Electronic paper (e-paper) looks like conventional paper and the bright wash of color it generates uses the ambient light for rendition, just like conventional paint, so no backlight is needed. Which means that the vividness of the color is maintained, even in bright outdoor conditions. Philips' technology allows different colors of ink to be built into one layer with each color controlled separately. This means the layer can be transparent, the same color as any one of the inks or even a mixture of multiple colors. Moreover, the saturation of each individual color can be controlled accurately – so any shade can be produced. Recently, Philips successfully realized a simplified, yet advanced version of its e-paper technology: e-skin. Since it is less complicated and less expensive to realize, it enables new applications. And because e-skin makes use of the ambient light, it is an inherently energy-efficient system, making it particularly suitable for application in portable devices as well.

While portable devices might be the focus in the short-term, this sort of technology could also be used for larger equipment and even wallpaper in your home. In other words, it might not be long before we can change the color and the entire ambiance of a room with the push of a button. [Philips via Pocket-Lint]

[TechOn]

If this is real, the 7.1 inch display has an notably high resolution of 1536x2048 pixels, otherwise known as QXGA (Quantum XGA). It's a technology demonstration that's not the first foray into e-ink tech for the company. Epson demonstrated electronic ink technology about 18 months ago at the Embedded Technology 2004 convention, showing its Electronic Ink + RFID design for electronic price tags. We're thinking it'll be a while before any of these flexible display ideas are truly practical. – Charlie White

Epson A6 QXGA Electronic Paper [Akhabara News]

The E-Ink kits are available on a first come first serve basis, and begin shipping November 1. The price: $3,000. A bargain considering the multitude of cool and strange devices you can make with this kit. Post ideas about what you would build in comments. And don't forget to send us photos of the finished product.

Update:Don't miss the 400x300 full color display.

Product Page [E-Ink]

Polymer Vision, a subsidiary of Philips, reports that they will present a portable consumer device with a "rollable display" at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin, Germany, September 2-7. The prototype, called Readius, has a monochrome 5-inch QVGA display with four grey levels that can show maximum two images per second; colour screens with quick move images aren't possible yet.

Looks like more proof-of-concept, but if they've got something moving on that screen, we're entering the diamond age.

Philips presents rollable display prototype [GadgetFlash]