Steve Smith talks about E-ink, charged particles, and illumination of such screens.
Episode #8-03 released on September 10, 2017
E-readers, unlike traditional tablets, use a different kind of screen that uses a technology called E-Ink. Because of this difference, they can last a lot longer, easier to see in direct sunlight, and of course, only support black and white, currently.
What is E-Ink?
E-ink as a technology is comprised of microcapsules suspended in a liquid within a film-like layer. These microcapsules are the width of a human hair, and contain charged particles. These particles are charged positively for white particles, and negatively for black particles.
Now, how does E-ink work?
E-ink works by changing the charge over the various zones of the screen to either a positive or negative charge. Zones with a positive charge appear black because it attracts the negatively charged black particles and repels the positively charged white particles. To create white, the opposite is done, a negative charge is applied, attracting the white particles and repelling the black particles.
Due to this method, backlighting, like other LCD screens is out of the question, which ends up requiring a different lighting method, probably refraction from edge lights. However, the screen seems paper-like making it easier to read in every situation, compared to traditional tablets. And best of all, battery usage is, also, a lot lower, as well. A kindle Paperwhite, like the one I got myself, boosts a battery life of a month, not hours. A full charge and no requirement to drag a charger to read a good book is an excellent reason why E-ink dominates over conventional tablets, in the e-reader space.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net