Soon, e-book reader devices such as artificial Kindle Amazon will use a color screen. E-Ink, a company that develops devices to screen e-reader on Monday (8/11/2010) launched e-paper in color.
Color e-paper technology called Triton is able to display thousands of colors. e-paper technology that is used today only display black and white with 16 levels of brightness only.
With a color display, e-paper display more flexible and convenient for displaying graphics, photos, comics, and advertising media. However, to display an animation or video is probably still not ideal.
However, e-paper screen also has many advantages over LCD. The screen is much thinner so that devices that use can be made lightly. electricity also Power requirements are much lower so that a device e-reader can be used for days even weeks, unlike LCD which hold only a matter of hours.
However, the first device that will use color E-ink screen is not a Kindle. The technology was first adopted by Hanvon, hardware manufacturers from China.
One of the new breakthrough in e-reader industry is reflected in the cooperation chipmakers Marvell Technology Group Ltd by manufacturers of electronic paper or electronic paper display (EDP), E Ink Corp.. EDP is the main component of the e-reader.
With EDP, screen e-reader able to display text or images without emitting light. That way, an e-reader able to present the experience of reading such a book of plain paper.
Through cooperation with Marvell, E Ink will integrate EDP chips were produced with computing and wireless communications and cellular production of Marvell. As a result, the e-reader that uses E Ink production EDP will be able to present Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi and even 3G.
At present, the e-reader which is capable of 3G cellular Internet access is already there, namely the production of Amazon.com Inc's Kindle. Kindle equipped with 3G connectivity to allow users to download digital books, directly from the online bookstore Amazon. E-reader who connectivity Wi-Fi is already available, namely the production of Sony Corp. Reader.
Like Kindle, the Reader has Wi-Fi to allow users to download digital books directly from the Internet. However, some existing wireless connectivity on the Kindle and Reader uses a separate communications chips from the chip computing each of these eReader.
As a result, the e-reader becomes more wasteful of energy, and also more expensive, because it has more components. Conversely, with the platform combination EDP E Ink and Marvell chip, an e-reader becoming more energy efficient chips for computing and communication chips are incorporated into a single platform, a platform named Fleet 166E.
As a result, the e-reader that uses a platform 166E Fleet also have fewer components. Therefore, the e-reader platform 166E fleet will be cheaper, and certainly more energy efficient too.
"Our cooperation with Marvell will present solutions to System-on-a-Chip (SoC) integration. With this SoC, an e-reader will be more rich and valuable functions more cheaply," said Vice President of Marketing E Ink Sriram Peruvemba.
At this time, an e-reader market with prices starting at around USD200 to USD500. The most expensive is the Sony e-reader. With the Armada platform from Marvell and EDP 166E E Ink, an e-reader will be able to sell for $ 150 per unit.
E Ink and Marvell said the e-reader platform 166E fleet will be marketed starting in early 2010. However, E Ink and Marvell do not reveal who will produce the e-reader. Most likely the e-reader will be produced iRex Technologies or ASUSTeK Computer Inc.. Therefore, the two companies currently are developing rumored new e-reader.
E-reader industry began in 2006 after Sony released the first-generation Reader. Amazon Kindle and tail with the release of the first generation in 2007. In 2009, Barnes & Noble Inc. also participated foray into the industry with the release of the e-reader called the Nook. With the arrival of iRex and Asus, the e-reader market would be more crowded. Because the players in the industry that more and more, competition will take place increasingly fierce.
