We were decidedly unimpressed with that new prototype e-book reader which HP revealed the other day, mainly because it just seemed like a tablet PC with some special software on it. Maybe it just needed to use digital ink, which could mean e-books that are incredibly light and thin, but use hardly any power. There have been a few approaches over the years, but the latest, Magink, seems especially promising. Instead of using double-sided chips or balls which filp depending on what the image or text to display is (and thus can only produce monochromatic images), Magink uses tiny helix structures, which don’t actually contain any color.
Instead, the helixes, functioning like microscopic machines, can be controlled with electrical currents to make them longer or shorter, acting like tiny prisms, reflecting the bands of the spectrum needed to render the required colors. When black is needed, the helix is instructed to change its pitch and lie down, allowing light to enter it and reflect the black backing of the display.
The first billboards using Magink, which can hold an image for up to 12 years without requiring any additional power, should be out soon.
