At first thought, an e-ink smartphone sounds like a terrible idea. Ugh, all that lag. But think about the light weight, low cost, and insane battery life, and you can see why eInk, the company behind the screen in Nooks and Kindles, is pushing its new prototype phone hard.

While the concept of dynamic LCD keys is no new idea in the world of keyboard design the idea of using e-ink to fulfill the job certainly is—and it's a great one, too.

Tablets are getting thinner and thinner, and the end result is bound to be tablets that are paper thin. We're almost there—but there's still a question of exactly how handy that'll really be.

Earlier this year, a prototype of a dual e-ink and LCD phone was floating around. Turns out it's much further down the development road than that, though—and in fact it should be available next year.

It seems the rumors of e-ink based displays' imminent death at the hands of tablets were greatly exaggerated. Despite a glut of portable color screen devices now on the market, e-book readers are more popular than ever, and a company called ZBD Solutions now wants to use the e-ink technology as easily updateable store…

E-ink is great for eReaders because it doesn't draw a lot of power, has good contrast, and works great in direct sunlight. But reading is a very specific application. Would anyone want an e-ink phone? Would you? [ArmDevices.net via Slashgear]

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is being pegged as a do it all device. Video, internet, magazines, games, etc. And of course, there are books. But I'm not sold on LCD screens for hardcore reading. Sure its fine for a magazine article or two, but when it comes time to sit down and read dozens, if not hundreds, of pages in a…

It's already stepping on the toes of Amazon's dual-display patent, but at IFA E Ink is showing off a prototype handset featuring a traditional full color LCD panel on the front, and a dull monochrome e-ink display on the back. Kind of like a reverse technological mullet with the party in the front and business in the…

There's good news for those hoping for a future with bright rainbow-hued e-ink screens—Fuji Xerox has developed a color e-paper that doesn't need a color filter.

E-ink displays are great in sunlight, but useless in the dark. So with hopes of ridding the world of stupid reading lamps, this super thin film promises to add a front light to your e-reader without sacrificing its battery life.