MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Got questions for the makers of the Readius?

Thomas · 12-14-2007, 05:15 PM

Good to see many questions. See questions below. BTW will any of you attend MWC 11-14 febr. in Barcelona to see the new products and demos? I can provide entry to the fairground if needed.
- file formats that will be supported from start onwards: pdf + HTML + ASCII. The intention is to keep the Readius an open platform. More formats will be added depending on content deals we make.
- Bigger screens: there is no technological barrier to move to bigger display sizes in the future. And this will happen in a few years from now.
- Specs: 5", QVGA 240x320, refresh <<1s, battery life based on reading only is about 30 hours. Since we have UMTS/3G connectivity (and even DVB-H) available as well the actual battery life will depend very much on user profile.
- How quickly do you think we'll see widespread manufacturing of flexible e-paper?
Thomas: PV is the first company in the world to start up mass manufacturing of rollable displays so it is difficult to judge rest of the industry (that focus on flexible iso. rollable). I expect more production starts late 2008.
- Will mass manufacture of plastic-based flexible electronics eventually make these a lot cheaper?
Thomas: Yes indeed, specifically for rollable displays these can ulitmately become cost competitive with LCD in similar volumes.
- When do you think we'll see multiple flexible e-paper devices on the market?
Thomas: 2009?
- What's your plan for what comes after Readius? Bigger screen? Roll-up instead of fold-up?
Thomas: bigger, higher resolution, rolling, touch.
- What were some of the technical challenges you had to overcome in the Readius?
Thomas: 15 years of R&D have been spent on developing organic electronics and making them rollable and then making them commercially sellable.
- What's your take on UI design for slow-refresh e-ink displays?
Thomas: the complete UI design (buttons, sw etc) of the Readius is designed around the characteristics of the display. Demo's will be on our website from febr onwards. (or come to Barcelona)
- I had always thought that a great thing would be to bind multiple sheets of e-paper into a book-like form factor... do you think that will someday be technically feasible? Economical?
Thomas: Technically possible yes, but commercially viable?? (to be honest I have some personal doubts about flexibel)

12-14-2007, 05:15 PM	#4
Thomas Member Posts: 11 Karma: 212 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Readius	Good to see many questions. See questions below. BTW will any of you attend MWC 11-14 febr. in Barcelona to see the new products and demos? I can provide entry to the fairground if needed. - file formats that will be supported from start onwards: pdf + HTML + ASCII. The intention is to keep the Readius an open platform. More formats will be added depending on content deals we make. - Bigger screens: there is no technological barrier to move to bigger display sizes in the future. And this will happen in a few years from now. - Specs: 5", QVGA 240x320, refresh <<1s, battery life based on reading only is about 30 hours. Since we have UMTS/3G connectivity (and even DVB-H) available as well the actual battery life will depend very much on user profile. - How quickly do you think we'll see widespread manufacturing of flexible e-paper? Thomas: PV is the first company in the world to start up mass manufacturing of rollable displays so it is difficult to judge rest of the industry (that focus on flexible iso. rollable). I expect more production starts late 2008. - Will mass manufacture of plastic-based flexible electronics eventually make these a lot cheaper? Thomas: Yes indeed, specifically for rollable displays these can ulitmately become cost competitive with LCD in similar volumes. - When do you think we'll see multiple flexible e-paper devices on the market? Thomas: 2009? - What's your plan for what comes after Readius? Bigger screen? Roll-up instead of fold-up? Thomas: bigger, higher resolution, rolling, touch. - What were some of the technical challenges you had to overcome in the Readius? Thomas: 15 years of R&D have been spent on developing organic electronics and making them rollable and then making them commercially sellable. - What's your take on UI design for slow-refresh e-ink displays? Thomas: the complete UI design (buttons, sw etc) of the Readius is designed around the characteristics of the display. Demo's will be on our website from febr onwards. (or come to Barcelona) - I had always thought that a great thing would be to bind multiple sheets of e-paper into a book-like form factor... do you think that will someday be technically feasible? Economical? Thomas: Technically possible yes, but commercially viable?? (to be honest I have some personal doubts about flexibel)