E Ink Corporation announced on Wednesday that both Casio and Hitachi will use its E Ink Vixplex Imaging Film for the outside displays of their upcoming clamshell cellular phones. The company specializes in electronic paper display technologies, and promises its technology will decrease the energy used by the devices. While the Hitachi W61 was previewed back in January, the Casio Model G??™zOne is all new.
Both products are made by Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications (CHMC) Co. of Japan, and are the first clamshells in the world to use E Ink's electronic paper technology. More models with similar display layouts will follow, the company promises. The displays are clearly visible in direct sunlight, offer 180-degree viewing angles, and are flexible and thin, CHMC executives say.
The 2.7-inch diagonal E Ink display in the W61H scrolls through 96 different images when a call or message is received or the phone is opened. The clamshell, designed to look like a perfume bottle, will be available in other colors and display styles when it launches, although no information has been released about launch dates nor prices.
Hitachi W61H and Casio Model G'zOne
The Casio phone to use a "Silhoutte" E Ink exterior display will join the company's Model G'zOne range, which will display information such as time, battery life, signal strength and, presumably incoming call information. The Casio will launch in Japan this summer, though prices have not been revealed. Both phones will be sold by carrier KDDI in Japan.
Source: Electronista
