I disagree that memory LCD is better than e-ink. Although, mLCD can do colors and better refresh rates but the colors are washed out, in sunlight grayscale e-ink is much much more readable in my opinion. mLCD also consumes more power in certain cases which isn't ideal.
It is not new and rarely mentioned in advertising or product information. The memory LCD I've seen are too small for a normal e-reader but if you are doing a large production run you can have something custom made.