Pixel Qi displays – what are they about (video)

Although LCD displays evolved a lot in the last years, they still have some flaws that act as a barrier between them and mobile usage, most important being the fact that they are pretty power-hungry and, because of how they are built,  performances in strong light conditions are poor. Pixel Qi screens promised to solve them, and while still in development, we were able to see a couple of devices using such displays at CES 2010.

Pixel Qi technology markets as an alternative e-ink solution. In fact, it’s more like a merge between e-ink and LCD panels. Pixel Qi displays have the option to turn ON backlight, and thus work as a color LCD (with worse viewing angles and color reproduction, for now at least, though), but you can also turn it OFF, transforming the screen into a regular monochrome e-ink like display, usable in direct sun-light, energy efficient and without any visible effects on your eyes.

Pixel Qi technology - backlight Off, backlight On

Still, the monochrome display has some very good refresh rates that will even allow you to watch videos, and that’s something regular e-ink devices like Amazon’s Kindle reader just can’t do.

Below you can see a couple of videos demonstrating the amazing properties of the Pixel Qi technology. First one from the folks on JKKMobile, with a hacked of Lenovo S10-2 netbook :

And the second from Engadget, with the Notion Ink Adam tablet device (first to be showcased with this technology), with Nvidia Tegra hardware and Android OS:

And there will be probably some more devices displayed in these last 2 days of CES 2010.

Display is similar to the one on Amazon's Kindle in Pixel Qi mode

According to Pixel Qi’s technology producers, they’re working hard on improving performances and getting the idea ready to be implemented on mass market devices. They’re working with up to 20 big partners on that and according to Engadget, “within the year we will see a manufacturer that “everyone is familiar with” announcing a device that uses the technology “.

For now, I do consider this technology a breakthrough and perhaps a solution for next years tablets/e-book readers. It fact, it will be able to unite different types of gadgets under one hood, and that’s a good thing, it’s always easier to carry one good toy around than a couple. And it’s always a lot cheaper, too.

So, stay tuned for more info on Pixel Qi development and devices using this technology. And don’t forget to subscribe if you don’t want to miss anything.

Sources: Engadget1, Engadget2, JKKMobile, Netbooked

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Tags: CES 2010, e-ink, Nvidia Tegra, Pixel Qi, touch tablet

Last updated: January 9, 2010 | Published: January 9th, 2010 | See the comments or add yours!