Polymer Vision Produces 5" Rollable Displays

drquizas writes "Polymer Vision (associated with Philips) has produced a rollable display using organic electronic techniques. The display, currently measuring 5" diagonal and capable of displaying QVGA at 320x240, will eventually be targeted towards applications such as military uses (maps anyone?), newspapers and e-books."

Comments

important factoid,

[way2trivial]

for the momment, it's monochrome.. still, a million a year-

I for one look forward to rolling up my new overlords.

Re:important factoid,

[kinnell]

for the momment, it's monochrome

Much like many newspapers. And we know how poor they are at displaying information.

Re:important factoid,

[FosterSJC]

Actually, the production line they have built can only produce 5000 units per year. As they say, this is more than research, but less than commercial production. Also, this unit only produces black, white, and 4 types of gray. So don't expect to be able to take your pr0n with you on the road just yet in electric, rollable form.

Re:important factoid,

[karnal]

"So don't expect to be able to take your pr0n with you on the road just yet in electric, rollable form."

I don't know about you, but depending on how it's dithered, I can use my imagination to fill in the color... :)

Re:important factoid,

[sadomikeyism]

Just looked at their videos of their products 'flexibility'. It isn't much more flexible than a credit card. Ho hum...

Re:important factoid,

[Frymaster]

for the momment, it's monochrome

Much like many newspapers

ah, but how many newspapers are 5" in diameter?

Re:important factoid,

[millahtime]

Yeah, but printing quality isn't why most are so bad at displaying information.

Re:important factoid,

[iamthemoog]

Great, but just don't forget and do the crossword with a pen...

Re:important factoid,

[Dr. GeneMachine]

I for one look forward to rolling up my new overlords.

Yeah, but keep in mind that IN SOVIET RUSSIA, your new overlords' displays might roll up you...

ok, ok... i'm going...

Re:important factoid,

[Gorak]

Yes, but they are building a production line that'll be capable of millions, to be running next year.

This is just the first step -- more flexible displays, larger ones, higher resolution, then colour will all come in fairly short order now that the basic technology has got off the ground.

These are truly interesting times to be living in.

Re:important factoid,

[bhtooefr]

BTW, "4 types of gray" usually includes both black and white. It does on the old Game Boy or on older Palm PDAs, anyway.

Re:important factoid,

[AnonymousNoMore]

So you have forgotten porn drawn using ASCII characters on a line printer?

Re:important factoid,

[operagost]

It does need to be a little larger. 5" diagonal isn't even paperback book size. It's about the size of those retarded little self-help and "happy thoughts" books they sell in supermarket checkouts.

Re:important factoid,

[Anonymous Coward]

Much like many newspapers. And we know how poor they are at displaying information.

Because we all know that newspapers print at 320x240..

Re:important factoid,

[WuphonsReach]

Much like many newspapers. And we know how poor they are at displaying information.

Just like newspapers eh?

Except that newspapers have a resolution of 200-300 dpi (at 320x240 and 5" diagonal, this device is probably only 72-80 dpi). So, not only is the screen a tad tiny (debatable), it really needs to get up to around 200dpi resolution.

Re:important factoid,

[clarkcox3]

You obviously never had to download your pr0n over a 2400 bps modem :)

Re:important factoid,

[mrogers]

To be honest the resolution worries me more than the size. I'm typing this on a Toshiba Libretto with a 6" diagonal screen. It's perfectly usable because the resolution is 640x480, so although the picture's small it's extremely sharp (more detailed than a 17" screen at 1280x1024). Look at the size of the text in a paperback book - small fonts are quite readable as long as the resolution is high enough.

Re:important factoid,

[Hentai]

So basically, they're the size of business cards.

Flexible, ANIMATED business cards.

Let me reiterate that.

ANIMATED BUSINESS CARDS.

In a word;

[Darken_Everseek]

Cool.

Look like they might have come up with something to satisfy people like me. I love the idea of electronic books; but I'd miss being able to turn the page. Plus, if the electronic ink is as readable as they say, no worries about eyestrain.

Re:In a word;

[1SmartOne]

In Tablet PCs they have this neat mercury switch that allows you to tilt the tablet right to flip forward or left to flip backward. I'm sure that they'd implement this into the new books eventually.

That way you can still flip the pages. :)

-Scott

Re:In a word;

[Darken_Everseek]

Cool .. but not the same as physically flipping over a piece of paper in an actual book. It's the tactile sensation that I'd miss.

Re:In a word;

[Anonymous Coward]

We simply cannot accomodate Darken Everseek. There can be no e-book industry, and indirectly, there can be no children's hospital.

I'll go tell the Slashdotters.

Re:In a word;

[Wonda]

So when you have a piece of paper that can change it contents so you only need one (or two for seeing two pages like in a book now), you'd buy a few hundred instead to make a book out of it??

maybe that old tech called paper is better for you :)

Re:In a word;

[Anonymous Coward]

They said that the screen itself was thinner than a piece of paper. What about binding a stack of 30 or so into a book. The memory could be in the binding for the entire book, but it displays one chapter at a time, and you get the feel of turning flexible pages.

Re:In a word;

[azuretek]

Well, If I were a manufacturer I would charge a good price of 200-300 for the book which would have several pages but you could upload new content.

You could charge 10 bucks (average book price) for new books to add as well. Plus the cover could change based on the book. It would be pretty neat, and I hope they could make the texture of the book something like how it is now instead of some laminated type feel which I think it will be.

Re:In a word;

[Darken_Everseek]

Exactly what I was thinking of. Obviously it'd be expensive, but prices come down pretty quickly, and I'd save a tonne on bookshelves.

