Wednesday, January 30, 2008

e-Ink Technology - All You Need to Know

By Lena Butler

When it comes to ensuring superior reading experience under a wide range of lighting conditions nothing beats e-ink technology. Introduced by the E-ink Corporation this technology is today commonly used on most electronic paper display devices.

What is an EPD?
EPDs or electronic paper displays are displays which have the distinct characteristics of high contrast paper, use very little power and have a thin and light appearance. It is very easy on the eye and gives the reader an impression like you are reading from paper. The main advantage is that unlike paper which doesn’t update the content, an EPD can!

A little about e-ink Corporation
E-ink Corporation is a privately held organization that is the largest manufacturer of EPDs. Started in the year 1997 by Mr. Joseph Jacobson, today e-ink technology is a revolution in itself. The E-ink Corporation has significant partnerships with many top companies such as Amazon, Sony and Motorola.

Where can this technology be useful?
E-ink is such a novel technology that it can be used in areas which haven’t been tapped into yet. For transportation signage this technology can be very useful, especially since factors like sunlight and viewing angle can hamper vision. For e-books this e-ink technology is being used these days as conventional e-books can strain the eyes. Even commonly used on cell phone displays this revolutionary technology is also being used by product designers to unleash their imagination!

Future goals
The E-ink Corporation has further plans to diversify the use of this technology. It aims at creating RadioPaper which will be a lightweight display that will also enable easy download of news content or even novels at the touch of a button. It will also have the same readability as ink present on paper but will have the added advantage of updated content. The ultimate goal of E-ink Corporation is to transform even convention surfaces to make them into display areas which use this e-ink technology.

Catalogs which are never dated
Imagine a world where you had billboards with dynamic content, catalogs which never needed replacement or updating or even newspapers which never became dated? Well, this isn’t out of a science fiction novel. It is a very real possibility with e-ink technology.

About the technology
Here’s a little something for those of you who absolutely dig technology. The concept behind e-ink is to use black and white present by the millions contained within microcapsules. These microcapsules are then electronically charged after which the particles sink or float. The ink can be used to coat any surface, even on potentially large areas. The content used will always get updated on a continual basis – thereby facilitating dynamic content with e-ink. Since the technology provides tremendous ease of reading there is no more need to actually print out information as you can read perfectly on the device itself. It’s in fact as good as reading a piece of paper! The e-ink technology can work on a myriad of surfaces and textures from metal, plastic to paper.

About the author:
James Kara Murat the contributor of PrintCountry Articles. A longer version of this article is located at e-Ink Technology - All You Need to Know, and related resources can be found at PrintCountry Printer & Printer Ink Information, Facts & Downloads.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com