Iridigm uses technology based on micro-electro-mechanical-systems structure and thin film optics to create a screen that it claims uses less power than conventional devices and can be viewed in any environment, including bright sunlight.

Qualcomm believes that as color displays have now penetrated the low end of the market, the cost of the display has become a significant part of the handset cost, and Iridigm’s displays should become should cost significantly less to manufacture because they require fewer processing steps to produce.

Founded in 1996 by two MIT researchers, San Francisco-based Iridigm has raised $46.6 million in two rounds of funding.