E-INK - What is E-Ink - How Does E-Ink Work

An E-reader Built Using E-Ink Technology - Techripper.in

E-INK - What is E-Ink - How Does E-Ink Work ???

E-INK or more broadly speaking "Electrophoretic Ink" is a technology which is an advancement over the other kinds of display which a whole new and different concept for displaying contents on a display or a screen. E-Ink is a specific proprietary type of electronic paper manufactured by "E-Ink Corporation", founded in 1997 based on a research started at MIT media Lab. "Joseph Jacobson" and "Barrett Comiskey" are listed as original inventors and its patent was filed in 1996.

Currently available commercially in grayscale and color , and currently being used in e-readers and to lesser extent , mobile and watches.

BEHIND THE SCENE -  ( Technical Description )

E-Ink's technology is commonly reffered to as "bistable" .

NOW WHAT THE HECK IS THIS BISTABLE ?

Bistable means that the image on an E-Ink screen will be retained even when all power sources are removed.

NOW THAT'S SOMETHING INTERESTING ..!

In practical , this means that the display is consuming power only when something is changing. By contrast , with a traditional LCD , the display is needs to be refreshed around 30x per second , regardless of whether anything new is being displayed. This factor simply " BLOWS AWAY " the other types of displays in case of Power Consumption. That is the reason why , e-readers with this technology have such a long battery life.

Another factor is , E-Ink displays eliminates the use of backlight for displays , instead use external light , "saving upto 40% of battery juice !!!".

SOME MORE TECHNICAL STUFF ... DUH !

E-Ink in Action - Techripper.in

Electronic ink is made up of million of tiny microcapsules , about diameter of human hair. Each microcapsule contains two charges +(for white particles) and -(for black particles). These particles are suspended in a clear fluid. By applying positive and negative electric fields , corresponding particles moves to top of microcapsule , visible to the viewer , Thus drawing the required character , pattern or image on the screen.

Similarily there is a "Three pigment ink system" , which works similarily , but uses three particles instead of two.

"INKING MODERN DAY LITERATURES" - APPLICATIONS OF E-INK

Motorola F3 - Techripper.in

Kindle 4 - Techripper.in

The " Motorola F3 " was the first to employ E-ink technology into its display. In addition " Samsung alias 2 " uses this technology as the display on the button change. Another recent & more popular implementation is Amazon kindle 4 , one of the cheapest Amazon's E-Ink display E -reader ,  which is an advancement over Amazon kindle 3. Another companies too , like KOBO , SONY etc have also released their own e - readers under this technology.

PROS & CONS

PROS :

• Long battery life.


• Anti glare displays.


• Nearly no ill effects on eyes as it as real as reading a real book.

CONS :

• Not suitable for usage in dark.


• Always requires an external source of light.


• Inferior experience of web browsing and video playback on these devices.

THE BOTTOM LINE

To counter competition from rival displays such as reflective LCD and new screens developed by potential competitors, E Ink is working to improve its technology. New features in the works include the ability to display color. Prime View has also partnered with HYDIS Technologies Co. Ltd. and LG Display to work on new display technologies.