bischoff said.

“If you read a newspaper in a taxi cab, in a plane, on the beach, wherever you can read a newspaper you can read our devices,” he said.

It’s piqued the interest of some publishers. E-Ink counts Hearst Corp., McClatchy Co. and Vivendi Universal Publishing among its investors.

Kenneth Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media, sits on the company’s board of directors.

Still, Bischoff said the company isn’t out to replace newspapers or books.

“The newspaper is not going to go away. The physical book is not going to go away. But there are certain amounts of your day where you say, ‘Hey, this electronic book is very useful,’ ” he said.

The e-newspaper may still be years in the future. What form customers would prefer is also undetermined.

“At the end of the day, it’s a social issue rather than a technological one,” Bischoff said.

E-Ink isn’t out to save the newspaper industry. It’s out to sell its film, whether the purchaser is interested in digital books, signs or even watches.

“As a business model, we’re not out to sell electronic newspapers to the public,” Bischoff said. “We want to be good at making electronic paper.”

E Ink receives 100th patent on E-Paper

2006-10-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

PRES RELEASE: CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- E Ink Corporation, the leading provider of electronic paper display technology, today announced that it has received its 100th utility patent from the United States Patent Office. E Ink has been awarded 24 new U.S. patents so far in 2006, almost double the number it received in 2005.

The company's 100th patent describes important control hardware and software for addressing bistable displays. Bistable displays are able to maintain an image without any battery or external power source. E Ink has a growing family of patents in the area of bistable display operation, including methods to increase lifetime, improve performance and decrease system cost.

E Ink's patent portfolio provides the company with broad protection for its innovative electrophoretic display technology. The company's issued patents cover topics including methods for manufacturing of the electronic ink material, processes for assembling finished displays, and techniques for integrating electronic paper displays in to finished products.

While many of E Ink's patents are focused on electronic paper, many also have broader applicability in fields like organic electronics and flexible semiconductor manufacturing. E Ink has recently been awarded claims on techniques to print semiconductor particle films, pattern organic semiconductors and produce organic dielectric films at low temperatures.

With over 100 additional patent applications pending, E Ink anticipates the pace of new patent issuance to continue to increase. The company has also received and applied for international equivalents of many of its U.S. patents.

SR review on the NYTimes

2006-10-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

A good review of the Sony Reader...

...plus, an Amazon Reader?

Sony Reader now available

2006-09-29T02:58:00.000-07:00

Finally, you can buy the Sony Reader for $349,99 at sonystyle.com. Sony also launched the Connect site were ebooks for the device can be bought. Here is the official press release anouncing the store:

"Sony Connect ® will support the launch of the Sony Reader by providing an online store integrated into an easy-to-use desktop application called the Connect Reader. The software will allow users to search and browse through thousands of downloadable eBooks, manage purchased eBooks and easily transfer them to the Sony Reader device. At the outset, the Connect Store will offer a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary.

Additionally, the Connect Store will offer online content sourced via RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

"Reading books is a vital part of the overall reading experience, which also increasingly consists of written content from online news sources, blogs and other forms of web content," said Lee Ali Shirani, vice president of Sony Connect. "Connect will allow users to take eBooks, news feeds and other online media and enjoy that portably, thereby making the Reader the portable device for all things text."

Read the complete text.
Cnet story on Connect: Sony to launch Web bookstore, e-book device

Life is Flexible – new flexible display concepts

2006-07-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Cambridge, UK & San Francisco, CA – 6 June 2006 – Five exciting new product concepts from Plastic Logic will be on show at SID this year with the theme that “Life is Flexible”. They all incorporate Plastic Logic’s radical new flexible display technology. The lightweight, user-friendly natural designs illustrate the inevitable transformation we will see in everyday products as a result of plastic electronics over the next decade.

Developed as part of a “Future Mapping Project” with the Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, sixty Product Design students from all over the world set out to brainstorm how flexible displays will change our lives by 2010. Central Saint Martins is a world renowned institution that has refined the creative talents of many inspirational artists and designers, including retailer & restaurateur Terence Conran, industrial designer James Dyson and film director Mike Leigh.

The results were stunning, with applications in entertainment, work, education, health, transport and fashion. Each concept highlighted a different desirable feature of flexible displays – thin, light, robust and more - and also addressed a real world use case.

Life is Flexible: prize winning Plastic Logic flexible displays by students at Central Saint Martins. First prize won by Turnover (centre). Other prize winners (clockwise from right) were Smartbook, Emulate, Snapmed, Flexinfo and Digital Music Score. High resolution images available at
www.plasticlogic.com/lifeisflexible.php.

Ten designs from an initial sixty were chosen to progress to the final stage. The distinguished judging panel included Hermann Hauser (Founder of Amadeus Capital and the UK’s leading high tech venture capitalist), Guy Kewney (NewsWireless Editor), Nick Hampshire (Founder, AFAICS Research), Tony Chambers (Creative Director of Wallpaper* Magazine), Stuart Evans (CEO Plastic Logic) and Simon Jones (VP Business Development Plastic Logic).

Commenting on the winning designs, venture capitalist Hermann Hauser said “These designs are wonderful and can easily turn into exciting world class products. I can’t wait to get one for myself.” The prize winning product concepts were:

1. Turnover is an innovative e-reader that won first prize. It uses two traditional aspects of reading – turning the page and folding the corner – to exploit the physical capabilities of flexible displays, while humanizing the experience of reading an electronic book or newspaper. The screen that is rotated to the back refreshes the next page during the turning action, thereby stimulating a whole book or magazine with only two pages. According to designer Timothy Yeoh, “Turnover is two pages with infinite possibilities – you can lose yourself in any number of worlds.” Touch the on button for a few seconds to bring up the book select menu and use the scroll wheel to select the book or quickly skip to the desired page. Touchscreen capability lets you bend the corner to toggle bookmarks on or off, with a bookmark symbol on the page for easy reference when scrolling through.

2. SmartBook is an easy-to-hold e-book with a touch sensitive quadrant scroll bar for one-handed navigation. Selecting the enlarge button, the scroll can be used to adjust the size of the font. With bistable display effects and robust, unbreakable backplanes, part of the display is always visible even when the device is shut so you can always see top level information. Designer – Coria Mok.

3. Emulate is a leather-covered e-reader the size of a bill fold or wallet. Its slim ergonomic design fits easily into a pocket or handbag and is ideal for reading email. Flexible padded edges adapt to being in your pocket and – like other leather goods – it acquires a patina over time so users form an emotional attachment to the product. Designer – Ben Forman.

4. Snapmed is an updateable display and storage device for the next generation of medical patient tagging. It quickly and accurately displays key patient information and medication details. A sprung steel wrist band is the mechanism to make it snap onto the patient’s wrist quickly and securely. Designer – James King.

5. Flexinfo uses flexible display technology to provide up to date travel information on your season ticket where and when you need it. It shows the latest timetable with upcoming departure and arrival times, and also warns you about delays or cancellations. It updates everytime it is used and is a direct replacement for current season tickets. Its attractive display has the potential to be used for advertising and other offers. Designer – Edward Vince.

6. Digital Music Score (DMS) uses flexible display technology to make life easier for musicians, whether amateur or professional. Music scores are downloaded into the DMS and displayed on full sized pages, just like familiar printed music scores. Designed to fit onto conventional music stands, the musician isn’t distracted by having to turn from page to page by hand. They keep their hands on the instruments while playing, so they can concentrate on achieving peak performance. It can even be rolled up into a scroll for storage. The DMS also contains teaching and reference material to help players enhance their musical skills and knowledge. Designer – Akiko Iba.

The project has confirmed that flexible displays and plastic electronics will make their mark in our not-too-distant future, enabling completely new product categories and driving technology innovation in all markets.

Roger Fidler, an interview

2006-06-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

As stated in his official bio at the Kent State University ROGER FIDLER is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University. He worked in the newspaper business for more than 34 years (21 years with Knight-Ridder, Inc.) as a journalist, designer, technologist and executive, and has been actively involved in new media development since 1979.

Prior to joining the Kent State faculty in 1996, Fidler served as Director of New Media for Knight-Ridder, Inc., and headed the company’s Information Design Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado (1992-1995). He founded and headed two successful companies — Knight-Ridder Graphics Network (now Knight-Ridder/Tribune Graphics), the first computer-based news graphics service (1983-1987), and PressLink, the first global intranet for the newspaper industry (1985-1991). He also was a key member of Knight-Ridder’s videotex development team, and served as the first director of design for the company’s commercial service known as Viewtron (1979-1983).

