Tablets could soon be transformed by a new type of display that combines the eye-friendly aspects of electronic paper with speed and color.
Why e-ink innovation is so slow
E Ink has launched Gallery 3, its next-generation color ePaper display for the eReader and eNote markets. The company claims that the new technology enables a full color gamut from every pixel. The advancement could finally make the low-power display technology suitable for a wide range of tablets.
"Color eReaders provide a richer reading and viewing experience in the eBook store," Timothy O'Malley, assistant vice president of U.S. business operations at E Ink, told Lifewire in an email interview. "Color eNotes, on the other hand, allow consumers to interact with the screen with a stylus to draw, annotate, or edit PDF files. The addition of color enhances both the content displayed and the experience of highlighting a document with red ink or drawing over an image in full color."
Like those in Amazon’s Kindle, E Ink screens offer long battery life and reduced glare and flicker, making them a top choice for electronic reading, but they don’t offer color. Compared to bright LCD screens, E Ink screens don’t use a backlight; instead, ambient light from the surrounding area is reflected off the screen’s surface and back into your eyes.
