E Ink unveils world's thinnest active matrix display

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.eink.com/news/releases/pr60.html">http://www.eink.com/news/releases/pr60.html</a><br /><br />Thin is in, and if we can trim down the thickness of the LCD screen, we'll have thinner Pocket PCs. I wonder if this can be combined with OLED technology?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/thinlcd.jpg" /><br /><br />"E Ink Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic ink technology for paper-like displays, today announced its demonstration of the world's thinnest active-matrix displays. Prototypes were first exhibited to industry leaders at last month's Society for Information Display Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, in Boston, Massachusetts. E Ink has demonstrated two display sizes targeting highly portable, rugged information appliances. At less than half the thickness of a credit card, these development prototypes have a total display thickness of just 0.3 mm...Traditional active-matrix display panels measure 2 mm thick and often require a backlight for a combined thickness of 4 mm or more. E Ink's prototypes are roughly 90% thinner and lighter than typical glass-based, liquid crystal displays." Source: <a href="http://www.mobigeeks.com/emml/emml.php">Mobility Daily Newsletter</a>

[Mark (NL)]

Ok I might sound dumb, but I take my chances &lt;g> What is OLED? I've heard so many people use it the last few weeks, but can't find any real good explenation... So I thought better ask and learn ;-)

[Paragon]

Holy Smokes!! Did somebody say flexible This could revolutionize PDAs. Just think with a flexible sceen we could have one of those "Earths Final Conflict" kind of thingies. A much smaller device, maybe even pen sized that with the tap of a button the screen unfurls.

Wow, just think we could all go back to those geeky pocket protectors to keep our PDAs in :D

Dave

[Jason Dunn]

More on OLED:

http://www.emagin.com/oledpri.htm
http://www.wave-report.com/tutorials/oled.htm
http://www.ebnonline.com/story/OEG20020605S0028

[GC2350]

I know that much - that the O stands for organic and nothing more - sorry !!!

George

[Jason Dunn]

Wholey Smokes!! Did somebody say flexible This could revolutionize PDAs.


Yup - that's what E Ink does. They're focused around making flexible screens that people can fold up and put in their pocket. Very interesting technology, and if you combine a breakthrough like that with OLED, you get a bright, flexible screen that is ultra-power conervative. THAT will be the big breakthrough that will radically alter the PDA landscape.

[Mark (NL)]

Thanks Jason :-)

[jmulder]

I saw an article on e-Ink yesterday and from what I understand it works something like a 'magic 8-ball' where a white piece of material is moved with electrical fields from the bottom of a well of dark liquid to the top...changing the perceived color from black to white. While this is great for monochrome displays, I don't think it could work as a color display.

Would the world will go back to monochrome displays in order to have flexibility? I guess it has happened before, when monochrome laptops were the only available option and people gave up color for portablility.

Just wondering...

-Jim Mulder

[Paragon]

Would the world will go back to monochrome displays in order to have flexibility? I guess it has happened before, when monochrome laptops were the only available option and people gave up color for portablility.

Just wondering...

-Jim Mulder

I think the most important point is the one you didn't mention.... Laptops didn't stay monochrome!!

Dave

[jmulder]

I think the most important point is the one you didn't mention.... Laptops didn't stay monochrome!!

Dave

Obviously true, but you missed my point. Laptops didn't stay monochrome because the technology allowed the 'stacking' of different colored LCD panels and counted on transmitting some color from lower layers through upper layers. With the E Ink solution, you can't do that because whether or not a pixel is activated (the little white material is at the top or bottom of the well), no light can be transmitted through the layers. The only way to change the color of a pixel is to change the color of the fluid in the well. Perhaps they may be able to do something like newsprint, where different colored dots are placed close enough to appear to be a single dot of another color, but I would think manufacturing would be a real pain.

-Jim Mulder

[Paragon]

Jim

You make a very good point. I have to believe that a solution will be found.

Geeeez.. In 1969 we thought it was absolutely amazing that we could transmit black and white pictures from the moon. Today we can transmit colour pictures from Mars.

