Eyes

 

Eyes-on: Samsung's Youm flexib flexible-disp le-display lay tech at CES 2013 CNET gets an up-close look at Samsung's Youm flexible-display technology, headed to smartphones and tablets in the future.

by  Josh Lowensohn  by Lowensohn January 9, 2013 11:16 AM PSTFollow PST Follow @Josh  @Josh 

LAS VEGAS -- Samsung  Samsung debuted its Youm flexible-display technology  technology at at  CES' CES' closing keynote, and the tech is nothing short of eye-popping. The screens, which were shown off here as just a concept, promise to change what kind of form factors are possible for companies that make smartphones and  tablets. tablets.  Samsung brought out a handful of demo units around 5-inches in size to show press, including a phonelike device with a screen that wraps around the side edges and could therefore display information like text messages and other alerts without a user needing to view the entire screen. A similar design puts the wraparounds on the bottom, while another concept (shown off in a video) rolled out like a scroll.

Eyes-on Samsung's Youm flexible display tech at CES (pictures)  

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Behind the scenes, Samsung is making use of OLED to give th thee screens what it says are deeper blacks and a higher overall contrast co ntrast ratio with better power efficiency than traditional LCD displays. During a brief viewing of the technology following the presentation, Samsung showed a small group of reporters a close-up of the screens, which were displaying still images and videos. Touch interactions with the tech were not shown off (since the displays were not hooked up to CPUs), but Samsung was keen to demo the possible form factors, from a screen bent like a question mark to more simple designs that form a small curl on the edges. Samsung did not provide a price or release date for Youm. month)) differs from competitor Nokia, which Samsung's approach (which the  the  company teased last month technology.. Nokia showed off a flexible made waves in October 2011 with  with  its "kinetic interface" technology screen that controlled aspects of the phone hardware depending on how users twisted the screen. So far, Samsung appears to be more interested in using its own technology to turn parts of the phone that would otherwise go unused un used to additional areas to display information an and d add interactivity. This is not the first time Samsung has unveiled flexible-display technology at CES. The company demoed flexible, transparent displays displays at the same show in 2011, 2011 , also with the intent to bring them to future devices. The newer models come in larger form factors and with higher pixel displays. Updated at 1:05 p.m. PT with additional background. 

 

(Credit: James Martin/CNET) 

E-paper History: An Interview with Nick Sheridon, Father of E-paper   In the 1970s,  1970s, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center  (Xerox PARC) was a powerhouse of innovation. Many aspects the modern computer, namely the mouse, laser printer, Ethernet, GUI, computer-generated color graphics, as well as a number of important computer languages, were invented at PARC around that time. Yet another development, nearly lost among those important breakthroughs, was invented in 1974 by PARC employee Nicholas K. Sheridon. The Gyricon, a Greek term for rotating image, was to be new display technology for the Alto personal computer; eventually, it became the basis for modern e-paper technology.   Nearly 35 years later, TFOT sat down with Nick Sheridon to ask him about his historic invention.

Q: How did it all start? 

 

A: In the late 60s and early 70s, Xerox PARC was developing and attempting to get Xerox management to appreciate the Alto personal computer; they never  did. It was the world's first office and word-processing computer, but this remarkable machine had one serious drawback: the cathode-ray tube display it used—the best available —was not bright enough, and the contrast was not great. People that used the machine did so in a darkened room, with the lights turned off and the window shades drawn. Several of us scientists were asked to try to find a better display, hopefully one that could permit operation in a brightly lit ambient. I invented the Gyricon rotating-ball display and a display based on a physical phenomenon I called ―electrocapillarity ―electrocapillarity.‖ .‖ The electrocapil larity display worked by moving colored liquids against a white background. The rest of the group worked on electrophoretic displays (eventually dropped due to lifetime problems). 

I codeveloped the Gyricon and electrocapillarity displays for  about 18 months and finally Nicholas K. Sheridon inventor of  Gyricon - first electronic-paper  decided the Gyricon would be (Credit:Deanna Horvath, Xerox) easier to develop. Hoping to get back to the electrocapillary display, I delayed applying for patents until the early 90s. When my patent applications were laid open in Europe, E urope, a university group revived the work and changed the name to ―electrowetting.‖ Electrowetting is widely studied and is considered a promising candidate for electronic paper. I published a paper on the Gyricon and made several presentations. Several patents were applied for.  About this time, I met the Xerox head of corporate c orporate research in the PARC cafeteria. He complimented me on my display work but  A piece of history: history: one of the first pieces o of  f  Gyricon material to be made, about 2 pointed out that Xerox was not in the display business. At this point, I centimeters on a side from the 1974 era. The realized the Alto was not going to be developed by Xerox. He imagewas produced by placing an "X" shaped strongly urged me to invent new printer technology to counter the erosion of the Xerox copier/printer market by the Japanese.   electrode on the Gyricon sheet and applying a voltage. Normally, the Gyricon does not save images for 30+ years, but a special procedure was used in this case to save the image. (Image: Nicholas K. Sheridon/TFO Sheridon/TFOT). T).

I stopped the Gyricon work and eventually invented a new electronicprinting technology based on ionography. This became a large program at Xerox, consuming perhaps $150 million; this number is hard to establish. We developed and were in early-manufacturing operations of the world's first multifunction desktop machine —printer, copier, input scanner, and fax—when this program was cancelled. This left me free to invent the concept of electronic paper.

Much has been written about the incredible myopia of Xerox executives of the time, so I won't go into that except to say that there were numerous other opportunities to enormously expand Xerox's business that were similarly fumbled. Xerox had enough money to create an incredible research lab with top-notch people, but Xerox management could not shake off the copier mentality.

Q: So how was e-paper born?  

 

A: I realized the need for e-paper in 1989. At Xerox PARC, we had long predicted the advent of the paperless office, with the widespread adoption of the personal computer we pioneered. The paperless office never happened. Instead, the personal computer caused more paper to be consumed. I realized that most of the paper consumption was caused by a difference in comfort level between reading documents on paper and reading them on the CRT screen. Any document over a half  page in length was likely to be printed, subsequently read, and discarded within a day. There was a need for a paper-like electronic display — e-paper! It needed to have as many paper properties as possible, because ink on paper is the ―perfect display.‖ Subsequently, I realized that the Gyricon display, which I had invented in the early 70s, was a good candidate for use as e-paper. I set about developing a manufacturing process for the Gyricon and solving its early problems. At this time, I was working alone, with a very good technician.  

Gyricon material (Credit: Xerox)

Q: Was there a eureka moment, or was wa s the outcome more or less anticipated from the start?   A: There was a eureka moment when the need for e-paper crystallized in my mind and I realized —or thought I did— the magnitude of the challenge. Very euphoric!

Q: It's been almost 35 years since the invention of e-paper. Why do you think iitt is taking so long to enter e nter the market?  A: E-paper has entered the market, but not yet in a big way. Gyricon sold message signs, and E Ink Corporation provided the e-paper for the Sony Reader sold in Japan. Kent Displays is also selling signs. No technology is yet sufficiently paper-like to grab the huge latent market widely recognized to be there. More invention is needed. This is a lot like the early days of television development, when everyone knew what was needed but getting the technology right was tough.

Q: What do you see as the obstacles facing mass adoption of e-paper technology?  A: No technology is sufficiently paper-like, yet. By this, I mean a display medium that is thin, flexible, capable of  storing readable images without power consumption, c onsumption, highly readable in ambient light, and has good resolution, high whiteness, and good contrast — and is pretty cheap. A big part of this equation is the addressing electronics. Organic thin film transistors, or TFTs, will provide flexible addressing at a low cost, and other technologies show promise, but none of these are quite ready.

Q: Are these problems currently being addressed by the industry?   A: More than a dozen companies have announced work on active e-paper programs, and there are a number of  start-ups. As I mentioned, the low cost and flexible electronic-addressing capability of organic TFT technology is

 

important and is being intensively developed by a number of organizations. Still, I have not yet seen the ideal e-paper  media solution.

Q: Are you still working on the development of e-paper? 

A: Xerox closed its Gyricon operation in December 2005 for financial reasons. (I was director of research. I am now working independently and doing some consulting. And, yes, I am working to invent the perfect e-paper medium.

Q: When do you think we will see widespread use of e-paper?  A: I think the revolution will evolve, first as handheld displays of high contrast that are readable in direct sunlight — probably in the next year or two —followed by low power-consuming book readers (available in Japan, and more widely as intellectual-property rights issues are sorted out); and over the next five years, electronic signs and billboards. The pocket document reader will take a little longer.

Q: How do you see the future of e-paper? 

Nick Sheridon and Fereshteh Lesani show

A: I like to tell people that the holy grail of e-paper will be embodied as a cylindrical tube, about 1 centimeter in diameter and 15 to 20 centimeters long, that a person can comfortably carry in his or her pocket. The tube will contain a tightly rolled sheet of e-paper that can be spooled out of a slit in the tube as a flat sheet, for reading, and stored again at the touch of a button. Information will be downloaded —there will be simple user  interface —from an overhead satellite, a cell phone network, or an internal memory chip. This document reader will be used for e-mail, the Internet, books downloaded from a global digital library that is currently under construction, technical manuals, newspapers (perhaps in larger  format), magazines, and so forth, anywhere on the planet. It will cost less than $100, and nearly everyone will have one!  

off the first roll of Gyricon E-PAPER producedby 3M partners. (Credit: Xerox).

How e-Paper Works E-paper comprises two different parts: the first is electronic ink, sometimes referred to as the "frontplane"; and the second is the electronics required to generate the pattern of text and images on the e-ink page, called the "backplane". Over the years, a number of methods for creating e-ink have been developed. The Gyricon e-ink developed in the 70s by Nick Sheridon at Xerox is based on a thin sheet of flexible plastic containing a layer of tiny plastic beads, each encapsulated in a little pocket of oil and thus able to freely rotate within the plastic sheet. Each hemisphere of a bead has a different color and a different electrical charge. When an electric field is applied by the backplane, the beads rotate, creating a two-colored pattern. This method of creating e-ink was dubbed bichromal frontplane. Originally, bichromal frontplane had a number of limitations, including relatively low brightness and resolution and a lack of color.  Although these issues are still being tackled, other forms of e-ink, e -ink, with improved properties compared to the original Gyricon, have been developed over the years.

 

One such technology is electrophoretic frontplane, developed by the  the E Ink Corporation Corporation.. Electrophoretic frontplane consists of millions of tiny microcapsules, each approximately 100 microns in diameter —about as wide as a human hair. Each microcapsule is filled with a clear fluid containing positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles. When a negative electric field is applied, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule, causing the area to appear to the viewer as a white dot, while the black particles move to the bottom of the capsule and are thus hidden from view. When a positive electric field is applied, the black particles migrate to the top and the white particles move to the bottom, generating black text or a picture.

