The Everywhere Display on the 3Qi from Pixel Qi was a clear winner, according to IEEE Spectrum’s report of LCD display winners and losers. The liquid crystal display, created by Pixel Qi founder Mary Lou Jepsen, had the ability to change its display to optimal lighting depending on the environment and what’s displayed. It went from rich, vibrant colors to a low-energy, non-backlit option that let you read black and white text on what looks like paper. This second option allowed it to be used outside or when the device battery was low. 

As of 2015, Pixel Qi and its Everywhere Display vanished from the market. However, the concept of a display for smartphones and laptops that functions just as well inside as it does outside—and has a power-saving mode that prolongs battery life—is still in high demand.

Jepsen’s new take on the LCD screen left the competition of the first decade of the 2000s in the dust. It was bright and easy to read, regardless of ambient light, and maintained its ability to show rapidly moving images regardless of whether it’s in low power mode or not. This was a major win in the early days of the display industry, which had mostly adopted movie screen lighting that was great inside or for dark rooms but pretty much useless for working outside or in a lot of natural light.

By simply switching to reflective mode, users of Jepsen’s Pixel 3Qi got triple the resolution of its regular mode, 200 dots per square inch. In poor lighting, the 3Qi could be switched to its lowest setting, which added color and also increases contrast.

Inside, the 3Qi provided high-contrast color and easy viewing for movies. Outside, you could switch to black and white mode for easily reading text and saving battery power simultaneously.

To make the 3Qi, Jepsen and her team reassessed and changed nearly every part of a traditional LCD screen: the polarizers, filters, masks, electrodes, optical retarders—even the liquid crystals themselves. By getting rid of the color filters that most LCD screens use, the 3Qi made each rectangular subpixel of a screen reflective, maximizing its mirror quality as much as possible. This led to much better visibility outside than other screens—laptops and smartphones alike.

Although the 3Qi didn’t stay on the market, Jepsen’s work has informed the current generation of displays as a pioneer in the field of display innovation.


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