The neatest thing I saw at CES: PVI's flexible E-ink screen

Nate the great · 01-13-2010, 11:31 PM

I decided to post this story separate from the one on Pocketbook. I think it's worth it.

Pocketbook had a prototype 9.7" ebook reader with the new flexible screen in its booth at CES. You might not be able to see it in the photos, but when I held it in my hands I could see the screen wasn't flat. There was a slight bulge behind the screen from one of the circuit boards.

I asked, and I was told that there will be 2 models. The basic model (PB901) is projected to cost around $450 and be available in September. The PB902 will have Wifi and a touchscreen, and will be available later.

BTW, this isn't the first mention of the Pocketbook 901. There was a couple pictures posted in MobileRead's Deutsches Forum. But I do believe these are the first shots in the wild.

brecklundin · 01-13-2010, 11:37 PM

NOW WE ARE TALKING!!! Coooooome-on COLOR 902!! Your leetle bro the 360 is gonna need a friend, unless of course someone comes out with an EDGE running a full install of Win7 and PixelQi LCD panel...

Did you hear me Yar?!?!?! hehehehe....I'm serious...really, I MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!

Thanks for the info Nate...great shots as well.

Dulin's Books · 01-13-2010, 11:46 PM

hahah i was about to post a thread titled "Russian government testing secret ereader"

i figured the overly melodramatic title would hook a few people in

Charbax did a video of this with them but i havent seen it yet.

absolutely first shots of this screen in a device in the wild.

This case is actually just a rough prototype they put together for a test by the Russian education minister. Its not the final design at all.

I think some might not understand the difference between this display and that used by Plastic Logic. While this PVI panel is using a plastic back pane it is still using silicon based transistors. Plastic Logics panel is made with a plastic back pane and PLASTIC transistors.

The tech for the plastic back pane is quite a process. they first create the plastic by spraying it onto a piece of glass, they the they create the tft layer on that and finally they shave it off the glass with a laser. the glass is re-used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPLaR

Dulin's Books · 01-13-2010, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

Thanks for the info Nate...great shots as well.

what do you think? do i have a future as a hand model?

wallcraft · 01-13-2010, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

The basic model (PB901) is projected to cost around $450 and be available in September.

So, PVI's flexible screens won't be in full production until September? That is disappointing.

Ervserver · 01-14-2010, 12:40 AM

that is some cool stuff, I'm excited for the 2010 crop of readers

Yar-PocketBooker · 01-14-2010, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

NOW WE ARE TALKING!!! Coooooome-on COLOR 902!! Your leetle bro the 360 is gonna need a friend, unless of course someone comes out with an EDGE running a full install of Win7 and PixelQi LCD panel...

Did you hear me Yar?!?!?! hehehehe....I'm serious...really, I MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!

Thanks for the info Nate...great shots as well.

I'm not quite sure about PlasticQi screen yet...but if this is something worth investing, I'm sure my folks there in Kiev will be first in line for it...

Yar-PocketBooker · 01-14-2010, 12:44 AM

Nate, thanks, great pictures!

EowynCarter · 01-14-2010, 03:15 AM

September ? bumer...
If 901 is september, then 902 is like 2011... And I certainly hope that i'll have found a large screen reader by then.

Godzil · 01-14-2010, 07:28 AM

Plastic backplane screen are not ready for mass production. That's a fact.

But I really dislike the design of the device. It remind me here some laptop from the 80s :/

(And whatever they can say, the PixelQI screen will never be able to compete with bistable screen in term of consumption.

yvanleterrible · 01-14-2010, 08:10 AM

What's the use of wasting a flexible screen on a flat layout?

Wouldn't a rollable or bendable layout be more adequate for such a fantastic screen?

Sweetpea · 01-14-2010, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

What's the use of wasting a flexible screen on a flat layout?

Wouldn't a rollable or bendable layout be more adequate for such a fantastic screen?

I agree. I'd love a truly flexible screen. One that I can just stick in my bag, even though it might be a bit curved (as my bag can't hold a 9" screen including bezel).

yvanleterrible · 01-14-2010, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I agree. I'd love a truly flexible screen. One that I can just stick in my bag, even though it might be a bit curved (as my bag can't hold a 9" screen including bezel).

You're not mistaken!

Dulin's Books · 01-14-2010, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godzil

Plastic backplane screen are not ready for mass production. That's a fact.

But I really dislike the design of the device. It remind me here some laptop from the 80s :/

(And whatever they can say, the PixelQI screen will never be able to compete with bistable screen in term of consumption.

thats not the final design at all. the case you see there is rapid prototyped and it was only put together for a specific showing to the Russian government. all it needed to do was work and it does. pretty comes later.

