Epson unveils ridiculously high resolution E Ink display

We've seen an A4-sized sheet of e-paper or two in our day, but Epson's new prototype display features an absurdly high resolution for its size: 3104 x 4128, clocking it in at something like 385ppi. According to Fareastgizmos, E Ink's supplying the, um, electronic ink, while Seiko Epson built out the low-temperature polycrystal Si-TFT glass substrate medium. Yeah, we've got a long ways to go before we'll all be reading the e-paper morning news on the way to work, but it can't be that long, can it?

[Eric M. @ May 21st 2008 9:34PM]

May 21st, 2020... "Ugg I got e-ink on my hands.."

[Jayden @ May 21st 2008 9:46PM]

Is it May 21st where you are?

It's the 22nd over here buddy, we're way ahead :D

[DWells55 @ May 21st 2008 9:52PM]

Oh my God, a different time zone?!? Aren't you special!

[Flashpoint @ May 21st 2008 10:02PM]

According to this, Japan is planning to take over all American businesses by 2050.

[Mike D @ May 21st 2008 10:04PM]

@Dwells he was joking about how being in a that time zone and therefore "in the future" makes them more advanced

[Jordan @ May 21st 2008 10:50PM]

I'm glad we all understand this thing named humor.

[Ayman @ May 22nd 2008 12:23AM]

humor !!!
is it that thing you hit the nail with
or the one Arnold drives around

[Stephen @ May 21st 2008 9:35PM]

I dont know if I'd call it absurdly high resolution, it seems to me that the 300dpi mark is where you'd have to be for it to be viable paper replacement.

[Harkonian @ May 21st 2008 11:45PM]

Hopefully, this continued push toward all things e-Ink will drive the absurdly high prices of the eBook readers down.

[Ayman @ May 22nd 2008 12:35AM]

When he said ppi thought it was a typo ( i thought he meant dpi) then i googled it and it meant Pixels per inch (PPI) which makes sense as to why 385ppi is alot

Wiki -Source
a display that is 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches high, capable of a maximum 1024 by 768 pixel resolution, can display about 93 PPI in both the horizontal and vertical directions

It has been observed that the human eye can generally not differentiate detail beyond 300 PPI

[DakStaka @ May 22nd 2008 5:24AM]

Imagine e-paper on the topside of a MBA or X300? Read it like a regular paper B&W open the lid to view your regular screen, e-paper outside changes to some funky pattern (or advertising for the person across the train/table/bench)

[Jon Acheson @ May 22nd 2008 2:41PM]

"It has been observed that the human eye can generally not differentiate detail beyond 300 PPI"

Not really.

300 DPI/PPI is where black and white text starts looking so good that the average person won't see improvement above there, though someone who knows what to look for will (Fine lines look much better at higher resolutions, for instance).

However, when you start talking about gray scales and gradients, resolutions higher than 300 DPI make a huge difference in preventing banding and other types of artifacts. Print out a photo at 300 DPI and see what I mean. High-end photo printers do 1200 DPI or more.

[tbirdman @ May 21st 2008 9:38PM]

Yeah, we've got a long we've got to go before we'll all be reading the e-paper morning news on the way to work, but it can't be that long, can it?

Fix the second we've please

[ethana2 @ May 21st 2008 10:01PM]

Are people /that/ scared of laptops? That's pathetic.

[disco_delite @ May 21st 2008 9:40PM]

Attn Ryan Block:

You may want to proof-read your stories before you publish them.

"Yeah, we've got a long we've got to go ..." ???

[James Mack @ May 21st 2008 9:42PM]

Please stop saying that...

[Striker @ May 21st 2008 9:42PM]

Finally! Enough pixels to be able to put Japanese characters in an A4-sized Japanese newspaper on!

[Jayden @ May 21st 2008 9:43PM]

That's the way i like it, everything should be hi-res!

[fsx @ May 21st 2008 9:47PM]

This kind of paper is just like the electric and the flying cars: they're only 3 to 4 years from mass production..... FOREVER.

[gad get @ May 21st 2008 10:20PM]

It's not actually paper, electric cars ARE very close to mass production (already in limited production), and flying cars will probably eventually take off (pun intended).

[Plothole @ May 23rd 2008 3:04AM]

The princible technology, eInk, is in mass production right now. Devices like the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, and iRex iLiad all use it. The difference is that the current screens are only 166dpi and 7:1 contrast.