How electronic paper works

The brightness and resolution of electrophoretic-based e-ink is better than that of bichromal-based e-ink, but both are monochromatic in nature. To create color, E Ink joined hands with the Japanese company compan y Toppan Printing Printing,, which produces color filters.  Another drawback of electrophoretic e-ink is its low refresh rate, making electrophoretic e-ink unsuitable for displaying animation or video. Since it takes time for the particles to move from one side of the microcapsule to the other, drawing a new text or image is too slow and creates a flicker effect.    A completely different solution for creating e-paper, known as cholesteric liquid crystal (ChLCD), is being developed by such companies as IBM and Philips, as well as HP and Fujitsu, which have demonstrated actual devices. ChLCD technology is based on the well-known and widespread technology of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which work by applying a current to spiral-shaped liquid-crystal molecules that can change from a vertical to a horizontal position.

 A colorful illustration illustration of the wa way y

 Although other potential technologies for developing advanced color  electronic paper exist such as  as  photonic crystals (P-ink)r  (P-ink)r ecently ecently covered by TFOT, many analysts believe that ChLCD technology could become the dominant e-paper technology of the next decade. This assessment relates to the high level of maturity exemplified by the current LCD industry, as well as to the fact that ChLCD technology currently offers what many analysts see as the ideal list of features for e-paper: flexibility

Fujitsu))  and even bendability; thinness, at approximately 0.8 millimeters; ChLCD technology works (Credit:  (Credit:  Fujitsu lightness; a bi-stable nature, requiring no power to maintain an image and very little power to change it; good brightness, contrast, and resolution; as well as vivid color and a decent refresh rate capable of displaying animation and possibly even video.

 

Applications of E-paper and Its Present-Day Applications Technology Status  Clearly, great progress has been made in the field of e-paper since the SiPix,,  invention of Gyricon. Companies such as E Ink,  Ink,  SiPix and  Polymervision, and Polymervision, as well as such giants as Sony, IBM, HewlettPackard, Philips, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Siemens, Epson, and many others, are continuing to develop e-paper technology. tec hnology. Founded in 1997 and based on research begun at the Massachusetts Inst Institute itute of Technology’s Media Lab, E Ink developed proprietary e-paper 

technology that already has been  been  commercialized  commercialized by a number of  companies, including  including iRex Technologies  Technologies and Sony, both of which already have commercial e-paper readers on the market. At this stage, some of the products based on E Ink's technology are little more than Fujitsu prototype color e-book expensive gimmicks, such as Seiko's limited-edition e-paper watch reader (left) and Irex Iliad (right) (r ight) (priced at over $2,000). Other products to be marketed have more substantial applications. E-paper thin color displays for packaging, development  at Siemens, could display prices on products dynamically, instantly altering a currently under  advanced development product's price when necessary (using such low-power wireless technology as radio-frequency identification, or RFID, for example). A dynamic expiration date, which would graphically display the amount of time remaining for food and drug consumption, is another potential application. TFOT asked Till Moor from Siemens to describe Siemens's interest in e-paper technology.

Moor: developed wafer-thin color displays that can be printed onto paper or foil. They can be manufactured very inexpensively, compared to LCDs. Wafer-thin displays offer great market potential in the area of  future advertising and information provision by means of interactive packaging. Displays could provide selective information about a product or operating instructions for a device directly on its packaging. A drug box could, for example, display administration instructions that appear in several languages at the press of a button. Color displays could in the future display information practically everywhere —on cardboard foodstuff containers, drug boxes, or even admission tickets.  

Siemens e-paper (Credit: Siemens) Potential applications of epaper technology is staggering. In addition to a new method for labeling foods and drugs, it could be used to label anything from shelves to office binders. One of the original uses of the Gyricon e-ink was in advertising and billboards; the bistable nature of the technology made the Gyricon a useful and costeffective billboard technology. E-paper displays can also be used as lowpower digital screens for a variety of electronic appliances, from microwaves to MP3 players.

Citizen E-ink clock (Credit: Citizen)

 

 Although many potential applications for e-paper technology exist, one of the more exciting products is the e-paper reader, which may soon replace the ageold newspaper and possibly even certain types of books; some technical literature may be perfectly suited for e-paper. The next generation of e-paper  readers will add color, include improved hardware that can refresh pages more quickly, and have more advanced wireless capabilities. Existing readers from Sony, iRex, and a number of other companies are still quite expensive and suffer from some of the problems that plague early technology models. The next generation of readers will also be flexible, making such applications as digital maps an attractive option, especially when connected to GPS Seiko e-watch (Credit: Seiko) hardware and software. Although epaper readers like iRex's iLiad, are already equipped with wireless Internet communication, they are not well suited as general-purpose Websurfing devices. Electronic readers of the future will one day become the ultimate handheld devices. Sony PRS-505 e-reader (Credit: Sony)

Having mentioned in this article a number of potential applications for epaper, it is possible that the most important applications of this technology have not yet been invented. In the same way that Theodore H. Maiman did not foresee the DVD player when he invented the first laser in 1960, so might we still be in the dark as to the true potential of e-paper technologies.

The Future of E-paper TFOT interviewed Nick Hampshire, an analyst at  at  AFAICS AFAICS Research, Research , which focuses on publishing and media-related technology. Nick has been following the e-paper industry for many years, and his insights can shed light on both the current and future state of the industry.

Q: Why do you think it took almost al most 30 years for e-paper to enter the market? 

Polymer Vision Radius prototype

 

(Credit: Polymer Vision)

A: The initial Gyricon technology proved expensive and had poor  resolution; it was really only usable in the sort of message-board-display systems that were produced by Gyricon Media. The development of true e-paper really only dates from about 1998, when E Ink first demonstrated their electrophoretic frontplane display technology; this gave a higher resolution and was potentially much cheaper.

Since then, other companies, such as a sIn SiPix SiPix, have come outwe with electrophoretic display technologies. the ,last four years, have also seen companies like HP and Fujitsu bring out flexible displays that use cholesteric LCD technology. (Cholesteric refers to the phase of a liquid crystal in which the molecules are aligned in a specific manner. In Fujitsu's case, for example, up to 50 percent of incident light in specific wavelengths and colors is reflected). E-paper has to be a cheap, reflective, low power, and preferably bendable, or have rollable display technology, and we are only just seeing the development of the technologies that can deliver this, namely an electrophoretic frontplane bonded to a flexible organic electronic backplane. These are the displays currently on the verge of being launched by  by  Plastic Logic  and Logic and  Polymer Vision. Vision. 

Plastic Logic e-paper  (Credit: Plastic Logic)

Q: What are the current obstacles facing mass adoption of e-paper technology?  A: The main obstacle is price. Our research shows that the cost of an e-paper-based reader has to fall to under $100 before a significant percentage of the population will buy one. Even then, they will only buy if suitable content is available at a reasonable cost. The second obstacle is availability of content.

Q: How do you see the future of e-paper?  A: The technology of printed electronics will deliver low-cost production; we could be looking at give away e-paper  display products by 2015. Content availability is a question of making sure that publishers are aware of the potential offered by e-paper displays, and prepared to make the investment to provide that content.

Q: What do you think will be the "killer application" of e-paper? A: Color.

Q: When do you predict we will see the real e-paper revolution?   A: It has already started but will become a real mass market in about 2012.

 

 

Electronic paper  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Intelligent paper" redirects here. For the type of electronic form, see  Intelligent form .  For patterned paper used with a digital pen, see  digital paper .  Electronic paper, e-paper and electronic ink are technologies  which are designed to mimic the are  display technologies

on paper .[1] Unlike conventional  conventional backlit backlit  flat panel displays  displays which emit light, appearance of ordinary  ordinary ink  ink on  electronic paper displays reflect light like ordinary paper, theoretically making it more comfortable to read, and giving the surface a wider viewing angle compared to conventional c onventional displays. The The  contrast ratio  ratio in available displays as of 2008 might be described as similar to that of newspaper, though newly developed displays are slightly better .[2] An  An ideal e-paper display can be read in direct sunlight wit without hout the image appearing tto o fade. Many electronic paper technologies can hold static text and images indefinitely without using electricity. electronics  for the display backplane. There is Flexible electronic paper uses plastic substrates and  and  plastic electronics ongoing competition among manufacturers to provide full-color ability. The first flexible EPD for consumers is [3][dated info ] expected to be available in Europe in April 2012. 2012.[3]  

 Applications of  electronic visual displays displays  include electronic pricing labels in retail shops, and and  digital signage,[4] time tables at bus stations, signage, stations ,[5] electronic billboards, billboards,[6] mobile phone displays, and and  e-readers e-readers  able to display digital versions of books and e-paper magazines.

 

Contents

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1 Technologies  Technologies  o

  1.1 Gyricon Gyricon  

o

  1.2 Electrophoretic Electrophoretic    

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display   1.2.1 Electrophoretic display

  1.3 Electrowetting  Electrowetting   

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Electrofluidic   1.3.1 Electrofluidic

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  1.4 Interferometric modulator  modulator 

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  1.5 Other bistable displays displays  

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  1.6 Other technologies  technologies 

2 Disadvantages  Disadvantages  Applications  3 Applications  o

  3.1 Wristwatches Wristwatches  

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  3.2 e-Books e-Books  

o

  3.3 Newspapers Newspapers  

o

  3.4 Displays embedded in smart cards  cards 

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  3.5 Status displays displays  

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  3.6 Mobile phones  phones 

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  3.7 Electronic shelf labels  labels 

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  3.8 Other Other  

manufacturers  4 Display manufacturers  5 See also also   References   6 References reading  7 Further reading  links   8 External links

[edit] edit]Technologies [edit] edit]Gyricon Electronic paper was fir ss t  developed in the 1970s by Nick Sheridon at  at Xerox Xerox''s Palo Alto Research Center . The first electronic paper, called  called Gyricon, Gyricon, consisted of polyethylene spheres between 75 and 106 micrometres across. Each sphere is a  a janus  janus particle  particle composed of negatively charged black plastic on one side and positively charged white plastic on the other (each bead is thus a a  dipole) dipole).[7] The spheres are embedded in a

