E Ink and Canatu have just signed a long-term agreement to offer a line of flexible touch displays for the wearable market, with the first product ready for sampling to customers in July 2016. The product will combine a reflective 6.3 inch EPD Display with Canatu’s OPS Touch. The display will have a resolution of 200×1040 at 169 PPI and is based on E Ink’s a-Si backplane technology.
The product is bendable and ultra-thin, with module thickness of only 0.162 mm. Reflective displays enable minimal energy consumption: different patterns can be displayed on screen with no energy needed when not interacting. With these features make the product ideal for wearable applications such as bracelets and other wrist worn devices. The viewing area of the touch display is particularly large enabling many innovative user interface options. E Ink also provides a 3rd party application development package enabling faster time to market.
I think this technology will appeal to small startup companies looking to take advantage of proper e-paper to develop their own products. There is no word yet on MOQ or how much it will cost, but within a few months I should have a clearer picture.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