I recently interview him for a news article about news devices. Here is a sample of the email interview with him:

More than 20 years after you first visualize the idea of tablet newspapers, do you see it finally coming to a reality?
I wrote the article and created mockups of a magazine-size mobile reading device and digital newspaper in 1981. In that article I predicted that in the year 2000 online media (then we called it videotex) would become commonplace and that mobile reading devices suitable for reading digital editions would emerge. In my book, "Mediamorphosis: Understanding New Media" (Pine Forge Press, 1997), I predicted that mobile reading devices would become commonplace by the year 2010. I still believe that is possible.
Tablet PCs and eBook readers have helped to make people more aware of digital books and periodicals, but the devices are still to complex, expensive, heavy and power-hungry to use for casual reading. The E Ink display is the most promising technology available today. The Sony Reader and iRex Iliad are two examples of mobile reading devices with E Ink displays. Both provide a reading experience comparable to ink printed on paper -- they are simple, relatively inexpensive, lightweight and power-efficient (40-hour versus 2-hour duty cycles). Downside is they are only black-and-white (color is at least two years from being commercially available) and they cannot display video (the materials are too slow). I know of several other display technologies under development that can provide color and video, but I don't expect them to be on the market in less than 5 years.

Which are the main lessons from the eMPrint project?
There are lots of people who still enjoy reading a newspaper that is well edited and packaged. The eMprint editions seem to attract readers in all age groupings who are moving away from traditional print for a variety of reason, but do not find reading news in typical Web formats to be particularly enjoyable. We also found that the eMprint format appeals to advertisers because it can provide the display quality of a high-quality slick magazine while also providing the interactive, multimedia features of the Web in a mobile environment.

What can you say about the expansion of wireless networks, will this affect us deeply in the way we interact with media? (always on, always connected devices that will keep us always available for news feeds)
Wireless networks for low bandwidth communications are already pervasive.
Broadband wireless services will remain spotty and expensive for sometime. They have already created a great expectation of instantaneous, personalized news and entertainment that can be accessed anytime, anywhere and anyway.
However, I believe downloaded news and entertainment products will grow in popularity, especially for people who are highly mobile. These scenarios will obviously affect the way we consume news and all societies. How they will affect us is impossible to predict.

What do you think will best serve the purpose for mobile reading, a single use device for reading or a multiple use device (text, voice, music and camera)?
All digital devices will have multiple uses, but each type of device will be optimized for a specific purpose. Some will be optimized for telephony, some for music, some for viewing/listening, and others for reading. The differentiating features in most cases will be display size and resolution, complexity, and power consumption.

What lessons can the publishing industry take from the mobile phone industry, where everything has a fee, in its incursion into the table paper?
Newspapers will need to developed tiered pricing models for readers and
advertisers. Not sure if the mobile phone model will apply to newspapers.

In the newspaper industry, do you see a step forward toward popular acceptance of tablet newspapers with the expanding market of free daily newspapers and the now somehow established web newspapers? Or is it the opposite, a step back?
I believe the future of newspapers is digital. Free daily newspapers represent the industry's last-ditch effort to save their printing presses and distribution networks. They will help newspapers' bottomlines in the short term, but ultimately digital news products and mobile devices will trump mechanical printing.

Have you coined a term that keeps us out of using the word “paper” every time we refer to a newspaper? We need it!
We often continue to use words that no longer accurately describe something.
I still think we'll call digital editions newspapers for quite awhile. I don't have a better word in English.

Epson Develops A6-Size Electronic Paper

2006-06-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Seiko Epson Corp. ("Epson") has successfully developed A6-size (7.1 inches on the diagonal) electronic paper using a plastic substrate. Drawing on Epson's original SUFTLA*1 technology, the new electronic paper achieves Quad-XGA resolution (1536 x 2048 pixels) – the world's highest*2 – and shows the potential for increasing screen size. The development was announced on June 9 at the Society for Information Display (SID) international symposium held in San Francisco.

Epson has long been working to develop and manufacture low-power-consumption, space-saving electronic devices. At the cutting edge of these efforts, R&D has focused on thin, light and flexible devices that can be reshaped as needed, and that can become the technology that drives electronic equipment for a ubiquitous networked society. In the course of such development, Epson has amassed a range of proprietary technologies including low temperature polysilicon thin film transistors (LTPS-TFT) and SUFTLA, which enables the transfer of TFT circuits to flexible substrates.

As outlined below, the new electronic paper draws on a number of original Epson technologies and has a range of features suited to portable displays.

1. World's highest resolution
LTPS-TFT formed on a plastic substrate using SUFTLA technology gives this electronic paper Quad-XGA resolution – the highest in the world. This ensures that even the smallest letters on a portable display are fully visible.
2. High contrast guaranteeing high-quality display
With a contrast ratio of 10:1, the new technology achieves the same levels of visibility as images printed on ordinary paper.
3. Narrow border and simple interface
Forming peripheral drive circuits with LTPS-TFT creates a simple structure with very few external terminals, that result in a borderless flexible display, even with the drive circuits included.
4. Low power consumption
Data display does not require power – a memory function ensures that information does not disappear even if the power is turned off. Maximum drive voltage even for editing information is just 6 volts, showing that the display itself consumes very little power.
5. Larger screen
The expanded screen size, from around 2 inches in existing models*3 to A6 size (7.1 inches on the diagonal), is evidence of potential for even bigger screens in the future.

Epson is proud to announce these research results, which reveal a technology highly suited to making electronic paper a reality. Epson will examine the potential of a range of applications for the technology and conduct further research and development with a view to its practical use.

Prototype Outline

Size: A6 (7.1 inches on the diagonal), 0.47 mm thick
Resolution: QXGA (1536 x 2048 pixels)
Drive circuit: Low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT)
Maximum drive voltage: 6 V
Display type: Electrophoretic (Using electrophoretic devices produced by E Ink Corporation in the U.S.)
*1 Surface Free Technology by Laser Ablation /Annealing (SUFTLA) is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation
*2 According to information available to Epson
*3 Epson prototypes

E Ink Selects Next-Generation Controller

2006-06-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL - News) today announced that its flash-based ProASIC3 field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have been selected by E Ink Corporation for use within its next-generation electronic paper display controllers. Providing the flexibility of re-programmability in a low-cost, low-power, small-footprint device, Actel's single-chip ProASIC3 FPGA will transfer image information from the host processor to active matrix electronic paper displays. E Ink's technology will benefit multiple portable end applications, including consumer handhelds, PDAs, E-books and mobile handsets.

E Ink's electronic paper display technology possesses a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption and a thin, light form. It provides the viewer the experience of reading from paper, while having the power of updateable information and memory retention even when the display's power is turned off. Key to the design of E Ink's electronic paper display is low power consumption, as battery-operated mobile devices make greatest use of the technology.

"Actel's ProASIC3 FPGA provided E Ink with the flexibility of re-programmability in a small-footprint, single-chip device," said Holly Gates, lead engineer at E Ink. "Further, the live at power-up nature of the device allowed us to meet product specifications and maximize battery life as compared to other FPGA alternatives considered for our electronic paper display technology."

"E Ink's deployment of Actel's single-chip, low-cost ProASIC3 devices in its cutting-edge electronic paper display technology underscores the advantages that nonvolatile FPGAs provide for today's portable applications," said Martin Mason, director of silicon product marketing at Actel. "Providing low power, small footprint and reduced cost on a single chip, Actel's FPGAs uniquely possess a mix of ASIC-like attributes in a reprogrammable FPGA -- features highly sought after by the ever-growing community of portable electronics designers."

About ProASIC3
The industry's lowest cost FPGA solution Actel's live at power-up, low-power, highly secure ProASIC3/E devices deliver PCI performance and are the industry's first FPGAs with on-chip user flash memory. The ten devices in the ProASIC3/E families, ranging in density from 30,000 to 3-million system gates, deliver technology-leading integrated secure in-system programmability (ISP). Building on the success of Actel's flash-based ProASIC Plus family, the fine-grained, single-chip architecture and nonvolatile flash configuration memory make Actel's ProASIC3/E offering a strong ASIC alternative. The ProASIC3/E design methodology supports popular FPGA and ASIC tool flows, reducing time to market and permitting designers to migrate easily between FPGA and ASIC solutions for applications in the consumer, networking and communications, in-cab automotive, computing and avionics markets.

About Actel
Actel Corporation is the leader in single-chip FPGA solutions. The Company is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, Calif., 94043-4655. For more information about Actel, visit http://www.actel.com. Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835).

Programmable Tattoos

2006-06-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

Programmable tattoo applique with emoticons and messages.

©2003 Greg Daigle and Steve Campbell

Interesting applications for eink matrix:

Finally, a technique for modifying subcutaneous tattoos using special inks has also been patented. It relies upon microencapsulated spheres injected under the skin. Such microencapsulation is typified by eInk's "digital ink" technology for use in electronic paper. A set of drive electrodes manually applied to the skin manipulates the tattoo image electrically.

