Japan Display Inc., a merger of Toshiba’s, Sony’s and Hitachi’s small LCD businesses have worked with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan to create a low-power color display that works similarly to an E-ink kindle device.

Rather than using a backlit display like most traditional LCDs, the new reflective LCD display panels by Japan Display Inc. use an external light source to show clear images to the viewer, but what makes it special is its ability to play full HD color video.

Three components make up the display; a rear reflective layer and a front light control layer which hold together the liquid crystal layer. All three parts are used together to help display the images on the LCD panel. When light is reflected from the rear electrode, it passes through the crystal layer, which will create a single-shaded image, which will then be filtered by the light control layer to show color.

So how is this like paper? The technology itself can be extremely easy to view in highly lighted conditions like outside on a sunny day, or in a lit house similarly to older Kindle models, but unlike Kindle, the LCD display shows crisp paper-like colors.

There are currently two different models in development by Japan Display Inc., of which one is nearing completion, and it won’t be long before the technology is ready for mass production.

Both models have slightly different reflection rates and different pixel ratios, with the near-completed model boasting 768×1044 pixels, and the second model displaying 576×1024 pixels on the screen.

What makes the new tech even more unique is it’s impressive battery-saving qualities when displaying still images; power consumption is kept to around 3 mW when showing static images because of the displays ability to retain data once it has been written.

I don’t know what you think of Japan Display Incs.’ work, but to me this technology is almost like a super-advanced Etch-A-Sketch.

Do you think the reflective displays could become a standard for LCD manufacturers in the near future?

[Source]

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Yes, the Pebble e-watch is also an app platform and its first app partner comes by way of RunKeeper, which is developing an app specific to the upcoming smartwatch. In fact, this won’t even be a download that you’ll need to do on your own; the RunKeeper app will be pre-installed and integrated with the Pebble right out of the box when it launches this September.

As with the RunKeeper app that you may already have on your smartphone, the e-watch version will let you start your RunKeeper runs, monitor your progress, stop your activity, and so on. As with almost everything else on the Pebble, the app will require a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone to work.

[Source]

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The idea behind the Pebble is pretty straightforward. It’s a smartwatch that can connect wirelessly with your smartphone over Bluetooth, displaying basic info pushed over that connection. The e-paper display helps with battery life, as well as being easier to see in direct sunlight. It’ll look like a piece of paper, rather than like the backlit display of an iPod nano watch. It even has some nifty watch face styles if you want to be a little more creative with your time.

Speaking of being creative, an API for the Pebble e-paper smartwatch is available too. This should give the devs some interesting opportunities. The early bird special on Kickstarter has come and gone, but you can still secure a Pebble smartwatch by pledging at least $115 before the funding round ends on May 18.

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Flexible e-paper is an interesting concept, but largely none of the major companies have really done much with it, at least not until now. LG has announced that its six-inch XGA resolution Electronic Paper Display is in full production and on its way to the market in places like Europe within just a month. The new EPD is, at least according to LG, the world’s first mass produced flexible e-paper design and manages to come in at only .027-inches thick. It also weighs a lot less than glass EPDs at just .49 ounces.

As far as flexibility is concerned, the device can bend as much as 40 degrees from the plane of the display, though it is still far away from being foldable, though at the today’s rate of technological advancement it’s only a matter of time.  So begins a new era of flexible e-paper displays with LG sending its display to Chinese ODMs and a plan to supply to the product to Europe by the beginning of May. While this is a pretty exciting move, it is likely just the beginning of the flexible display era. What I’m really waiting for is fully flexible tablets and smartphones like we’ve seen in various concept videos over the course of the last year or so.

[ source ]

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It’s never too late to go green and it’s always a good sign when technology experts take an eco-friendly approach to things. The i2R e-Paper from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) appears to be paving the way for a greener environment.

When we said e-Paper, your mind might have wandered to e-Readers that have displays needing low power and offer lots of readability. But the new e-Paper from Taiwan comes equipped with a lot of cool properties.

ITRI’s i2R e-Paper, which is a highly flexible electronic paper, is both re-writable and re-usable. It has a plastic film covered with a cholestric liquid crystal and it does not require any power to retain an image; although it does not help to completely stay away from electricity. For printing on the e-Paper a thermal printer, such as the one you would find in a fax machine, is required. The heat from the printer helps in the writing process. The printer heats up the liquid crystal layer and makes the molecules light or dark. The 300 dpi resolution that we will get is quite fine. The compound can produce different colors as well. And to erase everything, you just have to run a printed e-Paper sheet through the printer again. The writing and the erasing processes will, obviously, require power, but that can come from the sun.

The researchers at ITRI say that the bendable, thin plastic product is re-writable up to 260 times and research is going on to make it last even longer.  The developers believe that their new product will immediately replace paper used in the production of items such as advertising banners, ID badges for corporate visitors, parking lot tickets and so on.

The low cost of production and low power consumption are enough to make it popular. And it’s also more environment-friendly than printing on traditional paper. Adopting the technology will definitely save tons of trees, lets just hope it doesn’t use a heap of other rare earth metals.

Check out the video to see the e-Paper in action.

