Pixel Qi has quietly revealed that it plans to mass-produce its unique 3qi displays in December as well as early plans for a TV. The screens will just miss their original target of the fall but promise a major breakthrough in displays for netbooks and other small computers as it can operate both like a full color LCD but behave like e-paper either to save energy or to become readable in bright daylight, albeit in grayscale.

The company, founded by a key designer behind the One Laptop Per Child project, adds that it plans a very low-cost TV for parts of the developing world, where ample, regular power is uncommon. The screen would consume less than 10W versus "hundreds" of watts for normal LCDs and plasmas and could run off of a battery or even a solar panel. Pixel Qi is aiming for a $100 price, but it hasn't said how soon it expects the TV to reach stores or whether another company would be involved.