Sharp may not do much in terms of ePaper, but they know their way around an LCD. And they’ve just shown off a new type of eight-colour LCD that can hold a static image even when the power is cut.

The 14.1, 6.1, 2.4 and 1.7-inch displays are believe to use a cholesteric LCD material to freeze the images. Power specifications were not provided, but freezing data into the display apparently takes a “relatively large” amount of energy.

And while Sharp hasn’t pitched the tech for displaying the newspaper, they do see a lot of potential in the commercial market. One Osaka grocery is already testing several smaller displays that are hooked up to Wi-Fi and can change prices easily. The same principle would work well for nightly restaurant specials and the ever-fluctuating pricepoints at children’s lemonade stands everywhere. [Tech-On via Slashgear]