E-Paper Enters Practical Use

E-paper is being considered for use in not only a few announced applications, but in a wide range of perhaps less obvious applications. Examples of such applications include various cards, such as smart cards and electronic money, displays for devices like universal serial bus (USB) memory, advertising above windows or on hand straps in trains, rear displays on mobile phones, and mobile viewers. E-paper is also being eyed for possible use in products like home appliances and toys. 

The development of E-paper technology is under way around the world, but in general the E-papers expected to reach the practical level in 2006 to 2007 can be broadly divided into the particle-based type from firms like E Ink, SiPix Imaging and Bridgestone Corp of Japan, and the cholesteric liquid crystal type from companies including Asahi Glass, Fuji Xerox Co Ltd of Japan and Fujitsu. Even under a single type category, though, the implementation technology may be widely different, with each manufacturer stressing the unique advantages of its own approach. Continue