Important Takeaways

• A new color E Ink screen technology may be beneficial for dedicated eReaders such as Amazon'sKindle.
• In the past year, several eReaders with color E Ink displays have been released, but only two are available in the United States.
• E Ink color displays are more expensive than their monochrome counterparts and have a slower refresh rate than LEDs.

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Numerous eReaders' low-power, easy-to-read E Ink displays are receiving a color enhancement. The manufacturer of the screens, E Ink, has introduced E Ink Kaleido, a new digital paper display technology for eReader and eNote devices with enhanced colors and a higher contrast ratio than previous E Ink color technologies. However, analysts predict that the technology will remain a niche product.

Nate Hoffelder, a blogger at The Digital Reader, a website that covers eReader news, stated in an email interview, "Fans of E Ink screens would tell you that the screens are easier on the eyes and use less power." There is some truth to the first statement, but current battery and CPU technology is so advanced that the battery problem has been largely resolved. Phonesand tablets last eternally, or at least they would if device manufacturers prioritized battery life over device thickness."

Limited Editions So Far

In the past year, several eReaders with color E Ink displays have been released. The majority are exclusive to China, but two models have been released internationally. These are the Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color and the Pocketbook Color.

This technology is ideal for image-rich information applications such as charts, graphs, maps, photos, comics, and advertising and eliminates the need for a glass-based CFA, making displays thinner, lighter, and of higher optical quality than ever before, according to E Ink's senior director of business and marketing strategy, Jenn Vail.

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However, color E Ink displays still have their limitations, according to Hoffelder. The devices are more expensive due to the increased cost of manufacturing color displays. The Pocketbook Color, for instance, costs $199 while the Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color costs $279. Compared to Amazon's ubiquitous Kindle black and white eReader, which starts at $89, this price is significantly higher.

Hoffelder noted that E Ink displays are also significantly slower than LCD and LED screens. "LCD screens can be refreshed 60 times per second, while E Ink screens can take 2 seconds or more," he added.

Billboards With Less Impact

In an email interview, Vans Pat, an engineer and writer at One Shot Finance, predicted that colored E Ink would appear brightest on large-scale displays such as billboards. E Ink Triton, for instance, has been on the market for a decade and is used for signs. Additionally, E Ink Gallery has been utilized for mobile advertisements and other sign applications.

Pat added, "Using a color e-ink display on a massive scale will be extremely advantageous in terms of power consumption." "Color E Ink will be able to offer versatility (in the sense that billboard images can be changed without having to manually replace them) and energy efficiency (displays such as LCDs and LEDs will not need to be refreshed)."

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Pat proposed integrating color E Ink screens alongside regular displays on the rear of mobile devices. "It would be cool to see color E Ink on the back of a smartphone constantly displaying notifications, and it would consume almost no battery," he said.

The Hisense A5C was the first E Ink smartphone with color ePaper. The Hisense A5 Pro Smartphone, which has a higher refresh rate, succeeded it.

Vail stated that E Ink is working on methods to improve its color displays, such as preventing light leakage and increasing resolution ratio.

Without having to contend with the limitations of my Kindle's black-and-white screen, a Color E Ink reader would be an excellent way to read books and view illustrations. There is currently no information regarding whether Amazon intends to produce a color Kindle. Are you listening, Jeff?