A preferable design would be for programmable tattoos that were both continuously dynamic and tied into digital data displays. And if we could only avoid the needle!
Inventor Andrew Singer, working for Paul Allen's Interval Research Corporation, had a similar medical application in mind in his 1997 patent for a "programmable subcutaneous visible implant." Also a display chip, it was designed to be implanted just under the skin and display bio-sensing readouts monitoring medical conditions such as diabetes -- though sans nanorobots. The device was designed to save precious time in an emergency.

For under-the-skin implants, the thinner and more flexible the better. A "nano-skin" polymer film was recently shown by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). This flexible polymer infused with billions of carbon nanotubes is seen as making possible incredibly thin and flexible displays. Nanotubes are excellent electrical conductors and several research organizations are exploring their use in flexible screen displays.

In a speculative design that first appeared in Popular Science, tattoos are applied to the skin surface in three successive applications of a breathable cyanoacrylate film matrix similar to Liquid Bandage. First a matrix with conductive microrods is applied. Then a powered pad that aligns the microrods with an electromagnetic field is placed over the skin for a minute until the matrix is dry. This is followed by the application of a layer of digital ink matrix followed by another layer of conductive microrod matrix aligned at right angles to the first.

The WPAN server uses wireless technology such as Bluetooth or UWB (ultra-wide band) to connect the components. But Korean firm KAIST reported this year the use of WPAN chips to achieve data rates of up to 2 megabits a second by sending data signals through the body itself rather than using either Bluetooth or other radio technologies.

via OhMyNews

HDTV resolution paper?

2006-06-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

Editor & Publishert has a good story by Jim Rosenberg and Mark Fitzgerald about epaper. Here an excerpt about Quantum Paper:

Not only can these display technologies be embedded in or printed on the substrate, but recent advances may allow antennas and perhaps entire circuits to be printed on paper or other lightweight and flexible materials. The technologies, in combination with a thin stick-on battery, may permit the substrate iteself to become the "device" - able not only to power itself, but also to receive new content and update its display by wire or wireless connection.

In this area of display research, which could allow the printer of content also to be the manufacturer of the device, the most recent challenger to E-Ink's technology is the invention of another scientist out of MIT. Quantum Paper, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., announced its first production quantities of "electronic paper" earlier this year.

"We're only looking to license 34 printers in the U.S. over the next three years, and only 10 over the next year," says Quantum Paper President and CEO Michael J. Feldman. Quantum's technology uses standard lithographic presses to apply "various types of inks and coatings to build a "15-layer device" on a variety of substrates, including newsprint, creating the same sorts of lightweight, bendable printed products foreseen by E-Ink and Gyricon.

Quantum's display, however, is transmissive rather than reflective.
"We're using conductive inks to make the electrical circuit," says Feldman. An entire sheet or elements thereof may then be illuminated to produce either alphanumeric displays or color pictures utilizing prepress separations.

While applications such as in-store signage would rely on AC power, Feldman says battery-powered samples have been show. Quantum can print batteries along with the rest of the components - a technology Feldman says is three or four years old. "We will be integrating printed batteries into the display by the end of the year," he says.

Integration of a battery into a static display makes practical certain publishing applications, such as high-end advertising inserts. Feldman says to look for this in late 2007 or early 2008. Already, however, a low-resolution monochrome version has been demonstrated.

But beyond that is the dynamic display - "basically television on a piece of paper," Feldman says, adding that a prototype will be ready this summer. By wire or wireless connection, dynamic display could allow a newspaper to be updated throughout the day. At this point, updates are possible using a series of 17-segment displays (16 to produce alphanumeric characters, the seventeenth for a decimal).

Feldman says he wants the technology to advance further before the company talks to non-technical people about applications for publishing. Still, he adds that "we expect to start those discussions in early fall."

The fully addressable, dynamic color displays could replace, at lower cost, conventional phone and PDA screens, computer monitors, interactive billboards, electronic wallpaper and high-definition televisions, according to the company.

Though its display performance "meets or exceeds that of competing technologies," principal inventor and Quantum Paper Chief Technology Officer William J. Ray said in a statement, electronic paper can be made at "such a low cost as to be considered disposable."

The company says its Quantum Paper has resolution equal to HDTV, supports animations, can be scaled to billboard size, consumes little power and has a long lifespan, offers a wide viewing angle, and is environmentally and electrically safe.

More: A Conversation with Quantum Paper’s Michael J. Feldman at Whattheythink.com

Digital billboards premiered at Cannes

2006-05-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

Global outdoor advertising company JCDecaux appropriately premiered the new generation of high resolution magink-based digital billboards at the 59th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The magink digital ink billboards are installed at multiple highly trafficked venues in Cannes, including one located adjacent to the Palais des Festivals, the official home of the Cannes Film Festival. The new displays will feature an array of full-motion video advertisements and information on the City of Cannes. The digital ink technology offers full-color, full-motion, high resolution and high contrast images that use ambient light to enhance image quality and visibility -- just like ink on paper. Beyond the world of billboard advertising, magink will also be used with other display applications such as consumer electronic products, in-store point-of-purchase, and promotional displays. (via gizmag.co.uk)

While this billboards cost far less than large-scale video screens, they are not inexpensive, Mr. McConnell said. One sign he is testing, measuring about 10 feet by 20 feet, cost $80,000. A standard billboard of about equal size would cost about $10,000, but would also require costly installation crews to change displays. More significantly, advertising companies could sell space on the billboards by the hour.

Ran Poliakine, chief executive of Magink, the technology maker behind the signs, said the idea was to create visually compelling ads that could be replaced frequently - perhaps hourly, based on consumer response - and could be controlled remotely, all with far less energy and at a far lower cost than a video billboard.

Mr. Poliakine said Magink, which has research operations in England and Israel, was the first company to bring full-color digital ink displays to the marketplace. And soon, he said, its creation will begin competing more directly with traditional billboards in the $19 billion worldwide outdoor-advertising market. Nomad Worldwide, at its Jersey City plant, is among those evaluating the technology's potential.

"The last revolution was computer printing, and we believe the next revolution is digital ink on billboards," Mr. Poliakine said, comparing his company's advances to the first digital printing of billboard images more than a decade ago. Now, he added, his three-year-old company is also studying ways to expand the application of its core technology to personal electronics, including cellular telephones, cameras, hand-held computers and general video displays for laptops and televisions.

Magink prototype screens are capable of displaying video images at more than 70 frames a second, twice the speed needed to produce smooth, cinematic motion. But the digital images share so many of the characteristics of paper, its makers say, that they are easily viewed in bright sunlight but must be lighted much like conventional billboards when there is little light.

MAGINK DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LTD. (formerly E-Magin Ltd.) is an
R&D subsidiary of California based company.
MAGINK develops proprietary, full-color, commercially-viable
digital ink technologies. The company's mission is to
continuously develop revolutionary digital ink core technology
and provide highly efficient, variable resolution, full-color,
high contrast, low energy and cost effective digital display
applications and solutions to a broad array of global industries.

MAGINK's core technology enables to create affordable "paper
like" lightweight low power indoor and outdoor displays, which
can perfectly fit into numerous applications. Its underlying
properties fundamentally change the economics of digital content
display.

The company is currently commercializing its digital ink
technology for the outdoor advertising market, Transportation
market, consumer electronic products, in-store point-of-purchase,
and promotional displays.

Portable Hard Drive with Always-on Display

2006-05-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

Fort Myers, Fla., May 15, 2006 -- SmartDisk Corporation today introduced FireLite XPress, the portable, palm-sized hard drive that includes a unique cholesteric liquid crystal display. The award-winning, always-on display is readable without power, identifies the drive by a user-designated name, indicates the last date that information was recorded and provides a table of contents for the drive. The display provides excellent readability even in direct sunlight, allows for wide-angle viewing and exhibits high brightness and contrast.

“Content explosion is sending the personal storage market to new highs,” states Charles Klinker, Vice President-Marketing for SmartDisk. “Whether it’s your music collection, pictures of the kids or your favorite videos, the need for portable hard drive storage is climbing sharply. Until now, determining information about the portable drive has required an arduous connecting and technical-viewing process.”

“Our new, patent-pending FireLite XPress USB portable hard drive incorporates a viewing window for determining capacity, available space and content without connecting the drive to the personal computer or powering the drive up,” says Michael Battaglia, President and CEO for SmartDisk. “You can verify what files, music, videos and photos you have stored without plugging it into your PC. This is the most innovative, customer-oriented advance in portable hard drives in years.”

SmartDisk FireLite drives are designed for users who require convenient, portable storage to backup critical data, transport and synchronize data between multiple computers, and want to free up valuable hard disk space on existing computers. FireLite drives are ideal for transferring large files between home and office, for storing hours of superior quality video or warehousing huge graphics files. Featuring sleek, metal casings for durability, FireLite drives are palm-sized and weigh about six ounces. All FireLite drives are “Mass Storage Class” peripherals, requiring no driver installation when used with operating systems like Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Windows XP and Windows Me. All FireLite drives, including the new XPress, feature BounceBack Express backup software.

