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PHILIPS INVESTS IN E INK, SECURES GLOBAL COMMERCIAL RIGHTS FOR USE OF ELECTRONIC INK IN HANDHELD DISPLAYS
Electronic Ink Will Enable Lighter Devices with True Paper-Like Readability Using Dramatically Lower Power
E Ink Corporation, a leading developer and marketer of electronic ink technology, and Philips Components have announced that they will jointly develop high-resolution electronic ink displays for use in smart handheld devices. Under the terms of the agreement, Philips Venture Capital and Philips Components have made an investment in E Ink to help advance their research and development program, bringing the company's ultimate vision of electronic paper closer to market realization. Financial terms were not disclosed.(For an excellent primer on the e-ink phenomenon, see the article at the Science and Technology News Network. STN2 is a co-production of the Center for Science and the Media, and ScienCentral, Inc.)
Under the agreement, the companies will build a high-resolution electronic ink display prototype. Key to this effort, E Ink will develop electronic ink sheets, which Philips will integrate with active matrix backplanes and drivers. In return for funding and development assistance, Philips Components will receive the global rights to manufacture and sell handheld display modules using E Ink sheets, and exclusivity on display modules for certain applications, including personal digital assistants (PDAs) and electronic books, for a select period. Commercial development of the display is expected to begin later this year.
"Our investment in E Ink is part of our strategy to have a comprehensive portfolio of application-specific display technologies," commented Matt Medeiros, president and CEO of Philips Components. "E Ink's display technology is perfect when readability is of primary importance. In the handheld appliance market, for instance, E Ink can dramatically improve screen definition and power requirements-delivering a lighter, easier to read display that will revolutionize smart handheld devices. Through this partnership we continue to demonstrate our expertise in display systems architecture, complementing E Ink's strengths. We expect to be the first electronics company to commercialize this technology, making it a reality for our OEM customers in the shortest possible timeframe."
"Our investment partnership with Philips Components puts us right on track with our business objectives of moving our electronic ink technology into the handheld device and display market," said Jim Iuliano, president and CEO of E Ink. "As one of the world's top display manufacturers and a demonstrated global technology leader, Philips Components is well-positioned to develop electronic ink displays, partner with us on research and development efforts, and help us move products into a $40 billion marketplace through their global distribution network."
About E Ink's Electronic Ink Technology
E Ink's electronic ink offers a paper-like look that provides three main benefits over traditional and emerging display technologies:
Readability - Because it contains the same coloring agents as normal ink and paper, electronic ink is three to six times brighter than reflective LCDs, exceeds newspapers in contrast ratio and reads easily in both dim light and full sunlight. Like paper, the E Ink display has a clear image that can be seen at any angle without a change in contrast. In addition, special properties of the ink enable smoother text characters than many displays used today.
Portability - Electronic ink allows a fixed image to remain on the screen even after the power source is shut off, leading to dramatically longer battery life. The bright paper-white background of electronic ink also eliminates the need for a backlight in most lighting conditions. When commercialized, electronic ink displays should draw less than 1/1000th the power required by a standard notebook computer screen when used for normal reading. As a result, portable devices incorporating E Ink displays could have far smaller batteries making them less expensive and more portable.
Ergonomics - Electronic ink displays are expected to be 30 percent thinner and lighter than traditional LCD displays. Because electronic ink displays read like ink on paper, they should cause less eyestrain than most other displays that typically emit or transmit light.