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

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

E-book readers round up

via wired

Amazon.com will unveil the Kindle in october

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.”

E Ink 2007 Global Mobile Awards winner

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."