[via ITRI]

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ITRI, Taiwan’s largest and one of the world’s leading high-tech research and development institutions have introduced the I2R e-Paper. The first electronic paper ever proven to be re-writable, re-usable and environmentally friendly. This is the real deal – the “electronic paper” is the latest entry to the attempt to end our overwhelming use of traditional paper.

“It’s a fact that a significant portion of daily office printed papers will be discarded in days or weeks after use,” said Dr. Janglin Chen, general director of ITRI’s Display Technology Center. “i2R e-Paper’s re-cycle and re-use capabilities, positive effects on the environment and low cost of production are paving the way for mass acceptance of green e-paper technologies.”

This e-paper requires heat to transfer images and text to the surface and can be erased by inserting the e-paper into a thermal writing device (like your typical fax machine). I2R e-Paper’s special energy-conserving display technology is a flexible cholesteric liquid crystal panel that requires only heat to transmit images without using expensive inks. Because of its memory capabilities, the e-paper can be preset to display images at certain intervals – making it suitable for digital signage (TVs and billboards) that typically require more energy to maintain. It can also replace many printed paper products like event tickets, posters, flyers or promotional materials.

I2R e-paper is unlike e-readers and tablets, which require electricity for back lighting. This product does not require electricity to maintain the visuals much like the Kindle.

[GizMag via ITRI]

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Even though many people have started to use tablets, the e-paper technology found within several e-readers is still quite remarkable. A group of scientists from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute have developed a new form of rewritable electronic paper that does not require any electricity at all.

Well, sort of. It doesn’t require any power to retain an image that has been put on it, but you will need some power to change whatever has been written on it. That’s nothing new, but what’s really interesting is that the erasing and writing process is thermal-based, not unlike old school fax machines. The e-paper itself is rewritable up to 260 times.

Yes, it needs thermal energy, but that could still prove to be much more eco-friendly than printing on traditional paper or consuming the electricity needed to power a traditional LCD screen. The display is also flexible, which would help to give it a more paper-like versatility. The goal is to have this new technology, dubbed i2R e-paper, ready for mass market consumption within the next couple of years.

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That’s right. We’ve got two Apple patents for the price of one, both of which could point toward what we should be expecting from the upcoming iPhone 5. Bear in mind that these are just patents and the folks in Cupertino may not necessarily follow through on these design cues. So, which will it be? Smart bezels or an e-paper hybrid?

First, let’s look at the smart bezel. In general, the bezel around your touchscreen is pretty much useless, so Apple might be trying to offer additional icons (which may or may not be touch sensitive) around the edges. This gives you visual feedback that is dependent on the current app. Given that Apple is reportedly stretching the screen to four inches while maintaining the same outside dimensions for the iPhone 5, though, there might not be too much room for a smart bezel.

The other rumor points toward some sort of e-paper hybrid. Cozying up next to your Prius, this effectively lets you have both e-paper and regular display tech on the same screen. The rationale is that the more static screens (like the home lock screen) can be shown with e-paper tech to extend battery life, whereas more dynamic screens (like Angry Birds) can be shown with the conventional display. It could also do some combination of the two.

This sounds like a much more interesting proposition, but I’m not sure the tech is quite there to make it a reality just yet. As always, keep your ears to the ground, because Apple rumors are always just that: rumors.

[Read via Patently Apple]

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Sexy, right? Well, that all depends on how you intend on using a device like this. The whole point of the Eee Note is that it works like a digital notepad. Asus claims that the EA-800 has “ultra-sensitive handwriting input,” allowing you to take notes at business meetings, in college lectures, and whatever other situations that require taking notes. Looking at some of the promotional shots, it looks like it could be a useful digital sketchpad for designers and artists too.

Some people will say that there is no way this monochrome wonder can compete against the likes of the Galaxy Tab and iPad, but I don’t think that’s what it’s supposed to do. Asus has the Eee Pad for that purpose. With the Eee Note, you get a 2450 dpi 8-inch touchscreen with a matte finish, meant to mimic the look and feel of actual paper… like the Kindle, you could say.

I can’t imagine something like this catching on among the mainstream, but it could prove useful as an alternative to a Wacom tablet for the artists in the crowd.

[New Launches via FE Gizmos]

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The Daily may be exclusive to the iPad, which would be strange since similar tablet (and smartphone) devices could be capable of accessing the content. Steve Jobs has reportedly come to some type of deal with Murdoch to create this digital “newspaper.” The kicker is that there will not be a print version. At all. It’s digital only. Does this spell the end of Newsprint?

In Rupert’s mind, every member of the family will have a tablet of some kind in the not-too-distant future, thanks to economies of scale and lowered price points. He also recognizes that readers will be spending more time on their tablets than ever before.

This is so much more than just a rumor too. News Corp has been putting together a newsroom of about 100 staffers for about the last three months. According to reports, the Daily will have its beta launch around Christmas and will cost less than five bucks a month. That’s way cheaper than, say, the New York Times… and it’s going to be published seven days a week.

Considering that more people (myself included) have come to digest our news for free online, this low-cost alternative to the dead tree newspaper could prove to be an interesting experiment for Murdoch and News Corp. [WWD]

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