EInk adds a third color to the mix with E-Ink Spectra

[Dulin's Books]

E-Ink showed off its new "Spectra" display film at SID. This is different than Triton because they have actually added a third color- Red for now- To the black and white mix they had already

Edit: Interesting graphic deleted becasue of size:
http://www.eink.com/images/spectra_how_it_works.gif




This is the result of course of E-Ink absorbing SiPix last year. It even mentions a microcup design. How ever this already looks clearer to me than SiPix ESL material and they say it can be segmented or active matrix. That i'd like to see in person as SiPix never made that happen. SiPix never got 3 colors in one cup to my knowledge. They could only do fields of black and white or white and color.



Nate has an article http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20.../#.UZzKDcrXSUc

his video

[RHWright]

Interesting. Though I think it has more applications in the retail/sign/display segment than in e-reading applications. (As in the Sale tag example.)

Still, any moves forward in e-ink type technologies are encouraging. Even aside from the power and eyestrain debates over the various display types, I just find the look of eInk more aesthetically pleasing.

That red looks rich and nicely saturated. It's a "real" red, not a pastel, washed-out, or pinkish red. This give hope for a good full-color eInk some day.

[Nate the great]

Charlie, I had to take that graphic out. It was too big.

[j.p.s]

OK, so I get that the black and white particles are charged with opposite polarity and that the surface can be switched between black and white by reversing the electrode polarity.

But the red and black particles are shown as having the same charge. What selects between red and black being on top and visible?

[Dulin's Books]

thanks Nate i didnt realize it was so big

j.p.s it looks to me like they are using the size of the red particle and possibly its native charge to help cycle the colors. they arent bigger in that GIF(hard g ) by accident and notice how they are never on the very bottom. when they first switch the change in polarity of the bottom may actually propel the black so that it sort of races and passes the red on the way to the top

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

thanks Nate i didnt realize it was so big

j.p.s it looks to me like they are using the size of the red particle and possibly its native charge to help cycle the colors. they arent bigger in that GIF(hard g ) by accident and notice how they are never on the very bottom. when they first switch the change in polarity of the bottom may actually propel the black so that it sort of races and passes the red on the way to the top

Thanks.

So, then, I am guessing that it will be a while before fast page turns are a feature of this technology, if ever. Especially if they figure out how to juggle even more colors.

Nice, saturated, colors with full native resolution would be good for charts and drawings, but loss of B&W gray scale would be a bummer for images and make text more jaggy.

[Ken Maltby]

So B&W+R, how long before RGB?

Luck;
Ken

[joblack]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

So B&W+R, how long before RGB?

Luck;
Ken

Add another color and recolor the black and you're ready to go.

[tubemonkey]

Ooooo... red. This would be great for books like The Red Badge of Courage, Little Red Riding Hood, Red Planet, Red Storm Rising, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Ooooo... red. This would be great for books like The Red Badge of Courage, Little Red Riding Hood, Red Planet, Red Storm Rising, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.

What about "The Scarlet Letter"?

[Dulin's Books]

well... at least for the covers

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

So B&W+R, how long before RGB?

Luck;
Ken

That's what I wanted to know, but E-ink couldn't answer.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by RHWright

Interesting. Though I think it has more applications in the retail/sign/display segment than in e-reading applications. (As in the Sale tag example.)

It would be good for annotations. B&W text with red annotations would be an improvement.

[RZetlin]

It's a start but you need more colours to sell to consumers than just B&W+R.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Ooooo... red. This would be great for books like The Red Badge of Courage, Little Red Riding Hood, Red Planet, Red Storm Rising, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.

Hunt for Red October?