E ink

The principal components of electronic ink are millions of tiny microcapsules, about the diameter of a human hair. Each microcapsule contains positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles suspended in a clear fluid. When a negative electric field is applied, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule where they become visible to the user. This makes the surface appear white at that spot. At the same time, an opposite electric field pulls the black particles to the bottom of the microcapsules where they are hidden. By reversing this process, the black particles appear at the top of the capsule, which now makes the surface appear dark at that spot.

Ok. So what does that mean to you and me?

E ink's 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—just like paper. 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 the most widely read material on the planet—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.

Bottom line: liquid crystal displays have replaced bulky cathode ray tubes. E ink and similar technologies are starting to ship now, and they will replace liquid crystal displays.

Here's a close-up photo of what the beads look like:

For more information about E ink go here. If you'd like to see a similar technology called Gyricon, go here.

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