HP announces eSkins

New flexible reflective colour film available to gadget manufacturers

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1 June 2009 17:05 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

HP has announced the launch of a new display technology that can be used to personalise consumer electronics products including mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, netbooks and notebooks.

HP describes Electronic Skins, or eSkins, as a flexible reflective colour film that can be applied to a variety of devices and can reflectively display icons and alphanumeric characters.

"HP’s eSkins technology allows our partners in the consumer electronics industry to further differentiate their products by introducing a dynamic, durable and reflective digital surface to enable new design freedom", said Ken Abbott, director, emerging technology, technology development organisation, inkjet and web solutions business, HP.

Using a technology said to be similar to colour printing, HP is looking at producing specific ink colours within the Pantone range.

HP says: "The vibrant, print-quality colours have excellent visibility in direct sunlight and can electronically shift into a transparent state, revealing the surface below the eSkins film".