E INK is best known for e-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook. The e-paper technology is also employed for e-notes or digital note taking devices, such as the Onyx Boox MAX 3 or Remarkable 2. There are other lesser known uses, such as smartphones, grocery store price tags, digital signage and secondary monitors! Today, Good e-Reader has a new video that explains all of the major things that have E INK screens.
E Ink is a popular type of electronic paper display technology, characterized by a wide viewing angle and low power requirements. The first E INK products were e-readers and the first wave of products came out in 2007. Since then, various improvements have been developed, such as Pearl, Mobius, Triton, Carta, Spectra, Advanced Color E-Paper and Just Print. Regal Waveforms are also a modern advancement, they help with the refresh system, but exactly how they work is a closely guarded secret.
How does E INK actually work? E Ink is the optical element of EPD film and has billions of microscopic microcapsules containing negatively charged black particles and positively charged white particles suspended in a clear fluid. The combined particles are subject to electrical impulses. When a positive/negative impulse occurs, matching particles move to the top of the display and are visible to users. Text and image display is facilitated by charge patterns.
The future of E INK is color. The company developed Advanced Color E-paper for digital signage in mind and recently developed Just Print Color E-Paper. The first products are already available and can display over 4,000 colors. They are Chinese smartphones, but more products, including e-readers will be released later this year.
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.