 

transparent silicone sheet, with each sphere suspended in a bubble of oil so that they can rotate r otate freely. The polarity of the voltage applied to each pair of electrodes then determines whether the white or black side is face-up, thus giving the pixel a white or black appearance. appearance.[8] At  At the FPD 2008 exhibition, Japanese compa company ny Soken demonstrated a wall with electronic wall-paper using this technology. technology .[9] 

edit]]Electrophoretic [edit

 Appearance of pixels pixels

In the simplest implementation of an electrophoretic display,  display, titanium dioxide dioxide  (titania) particles approximately one micrometer in diameter are dispersed in a hydrocarbon oil. A dark-colored dye is also added to the oil, along with withsurfactants surfactants  and  and charging agents agents  that cause the particles to take on an electric charge. This mixture is placed between two parallel, conductive plates separated by a gap of 10 to 100 100  micrometres. micrometres. When a voltage is applied across the two plates, the particles will migrate  migrate  electrophoretically  electrophoretically to the plate bearing the opposite charge from that on the particles. When the particles are located at the front (viewing) side of the display, it appears white, because light is scattered back to the viewer by the high-index titania particles. When the particles are located at the rear side of the display, it appears dark, because the incident light is absorbed by the colored dye. If the rear electrode is divided into a number of small picture elements (pixels) pixels), then an image can be formed by applying the appropriate voltage to each region of the display to create a pattern of reflecting and absorbing regions. Electrophoretic displays are considered prime examples of the electronic paper category, because of their  paper-like appearance and low power consumption. Examples of commercial electrophoretic displays include the high-resolution  high-resolution active matrix  matrix displays used in the Amazon the   Amazon Kindle, Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook Nook,, Sony Librie, Librie, Sony Reader , Kobo eReader  and and  iRex iLiad iLiade-readers. e-readers. Corporation..  These displays are constructed from an electrophoretic imaging film manufactured by  by  E Ink Corporation and Bridgestone/ Bridgestone/Delta. SiPix Imaging Inc. is now part The EPD technology has been developed also by  by  Sipix  Sipix and  of AU Optronics Corp, a LCD-panel manufacturers. SiPix uses Microcup architecture with flexible PET material,

 

instead of microcapsule. Other than E-Ink's 0.04mm-diameter microcapsule structure, Sipix's is 0.15mmdiameter Microcup. Microcup.[10][11] On the other side,  side,  Bridgestone  Bridgestone Corp.'s Advanced Materials Division has been Display  (QRcooperating with Delta Optoelectronics Inc. in developing the  the Quick Response Liquid Powder Display LPD) technology. technology.[12][13] The  The Motorola MOTOFONE MOTOFONE   Electrophoretic displays can be manufactured using the  the  Electronics on Plastic by Laser Release (EPLaR)  process developed by  (EPLaR) by Philips Research Research  to enable existing  existing AM-LCD   AM-LCD manufacturing plants to create flexible plastic displays.

edit]]Electrophoretic display [edit

Scheme of an electrophoretic display.

Scheme of an electrophoretic display using color filters.

 An electrophoretic display forms visible images by rearranging charged pigment particles using an applied  electric field. applied field. 

 

  Macro photograph of Kindle 3 screen; microcapsules are evident at  at full size size  

In the 1990s another type of electronic paper was invented by  by Joseph Jacobson Jacobson,, who later co-founded the the  E Ink Corporation  Corporation which formed a partnership with wit hPhilips Components  Components two years later to develop and market the technology. In 2005, Philips sold the electronic paper business as well as its related patents to  to  Prime View International.. This used tiny microcapsules filled with electrically charged white  International white particles  particles suspended in a colored  oil colored oil..[14] In early versions, the underlying  underlying circuitry  circuitry controlled whether the white particles were at the top of  the capsule (so it looked white to the viewer) or at the bottom of the caps capsule ule (so the viewer saw the color of the oil). This was essentially a reintroduction of the well-known  well-known  electrophoretic  electrophoretic display technology, but the use of  microcapsules allowed the display to be used on flexible plastic sheets instead of glass. One early version of electronic paper consists of a sheet of very small transparent capsules, each about 40  40 micrometres  micrometres across. Each capsule contains an oily solution containing black dye (the ( the electronic ink), with negativelycharged, charged, and numerous white  white titanium dioxide  dioxide particles suspended within. The particles are slightly negatively each one is naturally white. white .[8]  liquid  polymer , sandwiched between two arrays of electrodes, the The microcapsules are held in a layer of  liquid upper of which is made transparent. The two arrays array s are aligned so that the sheet is divided into pixels, which each pixel corresponding to a pair of electrodes situated either side of the sheet. The sheet is laminated with transparent plastic for protection, resulting in an overall thickness of 80 micrometres, or twice that of ordinary paper. The network of electrodes is connected to display circuitry, which turns the electronic ink 'on' and 'off' at specific pixels by applying a voltage to specific pairs of electrodes. Applying a negative charge to the s surface urface electrode repels the particles to the bottom of local capsules, forcing the black dye to the surface and giving the pixel a black appearance. Reversing the voltage has the opposite effect - the particles are forced to the surface, giving the pixel a white appearance. A more recent incarnation of this concept requires only one layer of electrodes beneath the microcapsules. microcapsules.[15][16] 

[edit] edit]Electrowetting

Main article:  Electrowetting   Electro-wetting display (EWD) is based on controlling the shape of a confined water/oil interface by an applied voltage. With no voltage applied, the (coloured) oil forms a flat f lat film between the water and a hydrophobic (water-repellent) insulating coating of an electrode, resulting in a coloured pixel. When a voltage is applied between the electrode and the water, the interfacial tension between the water and the coating changes. As a result the stacked state is no longer stable, causing the water to move the oil aside.

 

This results in a partly transparent pixel, or, if a reflective white surface is used under the s switchable witchable element, a white pixel. Because of the small size of the pixel, the user only experiences the average reflection, which means that a high-brightness, high-contrast switchable element is obtained, which forms the basis of the reflective display. Displays based on  on electro-wetting  electro-wetting have several attractive features. The switching between white and coloured reflection is fast enough to display video content. content .[17]  It is a low-power and low-voltage technology, and displays based on the effect can be made flat and thin. The reflectivity and contrast are better than or equal to those of other reflective display types and are approaching those of paper. In addition, the technology offers a unique path toward high-brightness full-colour displays, leading to displays that are four times brighter than reflective LCDs and twice as bright as other emerging technologies. technologies.[18]  Instead of using red, green and blue (RGB) filters or alternating segments of the three primary colours, which effectively result in only one third of the display reflecting light in the desired colour, electro-wetting allows for a system in which one sub-pixel is able to switch two different colours independently. This results in the availability of two thirds of the display area to reflect light in any desired colour. This is achieved by building up a pixel with a stack of two independently controllable coloured oil films plus a colour  filter. The colours used are cyan, c yan, magenta and yellow, which is a so-called subtractive system, comparable to the principle used in inkjet printing for example. Compared to LCD another factor two in brightness is gained because no polarisers are required. required.[19]  Examples of commercial electrowetting displays include  include  Liquavista, Liquavista,[20] ITRI, ITRI,[21] PVI PVI  and and   ADT. ADT.[22][23]  Miortech’s 2nd generation electrowetting display technology solves a number of issues of 1st generation

electrowetting display technology and large-area devices are easy to manufacture since the pixel walls act as spacers. Miortech develops rearview mirrors using its 2nd generation EWD technology. technology. [24] 

[edit] edit]Electrofluidic displays are a variation of an electrowetting display. Electrofluidic displays place an aqueous Electrofluidic displays  pigment dispersion inside a tiny reservoir. The reservoir comprises c omprises <5-10% of the viewable pixel area and therefore the pigment is substantially hidden from view. view.[25] Voltage is used to electromechanically pull the pigment out of the reservoir and spread it as a film directly behind the viewing substrate. As a result, the display takes on color and brightness br ightness similar to that of conventional pigments printed on paper. When voltage is removed liquid surface tension causes the pigment dispersion to rapidly recoil into the reservoir. As reported in

 

the May 2009 Issue of Nature Photonics [citation needed ], the technology can potentially provide >85% white state reflectance for electronic paper. The core technology was invented at the Novel Devices Laboratory at the  the University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati . The technology is currently being commercialized by Gamma Dynamics.

[edit] edit]Interferometric

modulator

Main article:  Interferometric modulator display   edit]]Other [edit

bistable displays

See also:  Bistable    

Qualcomm Qualcomm,, manufacturer of "Mirasol"  "Mirasol" interferometric modulator display  display 

 

Displays,, manufacturer of  cholesteric liquid crystal display display  (ChLCD ChLCD))[26]  Kent Displays

 

Nemoptic,, nematic nematic  materials materials[27]  Nemoptic

 

TRED[28] 





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[edit] edit]Other technologies Other research efforts into e-paper have involved using  using organic transistors transistors  embedded into into  flexible substrates,[29][30] including attempts to build them into conventional paper .[31] Simple color e-pape substrates, e-paper  r [32]consists of  a thin colored optical filter added to the monochrome technology described above. The array of pixels is divided into  triads into triads,, typically consisting of the standard cyan, magenta and yellow, in the same way as as  CRT CRT  monitors (although using subtractive primary colors as opposed to additive primary colors). The display is then controlled like any other electronic color display. electrochromic  displays include  include  Acreo, Acreo,[33]  Ajjer  Ajjer ,[34]  Aveso Aveso[35] and and  Ntera. Ntera.[36]  Examples of  electrochromic

[edit] edit]Disadvantages Electronic paper technologies have a very low refresh rate compared to other low-power display technologies, such as LCD. This prevents producers from f rom implementing sophisticated interacti interactive ve applications (using fast moving menus, mouse pointers or scrolling) like those which are possible on on  mobile devices. devices. An example of  this limit is that a document cannot be smoothly zoomed without either extreme blurring during duri ng the transition or  a very slow zoom.

 

 

 An e-ink screen showing showing the "gho "ghost" st" of a prior im image age

 Another limit is that that a shadow of an image image may be visible after after refreshing parts of the screen. Such shadows are termed "ghost images", and the effect is termed "ghosting". This effect is reminiscent of  screen burn-in burn-in  but, unlike it, is solved after the screen is refreshed several times. Turning every pixel white, then black, then white, whi te, helps normalize the contrast of the pixels. This is why several s everal devices with this technology "flash" the entire screen white and black when loading a new image.[citation needed ]  Electronic paper is still a topic in the R&D community and remains under development de velopment for manufacturability, marketability, and reliability considerations.[citation needed ] 

[edit edit] Applications ] This article's  article's factual accuracy accuracy  may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help  help improve the article article  by updating it. There may be additional a dditional

information on the  the talk page page.. (October 2011) 

 

 An e-paper display on a watch ref refreshes reshes to remov remove e ghosts.

