Developments in E-paper Devices

Even those that can provide an acceptable on-screen representation of real paper are plagued by problems such as the clunky buttons of the Kindle, the glare of touchscreen systems (due to dual layers) and the potential loss of pens from those that require them. E-paper was developed to reduce the glare of regular screens, but the display technology did not advance with the development of E-paper and e-Ink.

However, touchscreen technology is now developing with coatings that can reduce glare, such as the screen that is offered with the new Be-Book Neo, a Wacom touchscreen that combines well with its 6" e-Ink panel to offer clear reading with minimum screen glare. In fact, it could be argued that while the development of E-paper and the E-Ink to go with it were very significant factors in the surge of popularity in eReaders, the newer anti-glare touchscreen developments have really brought these developments to their full potential, or at least close to it.

EReaders have frequently been referred to as e-Book readers, as though they were a better way to read PDF files, for example. The majority of people using the internet are familiar with eBooks in terms of the PDF publications that are very common in the world of internet marketing.  However, eBooks are now just a part of the overall eReading experience, many people preferring their newspapers to be offered in a format that is easy to read on a 5" - 8" display screen in a bus, train or cab and then pocketed or stored in a purse or bag, particularly the smaller versions.

In fact, the storage convenience is one argument against eReaders offering increasingly larger screens, since it is not as simple to carry an 11" reader, such as the new Sprint Skiff, as it is the 6" Acer, BeBook Neo or even the original Sony LCD portable if you still have one. That was the original argument for eReaders, but now that they are increasing in screen size, what is the USP other than size? Will they eventually become tabloid size, so that the next development will be those than can fold under your arm?

However, let's leave the fantasy (for now) and get back to reality. There have been several attempts at solving the glare problem of touchscreens with E-paper, one of which was the Nook with its touchscreen compressed into the bottom of the device with its problems of eye movement between that and the reading area. Next example is the Sony's Daily Edition device. It offers an E Ink Vizplex e-paper screen. According to the review "Sony's Latest e-Reader: A First with Touch-Screen Navigation", it has large 7-inch screen because of the elimination of most physical controls, offering instead navigation with a touch screen: the user can make notes in the margins, turn pages, and highlight text using his fingertips (Digital Book Readers). Another was the Iliad that attempted to resolve the glare problem by means of a light-pen, although they were pricy to replace when lost.

One of the best solutions, if not THE best, is the Touchco system that uses IFSR (interpolating force-sensitive resistance), a technology that detects the level of pressure used on the screen, and thus enables a greater degree of sensitivity and dynamics to be employed in the interface. In simple terms, when you press or push on the screen, the signal detected, and hence the resultant action, is dependent on the hardness of your touch or push on the surface of the touchscreen, and the different levels of pressure can be scanned.

Not only that, but the battery demand depends on the level of pressure used and so power can be conserved by using less pressure on the screen. It works by means of force-sensitive resistors, akin in a way to regular load cells that respond to pressure, and it not only works, but it is also the least expensive of the current touchscreen technologies.

Several eReaders will be launched this year that are using the IFSR technology, including sketching and drawing devices that can distinguish between the hardness of pencils, brushes and pens. The IFSR technology has a lot going for it, and future developments offer exciting possibilities, particularly in respect of input feedback.

Then Touchco system can be used with any of the current E-paper devices on the market without added glare or the eye-strain that such devices have caused to many people in the past. Multiple layers on the screen can be avoided, and single touch points will be possible without the need for pens that can be lost.

When you consider the advances made in E-Ink and E-paper technology over the past year, 2010 is going to be an exciting year and we wait with baited breath for what is to come next. What is certain is that more players will enter the field, and that new technology will emerge that will not only rival the iPhone for touchscreen technology, but will likely combine several new technologies into one device that will meet the needs of all - but let them forget the convenience of size at their peril!