Changing netbook screen "like changing a lightbulb"

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 8 Mar 2010 at 11:08

Pixel Qi claims that manually swapping a netbook screen for one its hybrid panels will be "like changing a lightbulb".

The company plans to offer the hybrid screens as part of a DIY kit, allowing people to swap out their own 10in netbook panels.

The low-power Pixel Qi screen can flick between ePaper and LCD modes, though the company claims even the LCD mode will be far more readable under fluorescent lighting than current screens.

It’s only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb: it’s basically six screws, pulling off a bezel, unconnecting the old screen and plugging this one in

However, while the screens should offer significant benefits over standard panels - including prolonging battery life - people will be understandably nervous about taking their netbooks apart.

It's a concern that Pixel Qi chief executive, Mary Lou Jepsen, was keen to address. "Most people are scared to change their laptop screen," she wrote in a post on the Pixel Qi blog.

"It’s only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb: it’s basically six screws, pulling off a bezel, unconnecting the old screen and plugging this one in. That’s it. It’s a five minute operation," she claimed, somewhat optimistically.

Pixel Qi plans to start shipping the DIY kits "towards the end of Q2". The company also claims to have signed deals with device manufacturers, but there's no word on when the first products fitted with Pixel Qi screens will begin to appear.