The Advantages of E-Paper

E-Paper is a paper-like display technology that does not require any power to retain the information displayed on the screen. This means that E-Paper screens in The Island Now do not need to be refreshed or powered, and they consume less power than LCD displays.

Advantages

1) The advantages of E-paper are many. First, they are more environmentally friendly than LCDs and use less battery life during reading because they only require data periodically updating as opposed to full refreshing and illuminating while being read. Due to this, readers feel like their screens are more “alive” even though it is still more environmentally friendly and offers lower drain on the battery life of computers or mobile devices.

2) Since E-Paper does not need to be refreshed and are read instantly, it is more convenient to use. Unlike LCDs, E-Paper do not need to be on a timer before being used, and the lifetime of the battery does not decrease as much.

3) Because of this, E-Paper lowers energy consumption by approximately 50% which means it saves users money on electricity. It only uses power when an image is being displayed.

4) Because of the lack of power needed while being read, they can be more durable than other displays since they do not need constant powering in order to retain the information stored in them. Because of this, E-Paper displays are also more resistant to damage.

5) Because of their low power consumption, E-Paper can be thinner and lighter than other displays. For example, screen touch features on the iPhone 4S with its glass display is approximately 0.7mm thick or 2/3rds of an inch, while the screen on an E-Paper tablet would be approximately 1/10th of an inch or 0.25mm thick which would make it nearly twice as thin as the iPhone 4S. This would mean that E-Paper screens are thinner, lighter and have less damage potential than LCDs.

6) Because they do not cause eye strain, they can be used by anyone at any time of day. Unlike LCDs which need to be constantly refreshed causing the eyes to strain and tire out quickly, the eyes may feel less strained when reading on an e-paper screen.

Disadvantages

1) There are drawbacks regarding E-Paper as well. The most important one is pricing. While they are becoming more widespread, they are still much more expensive than LCDs and do not appear much on consumer products because of this.

2) Another part of the cost is the memory. E-Paper displays require more memory than LCDs in order to store more information, and this means that they are not as cheap to produce as other screens.