Company:E Ink Corporation
![]() | |
Type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Founded | 1997 |
Founder | J.D. Albert, Barrett Comiskey, Joseph Jacobson, Jerome Rubin and Russ Wilcox |
Headquarters | Hsinchu, Taiwan and Billerica, Massachusetts, United States[1] |
Parent | E Ink Holdings |
Website | http://eink.com |
E Ink Corporation (E Ink) is a subsidiary of E Ink Holdings (EIH), a Taiwanese Holding Company (8069.TWO) manufacturer of electrophoretic displays marketed under the name E Ink, a kind of electronic paper. E Ink is located in Billerica, Massachusetts, and was co-founded in 1997 by undergraduates J.D. Albert & Barrett Comiskey, Joseph Jacobson (professor in the MIT Media Lab), Jerome Rubin (LexisNexis co-founder) and Russ Wilcox.[2] Two years later, E Ink partnered with Philips to develop and market the technology. Jacobson and Comiskey are listed as inventors on the original patent filed in 1996.[3] Albert, Comiskey and Jacobsen were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2016.[4] In 2005, Philips sold the electronic paper business as well as its related patents to Prime View International (PVI).
E Ink has since partnered with various companies, including Sony, Motorola and Amazon, to allow for the development of products like the Sony Reader, MOTOFONE F3, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kindle and Kobo eReader, which all utilize E Ink displays.
On June 1, 2009, E Ink announced an agreement to be purchased by one of its primary business partners, PVI, a Hsinchu, Taiwan-based manufacturer, for over $400 million.[5] It is predicted that the acquisition will speed the development of color E Ink.[6] PVI renamed itself E Ink Holdings Inc. after the purchase. In December 2012, E Ink acquired SiPix, a rival electrophoretic display company.[7][8]
E Ink's "Vizplex" technology is used by Nook, Kindle 2, txtr Beagle and Kobo Mini. E Ink's "Pearl" technology is claimed to have a 50% better contrast ratio. It is used by 2011-2012 Kindle models, Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch, Kobo Touch and Sony PRS-T1. E Ink's "Carta" technology is used by Kindle Paperwhite (2nd and 3rd generation), Kindle Voyage, Kobo Glo HD, Kobo Aura H2O and Kindle Oasis. At SID Display Week in May 2016, E Ink announced Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP), a high quality, full-color reflective display capable of displaying up to 32,000 colors.[9] It was expected for commercial production in the next two years.[10]
References
- ↑ "E Ink: Contact Us". http://www.eink.com/contact_us.html. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ↑ "E Ink’s wild ride". Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin. Sep 2009. https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Pages/story-bulletin.aspx?num=2760.
- ↑ Joseph Jacobson, Barrett Comiskey, "Nonemissive displays and piezoelectric power supplies therefor", US patent filing date 25-Oct-1996 5930026
- ↑ "National Inventors Hall of Fame announces 2016 inductees". http://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-inventors-hall-of-fame-announces-2016-inductees/.
- ↑ "Russ Wilcox Steps Down at E Ink---Smart Energy Venture Next? Xconomy". http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2010/03/01/russ-wilcox-steps-down-at-e-ink-smart-energy-venture-next/. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ E-Ink's Sale Clears Path for Color Kindle in 2010 FastCompany
- ↑ "E Ink Holdings - About Us". http://www.einkgroup.com/about_us.php?recordId=195.
- ↑ "E Ink acquires SiPix, may dominate e-paper universe". https://www.engadget.com/2012/08/04/e-ink-acquires-sipix-may-dominate-e-paper-universe/.
- ↑ "E Ink Announces Advanced Color ePaper, a Breakthrough Technology for Color EPD Applications | Business Wire". http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524006209/en/Ink-Announces-Advanced-Color-ePaper-Breakthrough-Technology.
- ↑ Ulanoff, Lance. "The future of ultra-low-powered displays is finally in living color". http://mashable.com/2016/05/24/color-e/.
External links
- Official Site of E Ink