E Ink launches ultra-mouldable e-paper display tech

E Ink finished the week with news that it has launched a new generation of e-paper cells. Normally used for devices such as the Amazon Kindle or basic displays on flash drives, the new cells are as much as 40 percent thinner and can be cut into either unusual 2D shapes or bent into regular forms, such as curves. They also survive harsher temperatures, the designer says, allowing the extremely power-efficient designs to stand more exposure outside.

The technology is already being demonstrated in a Delphi wireless key fob that lets car owners find their vehicle or check the status of certain elements of the car, such as the gas or the lights, without having to visit the vehicle itself; no production hints have been given away for the fob, though the design is likely to find its way into American vehicles based on Delphi's business.

E Ink doesn't name any other future products but notes that iRex's iLiad and the Sony Reader also use earlier technology for their e-paper displays and that customers can have any custom display ready to build within three months, putting the earliest launches of the new cells towards fall 2008.