Although the Kindle 2’s screen is much improved over the first one’s, it still lacks the contrast and brightness of a normal piece of paper. Obviously real paper is the gold standard for e-paper, and lots of research is being done to make the devices more like the real thing. Research published in Nature Photonics describes an e-ink display method that promises to be faster and more versatile than current tech.
It seems that what’s done is simple: pushing ink out of a hole, and then pulling it back in. Surface tension and viscosity levels at this tiny scale mean it can be done incredibly fast, and very reliably. Tested monochrome displays had a black-to-white response time of under 1 millisecond, far better than anything on the market. Add a couple layers with red, blue, and yellow inks and you’ve got yourself a color display. And at 300dpi (the theoretical minimum size of a “pixel”), it might actually be pretty damn sharp. The thinness of the display element (around 15 micrometers) means that it could also be used in a rollable device.
The supplementary information part of the article has a couple cool-looking videos that demonstrate what the little ink pores look like in action on a micro scale.
Of course, as usual with the research we report, this tech is far from being applied to consumer devices. But if you were wondering whether you should take the plunge and get a Kindle or what have you, it’s good to know that there’s better stuff down the line for sure.
[via Treehugger and MIT Technology Review]
I am sick of the Kindle. Its pretty much useless to me. I didnt need to read this post. Nor comment. But who can resist a first?
Believe me, I’m sick of the Kindle too. But a rollable full-color display that might even be able to show video? Sign me up.
I don’t think the Kindle 2’s screen actually is an improvement over the first one – I mean, I know the claim is that 16 is better than 4 shades of gray, and that might be true when looking at graphics, but it really doesn’t matter for text. The only thing that matters is the contrast.
This tech looks interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see if it is competitive. There are a number of promising technologies coming out, but until any of them is in an actual product, there’s not much point in speculating.
Well, unless you like to speculate, like me :)
I hear you on the Kindle 2. I only played briefly with them because I really don’t like either, but I thought the 2’s screen was better. Maybe it’s just a psychological thing.