Re:In a word;

[orthogonal]

Well, If I were a manufacturer I would charge a good price of 200-300 for the book

For $300 I can buy a Sharp Zaurus which already has a 320x240 display with 65536 shades of "gray". That is, it's full color.

True, it doesn't roll-up, but it does fit into a pant or jacket pocket, and the screen doesn't wear out in "months". (From the article: "Further, 'the life of our organic electronics displays has been already prolonged from "hours to months"'".)

But it does run just about any program you'd care to write, including web browsers and Doom and e-book readers. So I lose the roll-up and gain a full-featured, in color, hand-held computer.

Your price point needs some work.

You could charge 10 bucks (average book price) for new books to add as well.

I beg your pardon? You can't compare e-book prices to hardbacks; the form-factor is even smaller than paperbacks, and so is the production cost. Paperbacks cost about $8.00 these days, and I would expect a cut for eliminating he dead-tree and distribution costs. I'd say $4.00 per book, perhaps somewhat more for the newest releases.

Re:In a word;

[Crazy Eight]

It's the tactile sensation that I'd miss.

I'm sure most of us feel that was about Internet pornography as well.

Re:In a word;

[azuretek]

For $300 I can buy a Sharp Zaurus which already has a 320x240 display with 65536 shades of "gray". That is, it's full color.

I meant in the future when the tech is more usable and in full color, and much larger.

and as for book prices, I was just giving a random number.. it's been a long time since I've bought a book (besides english->X dictionaries) and I would assume books would cost more if anything because thats how it works, people want money.

re; the mill

[way2trivial]

I was reading the cnet article this morning,
it says that phillips should be ready to make a million a year by 2005

http://news.com.com/2100-1041-5147643.html?t ag=cd_top

Use

[Anonymous Coward]

This sounds like it's a bit small for the need to be rolled up. It happens to be the same resolution as the Pocket PC I'm coding for at my job, and it is rather small. I guess perhaps this could be merely a proof of concept to show they can do something like this, while they work on making something bigger.

Re:Use

[timeOday]

Forget rolling it up, the question is whether you can sit on it without cracking it in half like an LCD.

Re:Use

[jacem]

The artical said that one of the breeakthroughs was increasing the product life span from a few hours to a few months. So sitting on it might not shorten its life that much.


JACEM

Re:Use

[th77]

Yeah, it's pretty much just proof-of-concept. But it's also a good idea to produce these so that *other* companies can try to do some R&D, so that more products can make quick use of the technology once it's matured.

Also, while it may have the same resolution as your PocketPC, if it could all roll up into a spine/tube for travel, it'd be a lot more portable than the PDA. Assuming you could use it for input, which you can't at this point, so we're back to the proof-of-concept stage.

Wallpaper

[ArmenTanzarian]

With this on my walls and those window LCD's I can finally live my dream of never leaving my parents' basement!

Re:Wallpaper

[Tarwn]

Ah ha found the company, if not the article:
http://www.prisma-techniek.nl/latestnews _lcd.htm

Of course I would feel better about the company if they didn't have the MS sample picture as part of the front of their website...

Re:Wallpaper

[Anonymous Coward]

And when Jon Kikez's sexbots come out, you will be self sufficient.

I'm looking forward to my big-screen windowshades

[Anonymous Coward]

That would be quite truly excellent.

Could Make Exams more interesting :-)

[osullish]

"Whats that you have on you desk? This is an exam young man!"
"Oh Just a sheet of paper and a calculator teacher"

Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

At least if you've got the paper kind you don't have to worry about it crashing, breaking, running out of power, etc. And with the paper kind, you can easily mark way points, targets, etc in seconds - doing that with a software-based system won't be half as fast.

I can't imagine a field commander taking along one of these without wanting a paper map as a backup. The last thing you want to do in a combat zone is be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Docrates]

how about real time placement of military resources, GIS info by clicking on a building, status and other info by clicking on troop, tanks, etc. (asuming they can pair this up with touch screen functionality which I'm guessing they can).

Re:Military maps? Why?

[viking099]

That sounds more like an interface issue than a use issue.
I can quite easily envision a commander setting waypoints and targets on his electronic screen, then hitting a "send" button of some sort, and having the waypoints and targets sent to the people he's commanding. Hell, it shouldn't be too much of an issue to assign individual or unit objectives with just a few taps.

Of course, as to your second point, what field commander goes anywhere without appropriate backups in place? Just because GPS is widely used doesn't mean they shouldn't take along a compass and map, does it?

Re:Military maps? Why?

[fish_in_the_c]

I actually at the moment work for the military in the mission planning field. Much of the mission planning that is already done is done on computers. Some plains ( bigger ones) carry laptops to be able to replay their mission in flight if needed. I'd think the advantage in something like this is as much in the fact that it will not shatter or crack when dropped/ stepped on ect. Not to mention it is lightweight.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[FrostedWheat]

"A computer with a bullet hole is a paper weight, but a map with a bullet hole is still a map."

I read that on Slashdot ages ago, sorry don't remember who said it!

Re:Military maps? Why?

[redherring22]

yes but these displays + a GPS unit can give a field commander a big fat "YOU ARE HERE"... and with additional intelligence that is gathered elsewhere, such a display can be instantly updated to say "THEY ARE THERE- DUCK!"

Re:Military maps? Why?

[etn991]

I agree having a paper map is still very important as a backup. However, having a digital map would allow the soldier/field commander to be able to have several map resolutions easily and quickly available. Also update-able with current friendly positions to avoid friendly-fire kills.

