Electronic Paper Display

and its impact on the

Scholarly Information Chain

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Me:
Peter van de Graaf
Director Kiva

Product/market research and product design (libraries)

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

(Electronic) information
Documents Books News
Reference Magazines Internet
Dictionnary Comics RSS

Entertainment News
School,
Work & Science
Books Newspaper
PC

Books

Most of it is still on paper!

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Why on paper?
• The start of the chain is promising:
– Content creation is done electronically
– Indexing and searching is done electronically
– (bulk) transport is done electronically
• But then things go wrong….
– Books and newspapers are printed
– Personal content is printed
– We read most of it on paper!
• WHY??
– Readers: Ease of use, readability, history
– Publishers: Copyright
– Distributors & Printers: Livelihood

• Question of time! Mp3-Napster-iTunes

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Yet, there are many opportunities
• Cycle times are much faster in the electronic
cycle
– Scientific, business
• Significant cost reduction can be reached
– Final part of distribution chain
– Printing cost
• Easy access to large library

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

So why not yet?
• Lack of a useable e-reader
– Most reading devices use LCDs, which use
backlights
• High power, hence low battery life
• Fatigue due to screen flicker
– Most reading devices are small.
• Difficult to read
• Can not maintain original content layout
– If not, they are heavy.
• Webtablets, laptop computers
– Most reading devices are restricted with
regard to content
• DRM systems limit accessibility

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Historic trials and errors
• An astonishing number of different e-reading devices has been
constructed.

• None really work(ed)!! (in the broadest sense..)

• Why not?
– Size / weight
– Battery life
– Low brightness / flicker
– Bad DRM system
– Lack of content
– Wrong “style”..?
– Filling a need that isn‘t there.

• So: Combinations of technical and marketing errors

• End of e-readers? The technology keeps evolving.

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

E-paper technologies

• Liquid crystal based:

– AMLCD, passive STN frequency
– Bistable Nematic (various forms)
– Cholesteric (CTLC)light
• Electrophoretic
– Microcapsulese-ink
– Microcups
– Liquid powderbridgestone
• Other
– Electrochrome
– Bi-chromal spheres
– MEMS
– P/O-LED

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

 E-readers using various display technologies
Sony Librie E-reader, Jinke Hanlin e-
e-ink display book, CTLC
Franklin eBookman,
STN-LCD

Matsushita Σbook, CTLC

Founder EBOOK-E312,
STN LCD

Jinke Hanlin e-book, Sony Librie E-reader,

e-ink display e-ink display
Gemstar, AM-LCD

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

iRex
• The iRex approach
– Make it for the readers
– Remove all possible blocking issues
– Use the best and the latest
– Focus on Paper

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Readers: Increasing demand
• Paper has not changed. People have.

– More mobile, fast contacts, fast update

– Professional users
• Maintenance engineers
• Lawyers, pharmacists
• Physicians
• Business-travellers

– Newspaper industry
• Costly distribution
• “rejuvenating” newspapers
• Complementary material: Books

– Education
• Library use
• Schoolbooks

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Requirements from these groups
• Requirements
– Ease of use (understandable for everyone)
– Readability (clear, bright text, no fatigue)
– Actuality (Easy, automatic update)
– Portability (lightweight, thin. Small?)

• Pitfalls:
– The competition is PAPER, not a laptop computer..
– People have no frame of reference to what the device
actually DOES
– Content is assumed to be present, but DRM-systems
often counteract availability

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Redefining the sweet spot
for E-reading
LCD Technology E-ink technology

Replacing traditional ‘First generation

books/newspapers E-books’
reading
(indoors)

Providing additional ‘PDA’s’

reading
possibilities in the
mobile space
‘iRex’

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

A new device: where to start?
• Start with the best display available

– Display is the enabling factor for reading

– Existing STN / AMLCD display types don’t satisfy

– New e-paper displays show promise

• CTLC has promise, but also some drawbacks
• Bistable nematic is improving, but not mature yet
• Electrochrome may promise highest reflectance for future

– Electrophoretic displays are technology of choice

now – E-ink

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

E-ink characteristics:

