Stumbled across an article about this on /. the other day, and it's a really interesting piece of technology.
It's been around since the 70s, but never really been utilised effectively until now. Basically it consists of a paper-thin display with tiny particles which switch between black and white (or somewhere in between the two) to display text, images etc. This allows text and basic images to be displayed on the surface, which is as lightweight and flexible as regular paper.
The possibilities for this are endless. Watchmakers Citizen have already created a paper-thin clocks and watches. In the future, you could create newspapers that downloaded news from an internet server and automatically updated themselves. Billboards and posters that automatically change to display different messages. Screens for PDAs, mp3 players and mobile phones that don't break when dropped, that have perfect clarity without a backlight, that take up a negligible amount of power. It could replace traditional paper altogether.
How e-ink Works
It's been around since the 70s, but never really been utilised effectively until now. Basically it consists of a paper-thin display with tiny particles which switch between black and white (or somewhere in between the two) to display text, images etc. This allows text and basic images to be displayed on the surface, which is as lightweight and flexible as regular paper.
The possibilities for this are endless. Watchmakers Citizen have already created a paper-thin clocks and watches. In the future, you could create newspapers that downloaded news from an internet server and automatically updated themselves. Billboards and posters that automatically change to display different messages. Screens for PDAs, mp3 players and mobile phones that don't break when dropped, that have perfect clarity without a backlight, that take up a negligible amount of power. It could replace traditional paper altogether.
How e-ink Works
