Ever since the Apple iPad hit the stores, tablets are all the rage and the netbook market is slowly dying out. Everyday there are more news of companies working hard to release their own tablets.
But before you decide to replace your trusty netbook, maybe you can consider upgrading it and breath some new life into it. One of the best ways to do that is to replace the netbook's display with one that can switch between color LCD screens and e-reader-like black-and-white displays.
Made by Pixel Qi, the 3Qi display operates in three modes: a full-color LCD transmissive mode; a low-power, sunlight-readable, reflective e-paper mode; and a transflective mode, which makes the LCD display visible in sunlight.
The 10.1-inch displays became available on July 1 through online retailer Maker Shed's website. The initial stock sold out in under a day, after which Maker Shed made the US$275 display available for pre-order, and will resume shipment "by the middle of this week," according to the website.
"Sales have been much higher than expected -- but we have the screens and are delighted about the enthusiastic reception from individuals running small projects. We are pleased to be able to support their efforts," said Mary Lou Jepsen, CEO of Pixel Qi, in an e-mail.
For now, Pixel Qi says it can guarantee the compatibility of the displays, which cost $275 each, with only two models of netbooks–the Samsung N130 and Lenovo S10. But the screen works in most other models and swapping out existing netbooks screens for those from Pixel Qi is a simple DIY tweak. "Changing the screen of your netbook is easy, the process takes about 5-10 minutes using a small screwdriver. It's simple," says Jepsen.
Beyond enthusiasts, Pixel Qi is also focused on working with "bigger customers," says Jepsen. Tablet maker Notion Ink has shown its upcoming Adam tablet uses a 3Qi display, while Pixel Qi in March signed a deal with One Laptop Per Child to develop screens for future XO devices. It is likely that a variant of the 3Qi screen will appear on OLPC's XO-3 tablet, which will also function as an e-book reader.
Check out this howto video from Maker's Shed on installing the 3Qi screen into an Acer netbook.
