eBook Reader

The full name of an e-book should be an e-book reader. Broadly speaking, any handheld device that mainly reads e-books can be called an e-book. This type of product has been on the market for a long time, using a dot matrix LCD screen or TFT screen.

Highfive ebook reader A

Ebook Reader ink screen

In a narrow sense, only e-book readers that use electronic ink screens or similar technologies can be called e-books. E-books have existed for a long time, but they have not been popular because there is no mature system. It wasn’t until Amazon developed the kindle e-books relying on a huge e-book sales network that it really detonated the e-book market.

Principle of ebook reader ink screen

As early as 1975, Nicholas Sheridon, a researcher at Xerox PARC, proposed the concept of electronic paper.

However, due to some decision-making issues, it was not until April 1996 that Bell Labs made a real electronic paper.

Electronic paper technology is also emerging endlessly. Sony, Funai Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Philips, LG, SUN Chemical Company (in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati), Bridgestone (in cooperation with Chiba University), and other manufacturers have launched electronic paper with independent technology.

However, the current market share is the highest, the most mature, and the most widely used is E ink’s microcapsule electrophoresis display technology.

The surface of the electronic paper is a layer of transparent material, which is used as the electrode terminal; the bottom is the other electrode of the electronic paper, and the microcapsule is sandwiched between the two electrodes.

When the microcapsule is subjected to a negative electric field, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule with a positive charge, and the corresponding position is displayed as white; the black particles reach the bottom of the microcapsule under the force of the electric field due to the negative charge, and the user cannot see the black. If the electric field acts in the opposite direction, the display effect is also opposite.

As long as the direction of the electric field is changed, the display can be switched between black and white, and the text or picture can be displayed.

Advantages of ebook Reader

The advantages of e-books are particularly prominent compared to other handheld devices. The first is that the screen does not flicker, and reading for a long time will not cause dry eyes. The second, the long battery life. Because e-ink electronic paper is very power-saving, thousands of pages of books can be read on a single charge.

Compared with traditional books, e-books are undoubtedly more space-saving and easier to carry. And e-books can also integrate simple functions such as music playback and recording.

Disadvantages of ebook Reader

The price is high, and the price of a mid-range e-book is comparable to the price of a high-end mobile phone or netbook, which is difficult for ordinary working-class people to accept.

The response speed is relatively slow compared to other electronic products. I’m used to LCD screens with a response speed of milliseconds, and I feel very slow when I look at the e-ink screen. In fact, the speed of turning pages of an e-book is about the same as the speed of turning pages by hand when reading a book.

Ebook Reader ultra-low power consumption

The electronic ink screen does not turn pages and consumes no power. This is the key to the long battery life of e-books. After one-page turning is completed, the display content of the screen does not need power support. So you can read slowly without worrying about battery issues at all. This is why the battery life of e-books is not marked in hours.

The display effect of the ebook reader is determined by the software

The screen display effect of the e-book is determined by the software. Some e-books can display 16-degree grayscale, and some can only display 4-degree grayscale. Some will leave traces of the previous page after turning the page, while others will not.

Some consumers may think this is a problem with screen quality. In fact, this is determined by the software. If you compare the e-books of various manufacturers, you will find that some e-books have better screen display, faster response, no traces, and more gray levels.

This is not because the manufacturer has the ability to buy better quality screens, but because they have the ability to develop better e-book systems. This also shows that the price of e-books with a slightly poorer screen display is still very high because their costs are the same