Pricing and Availability
Available in June, FireLite XPress can be purchased through retailers and distributors, as well as through the company’s Web site at http://www.smartdisk.com. Suggested retail prices are: $199.99, 60GB; $299.99, 120GB.

About SmartDisk Corporation
SmartDisk is a leading provider of portable, network and multimedia storage products and technologies that enable people to enjoy, share and preserve digital content and information. Headquartered in the U.S., with operations in Europe and Asia, SmartDisk sells and supports its products worldwide. For more information, go to http://www.smartdisk.com.

Hitachi entering the e paper market

2006-05-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hitachi is entering teh epaper market with the a A4 size electronic paper tablet, as reported by engadget: "The black-and-white e-ink model, supposedly called the "Albirey" and developed with technology from Bridgestone, seems to sport a WiFi connection with "the possibility to modify making use of radio communication,".
The technical specs, according to mobileread, would be as follow:

Measurement: 222.6×289.2×3.7mm
CPU: H8S/2215 (16bit/16MHz)
Memory: Flash 8MB
Power: Lithium polymer (3.7V)
Display size: 13.1", 2-scale monochrome
Resolution: XGA (1024×768 dot)
Contrast: 1:7
WiFi: IEEE802.11b

Hitachi press release regarding deal with Bridgstone, date back to march 15:

Basic Agreement with Bridgestone towards Hitachi's Commercial Application of Electronic Paper Displays

TOKYO, Japan, March 15, 2006 --- Hitachi, Ltd. and Bridgestone Corporation have reached a basic agreement to mutually cultivate the market for electronic paper display solutions and to strive towards the commercial application of the displays. The agreement pertains to such elements as joint marketing efforts and the stable supply of display modules.

Electronic paper display is ultra-thin and lightweight and combines the conveniences of both paper and digital media by realizing long-life operation via battery, and adopting a display module that has image retention ability and the drive, wireless communications circuit and memory embedded in. As the image display doesn't require electricity to run and the contents can be transmitted wirelessly, it can easily be set up in places where it is difficult to install power supplies and communication equipment. These features make it useful in communicating advertisements and other information, including that needed in times of emergency due to the disaster.

Hitachi recognized the potential of electronic paper displays early on and has been investigating into their commercialization. In December 2005, it conducted a field trial in conjunction with East Japan Marketing & Communications, Inc., the subsidiary company of East Japan Railway Company, in the Tokyo Station underground. Bridgestone, on the other hand, has already been successful in developing one that uses the company's original Electronic Liquid Powder and has been researching into a diverse array of display modules. Bridgestone's display modules were used in the field trial conducted by Hitachi.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bridgestone will supply the display modules to Hitachi and Hitachi will use them in the production of electronic paper displays. Business will be focused primarily in transportation, electricity and urban development engineering. The aim is to provide total solutions by way of integrated display management, contents database management and remote transmission, for instance. Going forward, both companies will work in tandem to cultivate the electronic paper display market.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com

About Bridgestone Corporation
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest manufacturer of tires and other rubber products. Tires account for 80 percent of Bridgestone Group sales worldwide. The company also manufactures industrial rubber and chemical products, sporting goods, and other diversified products. It sells its tires and other products in more than 150 nations.

Plastic Logic ready for large-scale fabrication

2006-05-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

Cambridge University spinoff Plastic Logic Ltd. is considering locations for a large-scale fabrication facility for flexible active-matrix display backplanes based on polymer semiconductor materials.

Hermann Hauser, non-executive director of the company and founder and director of venture capital company Amadeus Capital Partners, told the International Semiconductor Executives Forum organized by the Fabless Semiconductor Association and the Institution of Engineering and Technology that plastic electronics for display purposes is "ready for prime time."

The technology would enable the creation of electronic books where the content is downloaded wirelessly and flexible electronic newspapers, he said.

Plastic Logic (Cambridge, England) has a roughly 12-inch diagonal display prototype working that combines an active plastic logic backplane with an electrophoretic display technology from E Ink (Cambridge, Mass.). The company announced a collaboration with E Ink in December 2004.

Hauser told his audience said that Plastic Logic is performing a detailed investigation of the costs of volume manufacturing of such active backplanes and that it seemed likely that the factory would cost between $50 million and $100 million and would be able to turn out millions of displays a year.

“We can build our first fab starting now for completion in about 18 months,” Hauser said. He said that after selection of a location, construction would begin in 2007 with a view to volume manufacturing in 2008.

Although the speed of performance of plastic electronics is limited the manufacturing approach could change the economics and scope of segments of the electronics industry. The processes under development are being optimized to scale to large area, high volume and low cost, Hauser said.

Beyond e-books and e-newspapers the technology would impact mobile phone accessory displays, RFID and sensor technology, Hauser said.

Via EETimes

The biggest epaper of the world

2006-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

A brief review of some epaper landmarks:

Via The Financial Express

Though electronic paper was first developed in the 1970s (called Gyricon) it was only in 2004 when Sony announced the LIBRIe that the first commercially available electronic paper device was made available. Here users can download and store 500 books of about 250 pages each to the Librie e-book reader, which is similar in size and design to a paperback. The cost of the device, sold only in Japan, is approximately $370.

In March 2005 at EXPO 2005 Aichi (Tokyo) Toppan Printing Co exhibited a large-scale wall-sized newspaper utilising E Ink Electronic Paper. This large wall-size newspaper is built from 272 individual electronic paper tiles, which is a combination of an E Ink Imaging Film laminated onto a printed circuit board with pixel electrodes. The result is an electronic paper newspaper approximately 2.2 meters high and 2.6 meters wide, the worlds largest of its kind. In May 2005, Fujitsu showcased its jointly developed electronic paper at the Tokyo International Forum. Its the world’s first film substrate-based bendable colour electronic paper with an image memory function. The new e-paper features vivid colour images that are unaffected even when the screen is bent, and features an image memory function that enables continuous display of the same image without the need for electricity.

The thin and flexible e-paper uses very low power to change screen images, thereby making it ideal for displaying information or advertisements in public areas. Fujitsu’s new technology significantly conserves energy by consuming only one one-hundredth to one ten-thousandth the energy of conventional display technologies. In October 2005, LG Philips LCD using E Ink produced a 10.1” flexible electronic paper display. Less than 300 microns thick, the paper- white display is as thin and flexible as construction paper. With a 10.1” diagonal, the prototype achieves SVGA (600x800) resolution at 100 pixels per inch and has a 10:1 contrast ratio with 4 levels of grayscale.

This year during CES (January 6, 2006), Sony announced the Sony Reader, an ebook reader, a successor to the LIBRIé for the U market. The e-book incorporates the e-ink technology used in e-paper into a traditional display. E Ink is working with Philips’ research department to create thin, flexible, rollable e-paper.

Flexible Electronic Paper

2006-04-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Upper Left: Flexible TFT using Amorphous Oxide Semiconductor Upper Right: Prototype of Flexible Electronic Paper Display Bottom: Close-up of Prototype using Amorphous Oxide Semiconductor TFT (on glass substrate)

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. has developed an amorphous oxide semiconductor thin film transistor (TFT) array and succeeded in driving an electrophoretic E Ink front panel laminate to fabricate a prototype flexible electronic paper display.

Today, TFT arrays for conventional Liquid Crystal Displays use amorphous silicon as the semiconductor and are fabricated on glass using a high temperature process.

Toppan has taken note of amorphous oxide semiconductor TFT developed by Professor Hosono of Tokyo Institute of Technology, because of its processability under room temperature and electrical properties that exceed those of amorphous silicon TFT.

Toppan processed these TFTs on a plastic substrate under room temperature and fabricated a flexible electronic paper display by combining it with an electrophoretic E Ink front plane laminate. This is the first time an E Ink electronic paper display has been driven by an oxide semiconductor TFT array.

This plastic substrate, amorphous oxide semiconductor TFT array is thinner, lighter and more robust than glass substrate TFTs and is flexible. Such mechanical properties bring next generation flexible displays closer to reality.

Toppan plans to develop flexible TFTs with goals to commercialize thin, lightweight and flexible displays such as electronic paper, starting with a practical prototype display in fiscal 2008. In parallel, we aim to introduce printing methods into the fabrication process of flexible TFTs for simplification and cost reduction.

Lightweight and flexible displays are considered a promising next generation product. Especially, with the recent developments in the field of electronic paper, led by electrophoretic displays, there is a heightened need to commercialize lightweight and robust flexible TFTs on plastic substrates.

Conventional flat panel displays, like LCDs are driven by TFTs on glass, processed at high temperature (mainly amorphous silicon TFT, fabricated at over 250 degrees centigrade). On the other hand, such a glass-based TFT array has many disadvantages for electronic paper because it is heavy, fragile and rigid (not flexible).

