Another great news from the e-book reader department. As thin as paper, this could be the ultimate format for displays: the roll. When it's needed, it's there. When it isn't, it rolls away to almost nothing.

Polymer Vision (http://www.polymervision.com/Section-13823/Index.html), a line of business within Philips Electronics, announced (http://www.polymervision.com/New-Center/Press-Releases/Article-14677.html) today its new 5-inch PV-QML5 rollable display. With a decreased radius of curvature, improved operational and mechanical lifetime and paperlike viewing contrast, the display is expected to go in production within two years.

A couple of specs:
The Polymer Vision PV-QML5 is an ultra-thin (100µm) featherweight QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) active-matrix display with a diagonal of 5 inches. When not actively used, the display can be rolled up into a small housing with a radius of curvature of less than 7.5 mm. With four gray levels, the monochrome display provides paperlike viewing comfort with a high (10:1) contrast ratio for reading-intensive applications. Even in bright daylight, the display is easy to read. Using a bi-stable electrophoretic display effect from E Ink Corp., the display consumes an exceptionally low amount of power.

Sounds definitely better than LCD. Alas, why is it that all my devices are still powered with LCD displays?

Here is a great video showing the technology:
http://www.polymervision.com/assets/downloadablefile/polymer-vision-12983.wmv

Gizmodo refers to it as a "we're not dead yet" press release. What do you think? Why is it taking companies so long to produce better alternatives to LCD displays?

I think this tecnology is fantastic, but Alexander is right... WHY is this taking so long? Two years ago, I wrote a white paper on OLED technology and this type of use. Why can't they just push some of this out to the geeks that would use it? I haven't heard anything that's indicated it is exorbitantly expensive, either.

Paul, good point. Maybe it's simple cost/benefit analysis... but God, I'd love to see it.

Imagine unrolling that thing and throwing it on the wall for a quick presentation.

Actually, it kind of reminds me of a pirate's treasure map.

PostGrant,
Imagine PAINTING on a wall, or a billboard, where you could present your ideas in high-quality, superior contrast, images?! Being able to roll-up an OLED screen, like I can a newspaper, would be great!

I think the general thinking is that it will be for specific uses and they're missing some of the big picture - or just not advertising to those organizations. Why wouldn't a hospital want something that could project large, clear, versions of digital image data for X-rays or CT scans, on a wall? They need to market better.

One caveat, though... if they market towards replacing books, newspapers, and magazines, people are going to question the overall ubiquity of the screens. I mean, how many people read the paper and toss it, so they don't have to carry it home? How many people have dropped a book, or a magazine... in a puddle! Can I put this thing in my back pocket without it breaking when I sit on it? There are issues to overcome when working towards these, and until they're covered, I think people will be more likely to still stick with something as simple, available, and functional as paper.

but... we're getting there! :)

one thing I think would be a big hazard is creasing it. I think you would have to constantly have it in a folder for fear of creasing it. If you roll something up you need to have something to put it in because you cant just throw it in a bag. Like you said "can you throw it in your back pocket." If you did and sat on the edge of a bench or a pebble or something it would get creased or one of those little dings in the plastic. I think just storing it takes up alot of its use and it would be difficult to keep it out of harms way.