December 27, the U.S. Amazon (Amazon) Corporation announced that its e-book sales for the first time more than physical book sales, sales in the December 14 reached a peak day, Amazon sold more than 950 million “in this “e-books, which allow the company’s e-book reader Kindle to become the company’s cash cow.
2009, e-book reader market can be said to be “suddenly spring to as a night”: Here the Kindle known as Centrino, flew to keep up with other companies to be outdone, an endless stream of new VGP-BPS9,, VGP-BPS9/B, VGP-BPS9/S ,VGP-BPS9A, VGP-BPS9A/B VGPBPS9/B, products, new technologies, you do not I have Changba debut.
Economic recession may be a good time to new product releases. In 2001, Apple’s iPod music player, turned out to give something back to the U.S. economy was a blur of bright markets; And now, e-book reader may also staged a similar story.
However, the current e-book reader on the market technique is simple, mostly monochrome screen can only display black and white text and pictures, can not watch video images. According to the British “Economist” December 22 reported that they racked their brains in the industry’s efforts, in 2010 about e-book display technology, and warlords, the low-cost, color, and be able to watch video images of the e-book reader is slow slowly toward us.
E-book market, wind and water
It is the world’s leading electronics manufacturing for the market research firm iSuppli predicts by 2009, the global e-book readers sold more than 5 million units in 2010 may increase 12 million units. Another research institute In-Stat is forecasting, e-book reader related to the semiconductor component market, in 2013 to reach 1.1 billion in size.
So far, Kindle e-book reader market has been the “leader of a group.” However, other e-book readers have begun to emerge, for example, Japan’s Sony Corp. launched a series of e-book reader, and has recently launched several new models.
In addition, according to the U.S. “Wall Street Journal” reported that the nation’s largest physical bookstore chain Barnes & Noble on October 20 shows its own e-book reader Nook, had tried in Kindle reader a higher low. Although the e-book reader into the market, the pace of the Amazon and Sony to be later than some, but Barnes & Noble will rely on its vast distribution network entities, as well as the growing wealth of online electronic bookstore and rival competitors.
U.S. Plastic Logic (Plastic Logic) announced plans plastic electronic paper has been nearly four years. October 19, the first plastic book QUE proReader has finally been published, will be in January next year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on the release and the subsequent listing.
QUE proReader aimed at business users, to provide WiFi and the United States Telephone and Telegraph (AT & T) the company’s WCDMA 3G network support, with PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint document browsing, and support for document management. It is worth mentioning that this product in the traditional monochrome screen, the still increasing at the bottom of the small size of the color screen, can double as a virtual keyboard.
QUE proReader the advent of e-book reader that could allow market entry warlords simultaneously the “Warring States Period”, now, portable computers and flat panel display manufacturers are flocking to this area, but also foreign media reported that the U.S. Apple (Apple) may be next year in January launched its own e-book reader.
E-paper technology dominate
Currently, more than Jiucheng e-book readers have adopted the U.S. company’s electronic ink (E Ink) of electronic paper display technologies. The rise of the concept of electronic paper in the last century, around 80 years, is a new display technology suitable for reading, with ultra-thin lightweight, flexible, ultra-low power and so on. It will bring positive and negatively charged black particles sealed in a number of micro-capsules as a result of applied electric field is different from the surface of the monitors have different aggregation, showing the effect of black or white, looks like ink on paper writing.
Sony’s digital reader, said division president Stenharbern, compared with the liquid crystal display, electronic ink has the advantage of this energy-saving, not to hurt the eyes, low energy consumption, no backlight, can be read in the sun, etc. But the drawback is that next page when the reaction was slow, and can not display color images or video images.
E Ink Corporation and its competitors, including the United States SiPix (SiPix) Corporation, Japan’s Bridgestone (Bridgestone) are all in R & D color display. The technology needs to black and white capsule capped with a layer of color filtration equipment, but the difficulty is to let the filtration equipment and its control ,VGP-BPS10, ,VGP-BPS10A, VGP-BPS10A/B, VGP-BPS10Bsystem is small enough. Because filtration equipment will reduce the reflected light capsule, and only small enough to ensure that the displayed image is not so boring monotony.