For this reason, many researchers are developing TFTs using plastic substrates, and because high temperature processes are not possible with plastic substrates, there is a lot of research & development for low or room temperature fabrication processes.

Toppan has been conducting research & development for lightweight and flexible TFTs, and one of our significant achievements was "All-Printed Organic Transistors," announced in November, 2003. This research showed that it was technically possible to fabricate a TFT array using organic semiconductor material and with printing processes only. Many researchers worldwide are working on organic TFT, but most of the printable organic semiconductor materials face technical challenges, including electrical properties of low mobility, small on/off ratio and short lifetime issue etc.

Then in the fall of 2004, researchers led by Professor Hosono of Tokyo Institute of Technology reported flexible TFTs using amorphous oxide semiconductor (a-InGaZnO) materials (Nomura et al, Nature 432, 488 (2004)). Toppan took note of this new approach and launched a research and development program using this amorphous oxide semiconductor material. This oxide semiconductor material is room temperature processable and has better electrical properties compared to conventional amorphous silicon semiconductors. It is also possible to apply printing processes for the TFT electrodes using printable metal pastes.

Via Physorg.com / Source: Toppan

Newspapers worldwide are testing e-devices

2006-04-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

Via International Herald Tribune

Great story by Doreen Carvajal about the implementation of the technology on different papers all over the world.

This month, De Tijd, a Belgian financial newspaper, started testing versions of electronic paper, a device with low- power digital screens embedded with "digital ink," millions of microscopic capsules the size of a human hair with organic material that display light or dark images in response to electrical charges.

Those tests will be followed this year with others by Les Echos in Paris and the international newspaper trade group IFRA in Germany, which is poised for trials this year in a number of countries, including the United States, where The New York Times plans to take part in a trial with 300 devices.

The International Herald Tribune, which is owned by The New York Times Co., is also in discussions to make subscriptions available this year with the Philip Electronics-made iRex Technologies devices that the Belgian newspaper is testing, according to Michael Golden, publisher of the IHT.

Bruno Rives, founder of Tebaldo, a consulting company based in Paris, said "It's been a long process." Tebaldo is working with Les Echos to customize the economic journal into an e-paper and is advising Havas Group on advertising uses on e-paper.

"I prefer to see it as the evolution of paper," Rives said, rather than the next stage of newspapers.

For publishers confronting declining newspaper circulation in most parts of the world, the devices offer the tantalizing promise of reaching more readers, sparing some forests and saving on printing and distribution costs. But after some highly publicized e-book machines failed to take off in the late 1990s, those long-held hopes have remained elusive.

The difference this time, developers and supporters say, is that the screens on the new hardware are designed to reflect rather than transmit light, making them more like paper, readable in sunlight or a dark subway train.

The devices, smaller than a hardcover book, can be updated through Internet connections, wired or wireless. Their touch screens also can double as notebooks to jot down information or to download books. Pages are turned with the touch of a button.

De Tijd, with 40,000 readers in Belgium, is testing a device called the iLiad eReader, which is the creation of iRex, the Philips spinoff. IRex partnered with E Ink, a Massachusetts-based team of chemists and engineers that developed the microcapsule technology. De Tijd is basically fitting its traditional print format to the devices screen, not changing the style of its newspaper.

Twenty-five De Tijd readers received free e-paper devices on April 14, the start of a three-month trial that ultimately will investigate the habits of 200 readers who volunteered to take part after answering a De Tijd advertisement. Most of the participants are highly educated men, selected to match the demographic profile of its print readers, who are usually among the first adopters of new technology.

"We know that our readers like to have their newspaper before they go to work, and we offer them paper newspapers before 7:30 a.m., but that's not enough," said Kris Laenens, De Tijd's manager of the project. The newspaper, he added needed to offer service to readers wherever and whenever they want it.

De Tijd has joined with the telecommunications company Belgacom, advertising agencies like I-Merge and Agency.com, and Belgian universities in Brussels and Leuven to evaluate how consumers use their e-papers. "We've got six or seven partners to try to come up with a business model," Laenens said.

At this point, the e-paper cannot display color, offering just 16 shades of gray, and the screens are rigid, not the flexible, bendable plastic of a water bottle that is in development.

Those weaknesses turn off some newspaper publishers, according to e- paper developers like E Ink, which said some newspapers were waiting for more sophisticated devices in preparation in Japan and China that are bendable and weigh little more than a piece of paper. "The attitude is that before they figure it out, let's make sure people want to read these," said Darren Bischoff, a marketing manager for E Ink.

Publishing executives at Play Bac Presse, a Paris-based publisher of four French newspapers for children and teenagers, considered whether to try e- paper, according to François Dufour, editor in chief and a company founder.

Ultimately, they chose to wait for color versions, which they consider vital, along with prices hovering below $100. When Sony e-readers with the microcapsule technology start selling this year in Europe and the United States, they are expected to retail for as much as $400 and to be able to download books, newspapers and podcasts.

The devices may come only in shades of gray, but they are enough to inspire some advertising agencies to take part in the tests to try out the possibilities.

"How do we deal with the lack of color?" said Johan Hermans, managing director of Agency.com in Brussels. "Can you advertise linked to the profile of the user - for example, if they're interested in the automobile sector?"

In theory, advertisements could change by time of day, he said, letting agencies avoid showing beer ads in the morning or coffee ads in the evening. "All these types of things we're trying to examine," Hermans said.

Les Echos, which is owned by Pearson, the parent company of The Financial Times, is taking a different approach than the Belgians. Instead of shifting the print format directly to a device, the company is customizing information with a different look from its traditional paper format, much as it would for its Web site version.

The newspaper's aim is to begin a test project this year with as many as 500 readers. Les Echos plans to use the Sony e-readers at first, but the intention is to make the newspaper readable on a variety of devices.

In the initial test, participants will be given their devices. "After that, we'll see," said Philippe Jannet, director of electronic publishing for Les Echos.

Since Les Echos introduced a prototype of its e-newspaper in March, Jannet said, other French newspapers including Le Monde, La Parisienne and the sports daily L'Équipe have joined to take part in the research.

Meanwhile, IFRA, based in Darmstadt, Germany, is pursuing what it calls an "eNews initiative" with 21 newspapers from 13 countries, including The New York Times, which will be testing electronic devices as part of the project.

In May, the group will meet to plot the first phase of e-paper testing, said Jochen Dieckow, who is in charge of business and news media research for the newspaper trade organization. Their goal is simply to evaluate the new market for e-newspapers.

"Many publishers take it seriously, and we see it as a new media channel," Dieckow said.

The group is working with iRex as well as Plastic Logic, in Cambridge, England, which is developing plastic page-sized screens that can carry images.

But will any of these devices become the next iPod for news hounds?

Initially, some major booksellers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble were reluctant to sell the new Sony e-readers, given the tepid market of the past. Just this month, though, the Borders book chain announced that it would sell the e-reader in 200 stories this summer, although no newspapers other than Les Echos have yet announced that they will be carried on the devices.

Rives, of Tebaldo, said he expected that by next year the average price of a reader with a hard screen would fall to €100, or $123, from more than €400.

The retail cost will be even lower ultimately for thin plastic versions because of the lower cost of the materials involved, he said. Tests of those are under way now in Japan by companies like Bridgestone and Fujitsu.

And what he expects by 2008 is not all that different from a sci-fi thriller scene, vintage 2054.

"Imagine an application where you have flexible paper in your pocket and you want to have 10 to 15 minutes of reading on the Metro," Rives said. "It will cost you about €10. We think if you really fold it and use it every day, it will last three months."

Jinke New eBook Device

2006-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Download User Manual with Technical Specifications PDF

Tianjin, China and Cambridge, MA, USA -Tainjin Jinke Electronics Co., LTD,
a leading eBook device developer and anufacturer in China, announces the worldwide launch of their Hanlin eBook V series, which features an electronic paper display from E Ink Corporation.

The worldwide release of Jinke's V series follows the successful Asian launch of the Hanlin eBook series over the past four years. The V series Hanlin eBook offers easy operation, low power consumption and a unique design of double displays, with all the benefits of an electronic
paper display and a weight of 290g. The main display, which utilizes E Ink® Imaging Film, is 6 inches diagonal and supports 4-levels of grayscale. The smaller LCD slave display integrates a touchscreen to support editing and marking. This revolutionary design satisfies not only the requirement of high-resolution reading, but also realizes the more interactive functions customers have requested. The V series will support a variety of content services including eBooks and eMagazines, as well as user dictated content, such as internet files, and the users own computer documents.

Within the V series two eBook Readers will be offered, the V8 and the V2. The V8 will run on WOLF OS, supporting Chinese languages, and is expected to be available for purchase in January, 2006. The V2 will run on Linux OS, and will be launched worldwide in May,2006.Both models are compatible with SD & MMC cards, and contain a USB port and an internal MP3 player.

