E-ink is a display technology that consists of 2 layers bonded together into a flexible film. The top layer contains millions of microcapsules the diameter of a human hair. These microcapsules contain both black and white electrically charged particles suspended in a clear fluid. The bottom layer consists of circuitry to control the display. When a negative electric field is applied, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule and become visible to the viewer. At the same time a negative field is applied to pull the black particles to the bottom of the microcapsule where they are hidden from view. Reversing this process brings the black particles to the top of the microcapsule to become visible. Fine control of this process creates a display that mimics the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Nearly all current e-readers currently use e-ink displays.
There are several advantages to e-ink over current LCD screens. The first is low power consumption. E-ink required no power to hold an image or a page of text. The only power required is to change the page. As a result, many e-readers measure their battery life in weeks rather than days. Second, e-ink reflects light rather than emitting its own light, making it easier to read especially in high light situations, even in direct sunlight, without noticeable fading.
Everything isn’t perfect yet in the e-ink world. There are several disadvantages to contend with. First, e-ink is only available in black and white for now. Work on colored e-ink is underway. Second is that the screen refresh rate is low compared to current LCD technology. That means zooming, scrolling or animations cannot be accomplished smoothly just yet. A third disadvantage is that an ‘after-image,’ or ‘ghost’ may be visible after changing the display, Several devices flash the screen black and white when loading a new image to prevent ghosting. As this technology continues to mature, these problems will either be reduced or eliminated.
In July of 2010, the E Ink Corporation announced the next generation of e-ink, called ‘Pearl.’ According to e-Ink, Pearl increases the contrast of the display by 50%.
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