Low-Power Screens

A San Francisco-based startup is developing low-power displays that are easy to view in bright sunlight. Pixel Qi’s first color displays, which are intended for mobile devices such as e-book readers and netbooks, have already begun mass production. The displays use between a quarter and half the power of conventional LCD screens, giving a typical netbook about an hour of additional battery life. A reflector behind the screen allows the device to take advantage of ambient light, and the display, unlike an LCD screen, refreshes only when necessary. Pixel Qi was cofounded by Mary Lou Jepsen, who was the first CTO of the One Laptop per Child project.

Credit: Henry Westheim / Asia Photo Connection