According to to a recent Security and Exchange Comission filing by LG, they seem to be working on a color flexible e-paper by the end of the year.
LG seems to be working on large flexible e-paper, what they might be used for is anyone’s guess. What we do know, is LG is working on a 9.7 inch and a 19 inch variation. They have been protyping this technology for awhile and recently showed off 14 inch A4 Sized paper, displaying around 16 million colors.
Many electronic readers feature monogram e-ink, with around 16 shades of gray and black. LG has begun to work on Color e-Ink, along with Texas Instruments, PVI, Freescale and Liquidvista. Many new Color E-Readers are set to debut in early 2011 and LG may be providing the screens for the next generation of Apple iPads, Mac Touch and others.
We can surmise for the 9.7 inch screen, LG may be producing a Tablet PC device or a color e-reader, or might sell the screens to a third party. LG is the leading screen supplier for the Apple iPad. LG also provides the e-ink screen for the Kindle DX.
With the 19 inch screen, they could be going for a large scale digital newspaper, or a large screen tablet device. We do know that LG has very long and substantiated distribution channels, so they can manufacture and partner with other companies, and mass produce to lower overall costs.
Many Analysts agreed that color e-paper could bring a new level of multimedia entertainment to e-readers and portable devices. Even Tablet PC’s such as the Apple iPad are starting to provide cookbooks and other e-books that provide embedded audio and video.
Many users dig the Amazon Kindle and other e-ink based e-readers because they can be left on and dormant for weeks at a time. Color e-paper may not only reduce battery life, but also increase the price of the device. Existing e-paper displays do not require back-lights like traditional LCD screens, which make them power efficient. Analysts agree that if they’ve got decent color and give reasonable battery life, that’s pretty good news for the future of color e-readers.
Whatever mysterious endeavors LG is working on with these new screens, should come out in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more news.
Source: PC World and Slashgear
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.