Actually, marking things on paper maps is a perfectly good way to give information to the enemy in the event of capture. So an electronic map with either biometric (fingerprint) scanning for access or an 'erase me I've been captured' button would be an improvement in that area as well.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[erwin]

The article did mention that the material has a 2cm bend radius, so it still might have a problem if it gets crushed.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Greyfox]

Both of which you have to take off some guy with a bullet hole in him, too.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

Biometrics makes no sense. If you're captured, you're hands get captured too. But if your APC is hit by a HE round and you've sufferered burns to your hands then you're going to be pissed off that you can't see where you've been stranded because your map won't recognise your fingerprint.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[CommieLib]

That's a technical problem that can be solved, though. Something to think about.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

Potentially a good idea but if you can "see" where your troops are electronically and are in constant two-way electronic communication with them then wouldn't your enemy will be able to "see" where they are too? He might not be able to accurately determine force strengths but he the presence of that EM communication would be a dead giveaway that someone was there.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[kfg]

One of the major complaints of the troops in Iraq is battery life. Everything has batteries in it. Even the helmets have battery packs.

GPS was a necessary tool in the dessert. The land is kinda flat and sand colored. All of it. There are no reference points and navigating on land becomes equivilent to navigating at sea. The "map" is a sand colored chart you can plot your points on, not so much a reference you can use to get from one place to another.

They loved laptops, but only because they could power them from a vehicle. They were issued PDAs but found them fairly useless because the battery life was too short in the field.

It's the new, high tech army, sponsored by Duracell and the Energizer Bunny.

There are some obvious advantages to this display. Of course it's light, it uses little power, in some respects it can be used as a chart. You can mark it. It doesn't physically break anymore than a plastic placemat breaks. It's water proof. So long as it get data the single display can be any map the data source has access to so you don't need to be lugging around huge stacks of charts.

But the biggest thing that negates some of the advantages this display has is that it is inherently static state. That is to say it only needs to be powered to change the display. Not only does that mean very little power drain in use, it means once an image is displayed it can be completely disconected from the power and any other device and the image remains.

That's pretty frickin' cool.

I'm already planning (I've already read about this thing) to use a screen like this for the electronic navigation system of a new boat. Take a GPS reading, or display a bit of chart, turn it off and the reading/chart remains. One brief flash of power than off again.

On the other hand if you think I'm going bluewater without a chronometer and sextant you're nuts. I always expect electronic gear to fail about the second day out. I'm often right.

KFG

Re:Military maps? Why?

[freidog]

Can A paper map be updated with the locations of all friendly and reported enemy units in your area in real time automatically?
Can it update your position with everyone who needs to know in real time automatically?
Can it be updated in real time to include new areas should the need arise?

I absolutely agree that a paper map is still a requirement, you can't count on high tech gadgets to work flawlessly all the time,
but the amount of information small, flexible, simple to use devices like this can put into the infantry soldier's hands is incredible.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

> The last thing you want to do in a combat zone is be in
> the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or anywhere near the Chinese embassy.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Wattsman]

I agree that the unit commander will want a print out, but the displays are useful.
From what I saw in the demo, the display only needs power when it changes what is on the screen. So if it's without power, it'll still have the same map showing.

On a side note, this is the first step to a Global (the cellphone device used in Earth: Final Conflict).

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Torg]

As a military member who suffers from military planners I can assure you we would rather have paper maps.

Without the map you are dead meat. With anything electronic I have to depend upon power, end of statment.

Yes we use technology. Yes it helps us. But when it counts, I want my compass and a map (and that tactical overlay).

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Polkyb]

"The last thing you want to do in a combat zone is be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Unless you're wearing your (C)Adaptive Camouflage combats, which are also made of this stuff

Re:Military maps? Why?

[pointzero]

If you're under fire... you shouldn't be looking at your map. I wouldn't...

Re:Military maps? Why?

[whittrash]

I remember a general saying something about this. He said that if you shoot a computer, it is a broken piece of junk, if you shoot a map it is still a map.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[aliens]

I want my compass and a map

And lots of air support, laser weapons, and Mech suits.

You left a bit off your list, just filling it in.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WhiteDeath]

so why don't they get some of those roll-up solar panels to go with their roll-up screens?

nice thing about solar in the desert... tends to charge batteries rather well.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

The land is kinda flat and sand colored

That is the one of the best lines I have ever read on /.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think Larry Core of NRAD said it in 1996.

"There will always be places where COTS simply won't do," notes Larry Core, project manager at the Naval Research and Development Center (NRAD) Tactical Advanced Computer Project Office. "A paper map with a bullet hole is still a map -- an electronic display of a map with a bullet hole is a brick."

And in some areas of technology, military needs far exceed any commercial requirements.

link to google cache

/Hugo

Re:Military maps? Why?

[iamhassi]

"then wouldn't your enemy will be able to "see" where they are too? ... EM communication would be a dead giveaway..."

right.... because using radios on the battlefield to communicate is a new idea...

Re:Military maps? Why?

[bluGill]

OKay, so I'm a military man under fire. I set my map down, and start firing. When it is over I discover (by luck...) that I survive, but my map happened to get hit by a bullet. Now what?

