Fujitsu makes color e-paper with 3X higher contrast
updated 05:25 pm EDT, Fri May 7, 2010
Fujitsu color e-paper gets better quailty, speed
Fujitsu today showed a dramatically improved form of color e-paper that could solve many of the complaints about the technology. The new display has three times the contrast of Fujitsu's previous best; while just 7:1, it provides noticeably deeper blacks and is purportedly the best of its type. It uses a new liquid crystal material that both reflects much more light while cutting down on any unintentional effects.
The Japanese firm has also improved speed through a new method of controlling updates that draws the page twice as quickly as before. A 1024x768 color image redraws in 0.7 seconds, which is still too slow for video but is closer to the speed of regular grayscale e-paper.
Fujitsu fully plans to make a production e-reader using the new color paper for the fall and may be using it for a previously teased reader also due this year. The device is intended for the Japanese market and may be a sequel to the pioneering Flepia. American companies haven't adopted color e-paper so far, although Amazon has already said it eventually plans to switch to color for the Kindle. [via Akihabara]
