E Ink and Epson to co-develop 9.7-inch high-res 300ppi electronic paper display

It’s pretty obvious that this year’s SID Display Week is shaping up to be a stage for the 300ppi extravaganza — Samsung and LG were first to announce their latest high pixel density LCDs, and then Toshiba chimed in with its 367ppi LCD for cellphones. Fortunately, fans of ePaper will also have something to look forward to here, as E Ink Holdings and Epson have just announced the co-development of a 300ppi ePaper display. To be exact, E Ink will be in charge of producing the sharp-looking 9.68-inch 2,400 x 1,650 display panel, whereas Epson will take care of the high-speed display controller platform to go with E Ink’s part. No availability has been announced just yet, but stay tuned for our eyes-on impression at the show.

Continue reading E Ink and Epson to co-develop 9.7-inch high-res 300ppi electronic paper display

E Ink and Epson to co-develop 9.7-inch high-res 300ppi electronic paper display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bezos says ‘stay tuned’ on potential Amazon tablet

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos didn’t confirm a Samsung-built tablet today, but he’s not saying no — in fact, the tell-it-like-it-is founder of the massive e-tailer suggested quite the opposite in an interview with Consumer Reports. “Stay tuned” was the answer, and then Bezos told the publication that if such a device were on the way, it would be complementary to Amazon’s existing Kindle, as Bezos doesn’t want to disturb the market for that “dedicated reading device.” If we were to read between the lines — which is often a bad idea — we’d say that could pave the way for an Amazon tablet to launch without a sunlight-readable screen, but it could just be that a tablet would be pricier, while the Kindle could remain relatively cheap. Speaking of E Ink, the CEO said that a color version “is not ready for prime time.” As of January, we’d agree.

Bezos says ‘stay tuned’ on potential Amazon tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mirasol display gets lighting solution for reading alone at parties, bars

How do you solve a problem like lighting a Mirasol display? Sure, the technology provides something of a comprise between traditional E Ink displays and tablet LCDs, with full video and color, low power consumption, and the ability to be viewed in bright sunlight, but it still has some decided drawbacks: like a lack of backlighting. Qualcomm showed off a simple and elegant solution at this week’s CES on the Hill, essentially embedding a book light into the device, lighting it from the front — it’s not the first time we’ve seen an e-reader arrive at this answer, but still, sometimes the easiest solutions are the best. The prototype shown off in DC this week had buttons on the rear for adjusting brightness, though according to The Digital Reader, Qualcomm will also be showing off a device with an ambient light sensor in the near future. The technology should be on store shelves this fall — no word whether the device is capable of yelling at you for “ruining your eyes” by reading in the dark.

Mirasol display gets lighting solution for reading alone at parties, bars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flexible PaperPhone wants to get bent out of shape (video)

We love our smartphones (in part) because they’re flexible, in the sense that they are mighty multitasking machines. Researchers from Queen’s University in Ontario Canada, however, want flexible phones in a literal sense — less five-tool player, and more master contortionist. Using a ductile e-ink display and elastic electronic underpinnings, they created a device called the PaperPhone that literally bends to its user’s will. Curling the corners of the device isn’t just for show, either, as folding the phone is how users navigate menus and make calls. We aren’t completely sold on the idea of a bend-based UI, but we’re definitely digging the lithe and lightweight phone form factor. Video of the new flexi-phone is after the break.

Update: A second video showing the same 3.7-inch display in a wearable computer project dubbed, “snaplet,” has been added after the break.

Continue reading Flexible PaperPhone wants to get bent out of shape (video)

Flexible PaperPhone wants to get bent out of shape (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video)

Yesterday, we found out that E Ink Holdings won’t be releasing a new electronic paper display until 2012 and now, we know why. Turns out, the Pearl manufacturer has been busy refining its screen tech acumen, and extending it to a variety of different surfaces. The Digital Reader recently caught up with Sriram Peruvemba, E Ink’s VP of global sales and marketing, who confirmed that his company has developed a SIRF display that can be printed on cloth, effectively turning any t-shirt into a flashing, black-and-white billboard. E Ink’s engineers have taken a similar approach to Tyvek cloth, creating a display that could make your vanilla postal envelopes a little more dynamic. And, as you might expect, the company has been experimenting with an e-ink screen capable of supporting colorful, full-motion video — though it looks like E Ink still needs to smooth out some of the grainy kinks in that one. All three demo videos are available for your viewing pleasure, after the break.

