Plastic Logic's flexible e-paper may be available in 2008

Alexander Turcic · 10-24-2006, 06:41 AM

If you happen to pass through the Plastic Electronics 2006 conference in Frankfurt this week, make sure to visit Plastic Logic who is demoing a 10" 150ppi flexible display based on E Ink Imaging Film. Before you fall asleep in your chair, make sure to read the last sentence again. The key word is flexible. Unlike the Sony Reader and the multiple clones we are expecting to arrive from the Far East soon, this technology could actually enable us to twist, bend or throw e-paper just like you would do with normal paper. From the press release:

John Mills, COO Plastic Logic, commented, "Our plastic electronics technology is scalable in both screen size and resolution and this achievement is another important step along our path to 10" 150ppi flexible displays in mass production in 2008."

Related: Flexible display design concepts from Plastic Logic

arivero · 10-24-2006, 08:04 AM

Is there any worker of Plastic Logic around the forums in mobileread? I am kind of alone, here in Cambridge with my iLiad.

tcv · 10-24-2006, 10:27 AM

Love this stuff. Having working in printing for so long I see this type of stuff as the Grail!

arivero · 10-24-2006, 10:49 AM

My bet is the first use will be a "deluxe" edition of The Complete Harry Potter. It should be appropiate, having a solar powered display to change the picture in the cover each time it acummulates enough power to do it.

Jake · 10-24-2006, 11:29 AM

Fall asleep in my chair? Not just the 'flexible' part but the '10 inch' part has my rapt attention! Utterly amazing how fast this technology advances daily. Ooh, I want this now

ultim8fury · 10-24-2006, 11:30 AM

The closer they get to A4 sized the better it'll be. A rollable device in that form factor would certainly appeal to a fair few users for news papers and PDFs. Bring it on.

Bob Russell · 10-24-2006, 12:03 PM

Before we get too ecstatic, don't forget that big circuit board that is apparently used to run the display! I suppose in time that can shrink or even be flexible, but when it first comes out, it will probably be tethered to a brick of some sort.

Even so, I'd sure love to see it also!

jæd · 10-24-2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultim8fury

The closer they get to A4 sized the better it'll be. A rollable device in that form factor would certainly appeal to a fair few users for news papers and PDFs. Bring it on.

I thinking you could make a really cool "scroll" style book... It would be able to take up half the size of a book when stored (like the ones in the Libaray of Alexandria)...

arivero · 10-24-2006, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jæd

I thinking you could make a really cool "scroll" style book... It would be able to take up half the size of a book when stored (like the ones in the Libaray of Alexandria)...

Considering that the extant fragments of the library of Alexandia fit in a DVD, it is still too big.

jæd · 10-24-2006, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arivero

Considering that the extant fragments of the library of Alexandia fit in a DVD, it is still too big.

Hopefully this time someone will have backups...!

yvanleterrible · 10-24-2006, 05:12 PM

I wonder what kind of smoke a burning eink reader produces?

Maybe we won't have to wait long. There are Sony batteries in circulation.

NatCh · 10-24-2006, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arivero

Considering that the extant fragments of the library of Alexandia fit in a DVD, it is still too big.

I want my display to be physically larger than my storage medium....

tcv · 10-25-2006, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I want my display to be physically larger than my storage medium....

What if your storage medium is a bookshelf?

NatCh · 10-25-2006, 01:23 AM

Yeah, okay, Smart Guy, I was talking about electronic storage & display, as you well know.

nekokami · 10-26-2006, 11:34 AM

I imagine most folks in this forum have read Stephenson's The Diamond Age, which centers around a "smart book" with electronic pages. Late in the story, one of the characters is getting some work done in a café and he pulls several of these "smart papers" out and spreads them across a media-enabled table. Some already have content on them, others he adjusts on the spot to update themselves with content he wants to browse. He makes notes on still others. He uses this method to cross-reference different data and draw comparisons, contrasts, summarize, etc.

One downside of the current generation of eReaders is that you need a whole device with power, wireless link, etc. for each screen you want to look at. On my desk right now I have a laptop hooked up to an extra screen, and I can cut and paste content between them, and even drag windows between them. This is the closest I've been able to come to the scenario described above, which is the way I tend to work when I have paper available.

Someday I'd like to see all the "heavy stuff" centralized into one box you could put on the table or even keep in your pocket (perhaps doubling as a phone), with a wireless (bluetooth?) connection to one or more lightweight, flexible, hopefully inexpensive displays. With this product, I think we may be getting close. Then again, I'd still like those displays to be able to accept written input... that may be a while coming.

Oh, and regarding the storage medium being a bookshelf, the corollary to "I want my display to be larger than my storage medium" is "I want my storage medium to be smaller than my display."

