FPD Day 3 – E-Ink shows their latest e-paper watch and other ideas

The possibilities of electronic paper or e-paper have been a topic of interest for a while, and E Ink of the US is using FPD International 2007 event to show off their latest ideas for e-paper. An attention grabber was an e-paper watch reportedly developed by the joint Hong Kong-US company Art Tech. Expected to be on sale in December of this year, the e-paper in this latest Christmas gizmo makes it possible to select the face you want the watch to display. One drawback of e-paper is it is a reflective technology, so it gets its light from the ambient light around it, i.e. if it’s dark, you can’t see it. To get around this, E Ink showed off an e-paper display using a front light developed by Japan’s Alps Electronics.

FPDI is also showing that one of the techniques FPD manufacturers are using to slim down their panels depends on the backlight technology being used.The result is you’ll most likely have to pay extra to shave off those additional 6 millimeters or more off of your FPD TV. For example, panels from AU Optronics of Taiwan and LG.Philips LCD of Korea use conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp backlights in their approximately 20 mm thick panels. However, Korea’s Samsung Electronics and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Picture Tubes are betting the attractiveness of their thinner respective 10 mm and14 mm panels will offset the use of more expensive LED backlights. [FDP coverage by NikkeiBP’s Tech On!]

More FDP Coverage on TechOn!

E Ink Exhibits Front Light for E-paper, Wristwatch w/ E-paper Face 
Numerous LCD TV Panels Thinner Than 20mm, With CCFL or White LED Backlight 
LCD Panel Cell Sales Increasing in Taiwan, To be 10-15% of TV Panels in 2008 
Vizio’s Achilles Heel, Analysts Point out 
Ulvac Exhibits ITO Wiring Printed by Inkjet 

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: General, Top Stories