10.10.05
Royal Philips Electronics, Sony Corporation and E Ink Corporation announced the world’s first consumer application of an electronic paper display module in Sony’s new e-Book reader, LIBRIe. This first-ever Philips’ display utilizes E Ink’s electronic ink technology, which offers a paper-like reading experience with contrast that is the same as newsprint.
The Electronic Paper Display is reflective and can be easily read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments while being able to be seen at virtually any angle. Its black and white ink-on-paper look, combined with a resolution in excess of most portable devices at approximately 170 pixels per inch (PPI), gives an appearance similar to that of newspaper. Because the display uses power only when an image is changed, a user can read more than 10,000 pages before the four AAA alkaline batteries need to be replaced.
Sony’s e-Book reader LIBRIe, the first device to utilize Philips’ display solution for enhanced reading, is similar in size and design to a paperback book. LIBRIe allows users to download published content, such as books or comic strips from the Internet, and enjoy it anywhere at any time. LIBRIe can store up to 500 downloaded books.
The commercialization of this revolutionary display technology is a result of a strategic collaboration started in 2001 among E Ink Corporation, Toppan Printing and Philips together with Sony. E Ink supplies electronic ink to its manufacturing partner Toppan Printing, which in turn processes the ink into a thin film called frontplane laminate. Philips integrates E Ink’s frontplane laminate with an active matrix backplane and adds the driving electronics component. Philips works with Sony to co-develop and customize display solutions for innovative mobile devices.
“E Ink is thrilled that our first commercial launch is in product by Sony,” said Russell Wilcox, president of E Ink Corporation. “Since the inception of our company, our goal has been to change the way people receive and view information. The strength of our partnerships with Philips and Toppan Printing has helped to make this dream a reality.”
The Electronic Paper Display is reflective and can be easily read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments while being able to be seen at virtually any angle. Its black and white ink-on-paper look, combined with a resolution in excess of most portable devices at approximately 170 pixels per inch (PPI), gives an appearance similar to that of newspaper. Because the display uses power only when an image is changed, a user can read more than 10,000 pages before the four AAA alkaline batteries need to be replaced.
Sony’s e-Book reader LIBRIe, the first device to utilize Philips’ display solution for enhanced reading, is similar in size and design to a paperback book. LIBRIe allows users to download published content, such as books or comic strips from the Internet, and enjoy it anywhere at any time. LIBRIe can store up to 500 downloaded books.
The commercialization of this revolutionary display technology is a result of a strategic collaboration started in 2001 among E Ink Corporation, Toppan Printing and Philips together with Sony. E Ink supplies electronic ink to its manufacturing partner Toppan Printing, which in turn processes the ink into a thin film called frontplane laminate. Philips integrates E Ink’s frontplane laminate with an active matrix backplane and adds the driving electronics component. Philips works with Sony to co-develop and customize display solutions for innovative mobile devices.
“E Ink is thrilled that our first commercial launch is in product by Sony,” said Russell Wilcox, president of E Ink Corporation. “Since the inception of our company, our goal has been to change the way people receive and view information. The strength of our partnerships with Philips and Toppan Printing has helped to make this dream a reality.”