Ask HN: Coding on a color e-paper monitor
Has anyone ever used a color e-paper display as the monitor to their computer? Can it be done currently? I think it would be nice to code with that kind of display.
http://tinyapps.org/docs/e-ink-monitor.html
Would love to hear about any other options, color or b&w.
1.) The first problem is "refresh rate" and all of the existing e-ink/e-paper components still suck when compared to other display technologies (LCD, CRT, ...). This means anything requiring a fast redraw (pointer movement, games, video, ...) will look like crap on e-ink/e-paper.
2.) The second problem is color depth. The majority of "color" e-ink/e-paper components can only do 4-bit (16 colors) to 8-bit (256 colors). Your average modern LCD/CRT typically does 24-bit color (16 Million Colors) but some specialized displays can handle even more (32-bit color -- 4.3 Billion colors). At the moment, the very best color e-ink/e-paper displays/components can do 12-bit color (4096 colors), and it is adequate for a lot of uses, but it still makes high-color images a bit goofy.
3.) The third problem is physical size. The majority of e-ink/e-paper displays are fairly small (according to my personal tastes) and are typically no bigger than a 14 inch diagonal. Some people like small, somewhat portable displays, but I hate them. The only 14" display I own is part of a dumb terminal. There is only one 21 inch diagonal e-ink/e-paper display that I know of (out side of prototypes in various company labs) but ordering one is painful.
4.) The fourth problem is resolution. As you probably know from all the mindless squawking around the new iPad 3 "Retina" display, high resolution displays/components are highly desirable. The new(ish)ly prevalent television/video/image standards of 1080P (1920x1080) and 720P (1280x720) make high resolution an important factor. The very best color e-ink/e-paper display in production can barely do the latter (it does 1280x960 on 21").
The primary "selling point" of e-ink/e-paper is now (and has always been) power consumption, and hence, battery life. If used as a typical computer display (running on wall current), battery life is a non-issue.
The most interesting "selling point" of e-ink/e-paper is the advantages it provides to people with vision impairments. The human eye evolved to see light reflected from objects, not stare at the sun, and all display tech besides e-ink/e-paper is equivalent to staring at the sun. People who have trouble with various forms of eye strain or light sensitivity are always better off with e-ink/e-paper. Even people with no vision impairments often prefer e-ink/e-paper to LCD/CRT.
An example product using the mentioned 21 inch e-ink/e-paper display is here, but buying one from Delta is a real pain in the ass (I tried last year):
http://www.delta.com.tw/product/rd/epaper/product/product_de...
http://www.delta.com.tw/product/rd/epaper/index.asp
The display component itself is called AeroBee and is built by Bridgestone Corporation:
http://www.delta.com.tw/press/press_detail.asp?sid=1&id=...
Also, Vivitek seems to have a product based on AeroBee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiVB06ZPt_U
EDIT: It seems I stand corrected; Delta plans to release a 40" e-paper display in 2012.