• Mobile
– Low power usage
– Light weight
– Thin
• Reading
– “close to paper” readability
– Read under all circumstances (outdoors)
– No flickering
• No video
• Not yet: full color
July 22, 2005 Confidential Information
July 22, 2005 Confidential Information
Next steps: Market requirements
• Market research: what is required
– Display size / device size
• Ask a reference group to indicate preferences
– Colour or B/W
• Users: Personal preference,
• Content providers: application requirements
– Display resolution
• Visual optimum
– Device functionality
• Features (Drawing? …?)
• Battery life
– Appearance
• Colour, shape, ..
– Content
• DRM, open source, personal documents

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

What do we want?
• Large display area
• Small device

• Full colour
• Paper white
Of course,
we want it all! • Infinite battery life
• Lots of processing power

• Dirt cheap
• All features

• Exclusive
• Accessible

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

What do we need?
• Sufficient area for the task (>6”)
• Small enough to be portable
(<12”)

But we can’t • Functional colour

have it all! • Sufficiently bright (~ 35%)

(Yet..) • Days or weeks (> 1 holiday) of

battery
• Power when you need it

• Affordable for those who need it

• “constructive” features

• Exclusivity from appearance

• Readily available

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Finally, the user interface
• Anyone must be able to:
– Operate the device
– Access internet content
– Access personal content

• Use must be intuitive

– Few controls
– Logical functions

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

3 Important characteristics:
“readability, mobility, actuality”
Mobility Readability
+ BB PDA
+
E-reader
Phone Paper Paper
E-reader
PC
Laptop BB Laptop
PC Phone PDA

Paper

PDA

Laptop
E-reader
BB
PC
Phone
+
Actuality/interactivity
July 22, 2005 Confidential Information
What does iRex make?
The combined • 8.1” display
result of user
requirements and • Greyscale >35%R
• Colour > 20%R (2007)
physical
possibilities: • “enough” battery life
(rechargeable)
• 400 MHz processor

• High-end product
• Read, write, wlan, USB, SD,
CF, …

• Great design

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Future developments
• High-priority
– Faster
• Software development
• Material development
• Addressing waveform
– Colour
• Colour filter definition
• Image processing
– Pen input
• Handwriting recognition

• Lower priority
– Flexible display
• Rugged
– High durability
• Automotive, outdoor

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Future: Faster
• Previous product:
– Actual response: ~ 350 ms
• Determined by E Ink material

• Current product:
– Actual response: ~ 250 ms
• Determined by E Ink material
– Writing: Response < 100 ms
• Addressing skill

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Future: Colour

• Using standard colour filter technique

 improvements on image processing

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Future: Flexible / Rollable?
• New backplane technology.
– High “desire factor”
– High risk

• Examples:

Plastic Logic Polymer vision

• Why?
– Reduce risk of fracture
– Additional design freedom

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Feature Roadmap
8”
Display diagonal
10 - 12”

2 bit
4 bit
Grayscales 6 bit?

Color filter
Color Polychrome?

Touch input
Drawing / writing
Features Flexible

Ethernet/wifi “productivity”
GPRS GPS

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Scale- up Demonstrated Basic Research

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

The crucial property: Content
• Content access must be easy, • Addition of integrated
from any source:
– Commercial content (books) server:
– Subscriptions (newspaper, – Additional services
magazine)
– Personal documents (PDF,
– Easy configuration
TXT, DOC) – Easy access
– Special interest (service
manuals,…)
– …
• Connectivity through all
available channels
– USB
– WiFi
– LAN
– SD / CF
– CDMA / GPRS
– …

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Digitalization of content
(the last area to be made fit for a future device)
Content type Digital format “Player”

Audio “MP3” I-pods , HD jukebox

Video MPEG2 Portable TV

MPEG4 A/V jukebox
Digtal camcorders

Pictures JPEG,BMP Digital Cameras, Digital

Picture Frames

Printed media: PDF,XHTML, mobipocket Electronic Reading Devices

-newspaper
-books
Personal created documents

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Effortless solution for publishers
...and open system for consumers

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

What does it mean for the library?
e-reading is here
• 21% reads newspapers exclusively on the web (usa,
nielsen/netratings)
• 20000 subscribers (€10-15/month) in Japan for books for
mobiles/PDA’s (bbc)
• Project Gutenberg, 18000 titles, 2 million downloads/month
• Mobipocket 26000 titles
• Google digitising project
• New York Public Library offers ebooks for 21 days. They
are typically read on PDA’s in subways (NYPL)
• iRex finalising adobe and mobipocket reader deals

But the library model is still based on physical books!