A paper map is still good, except for the small area that is hit. An electronic map? All the electronics I've seen would fail in this situation. Now the military does require redundencay, so I could imangine a display designed so that a hole in it would only mean that one small area of the screen is unuseable. In that case an exlectronic map would have the advantage becuase I could scroll. I don't think it is very easy to design such a thing though, nor do I think it is worth the cost.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[ranger5]

"The last thing you want to do in a combat zone is be in the wrong place at the wrong time." True. Which begins the argument for the digital map. The modern battlefield is fluid, unlike the more organized "Cross this straight line here..." battlefields pre-Korea. With the advent of mechanized units moving at 20-40 mph average, Airborne and Air Assault troops that can drop virtually anywhere on the map, reliable maps are ever more vital. Because of the speed at which the lines can change and flow, the military, especially Force 21 (4th ID) and some of the more elite units, are experimenting with technologies that allow real-time data to be sent immediately to troops on the ground. ("We can't go that way now, the Air Force took out that bridge 3 minutes ago.") Right now, map updates (overlays) are handled usually by an RTO (radio operator), and/or by officers, either on the fly via radio or at scheduled command and staff meetings, sometimes nightly. Real-time data allows more freedom of movement, a better chance of avoiding friendly fire, and a better chance to more swiftly destroy the enemy (primary mission). In addition, the more accurate information a battlefield commander has, the better their decisions can be. Don't get me wrong, there are inherent problems with building a network that could support this type of technology, including but not limited to: Cost, training of troops, security, transmitting and receiving data from remote locations, etc. But understand, most of these problems already exist and have been surmounted or dealt with appropriately with current radio (SINCGARS) technology.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[b-baggins]

- Can A paper map be updated with the locations of all friendly and reported enemy units in your area in real time automatically?-

Yeah. It uses a device called a ballpoint pen.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[lowmagnet]

On a side note, this is the first step to a Global (the cellphone device used in Earth: Final Conflict).

All we need is MCI to power the Global network... err... Maybe there is a better company out there to run the system? How about one not so bruised by its own indiscretions?

At least, I think it was MCI on the show..

Re:Military maps? Why?

[iamhassi]

"But the biggest thing that negates some of the advantages this display has is that it is inherently static state. That is to say it only needs to be powered to change the display. Not only does that mean very little power drain in use, it means once an image is displayed it can be completely disconected from the power and any other device and the image remains."

Honestly I think that's the major feature. Rolling up a display is nice and all, but the fact that the display will remain without power is incredible.

Imagine how long a PDA battery would last if you only used it a few seconds a day, but yet those few seconds allowed you to read for several hours? That's revolutionary.

We complain that batteries aren't keeping up with technology, but finally there's a technology that will significantly increase battery life.

I wonder if this could bring back electronic book readers? They were rather heavy (1.5 lbs) mostly due to requiring a large number batteries to keep it powered for an extended period of time.

And I'd love to have all my textbooks on one device, even if it cost $500+ that'd be cheap considering a single book is $100+ and you need one for every class.

So keep the flexibility, I'd rather have a static display.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

Point taken. But if you don't want to reply to your radio you don't have to, and you can switch it off to maintain silence if you're hiding with the enemy is on top of your position. But if the map in your pocket is giving off a constant signal to tell your HQ where you are, then you might just get screwed by it.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[nfk]

Yeah, and the midget that you carry in the backpack, who listens to the radio and updates the map.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[pete-classic]

Agreed that it doesn't make good sense for use in a fire fight. But then you don't see "commanders" in fire fights. (Not even "field commanders," not until shit gets real bad, anyway.)

Don't overlook the use of maps in command centers. I've spent hours screwing around with sticky unit identifiers and markers on acetate overlays.

-Peter

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Wattsman]

So long as the carrier is good, I don't really care who they are.
If you remember, the airline company in 2001 that offered flights to space was PanAm. And they're bankrupt.
I think there's some article somewhere about the 'curse' of having their product placed in the movie 2001. All of the companies folded except one. Which I think was IBM.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[kfg]

Solar's nice, but it's flakey. I wouldn't want to stake a military operation on it, even in the desert. Silicon cells are damnably fragile, but the flexible ones have a fraction the efficiency. A couple percent for the very best of the them, compared to about 35 percent for the best silicon cells.

So you need a much larger surface area for the flexibles. Not necessarily a big deal for a command post but an issue in the field. Which is the only place battery life is an issue anyway. At a command post it simply becomes a supply issue.

And then there's the fact that in Iraq they did all the operations they could at night.

Night is definately one of the weaknesses of solar.

KFG

Re:Military maps? Why?

[ericspinder]

That's a good point, but the idea is to keep the bullet holes from getting anywhere near the person altogether. The big advantage of these screens is that they can be updated with real time information (assuming that they are network connected). Say one unit reports a sniper in a general area, another unit coming from a different road, could "see" that the other unit is reporting fire in the area, and be a little more cautious.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[orasio]

Breaking might be an issue. Out of power, maybe not that much, because electronic ink only needs power to be updated (compare it to running out of ink, or pencils). Touch screen technology, could make it easy to draw on it, plus it would be faster, not slower, provided you supply the correct peripheral (a pointy little stick) . The "crashing" part can be avoided, but crash-free programming I think would be too expensive or slow, even for the military.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[mabhatter654]

The battery situation is already dealt with...most of the eInk solutions don't require power to keep the display...just to change it. The advantage then would be the ability to hold A LOT of maps in your pocket and switch them without digging around pockets! After all, how many pages of greyscale maps could a simple 64MB SD card hold... Of course being able to pull up maps from GPS or military planner data wouldn't hurt either.

Remember too that the eInk soulutions will reduce power requirements accross the board...PDAs will use less batteries...and they are sunlite [flashlight?] readable...no battery-sucking backlights. Also, larger sizes will be soon available...far cheaper than LCDs...so you could have 36" x 36" rollable maps INSTEAD of a standard laptop or PDA screen! Remember too, an old-school palm can go almost a month on a pair of AAAs. And soon We'll have chemicaly, replentishable fuel-cells for electronics too...hopefully shipping later this year!