Several companies are simultaneously developing electronic paper and ink. While the technologies used by each company provide many of the same features, each has its own distinct technological advantages. All electronic paper technologies face the following general challenges:

   A method for encapsulation



   An ink or active material material to fill the encapsulation



 



Electronics to activate the ink

Electronic ink can be applied to flexible or rigid materials. For flexible displays, the base requires a thin, flexible material tough enough to withstand considerable wear, such as extremely ex tremely thin plastic. The method of how the inks are encapsulated and then applied to the substrate is what distinguishes each company from others. These processes are complex and are carefully guarded industry secrets. Nevertheless, making electronic paper promises to be less complex and costly c ostly than making traditional LCDs. There are many approaches to electronic paper, with many companies developing technology in this area. Other technologies being applied to electronic paper include modifications of  liquid crystal displays,, electrochromic displays electrochromic  displays, and the electronic equivalent of an  an  Etch A Sketch Sketch  at Kyushu University.  Advantages of electronic paper paper includes low power usage (pow (power er is only drawn when the display is updated), flexibility and better readability than most displays. Electronic ink can be printed on any surface, surf ace, including walls, billboards, product labels and T-shirts. The ink's flexibility would also make it possible to develop  develop  rollable displays  for electronic devices. displays

 

 

The  Motorola F3  The F3 uses an e-paper display instead of an LCD.

[edit edit]]Wristwatches In December 2005  2005 Seiko  Seiko released the first electronic ink based watch called the Spectrum SVRD001 flexible  electrophoretic display display[37] and in March 2010 Seiko released a second wristwatch, which has a  a flexible generation of this famous e-ink watch with an active matrix display. display .[38] In 2013, the pebble wristwatch will also use e-paper technology.

[edit] edit]e-Books

Main article:  List of e-book readers   released Librié EBR-1000EP  EBR-1000EP in Japan, the first e-book reader with an electronic paper display. In In 2004  2004 Sony  Sony released  PRS-500 Sony Reader  e-book reader in the USA. On October 2, 2007, September 2006  2006 Sony  Sony released the PRS-500  Sony announced the PRS-505, an updated version of the Reader. In November 2008, Sony released the PRS PRS-700BC which incorporated a backlight and a touchscreen. In late 2007, Amazon began producing and marketing the  the  Amazon  Amazon Kindle, Kindle, an e-book reader with an e-paper  DX was display. In February 2009, Amazon released the  the  Kindle 2  2 and in May 2009 the larger  Kindle DX  announced. In July 2010 the third generation Kindle was announced, with notable design changes changes..[39] The fourth generation of Kindles were announced in September 2011. This generation was unique as it marked the

 

Kindle's first departure from keyboards in favor of touchscreens. In September 2012, Amazon announced the fifth generation of the Kindle which incorporates a LED frontlight and a higher contrast display. display. [40]  In November 2009 Barnes and Noble launched the the  Barnes & Noble Nook, Nook , running an an   Android  Android operating system. It differs from other big name readers in having a replaceable battery, and a separate touch-screen touch -screen color LCD below the main electronic paper reading screen. s creen.

[edit] edit]Newspapers daily De Tijd  distributed an electronic version of the paper to select subsc subscribers ribers In February 2006, the  the Flemish  Flemish daily  in a limited marketing study, using a pre-release version of theiRex theiRex iLiad iLiad.. This was the first recorded application of electronic ink to newspaper publishing. The  French The French  daily  daily Les Échos  announced the official launch of an electronic version of the paper on a subscription basis, in September 2007. Two offers were available, combining a one year subscription and a reading device. The offer included either a light (176g) reading device (adapted for Les Echos by Ganaxa) or  the  iRex iLiad. the iLiad. Two different processing platforms were used to deliver readable information of the daily, one based on the newly developed GPP electronic ink platform from  from Ganaxa , and the other one developed internally by Les Echos.

[edit] edit]Displays

embedded in smart cards

Flexible display cards enable financial payment cardholders to generate a  a  one-time password  password to reduce reduce  online banking  and transaction fraud. Electronic paper offers a flat and thin alternative to existing banking existing  key fob fobttokens for  data security. The world’s first ISO compliant smart card card  with an embedded display was developed by

Innovative Card Technologies and nCryptone in 2005. The cards were manufactured by Nagra ID.

edit]]Status [edit

displays

 

USB flash drive with E Ink-implemented capacity meter of available flash memory

Some devices, like  like USB flash drives drives,, have used electronic paper to display status s tatus information, such as available storage space. space.[41] Once the image on the electronic paper has been set, it requires no power to maintain, so the readout can be seen even when the flash drive is not plugged in.

[edit] edit]Mobile

phones

Motorola's low-cost mobile phone, the  the Motorola F3, F3, uses an alphanumeric black-and-white electrophoretic display. The  Samsung Alias 2  The 2 mobile phone incorporates electronic ink from E Ink into the keypad, which allows the keypad to change character sets and orientation while in different display modes.

[edit edit]]Electronic

shelf labels

E-Paper based electronic shelf labels (ESL) are used to digitally display the prices at retail stores. Electronic paper based labels are updated via two-way infrared or radio technology.

[edit edit]]Other Other proposed applications include clothes, digital photo frames, information boards and keyboards. Keyboards with dynamically changeable keys are useful for less represented languages, or for special nonnon alphabetical applications such as video editing or games.

[edit edit]]Display manufacturers

 

Electronics   Delta Electronics

 

LG   LG

 

NEC NEC  

 

Logic   Plastic Logic

 

E Ink Holdings Holdings,, flexible  flexible EPLaR  EPLaR 

 

Samsung   Samsung

 

Epson   Seiko Epson

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E Ink From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about proprietary brand of electronic paper. For electronic ink, see  Electronic paper . 

 

 

Scheme of the E Ink technology.

Legend

Item

1

Upper layer

2

Transparent electrode layer

3

Transparent micro-capsules

4

Positively charged white pigments

5

Negatively charged black pigments

6

Transparent oil

7

Electrode pixel layer

8

Bottom supporting layer

9

Light

10

White

 

11

Black

E Ink (electrophoretic ink) is a specific proprietary type of  electronic paper  manufactured by by  E Ink Corporation, Corporation, 

founded in 1997 based on research started at the theMIT MIT Media Lab. Lab. Joseph Jacobson  Jacobson and Barrett Comiskey are listed as inventors on the original patent filed in 1996. 1996 .[1]  It is currently available commercially in  in grayscale  grayscale and color  color [2] and is commonly used in mobile devices such e-readers  and, to a lesser extent, mobile phones and watches. as  as e-readers Contents

[hide hide]] 

1 Corporate history history   Technology   2 Technology 3 E Ink Vizplex  Vizplex  o

Pearl    3.1 E Ink Pearl 

o

  3.2 E Ink Triton  Triton 

o

  3.3 Fourth generation  generation 

4 See also also   5 References References   6 External links  links 

[edit] edit]Corporate

history

iLiad  e-book reader equipped with an e-paper display visible in the sunlight iLiad

 

 

size   Macro photograph of Kindle 3 screen; microcapsules are evident at  at full size

Macro photograph of Kindle 3 screen, focused just below the surface; microcapsules are clearly visible at full size

On June 1, 2009, E Ink Corp. announced an agreement to be purchased by one of its primary business partners, Prime View Int'l Co. Ltd ( 元太科技工業), for  US$215 US$215 million. million.[3] It is predicted that the purchase by this Taiwanese company will put the production of the E-Ink EPD on a larger scale than before, as Prime View also owns BOE Hydis Technology Co. Ltd ( 京东方海帝士科技) and maintains a strategic partner relationship with Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp., which is now Chi Mei Innolux Corp. ( 奇美電子), part of the Hon HaiFoxconn Group (鴻海富士康集團). It is noteworthy that Foxconn is the sole  Foxconn  sole  ODM ODM  partner for Prime View's Netronix Inc. (振曜科技), the supplier of E-Ink-panel e-readers for f or rebranding (the end-user products may appear with any of several brands, e.g., Bookeen, COOL-ER, PocketBook, etc.).

edit]]Technology [edit The material is processed into a film for integration into  into  electronic displays, displays, particularly for  e-readers. e-readers.  i ts display, taking advantage of the The  Motorola F3  The F3 was the first mobile phone to employ E Ink technology into its material's ultra-low power consumption. In addition, the  the Samsung Alias 2  2 uses this technology as the display [4] on the buttons change. change.  The October 2008 limited edition North American issue of  Esquire  was the first

 

magazine cover to integrate E Ink and featured flashing text. The cover was manufactured in Shanghai, China, was shipped refrigerated to the United States for binding and was powered by a nominal 90 90-day -day integrated battery supply. supply.[5][6] 

edit]]E [edit

Ink Vizplex

E Ink Vizplex is the internal name of E Ink's current c urrent line of display technologies technologies..[7] Each version/model of 

Vizplex technology is marketed under different brand names, as detailed below. Vizplex is sometimes used to refer to specifically the first-generation of the line, in order to distinguish it from further generations, though properly speaking, Pearl and Triton are also types of Vizplex displays, as indicated by the text "E Ink Vizplex" at the bottom of startup screens for those displays.

edit]]E [edit

Ink Pearl

E Ink Pearl, announced on July 31, 2010, is the second generation of E Ink Vizplex displays, a higher contrast

screen built with E Ink Pearl Imaging Film. Film.[8] The updated  updated Amazon  Amazon Kindle  Kindle DX was the first device announced to 4,, and  and Kindle Touch Touch  also incorporate the Pearl display. display.[9][10] Sony has use the screen, and the Kindle 3,  3,  Kindle 4 edition..[11] This display is also also included this technology into its latest release of the  the  Sony Reader  Touch edition used in theNook theNook Simple Touch Touch,,[12] Kobo eReader Touch, Touch,[13] Onyx Boox M90 M90[14] and X61S X61S..[15] 

[edit] edit]E

Ink Triton

E Ink Triton announced on November 9, 2010 the third generation of E Ink Vizplex displays: a color display that is easy to read in high light. The Triton is able to display 16 shades of gray, and 4096 colors colors..[16] E Ink Triton is being used in commercially available products such as the the  Hanvon  Hanvon color eReader ,[17] or  JetBook Color  made by  by ectaco. ectaco. 

