03-03-2010, 03:19 PM
GW, Here's a good article on how it works:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
Inside each pixel cell are several small particles of pigment, which have a permanent electrical charge. Applying a voltage to the pixel can cause the particles to bunch up at the top or bottom of the cell. This makes the pixel turn clear or opaque. Once the particles have been moved into position, the voltage can be turned off and the particles stay in place.
"Another limitation is that an imprint of an image may be visible after refreshing parts of the screen. Those imprints are known as "ghost images", and the effect is known as "ghosting". This effect is reminiscent of screen burn-in but, unlike it, is solved after the screen is refreshed several times. Turning every pixel white, then black, then white, helps normalize the contrast of the pixels. This is why several devices with this technology "flash" the entire screen white and black when loading a new image, in order to prevent ghosting from happening."
As far as I know, there are no consumer-priced devices that use lasers in an e-ink display (or that use electrowetting as described in the article).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
Inside each pixel cell are several small particles of pigment, which have a permanent electrical charge. Applying a voltage to the pixel can cause the particles to bunch up at the top or bottom of the cell. This makes the pixel turn clear or opaque. Once the particles have been moved into position, the voltage can be turned off and the particles stay in place.
"Another limitation is that an imprint of an image may be visible after refreshing parts of the screen. Those imprints are known as "ghost images", and the effect is known as "ghosting". This effect is reminiscent of screen burn-in but, unlike it, is solved after the screen is refreshed several times. Turning every pixel white, then black, then white, helps normalize the contrast of the pixels. This is why several devices with this technology "flash" the entire screen white and black when loading a new image, in order to prevent ghosting from happening."
As far as I know, there are no consumer-priced devices that use lasers in an e-ink display (or that use electrowetting as described in the article).