[Thanks, Nate]

Continue reading E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video)

E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink dashes hopes of a next gen display in 2011, but pencils in full-motion video for 2012

E Ink Holdings is brazenly making us wait until 2012 before producing a successor to its popular Pearl electronic paper display. One of the company’s VPs dropped into CNET‘s offices to spill the bad news: developing and testing a next-generation display “takes some time”, apparently, and it is sticking to a two year product cycle. Perhaps E Ink has shifted its focus to the LCD screen in Amazon’s rumoured tablet. Or maybe it’s still working on the Triton color e-ink display that left us so underwhelmed at CES. Either way, the monochrome Pearl has been knocking around in the Kindle and other e-readers for a while now and although it has better contrast than earlier iterations, it is still ripe for a revamp — especially a faster refresh rate. But the E Ink VP did hint at some brighter news: the next-gen display, when it does finally arrive, could sport full-motion video. So far e-ink video has failed to go beyond a slightly jittery 10-15fps, so full-motion 24fps or 30fps could definitely be worth the wait.

E Ink dashes hopes of a next gen display in 2011, but pencils in full-motion video for 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle

We’ve got a pretty good inkling that it’s coming — the big question is when will Amazon finally ship an LCD tablet. According to DigiTimes, and its occasionally trusty sources at upstream component makers, when is defined by the second half of 2011. What’s more, the media tablet will feature a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from Amazon fave E Ink Holdings, a company better known for the technology behind the Kindle’s EPD e-paper displays. According to DigiTimes, Quanta has received the manufacturing honors with production expected to peak at about 700,000 – 800,000 units per month. So yeah, the Amazon Kindle tablet won’t be sporting a Mirasol display according to this gossip. Then again, it’s only gossip so anything goes.

Amazon tablet shipping later this year according to new tattle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bridgestone builds world’s largest e-paper tablets, shuns consumers (video)

Bridgestone AeroBee Tablets

If you thought the Kno was unwieldy, check out these A4 and A3 paper-sized AeroBee terminals from Bridgestone. The company, best known for its tire commercials featuring adorable animals about to get run over, unveiled two new tablets with 21-inch and 13-inch (underwhelming) color e-paper screens — the largest available on the market. You can check them out in the video after the break, but don’t get too excited, these beasts aren’t destined for consumers. Instead, they’re being marketed to businesses which will likely use them as in-store displays or kiosks. Next step: coffee table-book e-readers. Though, we suspect In the Shadow of No Towers would lose something in the translation.

Continue reading Bridgestone builds world’s largest e-paper tablets, shuns consumers (video)

Bridgestone builds world’s largest e-paper tablets, shuns consumers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NoteSlate teased with new product shots, moves one step away from vaporware status

Look, you can’t say no to a $99 electronic ink drawing tablet, but to believe that that his here NoteSlate has any chance of retailing at that price you’d also need the naiveté of a child who accepts free candies from strangers. While we remain skeptical, said tablet’s website has just been updated with a new stash of product shots and an in-depth walkthrough, which are kinda convincing if you ignore the price tag. The mono-color models are here to stay as well, though we should point out that there’s a $30 alternative, already available, from Improv Electronics for those who need nothing more than just doodling. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the NoteSlate come June.

[Thanks, Eddie]

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NoteSlate teased with new product shots, moves one step away from vaporware status originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bookeen shows off FMV on a standard E Ink Pearl display (video)

Bookeen shows off FMV on a standard E Ink Pearl display (video)

The details are few with this one but really it’s the highlights that matter here: Bookeen has managed to get smooth full-motion video to play on an E Ink Pearl display. Yes, the same sort that delivers agonizingly slow refreshes on the latest Kindles and such. It’s a simple H.264-encoded clip (the same one with the chubby rabbit you’ve probably seen a dozen times before) played on a TI OMAP3621 processor. Power consumption in this mode is said to be no more than a non-backlit LCD, which is quite frugal indeed. No word on which actual readers this will debuting in, but according to E-Ink-Info.com it will be “available on the next-gen e-readers to appear soon.” Check out the demo embedded below.

Continue reading Bookeen shows off FMV on a standard E Ink Pearl display (video)

Bookeen shows off FMV on a standard E Ink Pearl display (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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