The main display of both V series products feature a display using E Ink® Imaging Film. E Ink's electronic ink technology creates an image that looks like a printed page from all angles and maintains the same contrast ratio under all lighting conditions, including direct sunlight. The absence of a backlight allows for a reading experience similar to that of ink on paper and the display uses up to 100 times less energy than a standard liquid crystal display (LCD), so product designers can shed weight and greatly extend battery life.

Please visit Jinke's website at http://www.jinke.com.cn/english/
for sales and product specifications.

Fujitsu working on E paper

2006-04-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

Fujitsu is developing its e-Paper similar to an electronic newspaper. The format is like a paper sheet that allows the user to be online anywhere and anytime. Their e-Paper is flexible, low weight, consumes less energy, and displays sharp colors.

Fujitsu claims, "Imagine going to your local train station; instead of large paper posters, the train time tables are shown on large electronic paper displays that wrap around the columns of the platform. Before getting on the train, you download the day's news from a vending machine and read it on your ultra-thin, film substrate-based e-Newspaper. It is much like a traditional newspaper except that instead of throwing it away after reading it you simply update the content next day."

Other uses may include pricing sign systems for retail goods that could change prices instantly; and e-Paper date displays in conventional wrist watches, etc.

Via Postcrescent

More on De Tijd ePaper

2006-03-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

From the project official website:

Programme:
Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology

Duration:
January 2005 - December 2006

Project Objectives and summary:
The objective of the IBBT e-paper project is to offer the possibility to newspaper readers to read their newspaper in a user friendly way on digital paper (e-ink). Research will be done to determine how publishers and advertisers can reproduce and distribute their digital content on these new appliances. A sample of “De Tijd” subscribers will be able to test the prototype terminals Philips developed, with a version of the newspaper. The purpose is to extensively evaluate user response, combined with advertisers response and more fundamental research about the long term evolution of the possibilities of the terminal and services.

Digital paper (e-ink) is a new technology for electronic screens. Further research will look into the different possibilities these screens bring. The screens have a very high resolution, are ultra thin, can be flexible in future versions, are ultra low power (the displayed information remains visible without power), have qualities similar to paper, do not need any special lighting and are readable in the sunlight. Information will be loaded electronically and then reproduced on the screen.

The reproduction application has an adapted surface (8,1’’). The representation of the content and the navigation through this content will be determined in this project. Research will also be done to optimise the distribution and packaging of the content.

The needs and expectations of users and advertisers will be analysed and transcribed to a user friendly design. The representation of the content and interface will be thoroughly tested on their user friendliness. The adoption of new technologies by the consumer and advertiser will also be researched.

Possible business models for services through e-paper will be analysed for the concerning parties. The research focus will lie on the one hand on those models that pursue new values for services via e-paper and on the other hand on business models that create new cooperation configurations and value based networks.

Research about the general architecture for the distribution of the content to multimedia terminals will be conducted for the wireless interface between the distribution network and the reproduction application. Both the distribution network as the terminal play an important part in this research.

Via the Official Page: https://epaper.ibbt.be/

Polymer Vision demo

2006-03-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Another Demo by Polymer Vision thats shows different printing capabilities of their eink flexible displays.

Rollable Displays technology video

2006-03-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

This video from PolymerVision (owner by Phillips) shows a brief explanation on the technology and some possible gadgets that can be produced from it.

quote of the day

2006-03-04T04:40:00.000-08:00

“We are one device away from a digital revolution.”
Mike Hyatt, Thomas Nelson publishing company.

Via The Book Standard

Timeflex conceptual proyect

2006-03-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

Non permanent, self-gumming watch “timeflex” designed for using in situations when individual time control is necessary, but personal watch is difficult to access (swimming, sunbathing, working in laboratory, during going in for sports) & other situations where man uses working clothe. You can just stick it on your clothe or skin and use until you need. After that you can throw it away. It is a conceptual project based on flexible screen technology. “Timeflex” can be bend and rolled as a paper. The menu can be controlled by touchscreen technology, the energy will be supplied by small super batteries, located in a thin layer of the watch. In the nearest future such technology will be popular and not expensive.

Designer: Igor Solovyov & Maria Solovyova

Belgian newspaper to become first 'paperless' daily

2006-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Via M&C Tech. Story by By Daniela Schroeder.

Antwerp - Spending hours reading the papers may be an ideal pastime on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

But what if your newspaper updated itself during the day? What if the pictures moved and the interviews could be listened to?

In Belgium, this is coming true - at least for a three-month trial period. The Antwerp-based daily De Tijd will soon become the world's first newspaper to publish a digital version on so-called 'electronic paper'.

Instead of buying your daily paper, from April 2006, 200 subscribers will be able to start the day by connecting a portable electronic device supplied by De Tijd to the internet and start downloading their daily paper. Updates will be automatic during the day, if subscribers have access to wireless technology.

The electronic newspaper costs an astronomical 400 euros - but those who sign up for the experiment are not being charged. The assumption is, however, that costs will come down when the electronic daily goes into mass production.

'If the testing period proves successful, we will draw up a business model based on the analysis,' the project manager Peter Bruynseels told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Media experts at Belgian universities will then analyze readers' evaluations.

The Belgian experiment reflects the newspaper's fight for survival in a world of increasing competition, declining circulation and rising newsprint costs.

De Tijd is providing readers with a portable device that holds a paper-thin screen the size of a newspaper page, filled with millions of black and white microcapsules.

When an electrical current with data is sent through the screen, these microcapsules form letters that are as sharp as regular newspaper print.

The electronic 'ink' has 16 levels of grey. When readers flip to the next page or choose a specific article, the particles scramble and rearrange.

The pliable screens do not flicker and can therefore be read either indoors or outdoors.

E Ink Corporation, a spinoff of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has developed the technology. The Dutch company iRex Technologies used the method for building a portable electronic reading device.

De Tijd will appear on several screens. 'One shows the complete page as in the printed paper, the second lists only the headlines and the third displays the single article,' Bruynseels said.

The display is the size of two laptops, but needs 100 times less energy than a normal laptop screen. Based on an average use of three hours a day, the battery runs for more than a week.

A storage space of 244 mega bytes is sufficient for filing one month of newspapers, plus 30 books, as well as office documents in different formats.

Bruynseels says there will also be savings because no paper is being used. Newspapers such as The Times or the Wall Street Journal can go through 200,000 tons of newsprint per year.

E Ink is currently working on adding some colour to the flexible black-and-white screen. Video and sound features are at most 10 years off, said chief executive Russell J. Wilcox.

Using a special marker, readers can write comments on articles and scribble their notes on the screen.

In addition, touching an interactive advertisement will direct the reader to the advertiser's website.

De Tijd is also thinking about publishing advertisement corresponding to the time of the day, Bruynseels said. Coffee and cereals in the morning, beer and snacks in the evening.

Other tools include extra buttons for financial news which steer a reader to in-depth information on the latest stock exchange rates. The e-paper also memorizes readers' criteria when searching for a job, an apartment or Mr/Ms Perfect

Three-Color Ink Proposed for Electronic Paper

2006-02-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

An interesting review about color eink writen by Richard Gaughan at photonics.com

"The low cost and low power requirements of electronic paper displays promise to make them suitable for applications from variable price tags to wearable health monitors. But for the technology to fully realize this potential, the electronic ink employed must be completely reversible, must offer high contrast and must be available in three colors.

Progress in contrast and reversibility has been steady. And now scientists have proposed a compact, three-color electronic ink for use in electronic paper displays.

Researchers at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and at the University of California, Los Angeles, have designed a single dye compound that can display red, green or blue depending upon the applied voltage. It features bistable catenane, a molecule consisting of two interlocking rings. One ring is cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+). The other, larger ring is composed of spacer regions separating molecular components called TTF and DNP.

A voltage applied to the molecular substrate changes the oxidation state of the TTF and DNP. The optical absorption of catenane is determined by which segment of the larger ring is closer to the CBPQT4+. With no applied voltage, the CBPQT4+ is nearer to the TTF unit, which results in a peak absorbance at 854 nm and a green reflectance. Applying a specific voltage oxidizes the TTF, pushing the CBPQT4+ ring to the DNP and giving the dye an absorption peak at 473 nm and red reflectance.

Modifying the bistable molecule to get a tristable, three-color dye requires a balancing act, as the oxidation potential, binding energy and molecular orbital energy must allow for switchability and reversibility while providing the absorption peak appropriate for blue reflectance. William A. Goddard III of Caltech and his colleagues have calculated that adding another component, difluorinated benzidine, to the large ring should result in an electrochemically selectable three-color ink.
Using ab initio calculations and parametric fits verified by measurements on the bistable compound, Goddard’s team predicts that the new compound will have an absorption peak at 601 nm, providing blue reflectance.

Because the catenane design provides three colors, each physical pixel in an electronic paper display using the dye would be an image pixel, as opposed to designs that require separate red, green and blue elements. Operation of the bistable catenane has been demonstrated in a polymer matrix, and the researchers see no reason why this would not be possible for the three-color molecule."