Re:Military maps? Why?

[PantsWearer]

Oh, so this would be an electronic map without an off switch?

I think the true utility of these things would be to download new maps on the fly. Have updated aerial imagery? The unit commanders get it on the fly. Need the layout of a particular building? Download it.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

And how do you stop an enemy from using a captured map to lure units into a trap? All these things need to be thought through fully. I'd still wouldn't trust my life to one.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[MrAngryForNoReason]

IIRC soldiers aren't meant to make any marks on their maps as if they fall into enemy hands they would give too much away. If you have the positions of all of your troops marked all over the map thats a lot of intelligence for the enemy.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[DzugZug]

If someone just shot your map, finding out where you are is probably the least of your worries.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[damien_kane]

I didn't know plains could carry any kind of map, whether electronic or otherwise...
Mostly due to the rain in spain falling mostly on them.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[danila]

I don't know about Spain, but here in Russia most plains carry extremely realistic and detailed maps of terrain (1:1 scale), updated in real-time. The only drawback appears to be portability.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Kent Recal]

Slashdot, as usual, is thinking decades ahead.
And, as usual, it's pretty interesting.

I agree in the long run we will probably see things like a "live paper"-map.

But just for now I'd already be excited to see a PDA with rollable display.
Does anyone know how much space the remaining electronics occupy?

Maybe PDAs go back to wristwratch formfactor (with "pull out"-screen) one day using this tech. Add a laser-projected keyboard and watch out for the guys who made futurama to claim prior art. ;)

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Kent Recal]

Quick, write a script for 2001 reloaded feat. SCO and Mikerowesoft!

Re:Military maps? Why?

[AnotherBlackHat]

Why? Because a single tube about the size of a paper towel roll can have every map known to man.

Imagine you're a GI and your chopper gets shot down somewhere you didn't plan on being.
Are you going to have the right map with you?

-- this is not a .sig

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Kent Recal]

Every time a technical achievement like this one is made people start talking about the military uses.
Too bad the major technology-driver still is the desire to kill each other more effectively...

(my two idealistic cents)

Re:Military maps? Why?

[lowmagnet]

Actually, the curse was on BladeRunner:

Q: What is this "Blade Runner Curse"?

A: Someone once noticed that a number of the companies whose logos appeared in BR had financial difficulties after the film was released. Atari had 70% of the home console market in 1982, but faced losses of over $2 million in the first quarter of 1991. Bell lost it's monopoly in 1982. Pan-Am filed for bankruptcy protection in 1991. Soon after Blade Runner was released, Coca-Cola released their "new formula", resulting in losses of millions of dollars. It is interesting to note that since then, the Coca-Cola company has seen the biggest growth of any American company in history. Cusinart filed for bankruptcy protection in July 1989.

BladeRunner FAQ

Re:Military maps? Why?

[mrogers]

Perhaps the best compromise would be a paper map with an electronic overlay. The overlay could display the positions of other units etc, but in the event of a problem with the electronics you'd still have the paper map to fall back on.

And then a voice at the back of my head says, why join them together? Why not just keep the paper map in your pocket until the electronic one breaks?

Re:Military maps? Why?

[thogard]

A computer with a bullet hole is a paper weight, but a map with a bullet hole is still a map.
No a computer with a bullet in it that has been left behind is a potential assest for the other sides intelligence so its worse than a paperweight.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[FrostedWheat]

That's the one!

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Lord Bitman]

If it uses the digital ink mentioned in the article, a computer with a bullet-hole in it is still a map, it just wont update anymore.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[Knetzar]

Porn and gaming also drive technology.
Remember people want sex, violence, and fun :)

Re:Military maps? Why?

[chrisabailey]

The military already uses all sorts of electronic mapping systems to do all the things being discussed. FBCB2 is a system mounted in many of the ground units vehicals. Newer aircraft have built in moving map systems but older ones are often suplimented by a laptop at the navigators station or a small tablet pc straped on the pilots knee. Here at Georgia Tech, we develop software for these systems (FalconView). One problem wth strapping a kneeboard to you knee with wires running to it; if you eject you break your leg. This technowlegy could solve that.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[WIAKywbfatw]

These displays have a bend radius of two inches (5 cm) and I imagine that they're not very durable. One knock (for example, bashing your knee against the side of the cockpit) and it's going to be toast. I think the military demands more ruggedness of its equipment than that.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[b-baggins]

Since I'm not deaf, I listen to the radio myself through an earplug. You know, the way they do it now. And the radio is about the size of a stick of chewing gum.

Re:Military maps? Why?

[nfk]

I am aware of the existence of such hi-tech material. You do realize that the midget is necessary for the real time, automatic updating, I hope. That's why he's the one listening.

Don't tell the stoners....

[inf0mike]

Wow man, REAL swirly colours on them doobies...

The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[10101001011]

That is all I need, being able to check the latest newspaper only to find SPAM and ads. I've seen it happen to the Internet in general, to AVantGo, even to MobiPocket (thankfully not as much). I do truly hope this works out as it seems like it would be pretty cool. I'm thinking those REWARD FOR LOST DOG posters could be VERY interesting ;)

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[1SmartOne]

Spam is getting worse.

Have you heard of the location based cellular services? Soon restaurants will be able to page you, saying come to our place and don't wait in line, etc.

50% Charmin at Target!!

-Scott

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[mekkab]

yeah, because newspapers don't have ANY annoying advertisements...

[/sarcasm]

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[calethix]

I guess you didn't hear.. spam will be gone in a couple of years so no need to worry ;)

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[SW6]

yeah, because newspapers don't have ANY annoying advertisements...

