Pixel Qi, the company behind innovative screen technology used on OLPC laptops and known for ultra low power consumption, has announced that it, along with Display Solutions company, has developed a way to use its display tech in embedded applications. The companies have demonstrated a 10.1" Pixel Qi display with a special USB driver that only consumes 1.5W.

“We are pleased that Display Solutions has adopted our low-power, use-anywhere screens in a way that will enable many new applications and device types," said Mary Lou Jepsen, chief executive officer and founder of Pixel Qi.

In order to make the Pixel Qi display technology available for the embedded market and for developers and individual users, Display Solution AG adapted Pixel Qi screen to its latest display driver board generation (d.screen-Hybrid) which supports USB /Wireless-USB (based on DisplayLink technology) as well as Ethernet (10/100/1000Mb) connected displays. As a result, the two companies announced this week a sunlight readable USB-connected display system solution with a total power consumption of 1.5W. All of the power is delivered from USB, no battery or power adaptor is needed.

The Pixel Qi screen used is an innovative 10.1” TFT LCD with LED backlight which supports 1024x600 mode and can display 262K colors in the transmissive mode. The screen also uses any roomlight or sunlight available to support two low power modes: a transflective mode where the backlight stays and any roomlight adds to the screen brightness, and a pure reflective mode that is black and white (with 64 grayscales) which is bright and clear even in direct sunlight. This technology enables subpixel rendering, standard now with most operating systems, and higher actual (native) resolution (3072x600) for very crisp text.

"Our working with Pixel Qi screens is enabling an important step forward in low-power systems – and we believe these will find great use in many fields where portable screens are needed," said Norbert Feuchtgruber, chief executive officer of Display Solution AG.

Tags: Pixel QI, Display Solutions