November 2016

E Ink Holdings signed a strategic agreement with Chinese industrial LCD maker Dalian DKE LCD to co-promote e-Paper applications in China. E Ink Holdings signed the agreement via its China-based e-Paper subsidiary Transcend Optronics.

As part of the agreement, E Ink's technology will be used by DKE to develop price-competitive segmented e-paper display solutions for IoT applications. DKE will produce the displays using its STN (super-twisted nematic)-TFT manufacturing equipment.

Switzerland-based BePooler developed an off-the-gird solar-powered E Ink parking signs which reserve free parking spots for commuters in Bepooler’s Park & Ride service. 

BePooler says that this service is the first of its kind in the world. BePooler is already in use by 15 companies - to generate over 300 shared trips per week. BePooler is supported by preferential parking spaces booked for those who join the service. The parking signs display the license plates of the vehicles participating in the program.

E Ink Holdings reported its financial results for Q3 2016. Net income was NT$509 million ($US 16 million), a 35% drop from Q2 2016. This drop in earnings was mostly due to lower patent royalty income from its LCD business.

E Ink is exiting the LCD market, and the company expects that all revenues in 2017 will come from e-paper displays. The company's main growth driver in the next few years will be electronic shelf labels.

Researchers from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands designed graphene-based "mechanical pixels" that could, among other applications, be someday used to enable color IMOD e-paper displays.

In these so-called "graphene balloons", a double layer of graphene (two atoms thick) is deposited on top of circular indents cut into silicon. The graphene membranes enclose air inside the cavities, and the position of the membranes can be changed by applying a pressure difference between the inside and the outside. When the membranes are closer to the silicon they appear blue; when the membranes are pushed away they appear red.

An MIT spinoff company called Soofa partnered with Visionect to create a solar-powered E Ink based next-gen bulletin board. The Soofa Sign shares information with the local community with an aim to contribute to the city's sustainability goals. 

The Soofa Sign is wireless and runs entirely off the solar panel on its top - which means that installation is truly plug-and-play and hassle-free as it only requires four bolts. The display itself is a 32" color E Ink panel. Soofa is now installing signs in Boston, MA - and will soon expand to other cities in the US.

Japan Display (JDI) announced that it has entered into a long-term strategic alliance with E Ink Holdings for e-paper business. JDI aims to integrate E Ink e-paper displays into its product offering for digital signage and mobile phone customers.

JDI aims to develop new E Ink products based on its innovative LTPS and Pixel Eyes in-cell touch technologies. JDI sees new application such as dynamic computer keyboards, display cards, automotive displays, education, IoT and more.