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

The DRM question

Physical book model is impeding progress:

Libraries can at present only give out as many e-
copies as they bought.
Comparison: Cars can only drive through town preceded by a man waving a flag
(highway code, 1900)

Discussion is ongoing however

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

 Future Library ?

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Library: Books versus ebooks
Library Books Library ebooks

• Paper qualities (excellent • Screen qualities (improving)

and stable)
• Weight and size per book • One weight and size for all
carried books
• To get from the library • Immediate
• Collection determines • “Everything” available
availability and timeframe “everywhere”
• Find references in other • Linkable (..however, Russel was of
books the opinion.. – George Bertrand
Russel, English philosopher,….)
• Notes separately (not • Annotation in file
damage book)

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Digital libraries

• Focused around subject, affiliation or language

• Not geographic location, except for strictly local
data (history of Tilburg, Tilburg sports results,
Tilburg municipal forms, etc)
• Negociating e-access for students

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Early applications in libraries 1

At present, certain applications avail themselves:

• Device for making content available not currently available in
physical form. (Currently bringing a book from one library to
another can cost between € 6 and € 12)
• Device to provide large font books for the visually impaired
(under discussion NL)
• Place them next to workstations, so patrons can put content on
them, and read it more relaxed in other corners of the library,
thereby freeing up workstations (less workstations needed) and
guiding people into coffeecorners.
• Information providers at exhibitions

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

Later applications in libraries
DRM issues dependant:
• Device to replace foreign language section in libraries
(using the Mobipocket catalogue?).
• Device to make a wide range of newspapers & journals
available without physical transport (with a pay per view
scheme) (iRex is testing newspapers).
• Device to tackle peak demand (example, buy the Harry
Potter physical amount which will serve the public in six
months, while using Iliad to cover the peak at introduction).
• Provide new content through “bookstations”, automated
booths providing new content.
• E-learning programs for schools – filling them with all
content needed for a particular project.
• Books for non-mobile people (retirements homes etc.).

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

The iLiad…For (all) reading…….

Connect key,
Up key, go back to
connect to the IDS
previous level

Menu key, provide access

to settings, connectivity
and optional applications

Content Viewer
Flipbar, navigate between
the pages in the
listed/viewed content

Toolbar, contains basic

Navigation keys, switch set of tools, viewer can
between the selectable add “viewer specific” tools
items in the current view and
confirms the selected item Content indicator, provide
basic navigation in the
Archive keys, switch listed/viewed content
between last opened
content and content lister

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

The iLiad…For (all) reading and
writing!
Connect key,
Up key, go back to
connect to the IDS
previous level

Menu key, provide access

to settings, connectivity
and optional applications

Content Viewer
Flipbar, navigate between /note pad
the pages in the
listed/viewed content

Toolbar, contains basic

Navigation keys, switch set of tools, viewer can
between the selectable add “viewer specific” tools
items in the current view and
confirms the selected item Content indicator, provide
basic navigation in the
Archive keys, switch listed/viewed content
between last opened
content and content lister

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

The iRex E-reader: the ILiad

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
•Linux operating system
•400MHz INTEL X-Scale Processor.
•64MB Ram memory
•128MB free internal FLASH memory for storing content).
  •Touch sensor input using stylus.
•Rechargeable battery.
•Cradle and travel charger available.
•Dimensions (wxhxd): 155x216x16 mm.
  •Weight: 390 grams.
•Operating temperature is 0C to 50C.
•Storage temperature is –20C to 70C.

INTERFACES
•USB type A connector for USB memory stick.
•CF type II slot for memory extension or other
applications.
•MMC slot for SD/MMC memory cards.
•3.5mm stereo audio jack for headset.
•WIFI 802.11g/b wireless LAN.
•10/100MB wired LAN.

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information

 Thank you for your attention.
www.irextechnologies.com

Peter van de Graaf

www.kivaproducts.nl

July 22, 2005 Confidential Information