De Tijd to test first epaper device on Blegium

2006-02-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

200 abonnees from De Tijd , an economic newspaper that runs on Belgium, can test the newest technology by iRex Technologies. These lucky testers will be able to try the device for three months, from march to may 2006.

The Ifra eNews Initiative

2006-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

eNews is a unique cross-disciplinary three year initiative, set up by Ifra, in response to the emerging mobile e-reading media market. In the project, Ifra partners with 20 of the world’s major publishing houses and a number of leading technology developers.

The project is about creating business opportunities based on early consumer behaviour in an emerging mobile e-reading world. Ifra and our partners are establishing a world first initiative, eNews, to be able to meet the new and changing needs of consumers, to create and sustain business, take control and adapt to new technology.

The project will allow its members to be proactive in responding to the needs of a mobile generation. Furthermore, by joining forces, the participants have an opportunity to act as a powerful lobby group vis-à-vis technology and service providers in the area of mobile e-reading.
The eNews project will run through 2008, during which time activities will include seminars, study tours and commissioning of consumer research.

Deliverables – Project Outcomes
The project activities will lead to outcomes, including:

Identifying investment strategies for e-reading
Providing a faster learning curve in new business and technology
Allow preparation for the future, rather than prophecy
Identifying how to develop strong and profitable products within mobile e-reading
Identifying new business models for increased revenues
Create impact on the development within mobile news, both internally and externally
Identifying needs for achieving transparency and thereby making recommendations for business and technology standards
Providing a lobbying force

Download (pdf file) Ifra eNews Initiative 2005–2008 – Executive Brief: How to create new business in mobile digital distribution.

Build your owr ePaper proptotype

2006-02-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

Build your own ePaper prototype for just $3000. Get the kit from E ink here (pdf file).

20 leading publishers collaborate in eNews project

2006-02-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Cambridge, UK – 6 February 2006 – Plastic Logic announced today it is joining forces with more than 20 international publishing houses in a unique three-year initiative under the leadership of Ifra, the world’s leading organization for newspaper and media publishing. The eNews project, which also includes a number of other top technology developers in the area of mobile e-reading, has been set up to meet the new and changing needs of mobile media consumers, to create and sustain business, take control of markets and adapt to new technology.

Mobile media consumers today have access to connected devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and laptops, for which business models for content providers are reasonably well developed. However, publishers have generally followed rather than lead in this market. With up and coming e-reading devices, several of which are being launched in the next couple of years, publishers will be presented with new business opportunities, and opportunities to take the initiative.

The eNews initiative will look at what opportunities there are for content providers, such as publishers, in the emerging eNews value chain. At the project’s initial three day seminar, Ifra CEO Reiner Mittelbach said: “Together the member companies will be exploring business opportunities and technologies, tracking consumer behaviour and expectations, exchanging experiences and building know-how. Newspaper publishers are in an excellent position to take advantage of this new market, and through the eNews initiative we aim to take the lead.” Plastic Logic CEO Stuart Evans added: “We are delighted to be working with the newspaper community to ensure our plastic electronics technology meets their requirements for mobile e-readers.”

Historically, it has been the developers of electronic consumer devices who have aimed, not just to sell the technology, but also to control the consumers, the marketplaces and the distribution. The current increase in mobile media channels offers content providers new business opportunities as well as challenges. The eNews initiative aims to provide publishers with know-how on business models as well as process technology, thereby allowing them to make well-founded strategic decisions. Furthermore, by joining forces, the participants have an opportunity to act as a powerful lobby group vis-à-vis technology and service providers in the area of mobile e-reading. Comments Stig Nordqvist, project leader: “The weight of the participating members means the group will be able to act as a significant lobby group. The project members are all top players in media convergence globally.”

The eNews project will run through 2008, during which time activities will include seminars, study tours and commissioning of consumer research.

eNews publishing members:
Bonnier/Expressen (Sweden), De Telegraaf (The Netherlands), Edipresse Publications (Switzerland), El País (Spain), Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co. (Germany), New York Times Company (USA), Nordjyske Medier (Denmark), Orkla Media (Norway), La Parisienne (France), Rheinische Post (Germany), Sanoma Corp. (Finland), Schibsted/Aftonbladet (Norway/Sweden), Stampen/Göteborgs-Posten (Sweden), Styria Medien (Austria), TA Media AG (Switzerland), Telegraph Group (UK), Tribune Interactive (USA), Vorarlberger Zeitungsverlag und Druckerei (Austria), Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) and Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan).

eNews technology members:
Arena Partners (Finland), iRex Technologies (The Netherlands), Escenic (Norway) and Plastic Logic Limited (UK).

eNews project takes mobile e-reading lead

2006-02-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Ifra sets up unique cooperative initiative in response to the emerging mobile e-reading market

Darmstadt, 1st February 2006 – Ifra is joining forces with more than 20 of the world’s leading publishing houses in a unique three-year initiative. The eNews project, which also partners a number of top technology developers in the area of mobile e-reading, has been set up to meet the new and changing needs of mobile media consumers, to create and sustain business, take control of markets and adapt to new technology.

Mobile media consumers today have access to connected devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and laptops, for which business models for content providers are reasonably well developed. However, publishers have generally followed rather than lead in this market. With up and coming e-reading devices, several of which are being launched in the next couple of years, publishers will be presented with new business opportunities, and opportunities to take the initiative.

The eNews initiative will look at what opportunities there are for content providers, such as publishers, in the emerging eNews value chain. The project’s first three day seminar opened this week in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Ifra CEO Reiner Mittelbach said: “Together the member companies will be exploring business opportunities and technologies, tracking consumer behaviour and expectations, exchanging experiences and building know-how. Newspaper publishers are in an excellent position to take advantage of this new market, and through the eNews initiative we aim to take the lead.“

Mike Patten, Managing Director Circulation Marketing at the New York Times, explained why the New York Times Company thinks it is important to take part in the eNews initiative: “The newspaper industry needs to act collectively in order to be able to determine what our future should be in mobile e-reading – together we carry a lot of weight.“

Historically, it has been the developers of electronic consumer devices who have aimed, not just to sell the technology, but also to control the consumers, the marketplaces and the distribution. The current increase in mobile media channels offers content providers new business opportunities as well as challenges. The eNews initiative aims to provide publishers with know-how on business models as well as process technology, thereby allowing them to make well-founded strategic decisions. Furthermore, by joining forces, the participants have an opportunity to act as a powerful lobby group vis-à-vis technology and service providers in the area of mobile e-reading. Comments Stig Nordqvist, project leader: ” The weight of the participating members means the group will be able to act as a significant lobby group. The project members are all top players in media convergence globally.“

The eNews project will run through 2008, during which time activities will include seminars, study tours and commissioning of consumer research.

ePaper weather forecast

2006-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Cambridge, January 5, 2006 - Two innovative MIT offshoots have joined forces to make a simple household device that reliably forecasts the local weather. Ambient Devices and E Ink today announced the Weather Wizard, which uses electronic paper to continuously display 5-day weather forecasts, broadcast in real time over Ambient’s nationwide wireless network.

The Weather Wizard is the size of a postcard and can easily stand on a dresser or hang on a refrigerator door. The customer simply enters a zip code and the product then shows the latest local weather forecast at all times. By combining Ambient’s energy-efficient wireless technology with E Ink’s low-power display technology, the Weather Wizard can operate continuously for two years on just two AAA batteries, so it is always accurate and does not require any cords or cables.

“As consumer products have become increasingly complex, the Weather Wizard signals a shift to simplicity,” says David Rose, Ambient’s president, “The E Ink displays are perfect for any low-power application and moreover they are beautiful. The contrast is like paper from any viewing angle and the image is crisp and clear.”

Russ Wilcox, E Ink president said “We are delighted to support Ambient because their network coverage is ubiquitous, and they continuously broadcast weather, stock, traffic, and other real-time information that people care about. With a reliable wireless technology that runs on a small battery, they can add intelligence to common objects in a magical way.”

Ambient’s nationwide wireless network and low-cost chipset technology provides the leading solution for embedding online information in weather stations, clock radios, car dashboards — and now pieces of paper. Compared to Microsoft’s MSN Direct technology, Ambient’s network coverage is broader, at a lower cost and 120 times longer battery life.

E Ink segmented display cell for the Weather Wizard is based on its novel electronic ink technology that uses 99% less energy than a liquid crystal display of the same size. Electronic ink works by using electricity to rearrange black and white particles similar to bits of ink and paper and it achieves the same clarity as printed text. The cell is made of flexible plastic, so it is paper-thin and lightweight.

Sony Reader

2006-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ground-breaking Technology, Seamless Service and a Broad Range of Available Content Combine to Revolutionize Reading

LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 4, 2006 _ Destined to transform the electronic reading experience, the lightweight Sony® Reader is expected to bring a whole new meaning to "book smart."