Dulin's Books · 01-14-2010, 10:29 AM

flexibility allows for larger, lighter, thinner devices

As the displays get larger the possibility of breaking the glass back pane when the device is twisted rises. the main way to offset that is to make the glass thicker. which adds weight and thickness. by removing the glass you make the device more durable and can take better advantage of the thin/light properties of the e-ink

apparently most people aren't ready for a flexible device. Plastic Logic was initially showing about a device that wasn't rigid. People didn't like it. People related bendable to cheap and fragile when its actually the opposite.

PolymerVision faced the same hurdle with Readius. One of the main reasons it went to from fully rollable to sort of folded was because people told them it seemed fragile. There's no difference in the material between the earlier designs and the last prototypes just peoples perception

01-13-2010, 11:31 PM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	The neatest thing I saw at CES: PVI's flexible E-ink screen I decided to post this story separate from the one on Pocketbook. I think it's worth it. Pocketbook had a prototype 9.7" ebook reader with the new flexible screen in its booth at CES. You might not be able to see it in the photos, but when I held it in my hands I could see the screen wasn't flat. There was a slight bulge behind the screen from one of the circuit boards. I asked, and I was told that there will be 2 models. The basic model (PB901) is projected to cost around $450 and be available in September. The PB902 will have Wifi and a touchscreen, and will be available later. BTW, this isn't the first mention of the Pocketbook 901. There was a couple pictures posted in MobileRead's Deutsches Forum. But I do believe these are the first shots in the wild. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Nate the great; 01-13-2010 at 11:54 PM.

01-13-2010, 11:46 PM	#3
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	hahah i was about to post a thread titled "Russian government testing secret ereader" i figured the overly melodramatic title would hook a few people in Charbax did a video of this with them but i havent seen it yet. absolutely first shots of this screen in a device in the wild. This case is actually just a rough prototype they put together for a test by the Russian education minister. Its not the final design at all. I think some might not understand the difference between this display and that used by Plastic Logic. While this PVI panel is using a plastic back pane it is still using silicon based transistors. Plastic Logics panel is made with a plastic back pane and PLASTIC transistors. The tech for the plastic back pane is quite a process. they first create the plastic by spraying it onto a piece of glass, they the they create the tft layer on that and finally they shave it off the glass with a laser. the glass is re-used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPLaR Last edited by Dulin's Books; 01-13-2010 at 11:52 PM.

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01-13-2010, 11:37 PM	#2
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	NOW WE ARE TALKING!!! Coooooome-on COLOR 902!! Your leetle bro the 360 is gonna need a friend, unless of course someone comes out with an EDGE running a full install of Win7 and PixelQi LCD panel... Did you hear me Yar?!?!?! hehehehe....I'm serious...really, I MEAN IT THIS TIME!!! Thanks for the info Nate...great shots as well.

01-14-2010, 12:40 AM	#6
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	that is some cool stuff, I'm excited for the 2010 crop of readers

01-14-2010, 12:44 AM	#8
Yar-PocketBooker Fanatic Posts: 589 Karma: 6976 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New York Device: PocketBooks and Onyxes and anything E-Ink...	Nate, thanks, great pictures!

01-14-2010, 03:15 AM	#9
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,332 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	September ? bumer... If 901 is september, then 902 is like 2011... And I certainly hope that i'll have found a large screen reader by then.

01-14-2010, 07:28 AM	#10
Godzil a pthread?? where? where? Posts: 1,763 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Somewhere in EU Device: Newton MessagePad 2100, and only this	Plastic backplane screen are not ready for mass production. That's a fact. But I really dislike the design of the device. It remind me here some laptop from the 80s :/ (And whatever they can say, the PixelQI screen will never be able to compete with bistable screen in term of consumption.

01-14-2010, 08:10 AM	#11
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	What's the use of wasting a flexible screen on a flat layout? Wouldn't a rollable or bendable layout be more adequate for such a fantastic screen?

01-14-2010, 10:29 AM	#15
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	flexibility allows for larger, lighter, thinner devices As the displays get larger the possibility of breaking the glass back pane when the device is twisted rises. the main way to offset that is to make the glass thicker. which adds weight and thickness. by removing the glass you make the device more durable and can take better advantage of the thin/light properties of the e-ink apparently most people aren't ready for a flexible device. Plastic Logic was initially showing about a device that wasn't rigid. People didn't like it. People related bendable to cheap and fragile when its actually the opposite. PolymerVision faced the same hurdle with Readius. One of the main reasons it went to from fully rollable to sort of folded was because people told them it seemed fragile. There's no difference in the material between the earlier designs and the last prototypes just peoples perception

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