[edit] edit]Fourth generation In January 2013, at the  the  International CES, CES, it was announced that the next generation of EInk will feature 768 by 1024 resolution on 6-inch displays, with 212 dots-per-inch. dots-per-inch .[18] 

[edit edit]]See

also

Displays 

Grayscale   Sipix Display (AUO), 9 inches (5.4" × 7.2"), 768×1024 Resolution 142 ppi, 16  Grayscale



Sipix display (AUO), 6 inches (4.8" x 3.6"), 600×800 Resolution 167ppi, 16  Grayscale  Grayscale 



Touch Screen: Capacitive Touch Screen, Multi-Touch

[edit edit]]The

technology

SiPix has developed EPD similar to E-Ink but in their case, white particles are suspended in black ink that is contained in small microcups. When the white particles are at the viewing surface, the display is white and when they are at the back surface, the display is black. E-Ink has both white and black particles in a

 

clear liquid. Like E-Ink, the particles can be partially switched to achieve gray scale and the display is bistable. The SiPix Microcup® is a microscale container which holds minute quantities of materials such as fluid and particles. Large arrays of Microcups® are fabricated through roll-to-roll© manufacturing processes which enable economy and scale. The material is flexible, is easily cut to size, and enables many custom applications by  by electronic paper .  Construction of the SiPix Microcup® is done using a high-speed roll-to-roll© embossing process. A continuous sheet of plastic, coated with a transparent conductor such as ITO, is fed through a coater  which evenly distributes a proprietary resin across the surface. A micro-embosser then molds the threedimensional structure of the Microcup® onto the resin. At this point, the Microcups® are filled with the desired materials and hermetically capped with a sealing layer. A removable layer then is applied to protect the Microcup® film until it may be attached to the backplane. edit]]How [edit

it works

Under the influence of an applied electric field, the charged particles migrate through the dielectric fluid. If  the white particles are at the visible surface, that area of the display reflects a white color to the viewer. Otherwise, the display will reflect the alternate color, which presently is either black, red, green blue, or  gold. Grayscale may be produced by modulating the electric field across the Microcup® film.

edit] Advantages ] [edit 

Eye-Catching Readability: High contrast & reflectivity

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Wide viewing angle: ~180°

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Multiple monochromatic choices: Black, red, green, blue, gold

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Ultra-low Power: Bistable, Low switching power 

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Large Form factor: Custom sizes from 11"-wide  11"-wide e-paper  Roll

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Flexible e-Paper: < 2 cm bending radius

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Durable: No glass, endures > 1290 PSI (The current AUO manufactured touch screen devices have a glass backing) Lightweight: 22.5 mg/cm^2 (film only)

 

[edit edit]]Pet

Plastic

PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic resin and a form of polyester. Polyethylene terephthalate is a polymer that is formed by combining two monomers: modified ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid. PET is a popular package for food and non-food products. Manufacturers use PET plastic because of its strength, thermo-stability and transparency.

 Amazon Kindle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amazon Kindle

A third generation Kindle (now known as "Kindle Keyboard") in graphite color

Amazon.com

Developer

 

Manufacturer

Foxconn

Product family

Kindle

 

 

Type

E-book reader

Release date

November 19, 2007

Introductory

$399

 

 

price

Operating

Linux  Linux 2.6.26

system

Power

3.7  V, lithium polymer, polymer, BA1001 model 1,750  mAh  1,750 mAh 3.7 890  mAh mAh   Kindle 4: 3.7  3.7 V 890 Kindle Touch: 3.7  3.7 V 142 1420 0mAh  mAh 

CPU

Original: Marvell  Marvell Xscale PXA255 PXA255  400 400  MHz MHz,, ARMv5

32  MHz, MHz, ARM11 Kindle 2: Freescale  Freescale i.MX315 i.MX31532 i.MX355 532 32  MHz, MHz, ARM11 Kindle 3: Freescale  Freescale i.MX35 Kindle 4, Touch: Freescale Freescalei.MX50 i.MX50  800 800  MHz MHz,,  Paperwhite: Freescale i.MX50 800MHz Rev. 1.1

Storage

memory  (available total/user) Internal  flash memory Internal

capacity

Original: 256/180  256/180 MB  MB  Kindle 2: 2/1.4  2/1.4 GB  GB  Kindle 3: 4/3 GB Kindle DX: 4/3.3 GB Kindle 4: 2/1.25 GB Kindle Touch: 4/3 GB Kindle 5, Paperwhite: 2/1.25 GB

Memory

Kindle 3: 256 MB Kindle 4, Touch: 256 MB Kindle 5, Paperwhite: 256 MB

Display

paper 6 in diagonal, Electronic paper 

 

3.6 in (91 mm) × 4.8 in (120 mm), 600 × 800  800 pixels( pixels(0.48  0.48 megapixels megapixels)), 167 167  ppi ppi  density, 4-level grayscale  grayscale  Original: 4-level  Original: Kindle 2, 3, 4, 5: 5: 16-level grayscale Kindle DX: DX: 9.7 in (246 mm) diagonal, 824 × 1200 150 ppid ppidensity, 16-level pixels(0.99  megapixels) pixels(0.99 megapixels), 150  grayscale

Kindle Paperwhite: 6 in diagonal, 758 ×

0.78  megapixels) megapixels), 212 212  ppi ppid density, 16-level 1024  pixels( 1024 pixels(0.78 grayscale, LED frontlit

Graphics

None

Input

USB USB  2.0 port (micro-B connector), SD card  card (original model only), 3.5 3.5  mm  mm stereo headphone jack built-in stereo speakers, and AC power adapter jack

Controller

D-pad and keyboard (some models)

input

Camera

None

Touchpad

None

Connectivity

CDMA  AnyDATA Amazon Whispernet using usingEVDO/ EVDO/CDMA wireless modem (selected models), Wi-Fi  (Kindle 3) 802.11bg  Wi-Fi 802.11bg Wi-Fi  (Kindle 4, 5, and Paperwhite) 802.11bgn  Wi-Fi 802.11bgn

Dimensions

Original  Original  8.0 in (203 mm) H

 

5.3 in (135 mm) W 0.8 in (20 mm) D Kindle 2  2  8.0 in (203 mm) H 5.3 in (135 mm) W 0.36 in (9 mm) D Kindle 3  3  7.5 in (191 mm) H 4.8 in (122 mm) W 0.34 in (9 mm) D Kindle DX 2  2  10.4 in (264 mm) H 7.2 in (183 mm) W 0.38 in (10 mm) D Kindle Touch  Touch  6.8 in (173 mm) H 4.7 in (119 mm) W 0.40 in (10 mm) D Kindle 4, 5  5  6.5 in (165 mm) H 4.5 in (114 mm) W 0.34 in (9 mm) D Kindle Paperwhite  Paperwhite 

6.7 in (170 mm) H 4.6 in (117 mm) W 0.36 in (9 mm) D

Weight

Kindle 1, 2 

10.2 oz (290 g) Kindle 3 

8.7 oz (247 g) Kindle 3 Wi-Fi only

8.5 oz (241 g) Kindle Touch 3G 

7.8 oz (220 g)

 

Kindle Touch 

7.5 oz (213 g) Kindle DX 2 

18.9 oz (540 g) Kindle 4, 5 

5.98 oz (170 g) Kindle Paperwhite 3G 

7.8 oz (222 g) Kindle Paperwhite 

7.5 oz (213 g)

Related articles Amazon.com  

Website

Kindle.com

 

Amazon Kindle models 

Ink devices E Ink 

 



Kindle (original) (white)  Release date: November 19, 2007 

 



Kindle 2 (white)  February 23, 2009 

 



Kindle 2 International (white)  October 19, 2009 

 



Kindle DX (white)  June 10, 2009 

 



Kindle DX International (white)  January 19, 2010 

 



Kindle DX (graphite)   July 1, 2010 

 

 

 



Kindle Keyboard (white/graphite)   August 27, 2010 

 



Kindle Keyboard with special offers(graphite)   Wi-Fi: May 3, 2011  3G/Wi-Fi: May 25, 2011 

 



Kindle 4 (silver)  September 28, 2011 

 



Kindle Touch, Touch 3G  (silver)  September 28, 2011 

 



Kindle 5 (black)  October 1, 2012 

 



Kindle Paperwhite, Paperwhite 3G(black)  October 1, 2012 

Android  devices Android

 



Kindle Fire (graphite)   Sep 28, 2011 

 

V 

 

T 

 

E 

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

The Amazon Kindle is a series of  e-book readers  readers produced by  by  Amazon.com. Amazon.com. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to shop for,  for, download, download, browse, and read  read e-books, e-books, newspapers newspapers,, magazines, blogs, and other  digital [1]

media  via media via  wireless networking. networking.  The  The hardware platform, platform, developed by  by Amazon.com   Amazon.com subsidiary subsidiary  Lab126, Lab126, began

 

Ink  electronic paper  display as a single device and now comprises a range of devices  – most using an  an E Ink capable of rendering 16 tones to simulate reading on paper while minimizing power consumption.

 

Contents

hide]]  [hide

evolution  1 Naming and evolution  2 Devices  Devices  o

  2.1 E Ink Ink    



generation   2.1.1 First generation

 



 



generation   2.1.2 Second generation

 

2  2.1.2.1 Kindle 2 

 

2.1.2.2 Kindle 2 international version  version  

 

DX  2.1.2.3 Kindle DX 

 

version   2.1.2.4 Kindle DX international version 

 

2.1.2.5 Kindle DX Graphite  Graphite 











 



generation   2.1.3 Third generation

 



 



 

2.1.4.1 Kindle  Kindle 

 

Wi-Fi/3G  2.1.4.2 Kindle Touch Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G 



 

2.1.5 Fifth generation  generation 

 

2.1.5.1 Kindle  Kindle 

 

2.1.5.2 Kindle Paperwhite  Paperwhite 





o

2.1.3.1 Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G  Wi-Fi/3G 

generation   2.1.4 Fourth generation 



Kindle  2.1.1.1 Kindle 

  2.2 LCD LCD    

Fire   2.2.1 Kindle Fire

 

2.2.2 Kindle Fire HD  HD 





3 Kindle applications  applications  4 Kindle sales  sales  5 Document availability  availability  o

  5.1 File formats  formats   

KF8)   5.1.1 Proprietary formats (AZW, KF8)

 

5.1.2 Format support by device device  





o

  5.2 Email conversion  conversion 

o

  5.3 Multiple device abilities and organization organization  

 

o

  5.4 User-created annotations annotations  

o

  5.5 Textbook rentals rentals  

6 Kindle Development Kit (KDK) and active content  content  7 Kindle Direct Publishing Publishing   removal   8 Remote content removal 9 See also  also  10 References References   11 External links  links 

[edit edit]]Naming

and evolution

The Kindle name was devised by branding consultant  consultant  Michael Cronan  Cronan who was asked by Lab 126 to name the product. Cronan and partner Karin Hibma suggested Kindle, meaning to light a fire fire..[2] They felt this was an apt metaphor for reading and intellectual excitement. excitement.[3]  Kindle hardware has evolved from the original Kindle introduced in 2007 and a Kindle DX line (with a larger  screen) introduced in 2009. Announced in September 2011, 20 11, the range now includes devices with keyboards (Kindle Keyboard), devices with touch sensitive screens (Kindle Touch), a  a  tablet computer  with a reader app and a color display (Kindle Fire) Fire) and a low-priced model with an on-screen keyboard (Kindle).  Amazon has also introduced Kindle Kindle software for use on v various arious devices and platform platforms, s, including  including Microsoft Windows,, iOS Windows iOS,, BlackBerry, BlackBerry, Mac OS X X  (10.5 or later, Intel processor only),  only), Android,  Android, webOS, webOS, and and  Windows Phone[4] (not available in many parts of Europe). Amazon also has a "cloud" reader to allow users to read, and purchase, Kindle books from a web browser. Content for the Kindle can be purchased online and downloaded wirelessly in some countries, using either  [5]

standard Wi-Fi or Amazon's 3G "Whispernet" network. network.  Whispernet is accessible without any monthly fee or  [6] wireless subscription, subscription,  although fees can be incurred for the delivery of periodicals and other content when roaming internationally beyond the customer's home country. Through a service called "Whispersync," customers can synchronize reading progress, bookmarks and other information across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices. devices.[7][8]  In the last three months of 2010, Amazon announced that in the United States, their e-book sales had surpassed sales of paperback books for the first time time..[9] 

