E-ink displays are great in sunlight, but useless in the dark. So with hopes of ridding the world of stupid reading lamps, this super thin film promises to add a front light to your e-reader without sacrificing its battery life.
Depending on the size of the device, Flex Lighting’s light guide film can evenly illuminate an entire e-ink display with just a single LED light source tucked away at the side. It not only helps keep the device thin, but also means there’s a minimal draw on its battery. When used on e-Readers the film is laminated directly to the display, but since it’s as thin as 50 microns it’s completely invisible and doesn’t hinder touch functionality.
Flex Lighting has yet to announce any partnerships with major e-Reader manufacturers, but the film can apparently also be used in backlit displays like LCDs providing the same power and space saving benefits. Because it’s so flexible, it can even be used in the roll-up electronic displays that science fiction writers thought we’d be using by now. But sadly, they’re still no where in sight. [FLEx Lighting via The eBook Reader]