E Ink and Seiko Epson today announced the joint development of a 300-dpi electronic paper device for ePaper Document Readers. Combining E Ink's high-resolution ePaper display and Epson's high-speed display controller platform, the new device will enable the world's highest resolution ePaper tablets.
E Ink will manufacture, sell, and support the newly developed 300-dpi ePaper displays, which measure 9.68 inches on the diagonal and have a 2,400 x 1,650 resolution. That means 3.96 million pixels are being used to display text and images on a paper-like screen, which is not only a thin and light form factor, but also offers ultra-low power consumption.
Epson will manufacture, sell, and support the high-resolution, high-speed display controller platform optimized for controlling E Ink's high-resolution display. The display controller platform combines a display controller IC, applications processor, system power management IC, as well as firmware to provide excellent display control and improved operability.
The ePaper Document Reader is aimed at business and education settings where huge amounts of data have to be processed, as well as in countries that use character-based text, including Japan and China. Applications in these segments demand higher resolution than that offered by today's 160-dpi displays due to the need to render smooth gradations for engineering diagrams, illustrations, Asian characters, and other fine or intricate content. These market segments also demand faster page navigation and sophisticated user interfaces to allow instant viewing of vast amounts of data.
"As the adoption of eReaders continues to rise worldwide, the opportunities for our EPD technology are expanding in new market segments including business and education," E Ink chairman Scott Liu said in a statement. "We continue to improve E Ink's technology to meet the demands of our customers and the needs of consumers, and this new EPD delivers the low power, sunlight readability and thin, lightweight form factor users have come to expect from E Ink at an even higher resolution."
"We developed this device specifically to meet the high data demands of business and academia," Torao Yajima, managing director at Epson, said in a statement. "Our IC controller and processing power enables the display to handle large files while maintaining the excellent display control and operability found in today's EPDs, including fast page navigation and a sophisticated user interface."