 

[edit edit]]Devices

 A first generation generation Kindle

 A second generation generation Kindle

[edit edit]]E

Ink

[edit] edit]First generation [edit] edit]Kindle  Amazon released the Kindle First Generation[10] on November 19, 2007, for US$399. It sold out in five and a 2008..[12]  half hours. hours.[11] The device remained out of stock for five months until late April 2008

 

It is the only Kindle with expandable memory, via an SD card slot. The device features a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display, with 250 250  MB  MB of internal memory, which can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles titles..[13]   Amazon did not sell the Kindle First G Generation eneration outside the United United States. States. [13] Plans for a launch in the UK and other European countries were delayed by problems with signing up suitable wireless network operators operators.. [14] 

[edit] edit]Second generation [edit] edit]Kindle 2 On February 10, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2 2..[15] It became available for purchase on February 23, 2009. The Kindle 2 features a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud, and 2 GB of internal memory of  which 1.4 GB is user-accessible. By Amazon's estimates the Kindle 2 can hold about 1500 non-illustrated books. Unlike the Kindle First Generation, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards cards.. [16] It was [17][18][19] 8][19] slimmer than the original Kindle. Kindle.[17][1  

made UR , his then-new  then-new novella, novella, available exclusively through To promote the new Kindle, author  Stephen King  King made  the Kindle Store. Store.[20] On October 22, 2009, Amazon stopped selling the original Kindle 2 in favor of  the  international version  the version it had introduced earlier in the month.  According to an early review by  by iFixIt, iFixIt, the Kindle 2 features a  a  Freescale Freescale  532 532  MHz MHz,, ARM-11 90 90  nm nm  processor ,  moviNAND flash memory memory  and a 3.7  3.7 V 1,530 1,530  mAh  mAh lithium polymer battery battery..[21]  32 MB mainmemory mainmemory,, 2 GB moviNAND  On November 24, 2009, Amazon released a firmware update for the Kindle 2 that it said increased battery life by 85% and introduces native PDF support. support .[22]  On July 8, 2009, Amazon reduced price of the Kindle 2 from the original $359 to $299. On October 7, 2009,  Amazon further reduced the price of the Kindle 2 to $259 $259..[23] The Kindle 2 had a manufacturing materials cost [24]

estimated at $185.49, in 2009 by  by iSuppli iSuppli..

 

edit]]Kindle 2 international version [edit On October 7, 2009, Amazon announced an international version of the Kindle 2 with the ability to download new titles in over 100 countries. It became available October 19, 2009. The international Kindle 2 is physically very similar to the U.S.-only model, although it uses a different mobile network standard. The original Kindle 2 used  used  CDMA2000 CDMA2000,, for use on the Sprint network. The international version us used ed standard  GSM  standard GSM and 3G GSM, enabling it to be used on AT&T's U.S. mobile network and internationally in 100 other countries. countries.[25]  Kindle 2 International Version is believed to have a noticeably higher contrast screen, although Amazon does not advertise this. this.[26] Another  Another review done by Gadget lab lab,,[27] disputes this and actually states that the font

 

appears to be fuzzier than the first generation kindle. The review goes on to say that changes to the Kindle 2 have made it tougher to read the smaller font sizes that most books use. On another website [28] they also discuss how the font size is at times worse than the Kindle 1's. It appears that whether the Kindle 2 is clearer or  fuzzier than the prior model depends on the font size. These issues became moot when Amazon sourced a higher contrast E Ink technology it dubbed "Pearl E-ink" and which it used in all of its e-reader devices thereafter. On October 22, 2009, Amazon lowered the price on the international version from $279 to $259 and its  Nook, Nook,  discontinued the U.S.-only model. On June 21, 2010, hours after  Barnes & Noble  Noble lowered the price of its  Amazon lowered the price of the Kindle 2 to $ $189. 189.

The larger Kindle DX with a Kindle 2 for size comparison

edit]]Kindle DX [edit  Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen tthan han the standard Kindle and supports simple  simple PDF files. files. It was also the thinnest Kindle to date and offers an accelerometer, which enables the user to seamlessly rotate pages between landscape and portrait orientations when the Kindle DX and  textbook  textbook content content..[30] The is turned on its side. side.[29] It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and device can connect only to Whispernet in the United States. It can be distinguished from the later International version by a serial number starting with "B004". "B004" .[31] 

[edit edit]]Kindle DX international version Since January 19, 2010, the Kindle DX International has shipped in 100 countries. [32] The Kindle DX comes Ink  screen instead of the 6-inch basic Kindle screen. It has support for International 3G with a 9.7-inch  9.7-inch E Ink Wireless, and its serial number will start with "B005". "B005".[31] 

 

 

The second generation Kindle DX in graphite color 

edit]]Kindle DX Graphite [edit On July 1, 2010, Amazon released a new revision of the Kindle DX "Graphite". As well as dropping dr opping the price from $489 to $379, the new Kindle DX has an  an E Ink Ink  display with 50% better contrast ratio (due to new E Ink Pearl technology) and comes only in a "graphite" case color. It is speculated the case color change c hange is to improve contrast ratio perception further, as some users found the prior white casing highlighted that the the  E Ink  background is light gray and not white. Like the prior Kindle DX, it does not have a W i-Fi connection. Ink connection.[33] Its serial numbers start with "B009". "B009".[31] The DX Graphite (DXG) is a mix of 3rd generation hardware and 2nd generation software. The CPU is of the same speed as Kindle 3 but it is of a different revision. Even though DX Graphite has a larger case, it has only a half the system memory (128MB) of the Kindle 3 (256 MB). Due to these hardware differences, DXG runs the same firmware as Kindle 2 (currently at version 2.5.8). Therefore, DXG cannot display international fonts (such as the Cyrillic font, Chinese, or any other non-Latin font), and PDF and the web browser are limited li mited to Kindle 2 features.

[edit] edit]Third generation [edit] edit]Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G

 

 

Inside the Kindle 3, with the back cover removed.

 Amazon announced a new generation generation of the Kindle on Ju July ly 28, 2010 2010.. [34] While Amazon does not officially add numbers to the end of each Kindle denoting its generation, reviewers, customers and press companies often [35][36][37]   refer to this updated Kindle as the "K3" or the "Kindle 3" 3"..[35][36][37]

Kindle Keyboard. (Left to right) Volume control, headphone jack, microphone, USB and power switch

The Kindle Keyboard is available in two versions. One of these, the Kindle Wi-Fi, was initially priced at US$139 networks.[34] The other version, considered a / GB£111, and connects to the Internet exclusively via  via  Wi-Fi  Wi-Fi networks. replacement to the Kindle 2, was priced at US$189 / GB£152 and includes both 3G and Wi-Fi Wi -Fi connectivity.[34] (currently unavailable in UK  connectivity. UK [38]) The built-in free 3G connectivity uses the same wireless s signals ignals

 

phones  use, allowing it to download and purchase content from any location with cell service service.. [34] The that  cell phones that Kindle Keyboard with 3G is available in two colors: classic white and graphite. Both models use the newer  E ink "Pearl"  display, which has a higher contrast than prior displays and a faster refresh rate. However, it remains "Pearl" slower than traditional LCDs. LCDs.[39]  The Kindle Keyboard uses a Freescale i. MX353 applications processor, Freescale MC13892 power  management chip, Epson E INK controller and Samsung DRAM and flash. Other hardware changes include a larger 1,750 mAh  mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, battery, AnyDATA DTP-600W 3G GSM modem and Atheros AR6102G 802.11bg Wi-Fi chip. The third-generation Kindle is 0.5 inches shorter and 0.5 inches narrower than the Kindle 2. It supports additional fonts and international  international  Unicode  Unicode characters, and has a Voice Guide feature with spoken menu WebKit  rendering engine (but navigation. Experimental features include a browser based on the popular  WebKit browser may be limited to 50MB of 3G per month to web sites other than Amazon and Wikipedia in territories outside of the United States), States),[40] Text-to-Speech that can read aloud the text from books and other content, and an MP3 player. Internal memory is expanded to 4 GB, with approximately 3 GB available for user content. Battery life is advertised at up to two months of reading half an hour a day on a single charge with the wireless turned off, which amounts to roughly 30 hours. hours .[34]   Amazon began accepting pre-orders for the new Kindle as soon as it was announced and began shipping the devices on August 27, 2010, in the United States and United Kingdom. With the announcement of the Kindle Keyboard, Amazon also launched an Amazon.co.uk version of the Kindle store. On August 25, 2010, Amazon announced that the Kindle 3 was the fastest-selling f astest-selling Kindle ever .[41]  In late January 2011, Amazon announced that digital books were outselling their traditional print counterparts for the first time ever on its site, with an average of 115 Kindle editions being sold for f or every 100 paperback editions.[42]  editions.  An ad-supported version, the "Kindle with Special O Offers" ffers" was introduced on May 3, 2011, with a price reduction of $25 less at $114. On July 13, 2011, Amazon announced that due to a sponsorship agreement with AT&T, with   AT&T, the price of the Kindle 3G with Special Offers would be lowered to $139, $50 less than the Kindle 3G. 3G.[43] With the 2011 Kindle announcement, the price of the "Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers" was reduced to $99. The Kindle Keyboard generally received good reviews after launch. In their Kindle Keyboard Review, Review Horizon,[44] describes it as offering "the best reading experience in its class" while Engadge Horizon, Engadgett[45] says "In the standalone category, the Kindle is probably the one to beat".

 

 After the introduction of the low priced Kindle version, and Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire readers in Sept September  ember  2011 Amazon began describing the older Kindle version as the 'Kindle Keyboard' instead of the Kindle 3. At the time,  3G  time, 3G is not available for all countries.

