Liquavista shows off low-power, color e-paper display
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 6th 2010 5:44PM
posted January 6th 2010 5:44PM
This one's still a ways away from landing in an actual e-reader (although that prototype above does made an admirable attempt at redefining the bezel), but Liquavista's latest stab at a color e-paper display is at least ready enough for a demo video, and it doesn't exactly disappoint. Unfortunately, Liquavista isn't offering much in the way of firm details, but the display is supposedly "ultra-low power," sunlight-readable and, as you can see for yourself after the break, it seems to be fairly speedy when it comes to browsing and scrolling. Nothing in the way of announcements of e-readers just yet, but Liquavista says it expects to see product implementation "throughout 2010 / 2011."
more bullcrap.
@HighestRanked and yes, first!
Thank you everyone, thank you.
@HighestRanked
Yes I second that!
@HighestRanked Seriously go die in a car fire. Now.
@Nerdtalker
why you gotta wish fire on an innocent car?
@HighestRanked hahahah I actually really laughed at the original post
@Levi ahh see, finally someone with a sense of humor! that's what it's all about!
That color eink looks SWEET
Is the screen on the left eink? Or the one on the right? Or both? The left one seems way to fast to be eink to me..
"In fact, more than 90% of the manufacturing cycle use standard LCD manufacturing equipment and processes. Called LCD 2.0, this enables our partners to quickly re-use their manufacturing assets to our displays and bring exciting, highly differentiated products to life with both enhanced usability and performance."
Doesn't exactly disappoint? Seems fairly speedy? Guys, reality check, this is E-Paper, not LCD.
This looks awesome. There is pretty much none of that inverted-color mess that takes one second to display the picture, as you see on the Sony E-Reader. Being that a prototype, I'm throughly impressed.
@DivinoAG
sorry but it's LCD, although a new version dubbed LCD2.0 as you can see in my quote from their site above.
@Wwhat It's a LCD-based technology used to create better E-ink displays. It's not an LCD screen like the one you are reading this right now, on a desktop or on smart-phone, which is what I meant.
It should not be compared with current LCD tech, because it's not meant to be used as current LCD tech; it's an evolution of E-paper tech. I'm sure you understand what I mean by that, so let's not discuss semantics.
Well LCD means liquid crystal display, and liquid crystal technology uses polarization, and that means angle dependency, and that means it's no good for e-readers in my view, and still LCD in my view, as long as it has liquid crystals you can add numbers to it all you like but it's the same damn flaws, flaws that everybody hopes will go away.
@Wwhat
Liquavista's tech isn't angle-dependent, nor is it LCD. They are using that as a marketing term to make it attractive to OEMs. EWD is a very different beast from LCD and is a very capable e-paper technology.
@Wwhat
Before you go spouting about polarizers, do yourself a favor and read their white paper on it...vague as it is, it explains things pretty effectively.
Wow the refresh rate on that thing looks amazing compared even to black and white screens. I've been waiting for color until I decide to hop on the e reader bandwagon.
This would be excellent for reading magazines or comic books.
I too have been waiting for color e-ink (or similar technologies). That way we can move more easily to electronic content... as shown on the device, reading color magazines becomes possible. That is assuming, of course, that anyone reads color magazines anymore. Seems like 85% of those magazines are huge ads, and the rest are small articles.
That looks incredibly fast for an eInk machine, let alone a color one.
I would so buy one of these
WOW, color AND none of that inverting color crap? This is a HUGE improvement.
This isn't e-ink. It uses a technique called electrowetting so it doesn't seem to be bistable (ie it uses power to show a static image).
Isn't it funny how you can fool people with a matt lcd display :D
Just kidding!
ah come on...you mean that 'crisp' 'paper like' gray on gray e-ink wasn't all you ever dreamed of?
hmmm.. so products could get this screen in 2010/2011. I wonder if this will be Amazon Kindles next screen.
@Synergi more like apple tablet anyone? It might be a stretch but the UI looks a lot like the iphone, loot at the bottom bar. Also the rubber band effect I THINK is patented by apple for multitouch devices. Even that aside tho, imagine the battery life on a tablet with a e-ink screen! Dunno bout you but i'de like that...
@Luqven the apple tablet isn't going to use color e-ink, it's nowhere near ready for mass production. I'm inclined to believe that guy a few posts above that says it's not really e-ink too. If it doesn't hold an image without power, it's not e-ink and it's not exciting.
@Levi just noticed that it's "color e-paper", but anyhow if you follow some of the links in the post you get to the original announcement of the screens which stresses the new screens ARE e-ink (therefore exciting again) and gives you a link to here
(more info on color e-ink): http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/30/electrofluidic-display-tech-improves-color-e-ink-makes-you-soun/
Still, I never saw touchscreen phones taking over the market they way they did before the iPhone came out, who's to say apple hasn't come up with a way to mass produce this?... Maybe i was just stupid back then, but just a thought anyhow...
@Luqven
E-Ink is the name of a company that developed EPDs and is now a subsidiary of PVI.
EWD is not EPD and is not made by E-Ink.
There is value in the distinction of "e-ink" (which some people strongly dislike for being slow and low-contrast), and e-paper (which includes other technologies that may be better, including EWD like Liquavista).
I am just waiting until they put this Color E-Ink technology on Digital Picture frames. I kinda want one but they currently seem like such a waste of energy since they need to be powered to view. With E-Ink it would not need constant power and it could work as a picture frame with just batteries, no need for an outlet.