E Ink’s vice president of Silipeilu vumba said that in the E Ink display video images on the screen is theoretically feasible, but need to change the chemical composition of the screen, the company hopes to break through the end of 2010 the bottleneck of these technologies.
We should, through e-book reader watch video images may take some time, however, several just-and-coming new technologies are gearing up to challenge the dominance of e-paper technology.
Other display technologies each has its advantages
Hubble said the organic light-emitting diode technology has some potential, but expensive, difficult to commercial production.
U.S. cell phone with wireless chip maker Qualcomm has also developed a project called the Mirasol (mirasol) of the reflective display technology, the advantage of energy-saving, color display, can watch videos and movies. Radio and TV, vice president of business development for Qualcomm Jimukaxi that its development of full-color e-book reader display of 5.7 inches, likely the second half of 2010. Before the Mirasol XGA (220ppi) is not a full-color display, but it can play video, the use of battery life under the sun’s impact minimal.
In October 2008, the United States Pixtronix new multimedia display technology developer has launched its first ultra-low power consumption and ultra-high-quality experience of flat-panel displays Perfect Light, the product reduces power consumption than traditional LCD displays 75%, while color gamut, color depth and perspective has reached a new height, and can display video images.
Dutch Philips formed the company in 2007 called Liquavista for mobile devices, has developed an innovative display of reflective technology ColorBright, because not all transmission technology, the office of either dark or bright and sunny sunny can provide clear images, while the power was only one-tenth of similar size LCD display. In addition, ColorBright has a higher contrast ratio, and does not require backlighting, as long as the film to add the corresponding dye, you can get the desired color.
ColorBright with the current LCD screens have the same scope of application and ability to play videos and full color images, but also solve the current problems inherent in the two main displays: readability in bright light conditions, low and high power consumption will soon run out of battery. However, the experts said, whether the product can be commercialized to be further study.
LCD display or the most have the opportunity to replace the e-paper
Hubble said the ideal future of electronic reading devices will include the long duration to provide paper-like reading experience, color, flip time, fast, supports video images, the price reasonable. However, in full compliance with these requirements the technology has not yet come.
Judging from the current situation, the short term, ec who took over from E Ink’s dominance is that the liquid crystal display technology. With the development of the industry, engineers are constantly improving the technology, according to market demand, providing vision larger, thinner, more energy efficient products, and manufacturing materials are also frequently break.
At present, there are already a liquid crystal display technology-based e-book reader available, it is Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd. announced the world’s first color e-book reader FLEPia.
FLEPia use of cholesterol liquid crystal display panels both soft light, thin, tough, features, up to 26 million colors, is currently about 30% light transmission, the future will have a chance to reach 38%. In addition, cholesterol liquid crystal displays require no backlight, it is easy to produce.
FLEPia Although both color and soft substrates of these two meet the future needs of the advantages of e-books, but the current price up to nearly 10 million yen (equivalent to 1000 U.S. dollars), failed to meet the universal standards. In addition, it can not display color video images, light transmission improved. Thus, despite its technical rather interesting, many of the industry are still holding wait and see.
Pixel Qi, founder of the company’s Mali Luo Jia Pusen also believe that in the standard liquid crystal display technology, production methods and raw materials, and other aspects could be improved space. The company also developed a new display, the current has been applied to low-cost portable computers. It is a LCD / e-book display of dual-mode technology to power-saving 80%. The company expects to begin volume production at the end of this year 10-inch screen, targeting in a small notebook computers, the Internet, as well as readers of this market.
In addition, Apple Inc. and hand-held computer maker Asustek companies are also based on liquid crystal display technology research and development of electronic reader.
Sony’s Nook different, it is melting electronic paper technology and liquid crystal display technology in one: its electronic paper display for text reading, while the bottom of the support of smaller multi-color LCD touch screen for navigation, can be displayed to read color book covers, can also display other content, and even change out of the virtual keyboard, user-friendly control. When the user when not in use, will automatically shut down to save power. Nook current bid is 260 dollars, but the earliest until January 15 next year will only be officially listed on how its performance, let us wait and see.