Sharp have been wowing with their display technology at the SID conference; their five-color LCD stands to revolutionize accuracy-dependent industries like graphic design, and now they’re hoping to do similar things with mobile displays. The Sharp Memory LCD is intended to drastically cut power requirements of a traditional LCD display by reducing the energy each individual pixel requires to remain in its current state.
The 1.4mm thick display pairs pixel-memory with a new reflective display technology which reduces the need for backlighting. Thanks to that, power consumption is down to just 15 µW, compared to standard 1mW STN displays.
Right now the prototype is only 1.35-inches square, and displays a monochrome image. However smooth-moving graphics are apparently possible, which is more than you can say about e-ink based displays; Sharp are offering them as samples for $25. Color displays, plus different shapes and sizes, are in the works, with Sharp suggesting possible uses as including cellphones, watches, remote controls and wrist-top computers.