[edit] edit]Fourth generation

Fourth-generation Kindle

edit]]Kindle [edit  Amazon announced the fourth generation generation Kindle on Septem September ber 28, 2011, offering models w with ith and without adsupport, retailing for $79 and $109 respectively. Retaining the 6 inch e-ink display of the previous Kindle model as well as Amazon's experimental web-browsing capability (when within Wi-fi range), the fourth generation Kindle features a slight reduction in weight and size siz e[46] as well as nine hard keys, a cursor pad, an on-screen rather than physical keyboard, a flash storage s torage capacity of 2GB, and an estimated one month battery life. life. [47][48] 

[edit] edit]Kindle Touch Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G  Amazon announced a touchscreen version of the Kindle on S September eptember 28, 2011; available with Wi-Fi ($99 adsupported, $139 no ads) or Wi-Fi/3G connectivity ($149 ad-supported, $189 no ads). Via 3G the device is able to connect to the Kindle Store, download books and periodicals, and access Wikipedia. Experimental web browsing (outside of Wikipedia) on Kindle Touch 3G is only available over Wi-Fi Wi-Fi..[49] (Kindle Keyboard continues without this restriction). The device uses the same 6-inch E-ink screen of the previous Kindle model, with the addition of an infrared touch-screen control. control .[46] Like its predecessor, the Kindle Touch has a capacity of 4GB and battery life of two months. months.[50] The Kindle Touch began to ship on November 15, 2011 (U.S.  Amazon announced in March March 2012 that the devi device ce would be available in the UK, UK, Germany, France, only).[51] Amazon only). Spain and Italy on April 27, 2012. 2012 .[52] 

[edit] edit]Fifth generation [edit] edit]Kindle

 

 Amazon announced a new version of the regular Kindle on September 6, 2012. It starts off at $69 for an adsupported version and $89 ad-free version. The new Kindle has also a black case (compared to the old one which was only available in silver-grey variant), better contrast, and hand-tuned fonts. It is claimed to have 15% faster page loads. It has 167 PPI pixel density d ensity and is the lightest Kindle at 5.98 oz (170 g).

[edit] edit]Kindle Paperwhite The Kindle Paperwhite was released on October 1, 2012 in the United States. It has a 6", 212 ppi display (an almost-XGA resolution of 758×1024) with built-in light that is adjustable with an on-screen menu, and has 2GB of storage. It is available in Wi-Fi ($119 ad-supported, ad-s upported, $139 no ads) and Wi-Fi + 3G ($179 ad-supported, $199 States..[54] The light is one of the main no ads) models, models,[53] with the ad supported one only available in the United States features of the Paperwhite, however the light level must be adjusted manually. The 3G access restrictions are the same as the Kindle Touch, and usage of the experimental browser over 3G is limited to 50 MB per  month.[55] Battery life is advertised at up to 8 weeks of reading, half an hour per day with wireless off and month. its  E constant light usage; this usage equals 28 hours. hours .[56]Instead of publishing the exact screen resolution of its  Ink  display, Amazon only states "62% more pixels ", Ink ", leaving the  the iRiver Story HD  HD (2011) with "63% more pixels " in their  LG LG  display (768×1024) still ahead in this point. The Kindle Paperwhite lacks physical buttons for page turning and auto-hyphenation. Except for the lock-screen/power button at its bottom, it relies solely on the touch screen interface. interface.[57]  Shortly after release, some users complained about the lighting implementation on the Kindle Paperwhite.[58] While not widespread, some users found the lighting to be inconsistent causing the bottom edge Paperwhite. to cast irregular shadows. The light can be dimmed significantly though not turned off completely. completely. [59] That feature can be added by changing the original firmware. firmware.[60] 

[edit edit]]LCD [edit] edit]Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire

Main article:  Kindle Fire  

 

 Amazon announced an  an Android Android-based tablet with a color touch screen on September 28, 2011. It was released for $199 and has a 7-inch  7-inch IPS IPS  display. This is the first Kindle without an  an E Ink  Ink display. The unit is capable of  holding over 80 applications, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books. Its web browser is the Amazon the   Amazon Silk  Silk cloud-accelerated browser. However, unlike previously released Kindles, it has no 3G option, cardr  r e eader. ader. It has 8GB of  but only has Wi-Fi. The Kindle Fire also lacks a microphone, camera, and an  an SD card storage and a projected battery life of up to eight hours hours..[61] 

edit]]Kindle Fire HD [edit

Main article:  Kindle Fire HD   The Kindle Fire HD is the second generation of Amazon's color touchscreen Kindle Fire tablet line announced on September 6, 2012. It is available in two form factors, facto rs, 7 inch and 8.9 inch screen sc reen sizes. The 7 inch version was released on September 14, while the 8.9 inch inc h model was released on November 20, 2012. The 8.9 inch model is only currently available in the United States. The Kindle Fire HD also has a built-in microphone, a micro USB port, a HDMI port, and a headphone jack.

edit]]Kindle [edit

applications

 Amazon released a "Kindle for PC" application in late late 2009, available as a free download for  Microsoft Microsoft  Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP. XP .[62] This application allows thousands of books to be read on a personal computer in color, with no Kindle unit required, as e-books can simply be purchased from Amazon's  Amazon later released a version version for the  the AppleMacintosh,  AppleMacintosh, in early 2010 2010..[64] In June 2010, Amazon store.[63] Amazon store. released a "Kindle for Android" version. With the  the  Google  Google Android  Android application release, versions for the Apple iPhone, the iPad, Windows and Mac computers, and BlackBerry cellphones are also available. available.[65] In January TouchPad((running 2011, Amazon released Kindle for Windows Phone 7. 7 .[66] In July 2011, Kindle for  HP TouchPad webOS)) was released in the US as a beta version version..[67] In August 2011, Amazon released an HTML5 under  webOS As of June 2012, based webapp supporting the Chrome and Safari browsers called Kindle Cloud Reader .[68]  As  Amazon has expressed no interest in releasing a similar a application pplication for the the  GNU GNU//Linux  Linux operating system, however the Cloud Reader can be used in Linux.

edit]]Kindle [edit

sales

Specific Kindle sales numbers are not released by the company; however,  however, Jeff Bezos Bezos,, founder and CEO of   Amazon.com, stated in a shareholders' meeting in January 2010 that "millions of people people now own Kindles".[69] According Kindles".  According to anonymous inside sources, over three million million Kindles had been sold as of December  million.[71] According to James 2009,[70] while external estimates, as of Q4-2009, place the number at about 1.5 million. 2009, mid-2010 .[72] On March 6, McQuivey of  Forrester Research, Research, estimates are ranging around four million, as of mid-2010. 2011, AT&T stores officially started sales of the Amazon Kindle.  Kindle.  [73] 

 

In 2010, Amazon remained the undisputed leader in the e-reader category, accounting for 59% of e-readers shipped, and it gained 14 percentage points in share. share .[74] According  According to an  an International Data Corporation  Corporation (IDC) study from March 2011, sales for all e-book readers worldwide reached 12.8 million in 2010; 48% of them were Kindles.[75]  Kindles. In December 2011, Amazon announced that customers had purchased "well over" one million Kindles per  week since the end of November 2011; this includes all available Kindle models and also the Kindle Fire tablet.[76] IDC estimated that the Kindle Fire sold about 4.7 million units during the fourth quarter of  tablet. 2012. [78]  2011.[77] Pacific Crest estimated that the Kindle Fire models sold 6 million units during Q4 2012. 2011.

[edit] edit]Document

availability

Content from Amazon and some other content providers is primarily encoded in Amazon's proprietary Kindle format ( AZW,  AZW, KF8) KF8). It is also possible to load content in various formats from a computer by transferring it to the Kindle via a USB cable or by emailing it to a registered email address provided by Amazon (for a fee via 3G, or free via Wi-Fi); the email service can convert a number of document formats to Amazon's AZW format and then transmit the result to the associated Kindle over Whispernet. In addition to published content such as books and periodicals, Kindle users can also access the Internet, free of charge, via either Wi -Fi or 3G 3G..[79] 

The New Yorker  subscribed on a "Kindle Keyboard" The Kindle's  Kindle's terms of use  use forbid transferring Amazon e-books to another user or a different type of  device.[80] However, Amazon now allows limited lending of certain titles. device. titles.[81]Users can select reading material using the Kindle itself or through a computer at the Amazon A mazon Kindle store and can download content through the Kindle Store, which upon the initial launch of the Kindle had more than 88,000 digital titles available for  download. This number continued steadily increasing to more than 275,000 by late 2008, and exceeded 500,000 in the spring of 2010. As of July 4, 2011, there were more than 765,000 books available for 

 

download,[82] about 36,000 of them in German. download, German.[83] In late 2007, new releases and  and  New York Times best sellers  were being offered for approximately US$11, with first chapters of many books offered as free samples. sellers Many titles, including some classics, are offered free of charge or at a low price, which has been stated to relate to the cost of adapting the book to the Kindle format. Magazines, newspapers and blogs via RSS are provided by Amazon per a monthly subscription fee or a free trial period. Newspaper subscriptions cost from US$1.99 to $27.99 per month; magazines charge between $1.25 and $10.99 per month, and blogs charge from  Amazon e-book sales overtook print for one day for the first time on Christm Christmas as $0.99 to $1.99 per month. month.[84] Amazon Day of 2009. 2009.[85]  International users of Kindle pay different prices for books depending on their registered country. For U.S. customers traveling abroad, Amazon originally charged a $1.99 fee to download books over 3G while overseas. That charge was quietly dropped in May 2010.[citation needed ] Fees remain for wireless delivery of  periodical subscriptions and personal documents. In addition to the Kindle store, paid content for the Kindle can be purchased from various independent sources Mobipocket  and  and Baen Ebooks Ebooks.. Public domain  domain titles are also obtainable for the Kindle via such as  as Fictionwise, Fictionwise, Mobipocket content providers such as  as Project Gutenberg, Gutenberg, The Internet Archive Archive,, Retroread and World Public Library.  According to Sammy King, the Kindle store has m more ore than twice as m much uch paid content as its nearest competitor, Barnes and Noble. Noble.[86]  The device is sold with electronic editions of its owner's manual; the U.S. version also includes the  the  New Oxford 

American Dictionary  and the UK version the  the  Oxford Dictionary of English  (not to be confused with the the  Oxford  English Dictionary ). Users can purchase different dictionaries from the Kindle store as specified in the included manual.[87][88] The Kindle also contains several free experimental features including a basic web manual. browser .[89] Users can also play music from MP3 files in the background in the order they were added to the system  updates are designed to be received wirelessly and installed automatically during a Kindle.  Operating system Kindle. period in sleep mode in which wireless is turned on on..[90] 

[edit] edit]File

formats

Kindle devices do not support the  the  EPUB  EPUB file format used by many other e-book readers. readers . Instead, they are designed to use Amazon's own e-book formats: AZW and, in later devices, KF8. Like EPUB, these formats are restrictions,, but unlike EPUB, they intended for reflowable, richly formatted e-book content and support  support  DRM restrictions formats.. Free software such as the  the free and open source source  calibre  or Amazon's KindleGe n n  [91] is are  proprietary formats are available to convert e-books into these formats. Kindle devices can also display some generic document formats such as  as plain text text  (TXT) and  and Portable Document Format  Format (PDF) files.

