One of the hit tech wonders of the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was a schizophrenic screen called the Pixel Qi that may solve some major problems for e-book manufacturers. Foremost among those problems is how to extend battery life in the forthcoming power-gobbling generation of tablets.

The principle is simple enough. “The gray-and-white E Ink displays on devices like the Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook do not have color and cannot show video,” writes the New York Times‘s Brad Stone. “Computers can, but text is difficult to read in full sunlight on laptop displays, which also hog battery power and can strain the eyes when reading for long periods.”

Like a hybrid car that alternates between gas and battery power, the Pixel Qi maximizes energy efficiency. Earlier this week we wondered whether the soon-to-be-announced Apple iSlate might be a battery-drainer. Could Pixel Qi be the remedy?

Read One Screen to Read It All and judge. But if the iSlate doesn’t use Pixel Qi, don’t be surprise if others do. A half-dozen manufacturers “were showing devices with Pixel Qi’s screen behind the scenes at the show and preparing to sell them later this year,” says Stone.

Richard Curtis

Every Blogger owes a debt of gratitude to newspapers and magazines. This posting relies on original research and reporting performed by the New York Times.