E Ink explains the new Pearl display used in the updated Kindle DX
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 1st 2010 4:59PM
posted July 1st 2010 4:59PM
Amazon has already boasted that the display in its updated Kindle DX has a 50% improved contrast, but E Ink has now thankfully come out and provided a few more details on the new display technology used. Dubbed Pearl, the new display builds upon E Ink's previous Vizplex displays, and not only promises enhanced readability and text that "pops from the page," but the lowest power consumption of any display used in e-readers today (something also claimed about E Ink's previous displays). Of course, the display technology isn't limited to just the Kindle DX -- E Ink currently has five different Pearl displays ranging from 5-inch to 9.7-inch, all of which boast 16 levels of gray, and resolutions ranging from 800 x 600 to 1,200 x 825 (and 200 to 150 DPI).
E Ink Announces Next Generation Display Platform
E Ink expands the marketplace for electronic reading with the introduction of E Ink Pearl, the next generation, easy-to-read electronic paper display with high contrast and sunlight readability.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E Ink® Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display technology, today announced the Q2 release of its next generation display technology, Pearl. With Pearl, E Ink expands the capabilities of reflective displays, bringing electronic paper performance to the next level. With the whitest reflective displays in the industry, and a contrast ratio now approximately 50 percent greater than today's products, text on Pearl "pops" from the page, enabling a reading experience most similar to reading text on printed paper.
"As the electronic reading market continues to expand, there are more opportunities for expansion not only in the eBook space, but also for eNewspapers, eMagazines and eTextbooks," according to Felix Ho Chairman of E Ink. "E Ink Pearl enables further adoption with a next generation product that is a more lightweight and eco-friendly product than ordinary paper, with less eye strain and longer battery life than an LCD."
"The use of electrophoretic displays for eBook readers is growing rapidly. DisplaySearch forecasts that the market value in 2010 will be $837 million, and will grow by 44 percent in 2011, reaching $1.2 billion," according to Paul Semenza, senior vice president, DisplaySearch. "E Ink's new technology should continue to position them at the forefront of this market segment."
The E Ink Pearl design builds on the current generation of Vizplex designs, which is used in millions of eReader devices today. Due to a unique and proven two pigment system that is extremely stable, the current E Ink products in the market today have demonstrated long life and high reliability, enabling a whole new class of consumer products.
Enhanced Readability
Images and text become crisp on the screen as the contrast between the background and item of interest is increased. E Ink Pearl raises the bar for displays used in digital reading. This allows for eReaders to go from a contrast ratio typical of newspapers, to a higher contrast ratio typical of paperback books. The crisp text and detailed graphics also continue to remain pleasant to view when E Ink products are enjoyed outside. In addition, with 16 gray level depth, E Ink Pearl offers the sharpest rendering of images and allows product developers to display images with smooth tones and rich detail.
Lowest Power
E Ink technology products are the lowest power displays in the market today for eReaders. E Ink Pearl carries forward that capability with next generation performance. In addition, compared to other technologies, E Ink is completely bi-stable, requiring no power to hold an image or page of text. Forget about bookmarks – an E Ink display can hold your page and save your battery life for weeks or even months, so you can pick up right where you left off.
Widest Ecosystem
E Ink has partnered with top tier semiconductor companies to provide a best-in-class ecosystem of supporting electronics products. Tier one semiconductor providers such as Epson, Freescale, Marvell and Texas Instruments have created integrated circuits that will support the Pearl platform. These ICs include display drivers and power management products (PMIC). With these partnerships, E Ink has continued to advance the state-of-the-art and provide design flexibility to product manufacturers.
About E Ink Holdings Inc.
Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TW), E Ink Holdings Inc. "E Ink" (8069.TW) is the pioneer TFT and ePaper business in Taiwan. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper display as well as its 2008 acquisition of Hydis Technologies, manufacturer of the world's best wide viewing angle LCDs and its 2009 acquisition of E Ink Corp., the worldwide leader in ePaper. Listed in Taiwan's OTC market and the Luxembourg market, E Ink is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eBook market.
© 2010 E Ink Corporation
E Ink Corporation . 733 Concord Avenue . Cambridge, MA 02138
E Ink expands the marketplace for electronic reading with the introduction of E Ink Pearl, the next generation, easy-to-read electronic paper display with high contrast and sunlight readability.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E Ink® Corporation, the leading developer and marketer of electronic paper display technology, today announced the Q2 release of its next generation display technology, Pearl. With Pearl, E Ink expands the capabilities of reflective displays, bringing electronic paper performance to the next level. With the whitest reflective displays in the industry, and a contrast ratio now approximately 50 percent greater than today's products, text on Pearl "pops" from the page, enabling a reading experience most similar to reading text on printed paper.
"As the electronic reading market continues to expand, there are more opportunities for expansion not only in the eBook space, but also for eNewspapers, eMagazines and eTextbooks," according to Felix Ho Chairman of E Ink. "E Ink Pearl enables further adoption with a next generation product that is a more lightweight and eco-friendly product than ordinary paper, with less eye strain and longer battery life than an LCD."