Last I checked, adverts in newspapers didn't flash at you, cause the newspaper to be... slow... to... read..., or use some dodgy crash-prone plug-in that makes the paper disappear half way through reading it.

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[mekkab]

touche'.

(that apostrophe is an attempt at an accent. /. doesn't support accents)

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[PieEye]

Yeah, and I'm really dreading that walk down the cereal aisle in the supermarket.

Just imagine Mark Martin driving a car in circles, while Mr. Bean tries to sell you some kids' cereal and Dig'Em is hopping around and ...uhhh... whatever Post would do for Grape Nuts...

Re:The only thing that worries me is SPAM

[Kent Recal]

The real question is, will playboy feature animated gifs?

great gadget for ... one summer?

[Anonymous Coward]

from the article: ...
Further, "the life of our organic electronics displays has been already prolonged from "hours to months," he added.

Oh cool!

[Dark Lord Seth]

Now I don't have to keep a newpaper around anymore to smack flies!

Re:Oh cool!

[Anonymous Coward]

Read the article, it's rollable. Maybe it'll keep score too!

neat but...

[zasos]

It's all good but I'll be more excited about either
-a holographic technology for a computer display purposes (not likely any time soon in a compact form due to power requirements) - or to have a flexible display / touch screen in one to get read of keyboards and increase vieable area in laptops...

than again, in the words of Homer Simpson, "I am not easily excited.."

Interesting Application - Retail

[1SmartOne]

A number of vendors are going to be rolling this out (no pun intended) as previously mentioned on /.. It would work really well to display prices and have a wi-fi adaptable update so that they can change prices system wide without lifting a finger. Think of the money they could save in labor. -Scott

Great for newspapers

[addie]

Imagine having one of these displays with a little USB hookup, a couple of page turning buttons, and nothing else. If the price drops enough, newspapers could sell them to customers along with a subscription service that allows them to download the morning's paper before they head off to work. No more recycling, no more ink-stained fingers...

I realize this is already sort of possible with laptops/pda's, etc.. but there's something comforting about a convenient rolled up paper on the bus ride in. Plus it can be used to swat pesky mosquitos!

Re:Great for newspapers

[Apreche]

Last week I got a phone call from the local newspaper. I knew immediately they were going to try to get me to subscribe. Here is the conversation as I remember it

Them:
"Our information says you aren't currently receiving home delivery, is that correct?"

Me:
"Yeah, I don't need the paper"

Them:
"You don't?"

Me:
"No, there's this new invention called the internet"

Them:
"Oh, ok....."

I love how they didn't have anything in their script to handle that. It was great. I imagine the telemarketer going out to look for another job. Newspapers are going to die, shit!

but there's something comforting about a convenient rolled up paper on the bus ride in

That's all in your head man. Something comforting, give me a break. The only thing holding back newer technologies are people who are reluctant to change. They have this feeling of comfort in what is old and obsolete. It's not real, the newspaper doesn't actually comfort you. You just have a psychologically connection to it. Since its just thoughts in your head you can get rid of that and read the news online, like an intelligent person. Save some trees, save some time, no more ink-stained fingers... It's possible now. The only limit, is yourself.

Re:Great for newspapers

[Anonymous Coward]

Read the news online, like an intelligent person?
Typical geek arrogance. What you need is a slice of humble pie.

Re:Great for newspapers

[frostman]

Better yet...

Imagine one (a bit larger, a bit higher-res) that plugs into your mobile phone.

You subscribe to a service that gives you headlines, stock quotes, whatever. You use your phone to pick what you want, plug in the display, transfer the image, and bingo, you've got a page of potentially useful information you can read now or later, without tying up your phone.

Maybe the display has an itsybitsy memory thingy and paging buttons so you can store more than one page at a time, as you suggested. Or maybe it's just one page but the data transfer is entirely powered by your phone.

You could also use it to "print" your MMS's - muuuch nicer than passing the stupid phone around to all your friends at a party. (Plus you want to use your phone at the same time.)

Re:Great for newspapers

[silas_moeckel]

Ok just one word Bluetooth plugging things into phones etc is a PITA. Bluetooth isnt nessicarly the end all be all but it's coming to be current tech for low bandwith low poper cord replacement.

Re:Great for newspapers

[frostman]

Absolutely. Since my phone doesn't have Bluetooth I'm always forgetting about it ;-)

Of course this is assuming the display thingy has a little controller, battery, paging buttons build-in. That's probably a reasonable assumption.

Re:Basement

[danknight]

Ahh... Yess.. the first steps to building your own Holo-Basement !!

portability

[theMerovingian]

This is pretty cool, but the picture that shows up on the display has to be generated from some data source or CPU-carrying device. If you plug in your rollable display to a laptop/PDA, it isn't nearly as cool.

Alternatively, the screen could just store one image permanently. In which case it would be just expensive, unreliable paper.

That being said, I am all for the technology. When they can make a transparent sticker that can be turned on as a TV/monitor, I would buy one. Forget flatscreen, your TV would just be a sheet of glass on a stand. That would be cool.

Re:portability

[marktoml]

Given the small sizes of the CPU packages these days (tiny PDAs, tiny cell-phones w/color displays, etc) how long do you think it will be before the TV appears to be nothing more than a sheet of plastic?

It's just going to get worse

[Anonymous Coward]

With these new types of screens, if economies of scale can get the price down low enough, you know somebody is going to put them all over their car.

That's all we need. Rolling advertisements. Frankly, I don't want to see popup ads while I'm stuck in traffic.

hmm... 2cm bending radius? Condom spam anybody?

