Tianma unveiled a new display technology, an ePaper display it brands as micro-Fluidink (uFluidink).
At Displayweek 2024, the company showed two prototype panels. The first is a 6.7" 960x1920 (320 PPI) monochrome panel targeting e-readers.
E Ink Holdings took part in Displayweek 2024, showing its latest ePaper displays and panels, and solutions:
As always, E Ink took a visible role at the event, sponsoring the I-Zone and with a large number of employees at the exhibition floor.
The Bigme HiBreak is a range of smartphone with a monochrome and color E Ink display, 5.84" in size. The company did not yet release all information, but it seems there will be four models, two with color E Ink displays and two with monochrome. The internal specifications include a MediaTek Helio P35 (2.3Ghz), Android 11, 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. The premium model offers a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chip (2.4 GHz) , 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and Android 14.
Bigme did not yet announce the release date or price of the new smartphones.
Earlier this month E Ink Holdings said that the first quarter of 2024 will be its lowest point in the year, and indeed now the company formally reported its earnings, saying that there was a 25% decline in profits (to about $40.9 million) in Q1, as its customers struggled with an excessive inventory which resulted in decline in orders.
E Ink says that this decline is due to the transition to color ESL solutions, and it expects its IoT business to return to normal growth by Q3 2024. Its e-Reader business segment is seeing robust growth, better than expected, signalling a smooth switch to color ePaper solutions. The company retains its positive outlook for this year, expecting revenue to grow every quarter going forward.
The Modos Tech Paper Monitor is an E Ink monitor, that offers a 13.3" 60Hz 1600x1200 monochrome E Ink display (Modos Tech will also offer a color panel version), DVI over Micro HDMI, USB Type-C and DisplayPort. Modos says the panel will offer a consistent <120 ms latency.
Modos Tech will use crowdfunding the fund the Paper Monitor, it did not disclose its projected price yet.
E Ink Holdings says business is recovering gradually from an inventory correction cycle. Demand for E Ink displays has risen, mainly due to the adoption of new color EPD displays for e-readers and electronic shelf labels (ESLs). The company believes that the first quarter of 2024 will be its lowest point in the year, and revenues will start rising in Q2 and onwards.
E Ink further says that many ESL customers are expected to increase orders in the third quarter of 2024, and a large retailer in North America has started replacing paper labels with ESLs. This could be Walmart as we published last year.
Himax Technologies and E Ink Holdings announced a new collaboration to a revolutionary ultralow power battery-operated smart retail solution. The solution incorporates Himax's leading-edge WiseEye ultralow power AI sensing technology with E Ink’s signage EPD, featuring industry-leading E Ink’s Kaleido displays.
Leveraging WiseEye, the smart retail solution deploys context-aware AI in human presence and shopper insight detection while also significantly enhancing the already impressive battery life of an ePaper display and enabling real-time personalized marketing. Himax WiseEye ultralow power AI sensing technology incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm, offering state-of-the-art ultralow power, always-on sensing, on-device context-aware AI and has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications.
Electrochromics display developer Ynvisible announced that it has mass produced and shipped 25,000 large-format digital signage displays for Fortech S.r.l., Italy's leading provider of bespoke solutions for the fuel retail sector.
Fortech uses these displays to show average fuel prices at gas stations, as part of its PriceLink solution. Fortech chose Ynvisible's innovative display solution as it is battery-operated for wireless convenience, lightweight for ease of installation, and durable enough to withstand outdoor conditions.
E Ink and AUO announced a new strategic partnership to co-develop large-size color ePaper displays. E Ink will provide full-color ePaper modules, while AUO will provide integrated software and hardware technologies along with the TFT backplane components.
E Ink hopes this new agreement will enable it to expand the adoption of its ePaper displays in retail applications. AUO's Smart Retail Business Group has developed software and hardware platforms that will enable the integration of the new displays and offer a direct route to market. The company is set to launch a new a cloud-based platform solution that integrates digital signage and electronic shelf labels. Its integrated CMS serves over 30,000 client nodes globally. As part of the new partnership, AUO plans to introduce additional large-size, ultra-low power consumption, energy-efficient display solutions using the E Ink displays.
E Ink announced it is collaborating with Realtek Semiconductor, Integrated Solutions Technology (IST), and Chipbond Technology to develop the System on Panel (SoP) architecture, to be integrated into the next-generation electronic shelf label (ESL) jointly developed with the system integrator, SOLUM.
SOLUM is the number one US ESL solution provider, and the project's aim is to simplify the material structure of ESL and bring a sustainable solution via reduced material usage, lower power consumption and simplified production processes.