[saq @ May 21st 2008 9:50PM]

Wow, I just got a Sony PRS-505 which I love, and it has a DPI of about 170, and its pretty damn good looking. 384 DPI has got to be incredible. Hopefully they get refresh times way down, including super fast refreshes for smaller updates (by zones instead of full page) and near universal inking (as in Wacom) and we really are on to the greatest thing ever.

[Striker @ May 21st 2008 10:09PM]

We already have the greatest thing ever, Engadget. Can I have Recon now? Damn, sorry I thought this was Bungie lol.

[UncoolJohn @ May 21st 2008 10:13PM]

Yay vis-a-vis crosswords.

[tom @ May 21st 2008 10:14PM]

a physical news paper stuck between two piece of plexi?

[The Dude @ May 21st 2008 10:22PM]

It's what I thought. I saw the pic before I read the headline and thought...they framed a page from a newspaper?

[gad get @ May 21st 2008 10:22PM]

And that's how they're planning on having the final product, too. Better get a larger mailbox. :p

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 21st 2008 10:18PM]

電子トイレットペーパーです。

[calvin @ May 21st 2008 10:36PM]

hahaha but i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to flush it though. looks like expensive paper.

[gad get @ May 21st 2008 10:36PM]

Finally, something we agree on!

[Syd @ May 21st 2008 11:17PM]

eurgh imagine the electric shocks going where the sun dont shine! ouch!

[bdewong @ May 22nd 2008 2:43PM]

I thought everyone in Japan had a TOTO

[yui @ May 21st 2008 10:20PM]

Its Black and White. Neither playing DOOM nor built on your laptop would make you happy.
Though, its nice. It won't make your eyes too tired. Please develop colour version! e-ink and Epson.

[gad get @ May 21st 2008 10:26PM]

There are already endless possibilities for its use, and color capability and a good refresh rate could be huge! I mean HUGE! Assuming a decent price, anyway.

[MEAT! @ May 21st 2008 10:43PM]

Now if only we lived in a time where we had ridiculously high resolution CCD chips in consumer-accessible cameras, so we could, you know, see for ourselves how ridiculously high resolution this E-ink display is.

*Sigh* A plate of meat can dream, though.

[digitallysick @ May 21st 2008 10:53PM]

Sweet now i can buy a $5,000 dollar device to replace my $1.00 morning paper! all jokes aside, it is damn cool

[Wolfticket @ May 22nd 2008 12:27AM]

Want. Want a lot.

[Wolfticket @ May 22nd 2008 12:30AM]

I, for one, reported your comment immediately, realising this was the only course of action that did not play into your scheme.

[John P @ May 22nd 2008 12:40AM]

As long as the New York Times is writing it, I'm alright. Oh, and it better not cost ore than $1.25

[Matt E. @ May 22nd 2008 12:47AM]

I swear to god - If I see one more meme, I'm turning this intertubes off. I mean it!

[hp540 @ May 22nd 2008 1:10AM]

i visit engadget for the sole purpose of getting my daily internet-meme fill-up.

No day of mine is complete without reading someone ask if today's latest gadget will simulatenously blend and play crysis while doom is running in a background window.

[Jon Doe. @ May 22nd 2008 1:40AM]

"but it can't be that long, can it?"

Until they get rid of needing to refresh the entire dang page...yes...it will be a while. Needing to refresh an entire page when you click a button or have a window popup on an ereader screams early tech. This isn't bad. Just early in an immature technology. Oh and color. Wake me when they have at least 16-bit.

Why color? Because newspapers and mags aren't just about words. Graphs and the occasional pict goes along with it.

[Plothole @ May 23rd 2008 4:49AM]

The third generation controller that Epson has developed for eInk will supposedly allow for independent control of different parts of the screen.

[Dick @ May 22nd 2008 3:43AM]

Great! Can I play my blueray movie with this?

[YetiJames @ May 22nd 2008 6:39AM]

Will it blend ?

[cr0ft @ May 22nd 2008 10:23AM]

Finally we're getting to resolutions on electronic displays that will work for print-level detail.

I for one can't wait until I can get an e-book reader with this resolution. Talk about super crisp text quality.

[[e-mail] @ May 22nd 2008 1:10PM]

Please let them upgrade it to color,
put it in a nice flat frame, and
sell me magazine subscriptions
complete with advertising
just like the ones I know and love
and already subscribe to
and buy singly

please

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 21st 2008 10:11PM]

So, I guess you're going to buy a 3G iPhone for those features you're asking for.

[RikF @ May 21st 2008 11:02PM]

Or a tablet PC and some Zinio love

[karts41 @ May 22nd 2008 12:22AM]

my god..... with that bevel, and that resolution....wow