Sneak peek at Pixel Qi's first 3Qi hybrid display

Pixel Qi has given a glimpse of its 3Qi hybrid display that combines three separate modes: black-and-white, e-paper and full-color. The 3Qi is planned for release in late-2009 and will feature a 10.1-inch diagonal screen suited for mini-laptops and ebook readers.

Screens for regular laptop will become available if there's demand for the technology. According to Pixel Qi, the 3Qi readability and legibility rivals the best epaper on the market today, can be read in full sunlight, consumes half to a quarter the power of a regular LCD screen and has a fivefold increase in battery life.

Pixel Qi founder Mary Lou Jepsen has posted the first images of the 3Qi screen with two side-by-side images, one in full color saturation with back light on, the other in epaper mode with back light off.

Jepsen's company was one of the driving forces behind the the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, founded by Nicholas Negroponte in 2005, which aimed to produce a laptop for less than USD$100 to assist children living in remote or disadvantaged areas with their learning. The 3Qi display won’t be aimed at future OLPC devices, although Pixel Qi is working on future designs for the OLPC project.

The first screens will be shown privately at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan, from June 2-6 and by appointment at SID Display Week in San Antonio, Texas, until June 5.

More information at Pixel Qi.

David Greig