FujiXerox shows off color e-ink display with writing capabilities

We've only seen a couple prototype color e-ink displays here and there, but this latest version from FujiXerox seems like its the furthest along in terms of refresh rate and usability. The A6 sized panel is made of three polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal layers, but it's still flexible, at just .4mm thick. No hard specs, really, but Tech-On says refresh time is less than one second -- just quick enough to make this viable for the next-gen Kindle, eh?

[Via Tech-On!]

[js @ Dec 7th 2007 1:47AM]

The more I look to that warning, the more tempting I want to touch it.

[Generic @ Dec 7th 2007 4:42AM]

what a desparate pleading message, for god sake please don't touch it

[whatsdamattau @ Dec 7th 2007 2:01AM]

I want to touch that screen too!

I can't wait to get a color e-book reader. Very cool.

[roflercopterer @ Dec 7th 2007 2:11AM]

I can imagine the stories of failed technology 50 years from now:

"The ultimate downfall of Xerox's E-Paper was that it couldn't be touched, and this didn't make it nearly as cool as Hammer."

[kyle allen @ Dec 7th 2007 2:23AM]

dude! awesome! i cant wait till you can buy e-paper by the reem! but whats with that stupid picture of the basket of fruit? couldn't they get some doom screneshots or something more interesting?

[Wwhat @ Dec 7th 2007 2:55PM]

At least this way you can see it can't display colors very realistically, because we've all seen fruit.

[murray @ Dec 7th 2007 2:26AM]

Exceptionally cool. This tech is going to have a great impact. Art, banners, reader screens. Anything that makes use of a static display is going to be using e-ink in a few years. And I bet they'll get the refresh rates up high enough to show animation before long too.

[MAIcrosoft @ Dec 7th 2007 3:35AM]

yeah indeed, that's the point of presenting a writable display when you cant even touch it

[Atanas Boev @ Dec 7th 2007 5:24AM]

FujiXerox? LG.Philips? Fujitsu-Siemens? Sounds more and more like William Gibson book...

[cc @ Dec 7th 2007 5:00PM]

I know some people who worked for them in Japan... they said that Fujifilm was the partner Xerox picked when they got into the Japanese market years ago... used to be 50-50 but then Fujifilm bought out half of Xerox's shares for 75% ownership.

I believe Fujixerox also bought Xerox China a few years back when Xerox was bleeding cash, so for roughly half the world they ARE Xerox.

[L.Cyphre @ Dec 7th 2007 6:44AM]

I don't really need a color display but I hope it'll make the grayscale ones cheaper soon.

[Mike @ Dec 7th 2007 10:30AM]

For a color ebook reader - just get a Tablet PC and be done with it for now. Then you get a touchable writeable display that runs any ebook format.

[matt @ Dec 7th 2007 10:49AM]

yes, because we all know there's absolutely no difference between a tablet pc and a dedicated ebook reader with an e-ink display...

[Mike @ Dec 7th 2007 10:57AM]

Was I suggesting they were identical?

However the price premium for a dedicated reader with limited format/ink availability is rather OTT. On the other hand a general purpose Tablet PC lets me read any format eBook, and annotate with electronic ink, or even sketch or paint with it. Plus all the other things a laptop can do.

[Wwhat @ Dec 7th 2007 2:59PM]

.. other things a laptop can do for 1.5 hours until the battery is dead and your eyes are sore from reading on it.

[Mike @ Dec 7th 2007 8:09PM]

Obviously never used one then. I can only speak with 6 years' worth.

[spacegravity4me @ Dec 7th 2007 3:31PM]

i was gonna mention that there is an e-ink display for tide at my superwalmart here in town. It's not much but it's still pretty cool!

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Dec 7th 2007 3:43PM]

Why do we need color e-ink? okay sure, it would be nice to have a color e-ink display for picture books and other photographs, but for e-book reading its pointless. (just like the gameboy color)

[RedBeard @ Dec 7th 2007 10:00PM]

Well, you can use it for magazines. Textbooks where concepts that are better explained in color, like medical textbooks. Carrying around a lot of photographs to show off to people. There are many more uses for a color ebook. Personally, I would rather have a color ebook than a black and white ebook.

[Axton @ Dec 7th 2007 4:36PM]

I am looking forward to the day when we not only have color e-book readers, but textbooks in e-book form as well. For me at least, the size of my textbooks make it a chore to read them. Sadly, by the time color e-book/e-textbook readers become available, i will be out of school.