UPM-Kymmene's New Ventures, the high-tech division of the Finnish forestry company, is going to invest in a large-scale research project on the commercial use of paper-like electronic displays. While there's a lot of hype around e-paper technologies, companies are still pretty much clueless about how to deliver digital content both so that it's profitable for the provider and suitable for the consumer (
DRM is the keyword).
According to Jukka Kivinen, head of UPM's New Ventures unit, a larger pilot project on the commercial use of paper-like electronic displays will start in spring 2006. The company will not produce the basic technology of the displays, but will further develop the technology application. According to Kivinen and Jukka Enarvi, who is in charge of the project, electronic price displays in retail outlets are one of e-paper's first applications. The time for e-books will come later.
UPM has previously demonstrated electronic paper at a Kesko Food's outlet in Helsinki (see attached images).
[via
eFinland]