June 2014

PostBust Switzerland is testing a new electronic timetable display at bus stops. These DynPaper displays are based on E Ink and use Plastic Logic's OTFT backplane. The Swiss company hopes that this will make it easier to change timetables in the future and allow daily updating of individual stops.

Currently, the bus timetables are printed on paper. PostBus installed 12 such E Ink timetables. The main objects of the test is to see how reliable these displays are, and how they fare against vandalism and bad weather. If the project is successful, they could equip as many as 14,000 bus stops with the new DynPaper timetables.

Patent brokerage firm ICAP announced an upcoming sale of an IP package that includes improved electronic reusable paper display technologies from Xerox Corporation and PARC. ICAP will accept bids for this package from July 24 to July 29.

This portfolio offers novel techniques and materials for construction of, and methods of operation of, electronic paper display devices. Also included are electrophoretic displays and various liquid compositions and marking materials for use therein. These inventions provide new products with a wider viewing angle than traditional backlit displays, and an improved image quality resolution, for a better reading experience.

Qualcomm unveiled their next-generation Mirasol displays that use a single mirrors to achieve a better color gamut than previous Mirasol displays. These new displays are called SMI (Single Mirror IMOD). Qualcomm showed prototype 5.1" , 2560x1440 (577 PPI) displays.

In SMI-IMOD displays, a single pixel can create all colors - there's no need for three different subpixels as in previous generation IMOD displays. An IMOD (Interferometric Modulator) display shows a color using a mirror film that changes its orientation to create a cavity that interferes with the light. An SMI-IMOD pixel has a mirror that change both its orientation and depth - which enables it to show all colors.

E Ink is showing a new flexible wrap-around display aimed towards smart watch applications. The idea is that this will be used to cover the whole smart watch, and can be used to change the entire watch design.

Besides the design, this smart watch (band?) can display information, notifications, heart rate, etc.

E Ink and GDS developed the world's largest e-paper module, a 32" 2560x1440 display that targets digital signage and information kiosk applications. The new display is available in both color and monochrome models.

The new display, like all E Ink displays, offers ultra-low power consumption, and is lightweight and readable in all light conditions (it is not emissive of course). GDS will jointly market this display with E Ink.