10-24-2006, 06:41 AM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 12,730 Karma: 71589 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Sony Portable Reader	Plastic Logic's flexible e-paper may be available in 2008 If you happen to pass through the Plastic Electronics 2006 conference in Frankfurt this week, make sure to visit Plastic Logic who is demoing a 10" 150ppi flexible display based on E Ink Imaging Film. Before you fall asleep in your chair, make sure to read the last sentence again. The key word is flexible. Unlike the Sony Reader and the multiple clones we are expecting to arrive from the Far East soon, this technology could actually enable us to twist, bend or throw e-paper just like you would do with normal paper. From the press release: John Mills, COO Plastic Logic, commented, "Our plastic electronics technology is scalable in both screen size and resolution and this achievement is another important step along our path to 10" 150ppi flexible displays in mass production in 2008." Related: Flexible display design concepts from Plastic Logic Attached Thumbnails

10-24-2006, 11:30 AM	#6
ultim8fury Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 368 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK Device: PRS500, Looking at 700	The closer they get to A4 sized the better it'll be. A rollable device in that form factor would certainly appeal to a fair few users for news papers and PDFs. Bring it on. __________________ Sony Reader Frappr Map

10-25-2006, 01:23 AM	#14
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,484 Karma: 31590 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: PRS600	Yeah, okay, Smart Guy, I was talking about electronic storage & display, as you well know. __________________ ΨΦ! "Torg, why do you have emergency pants?" -- Riff

10-26-2006, 11:34 AM	#15
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,475 Karma: 42194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPod Touch, eBw 1150 (coveting an "InfoPad")	Spreading out while working.... I imagine most folks in this forum have read Stephenson's The Diamond Age, which centers around a "smart book" with electronic pages. Late in the story, one of the characters is getting some work done in a café and he pulls several of these "smart papers" out and spreads them across a media-enabled table. Some already have content on them, others he adjusts on the spot to update themselves with content he wants to browse. He makes notes on still others. He uses this method to cross-reference different data and draw comparisons, contrasts, summarize, etc. One downside of the current generation of eReaders is that you need a whole device with power, wireless link, etc. for each screen you want to look at. On my desk right now I have a laptop hooked up to an extra screen, and I can cut and paste content between them, and even drag windows between them. This is the closest I've been able to come to the scenario described above, which is the way I tend to work when I have paper available. Someday I'd like to see all the "heavy stuff" centralized into one box you could put on the table or even keep in your pocket (perhaps doubling as a phone), with a wireless (bluetooth?) connection to one or more lightweight, flexible, hopefully inexpensive displays. With this product, I think we may be getting close. Then again, I'd still like those displays to be able to accept written input... that may be a while coming. Oh, and regarding the storage medium being a bookshelf, the corollary to "I want my display to be larger than my storage medium" is "I want my storage medium to be smaller than my display." __________________ ~neko “Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Click here for Ministry of Unutterable Silliness loot -- featuring Harv & Vera in Panama Souvenirs! Is an iPad an InfoPad ?

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10-24-2006, 08:04 AM	#2
arivero Guru Posts: 607 Karma: 197 Join Date: Oct 2005 Device: NCR3125, Nokia 770,...	Is there any worker of Plastic Logic around the forums in mobileread? I am kind of alone, here in Cambridge with my iLiad.

10-24-2006, 10:27 AM	#3
tcv Addict Posts: 329 Karma: 596 Join Date: Oct 2006	Love this stuff. Having working in printing for so long I see this type of stuff as the Grail!

10-24-2006, 10:49 AM	#4
arivero Guru Posts: 607 Karma: 197 Join Date: Oct 2005 Device: NCR3125, Nokia 770,...	My bet is the first use will be a "deluxe" edition of The Complete Harry Potter. It should be appropiate, having a solar powered display to change the picture in the cover each time it acummulates enough power to do it.

10-24-2006, 11:29 AM	#5
Jake Renaissance Man Posts: 45 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle Device: Sony Reader	Fall asleep in my chair? Not just the 'flexible' part but the '10 inch' part has my rapt attention! Utterly amazing how fast this technology advances daily. Ooh, I want this now

10-24-2006, 12:03 PM	#7
Bob Russell MobileRead Editor Posts: 4,923 Karma: 24061 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: Sony PRS500, Treo 700p, Dell x50v, Lenovo X61t	Before we get too ecstatic, don't forget that big circuit board that is apparently used to run the display! I suppose in time that can shrink or even be flexible, but when it first comes out, it will probably be tethered to a brick of some sort. Even so, I'd sure love to see it also!

10-24-2006, 05:12 PM	#11
yvanleterrible Treeding Posts: 5,738 Karma: 36584 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Soon, soon an iPad!	I wonder what kind of smoke a burning eink reader produces? Maybe we won't have to wait long. There are Sony batteries in circulation.

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