E Ink announced that Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications in Japan has selected E Ink Vizplex Imaging Film based displays for its newest family of mobile phones. CH-Mobile is planning on several product releases. These are the world’s first clamshell style mobile phones to use E Ink’s electronic paper technology on the outside.

“We wanted features such as outdoor sunlight readability, 180 degree viewing angle, extremely thin, rugged, flexible display that consumed very little power,” said Satoshi Shirasawa, Marketing Manager for CHMC. “E Ink’s electrophoretic display technology provided all that and more, something we could not get from other display technologies.”

The Hitachi W61H phone was the first of these product releases, featuring a secondary display utilizing E Ink Vizplex display on the external surface of the phone. Famous Japanese designer SeKiYuRiO created the Hitachi W61H to resemble a perfume bottle. The 2.7″ diagonal E Ink display scrolls through 96 different images in a stylish animation and is activated when a call or message is received, or when the clamshell phone is opened for use. The W61H comes in several colors and display styles and is serviced by KDDI (au).

The Casio Model G’zOne will be launched this summer and is also serviced by KDDI (au). It will also feature E Ink’s Vizplex display as a secondary “Silhouette display”. Design details will be unveiled by Casio on their website.