Wallpaper

[Tarwn]

I could swear I saw an article on a similar product recently, but the company was working on both rollable displays and paint on screens to use as customizeable wall paper (hmm...I'm in a mauve flower mood today...). trying to find the link but it was a few weeks ago and it was one of those middle-of-the-night, can't-sleep, random walks through the internet.

No more dead tree media

[k3v0]

This is good news for paper reduction. I suppose it is also good news for squirrels and other tree loving animals...

Re:No more dead tree media

[R.Caley]

This is good news for paper reduction. I suppose it is also good news for squirrels and other tree loving animals...

Lots of woodland is only there because the trees can be sold. If you reduce a big market for wood (paper), you will redue the amount of woodland.

Mind you, much of the managed woodland is green desert anyway.

Also, if you grow trees, chop them down, make paper, and put the paper in landfills where it doesn't rot very well, you are taking CO2 out of the atmosphere... (of course, if you burn fossil fuels to make and transport the paper this advantage probably goes away)

Re:No more dead tree media

[LeoDV]

" I suppose it is also good news for squirrels and other tree loving animals..."

You mean hippies? ;)

Lifetime: months?

[RobertB-DC]

From the article:
Further, "the life of our organic electronics displays has been already prolonged from ?hours to months," [Bas van Rens, general manager at Polymer Vision] added.

I'm trying to figure this one out... is he saying that this cool roll-up display, with four shades of grey and readable as paper, will self destruct after a few months?

And they're so hard to produce, that he can only make 5000 a year? Just to have ten engineers running the line at $100k/yr (or one executive at $1m/yr) would make each one cost $500 bucks.

No wonder he's targeting the military. Nobody else can afford to spend $500-$1000 on displays that don't last much longer than a gallon of milk in a wet paper sack. But I can envision plenty of 100% valid military applications -- after all, if you're going to blow up a million-dollar cruise missile, why not give it a thousand-dollar configuration panel?

Ideally, of course, the military money helps get the screen into the production levels required for the consumer market. Extend the lifespan to six months and drop the cost to under $60 bucks, and people will pay $10/month for disposable e-books.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[adrianbaugh]

> Extend the lifespan to six months and drop the cost to under $60 bucks, and people will pay $10/month for disposable e-books.

More's the pity. I suppose Joe and Jenny Idiot have to have their gadgets, but such horrendously disposable items will lead to a lot of unpleasant waste. That might be fair enough for low-volume (eg military) applications but I'd hope the general public would hold out for something a bit less environmentally unpleasant.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[CommieLib]

I don't think it's so much a matter of "it's so hard" as it is that everything they've done so far is research, and now they have to shift gears to producing them economically. Every new piece of technology goes through that curve, you just don't usually hear about it (except on Slashdot).

You're right about the amortization of labor. They'll have to produce a lot more for it to be truly economical.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[aardwolf204]

I'd hope the general public would hold out for something a bit less environmentally unpleasant.

The general public doesnt hold out, the general public is fed whatever crap the marketing guys and gals can push down our throats. Just wait until those disposable DVDs (as mentioned on slashdot) that only play 2-3 times hit the market.

Dont even get me started on AOL discs.

But lets not forget the biodegradable cd-rs made from corn. Yummy.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[RobertB-DC]

More's the pity. I suppose Joe and Jenny Idiot have to have their gadgets, but such horrendously disposable items will lead to a lot of unpleasant waste.

I agree with you. I'm sure when they talk about "organics-based displays", they're not talking about the good kind of "organic". The term "organic chemistry" simply means that it's based on carbon instead of silicon. Unfortunately, the carbon compounds will be heavily doped with the same sort of toxic metals and other compounds that cause problems when disposing of traditional electronics.

But I do think the market will take off, given the right price point, for the same reason people talk on their disposable cell phones while driving their modified military vehicles. (And as soon as you can figure out what that reason is, please let me know!)

Re:Lifetime: months?

[zeux]

RTFA.

They say they are producing only 5000 a year because the tech is not ready and these 5000 are for some companies to make prototypes. We are not talking about large scale production here.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[Anonymous Coward]

Disposable....books...

Does not compute.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[timeOday]

Is months the shelf life, or the total operating time? Two months times 24 is 4 years, that means you could look at your PDA for an hour every day (i.e. 1/24th of your life) and it would last 4 years, which is ample.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[utexaspunk]

Just wait until those disposable DVDs (as mentioned on slashdot) that only play 2-3 times hit the market

EZ-D's are already on the market. They're made with a material that reacts with the oxygen in the air to render them unplayable after 48 hours. I agree that it's rather wasteful, but they do have a recycling program that even has the incentive of a free disc when you send in 6 expired ones. Still wasteful, and it should come with a prepaid envelope to the recycler. I think it's just a matter of time before, whether through a set-top box or over the internet, every movie in existence will be available for instant download. At that point, hopefully, all this crap will go away...

Re:Lifetime: months?

[RobertB-DC]

EZ-D's are already on the market.

Intersesting concept, and just a road trip to Austin away. And there's the "buy 6 get one free" deal, which seems pretty cool. But check out this fine print:

* Request a postage prepaid mailer to be sent to them through the recycling link on the website. Upon receipt of the mailer, simply place up to 5 expired EZ-D discs in the envelope and send in any regular mailbox.

* Participate in our upcoming incentive program. Start saving your discs now and upon sending in six expired EZ-D discs, you will become eligible to receive one free EZ-D?. More details coming soon.

The way I see it, they've either taken counting lessons from the folks who brought us 8-pack buns and 10-pack hot dogs, or else they're trying to make it just a little bit harder than it has to be to recycle the discs -- while still getting credit for being green.

