Prime View International (PVI) showed 6 and 9.7-inch color E-ink prototypes at a trade show in China this week, and they could make their way into e-readers later this year. The company reportedly demoed the smaller display with an animated clip of blue and red racecars driving on a track, but said its refresh is too slow for real video playback.

PVI has shown its new color screens to partners such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but the company won't say whether either plan to use the technology. It's worth mentioning that the displays are outfitted with an extra layer of color filtering glass, which would probably adversely affect battery life compared to monochrome solutions, if only a little bit.


The company expects to begin mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. There's no word on when the color E-ink screens might appear in products, but late 2010 or early 2011 seems like a safe bet.