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 E Ink, based in Massachusetts, is a developer of so-called paper-like electronic displays.
E Ink products are plastic "next generation" displays that are reusable, physically flexible and require very little power. An E Ink display can be connected to a computing device that sends signals to the paper-like material, telling it which portions of its surface to light up and with what colour, not unlike a monitor, a plasma screen or an LCD.
What's more, the E Ink display will maintain its image even after the power is disconnected.
For example, in theory, a user could download a document to an E Ink display, unplug the display, roll it up and read it later. E Ink displays use glass substrates, which are 50 percent thinner than LCD screens, but the company hopes to replace the glass with other materials in the future.
Other important aspects of E Ink include its sharp contrast and readability in sunlight and at any angle.
There are tremendous possibilities for such devices in publishing and in advertising, although Philips plans to use E Ink displays in mobile handsets that it expects to launch by mid-2003, a spokesperson for the company told ElectricNews.Net.
"Our two companies have worked together extensively over the past year to demonstrate the feasibility and appeal of active-matrix electronic ink displays," explained Jim Iuliano, president and chief executive officer of E Ink. "We completed the first phase, and are now ready to move into manufacturing and toward commercial launch."
Philips is an investor in E Ink along with a string of other investors and partners including VST, Toppan Printing Company, Motorola, Inc., Lucent Technologies, Creavis GmbH, Havas, The Hearst Corporation and Atlas Venture.
Recently E Ink displays were used in an advertising campaign by Coca-Cola at the Winter Olympics on Coke machines which displayed various messages promoting Coke and encouraging readers to recycle their cans, explained the spokesperson.
Other uses of the technology that are set to be launched in the coming weeks include a deal with Vossloh System-Technik in Germany to develop electronic ink-based signage for the European railroad and transportation industry. The company will also deploy Ink-In-Motion, its commercial advertising product, at 24 promotions with Jancor Cos, US window retailer.
Another US company, Gyricon Media, also makes paper-like electronic displays and is labelled as one of the only serious competitors to E Ink.
The two firms can be found at http://www.eink.com and http://www.gyriconmedia.com
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