"The use of electrophoretic displays for eBook readers is growing rapidly. DisplaySearch forecasts that the market value in 2010 will be $837 million, and will grow by 44 percent in 2011, reaching $1.2 billion," according to Paul Semenza, senior vice president, DisplaySearch. "E Ink's new technology should continue to position them at the forefront of this market segment."
The E Ink Pearl design builds on the current generation of Vizplex designs, which is used in millions of eReader devices today. Due to a unique and proven two pigment system that is extremely stable, the current E Ink products in the market today have demonstrated long life and high reliability, enabling a whole new class of consumer products.
Enhanced Readability
Images and text become crisp on the screen as the contrast between the background and item of interest is increased. E Ink Pearl raises the bar for displays used in digital reading. This allows for eReaders to go from a contrast ratio typical of newspapers, to a higher contrast ratio typical of paperback books. The crisp text and detailed graphics also continue to remain pleasant to view when E Ink products are enjoyed outside. In addition, with 16 gray level depth, E Ink Pearl offers the sharpest rendering of images and allows product developers to display images with smooth tones and rich detail.
Lowest Power
E Ink technology products are the lowest power displays in the market today for eReaders. E Ink Pearl carries forward that capability with next generation performance. In addition, compared to other technologies, E Ink is completely bi-stable, requiring no power to hold an image or page of text. Forget about bookmarks – an E Ink display can hold your page and save your battery life for weeks or even months, so you can pick up right where you left off.
Widest Ecosystem
E Ink has partnered with top tier semiconductor companies to provide a best-in-class ecosystem of supporting electronics products. Tier one semiconductor providers such as Epson, Freescale, Marvell and Texas Instruments have created integrated circuits that will support the Pearl platform. These ICs include display drivers and power management products (PMIC). With these partnerships, E Ink has continued to advance the state-of-the-art and provide design flexibility to product manufacturers.
About E Ink Holdings Inc.
Founded in 1992 by Taiwan's leading papermaking and printing group YFY (1907.TW), E Ink Holdings Inc. "E Ink" (8069.TW) is the pioneer TFT and ePaper business in Taiwan. Its corporate philosophy aims to deliver revolutionary products, user experiences, and environmental benefits through advanced technology development. This vision has led to its continuous investments in the field of ePaper display as well as its 2008 acquisition of Hydis Technologies, manufacturer of the world's best wide viewing angle LCDs and its 2009 acquisition of E Ink Corp., the worldwide leader in ePaper. Listed in Taiwan's OTC market and the Luxembourg market, E Ink is now the world's largest supplier of displays to the eBook market.
© 2010 E Ink Corporation
E Ink Corporation . 733 Concord Avenue . Cambridge, MA 02138
The price is STILL high. 180 usd would be ok but 380? Nopes.
@magadget
It's still the lowest price 9.7" e-ink display device (that I can think of anyway).
@magadget
$380 is just about right...if it's made from real "PEARLS!"
@magadget
380 is high but E Ink is the s#*!
This is still a no-go area for me. Even if the Kindle was priced at $100, I would not go for it because the prices of ebooks are far too costly.
I mean, come on! These people are not only saving on the paper, but also inventory (stockpiling). And all you do is give a Kindle owner a $1 off over a regular paper-book. Get serious!
@egress63 $1 off?! $1-2 more than paperback!!
@magadget
Unfortunately, the Kindle DX killer, aka the Notion Ink Adam, is still MIA.
@ruby
eInk is great man. you are crazy.
Is to read books not to play around with anything else.
Sunlight wont bather you, reflection (unlessit's a Sony) wont bather you.
Battery life goes for days, is NOT heavy, Is GOOD for your eyes unless any vga monitor that will only consume them.
Please don't compare an eReader with a tablet, they are meant for different things. And if you care for your eyes you wont read books on any VGS monitor. but if you keep doing it, I hope you remember this when your eye sight is burned some years in the future and think damm I have to use glasses or get that laser surgery.
@sirexilon
I think that saying something is "The s#*" is a good thing, contrary to saying that something is just "s#*".
@egress63
Thank Apple (in part) for that. Several publishers have "renegotiated" post iPad.
[cough]Mirasol[cough]
;)
Just saying, if they every release any devices that use it, it will spank the pants off of e-ink.
And still, stuck on 16 shades of gray, huh?
@gerrrg
The Engadget PDE will not be pleased by the pixel density either...
@gerrrg It's an eReader, not a retina burner.
@lerxst
Print is 300 dpi, so it would make sense to have a 300dpi screen
@MrX8503 Um... when was print 300dpi, 1980? Try 2400 dpi.
However, that's black-and-white and not 16-colour, so e-ink compares slightly better. And I agree something like 300dpi would be perfectly fine for a screen like this, especially if they can do it in 16 (or even 8 or 4) shades.
(If you are really printing only black and white, 600dpi is fine; the higher resolutions are really there to make smoother halftones. A halftone screen producing greyscale images from that 2400dpi print might only be 150 lpi.)