[edit] edit]Proprietary formats (AZW, KF8)

 

The first Kindle devices used the AZW e-book format, which is identical to the the  Mobipocket Mobipocket  (MOBI) format for  files that are not DRM-restricted. The Kindle Fire introduced the "Kindle Format 8" (KF8). (KF8) .[92] KF8 supports a subset and CSS3  CSS3 features, features,[93] while also acting as a container for a backwards-compatible MOBI content of  HTML5  HTML5 and  document.[94][95]  document.

[edit] edit]Format support by device The first generation Kindle can read only unprotected Mobipocket files (MOBI, PRC), plain text files (TXT), Topaz format books (TPZ), and Amazon's AZW format. The Kindle 2 added native PDF capability with the Version 2.3 firmware f irmware upgrade upgrade..[22] Earlier versions could not generally read PDF files, but Amazon provided "experimental" conversion to the native AZW format, format , [96] with the caveat that not all PDFs may format correctly. correctly.[97] The Kindle 2 added the ability to read the  the  Audible  Audible Enhanced (AAX) format, but dropped the ability to read Audible versions 2 and 3. The Kindle 2 c can an also display  HTML  display HTML files stored on the unit. The fourth/fifth generation Kindles, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G, and Kindle Paperwhite can display AZW, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, and PRC files natively. HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and B BMP MP are usable through conversion. The Touch and Touch 3G can also play Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX) and MP3  Amazon indicated in 2012 that the fourth generation Kindles will be updated to support the the KF8 files.[98] Amazon files. format.[99]  format.

edit]]Email conversion [edit  Amazon offers an email-based service that will convert  convert GIF GIF,, PNG  PNG and and  BMP BMP  graphics to AZW AZW..[100]  Amazon Amazon will and Microsoft Word Word  (DOC) documents through the same email-based mechanism, also convert  convert HTML  HTML pages and  which will send a Kindle-formatted file to the device via 3G for $0.15 per MB or via WiFi for free. These services can be accessed to Kindle devices, Apple iOS devices running Kindle app version 2.9 or greater, and And Android roid devices running Kindle app version 3.5 or greater .[101] 

edit]]Multiple [edit

device abilities and organization

 A book may be downloaded downloaded from Amazon to several devices at the same tim time. e. The devices sharing the book must be registered to the same Amazon account. A sharing limit typically ranges from one to six devices, depending on an undisclosed number of licenses set s et by the book publisher. When a limit is reached, the user  must remove the book from some device [102] or unregister a device containing the book boo k[103] in order to add a book to another device. The original Kindle and Kindle 2 did not allow the user to organize books into folders. The user could only select what type of content to display on the home screen scre en and whether to organize by author, title, or download

 

date. Kindle software version 2.5 (released July 2010) allowed for f or the organization of books into "Collections" which roughly corresponds to folders except for the fact that a collection can not include incl ude other collections, and that one book may be added to multiple collections. These collections are normally set and organized on the Kindle itself, one book at a time.  time. calibre calibre  had a plugin that made it possible to organize these collections on a computer, but this plugin no longer functions on newer models (Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire). There remains no option to organize by series or series order, as the AZW format does not possess the needed metadata fields.

edit]]User-crea [edit User-created ted

annotations

Users can bookmark, highlight and look up content. c ontent. Pages can be bookmarked for reference and notes can be added to relevant content. While a book is open on the display, menu options allow users to search for  synonyms  synonyms and definitions from the built-in dictionary. The device also remembers the last page read for  each book. Pages can be saved as a "clipping", or a text file containing the text of the currently displayed page.  All clippings are appended to to a single file, which which can be downloaded over over a USB cable cable.. [104] Due to TXT  format of the clippings file all formattings like bold, italics, bigger fonts for headlines etc. are stripped the  TXT the off the original text.

[edit] edit]Textbook rentals On July 18, 2011, Amazon began a program that allows college students to rent Kindle textbooks from three different publishers for a fixed period of time. time .[105] 

[edit edit]]Kindle

Development Kit (KDK) and active content

On January 21, 2010, Amazon announced the f orthcoming release of its Kindle Development Kit Kit..[106] Its aim is to allow developers to build 'active content' for the Kindle, and a beta version was announced with a February 2010 release date. A number of companies have already experimented with delivering active content through the Kindle's bundled browser, and the KDK promises 'sample code, c ode, documentation and the Kindle Simulator' together with a new revenue sharing model for developers. developers.[107]  The KDK is based on the Java Programming Language, specifically, the Personal Basis 1.1.2 (JSR 217) flavor  of packaged Java APIs.  As of March 2012 Kindle store store offers over 200 items la labeled beled as active content content..[108] These items include simple applications and games, including a free set provided by Amazon Digital Services. Services. [109] To the date the active content is only available in the US (or with US billing address).

[edit] edit]Kindle

Direct Publishing

Concurrently with the Kindle device, Amazon launched Kindle Direct Publishing, where authors and publishers independently publish their books directly to Kindle and Kindle Apps worldwide. In open  open beta testing  testing as of late

 

2007, the platform has been promoted to established authors by an e-mail e-mail[110] and by advertisements at  Amazon.com. Authors can upload documents in several formats formats for delivery via Whispernet and charge between $0.99 and $200.00 per download. download.[110]  In a December 5, 2009 interview with  with  The New York Times , CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that Amazon.com keeps 65% of the revenue from all ebook sales for the Kindle. Kindle.[111] The remaining 35% is split between the book author  and publisher. After numerous commentators observed that Apple's popular   App App Store Store  offers 70% of royalties to the publisher, Amazon began a program that offers 70% royalties to Kindle publishers who agree to certain have  caused conditions.[112] Some of these conditions, such as the inability to opt out of the lendability feature, have conditions. some controversy. controversy.[113]  Other criticisms involve the  the  business model  model behind Amazon's implementation and distribution of ebooks.[114][115] Amazon books.  Amazon introduced a software software application allowi allowing ng Kindle books to be read on an iPhone or iPod  Amazon soon followed followed with an application called "Kindle for PCs" PCs" that can be run on a Windows PC. Touch.[116] Amazon Touch. Due to the book publisher's DRM policies, Amazon claims that there is no  no right of first sale  sale with e-books.  Amazon states they are licensed, not purchased; so unlike unlike paper books, buyers do not actually own their ebooks according to Amazon. This has however never been tested in the courts and the outcome of any action by Amazon is by no means certain. c ertain. The law is in a state of flux in jurisdictions around the world world.. [117][118]   Amazon has reported the Kindle Kindle version of  Fifty Shades of Grey  sold more than double that of Amazon's print sales of the book, and, in June 2012, the Kindle edition became the first to sell more than one million copies.[119]  copies.

[edit] edit]Remote

content removal

On July 17, 2009, Amazon.com withdrew certain Kindle titles,  titles,  Animal Farm  and and  Nineteen Eighty- 

Four  by  by George Orwell Orwell,, from sale, refunded the cost to those who had purchased them, and remotely deleted these titles from purchasers' devices after discovering that the publisher lacked rights to publish the titles in question.[120] Notes and annotations for the books made by users on their devices were left in a separate file, question. but "rendered useless" without the content they were directly linked to. to.[121][122] The move prompted outcry and comparisons to Nineteen Eighty-Four itself. In the novel, books, magazines and newspapers in public archives arc hives that contradict the ruling party are either edited long after being published or destroyed outright; the removed materials go "down the  the memory hole" hole", the nickname for an incinerator chute. chute .[123] Customers and commentators noted the resemblance to the censorship in the novel, and described Amazon's action in  in  Orwellian  Orwellian terms. Some critics also argued that the deletion violated the Kindle's Terms of Service, which states in part: part: [124]  "Upon your payment of the applicable fees set by Amazon, Amazon grants you the non-exclusive right to keep a permanent copy of the applicable Digital Content and to view, use and display such Digital Content an

 

unlimited number of times, solely on the Device or as authorized by Amazon as part of the Service and solely for your personal, non-commercial use."  Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener Herdener stated that the com company pany is "... changing our sy systems stems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices in these circumstances." circumstances."[125] On July 23, 2009, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos posted an apology about the company's handling of the matter on Amazon's official Kindle forum. Bezos said the action was "stupid", and that the executives at Amazon "deserve the criticism received. received."" [126]  On July 30, 2009, Justin Gawronski, a Michigan high school senior, and Antoine Bruguier, a California engineer, filed suit against Amazon in the  the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Washington..  Gawronski argued that Amazon had violated its terms of service by remotely deleting the copy of  Nineteen 

Eighty-Four he had purchased, in the process preventing him from accessing annotations he had written. Bruguier also had his copy deleted without his consent, c onsent, and found Amazon practiced "deceit" in an email exchange. The complaint, which requested class-action status, asked for both monetary and injunctive relief .[122][127] The case was settled on September 25, 2009, with Amazon agreeing to pay $150,000 divided between the two plaintiffs, on the understanding that the law firm representing them,  them,  Kamber Edelson LLC LLC,,  [128] "...will donate its portion of that fee to a charitable organization...". organization...".  The settlement also saw Amazon guaranteeing wider rights to Kindle owners over its eBooks: For copies of Works purchased pursuant to TOS granting "the non-exclusive right to keep a permanent copy" of each purchased Work and to "view, use and display [such Works] an unlimited number of times, solely on the [Devices]. . . and solely for [the purchasers'] personal, non-commercial use", Amazon will not remotely delete or modify such Works from Devices purchased and being used in the United States unless (a) the user  consents to such deletion or modification; (b) the user requests a refund for the Work W ork or otherwise fails to pay for the Work (e.g., if a credit or debit card issuer declines to remit payment); (c) a judicial or regulatory order  requires such deletion or modification; or (d) deletion or modification is reasonably rea sonably necessary to protect the consumer or the operation of a Device or network through which the Device communicates (e.g., to remove harmful code embedded within a copy of a W ork downloaded to a Device). Device).[129]  On September 4, 2009, Amazon offered affected users a restoration of the deleted ebooks, an Amazon gift certificate, or a check for the amount of $30. $30 .[130]  In December 2010, three eBooks by author Selena Kitt were removed due to violations of Amazon's publishing guidelines. For what Amazon describes as "a brief period of time," the books were unavailable for redownload by users who had already purchased pu rchased them. This ability was restored after it was br brought ought to Amazon's attention; however, no remote deletion took place. place .[131]