Coupling an innovative electronic paper display with precise one-handed navigation and a stylish, durable design, the Sony Reader will allow active readers to carry as much as they want to read whether they are traveling on the road or just around the corner.

Roughly the size of a paperback novel, but thinner than most (about .5 inches thin), the device can store hundreds of books in internal memory with the addition of an optional Memory Stick® or Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card.

The Reader can also store and display personal documents in Adobe PDF format, favorite web content like blogs or news feeds, and JPEG photos. With a seemingly limitless battery life equivalent to roughly 7,500 page turns, avid readers can devour a dozen bestsellers plus War and Peace without ever having to recharge.

"In recent years millions of people have become comfortable downloading and enjoying digital media, including eBooks. But until now, there has not been a good device on which to read," said Ron Hawkins, senior vice president of Personal Reader Systems marketing at Sony Electronics. "Our research has shown that people are looking for a device designed exclusively for immersive reading. The Sony Reader with its electronic paper display, thin format and extraordinary battery life fits the bill."

Paper-Like Display
Part of the magic behind the Reader's viewing experience is the high-resolution electronic paper display technology, which delivers a realistic print look that rivals traditional paper. The result is readable text and graphics from a variety of viewing angles, even outdoors in bright sunlight. Since there is no backlight, readers will not experience the fatigue associated with long term reading on an LCD. And, as the technology renders each page as a static image, there is no flicker or constant screen refresh to add to eyestrain.

Users with impaired or limited eyesight will enjoy the Reader's fully adjustable text size, which can be magnified or reduced on demand.

Connect to Thousands of Titles
Sony Connect® will support the launch of the Sony Reader by providing an online store integrated into an easy-to-use desktop application called the Connect Reader. The software will allow users to search and browse through thousands of downloadable eBooks, manage purchased eBooks and easily transfer them to the Sony Reader device. At the outset, the Connect Store will offer a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, well-known authors, classics and more, with rich descriptive content in the form of author biographies, expert book reviews and reader commentary.

Additionally, the Connect Store will offer online content sourced via RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

"Reading books is a vital part of the overall reading experience, which also increasingly consists of written content from online news sources, blogs and other forms of web content," said Lee Ali Shirani, vice president of Sony Connect. "Connect will allow users to take eBooks, news feeds and other online media and enjoy that portably, thereby making the Reader the portable device for all things text."

Major Support from Publishers
Booklovers will applaud the broad selection of eBooks already available for purchase and download to the Reader device. Many of the world's leading book publishers, including Random House, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin-Putnam, Simon & Schuster and Time Warner Book Group will support Sony's e-reading initiative.

Many independent and specialty publishers will also have eBook titles available for purchase and download to the Sony Reader. Manga comics and graphic novels from innovative houses such as TOKYOPOP are rendered beautifully on the device and will also be available for download.

The Sony Reader will be available in the U.S. this spring and can be purchased at select retailers, online at SonyStyle.com or at SonyStyle® stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail) in high-end fashion malls around the country. More information about Sony Reader is available at www.sony.com/reader.

ePaper storage capacity meter

2006-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas, January 3, 2006 - Lexar Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEXR), a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today announced plans to add a unique storage capacity meter to its popular USB flash drives by integrating an innovative electronic paper display from E Ink Corporation. The E Ink display is a paper-thin, shatter proof, easy to read meter that does not rely on power to show the capacity information when disconnected from the computer. On display at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lexar JumpDrive® Mercury will be the first USB flash drive to feature the on-board non-volatile smart capacity meter that will let customers easily monitor their available storage capacity.

“E Ink's display products are paper-thin, low-power and ideal for a wide range of products from smart mobile devices to simple indicators such as those offered by Lexar,” said Darren Bischoff, E Ink Senior Marketing Manager. “Lexar's JumpDrive is a great example of a product truly capable of leveraging all the benefits of our E Ink On DisplayTM solution. With this widespread commercial implementation of our technology, Lexar will be the highest volume provider of products with electronic paper displays.”

Thinner than a credit card at less than 0.7mm, E Ink's rugged bar graph display is an all-plastic construction that does not require a battery to maintain the display of the available storage capacity on the JumpDrive. This makes it possible for Lexar to add the benefit of an exterior gauge, without sacrificing the light, durable and portable design of its products. In addition, the integrated capacity meter on JumpDrive Mercury will be a fully contained solution that automatically discovers the available capacity and updates the display without involving any host software.

“Innovation continues to be the dominate focus for Lexar's popular line of USB flash drives, which helps us offer customers cool features based on revolutionary technologies like the On Display solution from E Ink,” said Steffen Hellmold, vice president and general manager USB flash drive and OEM products business unit, Lexar. “JumpDrive Mercury will be the first product in Lexar's line that demonstrates the results of our partnership with E Ink.”

E Ink's display technology uses black and white particles that are contained in tiny clear capsules. Once set to an image, the display reflects light just like ordinary paper. This makes it readable even in difficult conditions such as direct sunlight and is perfect for those trying to catch a glimpse of their remaining storage on the go

iRex introduces the Iliad

2005-12-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

The ER 0100, from iRex Technologies, is a portable electronic device specifically for
reading applications. Its stable, high-brightness display
makes for excellent readability both indoors AND outdoors.
The 8.1-inch (diagonal) monochrome Electronic Paper
display contains 1024 x 768 pixels and supports 16 levels of
grey (160 dpi).

There is a choice of five standard connectivity options for
transferring data to the Electronic reader. The product can
work with a USB stick, Compact Flash and SD memory card
using slots on the top of the device.
Connection to the Internet is possible via integrated WiFi or
Ethernet cable.

Connection to PC/laptop: via USB-cable or integrated WiFi.
The ER 0100 is a very low power mobile device, specifically
designed for reading applications. The operating time of the
rechargeable battery is more than a week without
recharging, based on an average use of three hours reading
a day.

The content can be stored in four different archives (e.g. My
newspapers, My books). These archives can be quickly
accessed using the archive buttons of the device. Advanced
search functions are available to locate the required content
quickly.

The touch screen facility and stylus makes text input (writing
comments on text and scribbling) and easy navigation
possible as part of a very natural user interface.

CONTENT FORMATS SUPPORTED
· PDF
· XHTML
· TXT
· MP3
· Other formats will be supported in the near future

INTERFACES
· USB type A connector for USB memory stick.
· CF type II slot for memory extension or other
applications.
· SD/MMC slot for SD/MMC memory cards.
· 3.5mm stereo audio jack for headset.
· WIFI 802.11g wireless LAN.
· 10/100MB wired LAN.

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
· 400MHz INTEL X-Scale Processor.
· 64MB Ram
· 224MB free* internal FLASH memory for storing
content (sufficient for 1 month of newspapers, 30
books and many other documents).
· Touch sensor input using stylus.
· Rechargeable battery.
· Cradle and travel charger available.
· Dimensions (wxhxd): 155x217x16 mm. (A5)
· Screen dimensions (wxh): 122x163 mm.
· Weight: 390 grams.
· Operating temperature is 0°C to 50°C.
· Storage temperature is –20°C to 70°C.
(* depends on the amount of installed fonts)

Portable electronic reading

2005-12-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

iRex Technologies introduces the concept of portable electronic reading: a total
solution for electronic paper applications.

Eindhoven, the Netherlands - iRex Technologies BV, a spin-off from Royal Philips
Electronics with backing secured from major independent equity investors, announces an electronic paper application that offers the first complete solution for portable electronic reading and writing.

At the heart of the iRex solution is a new generation of electronic reader that combines a revolutionary electronic paper display with wireless networking and touch screentechnologies. This delivers the established easy to read, low-power advantages of electronic paper with the capacity to get content from various sources (Internet, PC or flash memory cards), as well as the ability to capture user input. The 8.1” display with 16 grey levels, ensures excellent legibility both indoors and outdoors while still offering a thin, lightweight device for easy portability. The intuitive user interface, based on traditional reading principles, means it is easy to apply to professional and leisure uses.
The electronic reader device will be available for distribution to business partners by April 2006.

iRex Technologies BV brings together a team with many years of experience in
electronic paper technologies and portable devices. Working closely with Royal Philips Electronics and E Ink Corporation since 2001, iRex Technologies has based its advanced concepts for portable, electronic paper devices on the proven expertise of its partners. The company is based at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

“Our solution is the first to offer content-suppliers such a fast, comfortable, secure andinteractive opportunity to distribute their content to their users,” explains Hans Brons,CEO of iRex Technologies. “We focus explicitly on B2B partners: for news, educational and professional publishers this means delivering to their audience, regardless of location, with the immediacy of the Internet and the ease and flexibility of paper-basedreading. The benefits are not just in user satisfaction. The always up-to-date informationand low cost structure should make it easier to reach and even define new markets.”