Pixel Qi Makes LCDs More Efficient and Sunlight-Readable

Liquid Crystal Displays were a great breakthrough when they were created, but the one issue that has still not been resolved is their lack of or reduced visibility when exposed to sunlight. Basically, this issue makes notebooks and netbooks more or less unusable outdoors. To remedy this problem, Pixel Qi has come forward with what it claims is a variant of transflective LCD screens that suffers no sort of impact upon visibility and image clarity when exposed to sunlight.

Pixel Qi is not very well known in the IT industry as a whole, but it is quite a presence on the e-reader market, where its screens distinguish themselves from competing solutions through the fact that they are capable of color and can even play back video.

This latest invention from the company will initially be aimed at netbooks and is hoped to make the display manufacturer better known. Basically, the new displays "use half to one quarter the power of a regular LCD screen, and when integrated carefully with the device can increase battery life between charges by fivefold."

As a variant of existing transflective screens, the Pixel Qi display has a very fast response time and can use incident light as a substitute for the backlighting. Incident light is bounced back off reflectors behind each pixel and then brought back through the displays. As such, consumers will be able to actually turn off the backlighting completely when outdoors, this being the main factor behind the up to five-fold increase in battery life.

The new displays will be made available in DIY kits by the end of the second quarter. The company also assures customers that the screens’ colors aren't washed out by the sunlight, thanks to the use of a suitable combination of display coatings. Exact prices are not yet known.