HHHmmmm... I wonder, which was the larger step for mankind :)

Dave

[newerjazz]

I saw a color demo last year; it seems to work well and you can actually roll the thing up. In fact the black stuff that EInk use are actually just soot but a little charge on them so they can be manipulated by electric field. The nice thing is that once the soot particles are attracted to where they are suppose to go,the electric filed can be turned off (that's how battery life is saved) The soot will eventually sediment back but that takes hours. My group is consultant for EInk; that's how I know this but I am not so sure how they put color in there. Presumably they have particles of three different colors in there....

[Paragon]

See look how fast technology is advancing today. It took from 1969 to present day to be able send colour pictures thru space. Yet here we are today and in a couple of posts we go from a monochrome screen to colour. Man, that is real progress.

Dave

[xtian170174]

I founded the AwesMauler Technology Corporation about eight years ago after a job I did where it was becoming increasingly important for the IT department to provide a handheld solution to save time and enable product checking and logging on the shop floor whilst with the orders throughout the manufacturing process and I focussed on the idea that laptops should become smaller and fit into a pocket, and for ease of use ideally the only peripheral device required would be a larger, portable screen that would be flexible and in my estimation easily measuring 26" diagonal corner to corner.

This would mean I could get a pattern file for any product and output to screen, then unfurl the screen to view it in my hand like I carried a rolled up blueprint or schematic, with zoom functions on the handheld or even using voice commands from a headset [esp. as part of a safety helmet]....
This would effectively mean I had "every blueprint on one piece of paper".... the leap forward in productivity if the relevant person on site had this means, and it was their job to follow the progress of orders and advise changes and/or adaptations and pull information on [steel] quality to ensure every aspect was plan perfect, would be like giving that person wings. Also enabling section foremen [stock, lab, casting, fettling, machining, despatch, etc.] with the device would give unprecedented interconnectivity and the resource control system functioning in the background would service all these points without even the need of static terminals - all of which could be found in their respective shop floor offices only under layers of foundry dust....


E-Ink seems like the step in that direction and a missing link I have sought since I pressed ahead with the urgency of this required innovation - and as yet I see it still remains to be seen how and when a thin flexible screen will meet the following criteria and become standard kit for the AwesMauler Unit, a synopsis of which can be provided seperately for any interested readers....

The screen innovation for the AMU, a powerful multimedia/telecoms pocket device has the following specifications;

+ Full colour*
+ Flexible screen, rolls up into a tube e.g. [small] 26" widescreen = 13" long tube, no greater than 1" diameter for portability when furled
+ Gecko grip technology innovation, unfurls flat and can be applied directly to a wall or flat surface where it grips without adhesive until peeled
+ Wireless connectivity, sit back and view from a comfortable distance for boardroom meeting flipchart brainstorming e.g.
+ Potential for speaker innovation so it plays sound too....

We all know this is 'round the corner' or tomorrow's technology - but it is heavily endorsed by today's market and consumer trends - It is a simple hope that AwesMauler Technology is put on the map because every step taken is towards the smallest and most robust device available for your long-term use....

To expatiate on the subject of what the device can do is another topic - Here I wish to corroborate on the subject of screen technology and to see an affordable commercially available product within months rather than years [even if it's 23 months] - and I specifically refer to a means of ACAD type zoom and *a heretofore unseen boost in resolution and colours in picture quality - a step that should be taken to prove this is the way all screens will be in the future....
Just considering the space saved is as much as standing room for one person for every flexible roll-up screen is awesome in itself....

I look forward to hearing from you all

Many thanks
Kind regards
Christian Hilton

Mr. Christian Edward Hilton Esq.
Founder Chairman - AwesMauler Technology Corporation
Purveyors of already smaller until you knew you had it in think.

[xtian170174]

telecommunications are global and cross-cultural, I resent the term 'neophyte', please do not associate me contextually...

Kind regards
Christian Hilton

Mr. Christian Edward Hilton Esq.
Founder Chairman - AwesMauler Technology Corporation
Purveyors of already smaller until you knew you had it in think.