I don't think dpi is the biggest concern - contrast (which they claim is improved) seems to me to be more important, along with update speed. But dpi increases would be nice.
@xxxsam
I don't know what you do for a living, but I have never had a print shop ask me to format my AI, INDD, PDF or PS files in anything over 300dpi. Offset printing hasn't changed much since 1980 except for the advent of digital plates, some cool UV coatings, metallics, paper choices and embossing. Other than that, its still 300dpi to print the vast majority of stuff. What requires 2400dpi?
@lerxst Uhm...16 shades of gray is no better than b/w copiers from the 70's.
@gerrrg My god you're right, I'll be carrying around one of those instead of the useless Kindle.
@xxxsam
that's right even most prints like bills exceed more than 600 dpi if you look at the super duper fine print magnification not visible to the eye
Kindle is 3 letter long of the Kin.....And I have a feeling that's exactly where this is going.
@rmbrown09 Nah.
@MGore32
I find that I far prefer reading on my nook than iPad but that's a personal decision.
@MGore32
The advantage of e-ink is 1) better on the eyes, 2) can read in direct sunlight, and 3) far better battery life.
The trade-off is a single-use device.
You're right but the price of the ebooks and the features in iBooks vs. Kindle or even Nook is no competition.
@MGore32
All depends on how much reading you plan to do. I read probably 2 hours/day on my DX.. I couldn't imagine reading that much on an LCD display.
The price is still too high for me too. Make 6" $100 version and I would buy one. I know a lot of people love their Kindles, but with other devices that are out there $380 is a lot for 9.7 inches.
@Jobee
FYI you can get the 6" on http://www.woot.com/ for $150, today only.. Not as low as your $100 but getting there!
@bstock
Doh nvm, sold out..
@Jobee I agree. Price is a little steep. I bought a 6" Kindle for $180 which isn't a horrible price, and I have no complaints except maybe the lousy AT&T service where I live but you kind of expect that from them!
@MGore32 But I already have an iPod touch. I don't need a larger one. The Kindle is a far better prospect as an eReader.
$229 for a 7.5" model and I'm in.
Man you guys are cheap. I love my current DX that I picked up awhile ago for $350 on ebay, and it's worth every penny. When it comes to not having to lug around and misplace my books, this thing really is worth its weight (yay pun).
@ktarson Yeah me too. But dammit if I'd waited one month I could have had the new one for the same price.
A comparison picture would be nice.
@bstock How many hours a day do you spend staring at your computer screen?
@Zadillo
It's not that LCDs (really backlit screens) actually hurt your eyes but that E-ink is just more relaxing and comfortable on your eyes. It may be the glare or maybe the complete absence of refresh, but my eyes just relax more when reading e-ink.
If you don't see a digitizer, they blew it!
@Zadillo That's the point, isn't it? We stare at computer screens eight hours a day at work - last thing I want to do is stare at another one when I'm relaxing with a book afterwards.
LCD/AMOLED > E-garbage. I mean ink. I'm not spending $189 to limit my color able eyes to black and white. It's like paying someone to have your Ferrari. No thanks.
@jckchn
That "e-garbage" uses far less power and is more daylight readable than either LCD or AMOLED. To some people that is a very attractive proposition.
@jckchn All those black and white paper books are awful, aren't they?
I've never had a problem reading the digital display on my old casio watches from back in the day. And who the hell reads in direct sunlight?
@pspitts What if you are on a beach, or outside. I love my kindle, and use it for 3 hours a day. Also, the ability to download books wherever, and whenever I want is HUGE. I could be wherever I want, and if my friend recommends a book that I am interested in, I can download a sample in 3 seconds, and download the full one in another second, if I want to.
@pspitts
You must be a pathetic couch potato. Plenty of people get out to the beach or back yard to enjoy the sun and they aren't illiterates. Many people like to read while sunning themselves. How about you develop a bit more open mindedness??
@dave1812
This new black model would be HOT in direct sunlight.
Yea, a comparison pic would really help but I guess since the new DX isn't exactly out yet, might be hard to get a hold of.
I expected Amazon to lower the price a lot more than this. But, I guess they can now justify NOT lowering the price much by pointing to the new screen technology. 50% better contrast sounds cool, but hard to tell until we actually see it. I didn't think the current Vizplex screens were bad at all, so I expect to be totally satisfied by this new screen as well.
Am still hoping they lower the price of this baby by the time Kindle 3 arrives. Thanks again for bringing the news. You can see more of my comments on this news on my new post: http://ebookreader-ben.com/amazons-latest-kindle-dx-has-50-better-contrast-than-nook/
I wonder if they are not showing photographic comparisons because it's much better and they don't want to reduce current-product sales, or if it's because the screen difference isn't all that great, and they can generate better hype from text than they can from pictures.
Perhaps buyers will be kind enough to actually post pictures when their new DXs arrive.
When will the libraries start checking out ebooks? I would buy a reader for that.
@Agmois
They already do (epub) just not on the Kindle.
I'm receiving my graphite DX tomorrow, however. Don't read a book a day so I can afford to buy from Amazon.