Still worth a try -- I'll have to check out the Slashdot article and see if anyone's done some "chemical hacking" on these babies. Seems like a coat of hairspray might do the trick, but that couldn't be good for the friggin' laser...

Re:Lifetime: months?

[Bender_]

Unfortunately, the carbon compounds will be heavily doped with the same sort of toxic metals and other compounds that cause problems when disposing of traditional electronics

No, they are not. Doping with metal atoms is the last thing you'd want in these circuits.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[adrianbaugh]

> driving their modified military vehicles.

Surely they can't all be planning to enter the Paris-Dakar rally (after picking up the kids from school)? Even if they were, for about the price of a Hummer you could get a Bowler Wildcat, which really sounds a lot more fun!

Re:Lifetime: months?

[michael_cain]

Is months the shelf life, or the total operating time?

Probably shelf life. Many of the compounds used in organic circuitry break down fairly quickly in the presence of free oxygen or water vapor. This has been a problem for OLEDs for video displays, for example. Until recently, OLED displays had to be made on glass, because all plastics were somewhat permeable to oxygen and water vapor in the air. There are some new transparent plastics where the polymer chains are close enough together that oxygen atoms can't get through.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[utexaspunk]

yeah, those sound sorta like contradictory statements... perhaps you send in 6 and they give you a rebate. i was pondering the "chemical hacking" idea as well. perhaps there's a solution you could put the disc in which would create bonds with whatever it is that reacts with the oxygen and prevent it from reacting with the atmosphere. or perhaps some way to remove the reactive coating. i think it's just a normal dvd with the coating that reacts and turns opaque to prevent it from being read. perhaps their "recycling" is really just a process of removing this layer and putting a new one back on...

Re:Lifetime: months?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've got a better idea! Instead of having "disposable e-books", why don't we just have books made of paper? When we've finished using them we could put them in special containers and make MORE paper out of the waste. We could call it "roo-cycling" or something - I haven't figured out a good word for it. Gimme some time...

Seriously though, what's the point in a disposable e-book? That's like a rechargable battery that can only be used once. "It's cool cos you can recharge it!"

Re:Lifetime: months?

[z00z]

if you're going to blow up a million-dollar cruise missile, why not give it a thousand-dollar configuration panel?

Why would you want to do that if you can give it a hundred-dollar LCD? I don't see how a flexible panel helps there.

Re:Lifetime: months?

[RobertB-DC]

Why would you want to do that if you can give it a hundred-dollar LCD? I don't see how a flexible panel helps there.

Good point, but there are places you'd like to mount something on a non-flat surface. In the late '80s, I worked at Texas Instruments when they were the contractor for the HARM (High-speed Anti Radar missle), and you wouldn't believe the space and geometry constraints! Our drafting group designed flexible circuit boards for places where you didn't have the clearance to run a wiring harness.

I never had the sort of clearance to actually see where the flex circuits went, but I can imagine that you could easily make the case for a screen that bends. Imagine opening a panel on the missile and having a screen behind it that's cylindrical instead of flat -- that's so many cm^2 more room for wiring (or explosive).

Interestingly, you now find flexible boards like the ones we were building in everything now, from cell phones to giveaway McDonald's toys. I like to think that, in addition to turning Saddam's radar installations into molten slag, we helped build the volume and technology for the next generation of consumer products (for better or for worse).

Imagine a beowulf cluster of these

[aardwolf204]

Imagine a beowulf cluster of these...

5" 320x240

10" 640x480

20" 1280x1024

5120" 327680x245760 - Almost enough for that 16 megapixel 360' panaramic shot I'm not working on.

This could end up being a MAJOR problem...

[10101001011]

I was just thinking of something (I know, scary isn't it). These things will probably be priced reasonably in a short period of time and as Phillips likely hopes will one day replace a good chunck of print media.

What about disposal? It is likely that if they are priced reasonably enough they may become just as disposable as newspaper (all right, not quite so bad) but even if only one in ten people disposed of these things after they became damaged (look how we treat our newspapers and tell me these things won't be piling up in the dump) how are we supposed to get rid of them? They likely contain a fair amount of material that is not decomposable within a reasonable amount of time. We already know that computers are adding quite a bulge to the normal waste, how would seveal million sheets of this stuff hold up (quite well I'm guessing, probably 100,000 - 500,000 years!)

This is of course only my perspective but it does give reason to pause.

Re:This could end up being a MAJOR problem...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah well that's nothing compared to the basalt and gabbro running up and down under our town. That stuff's NEVER going away. Just wait until I get my hands on the idiot who spilled it everywhere!

Re:This could end up being a MAJOR problem...

[Jerf]

As cheap as paper is, as cheap as this "digital paper" could even hope to be, it's nothing compared to how cheap streaming bytes are.

Even if buying a newspaper-thick sheaf of this stuff becomes as cheap as newspaper is now, I assure you the economy would rapidly adapt to re-use paper as often as possible.

Babble about the disposability is more to emphasize how cheap they want to make this, then a true "commitment" to disposing of these things. Economically, we're all going to want to buy as little of this stuff as possible. "Disposing" of this is a pipe dream on the order of flying cars and jetpacks; technically feasible, grossly uneconomical.

That's not to say that this may not have some impact... but you need not worry about a 1-to-1 replacement of normal paper to digital paper in the landfills. It is quite likely that after a couple of iterations, with "paper" that works for years, that it would cut enough into paper waste to make it an environmental gain.

Re:This could end up being a MAJOR problem...

[Bender_]

Well, the fact that these displays are thin does also mean that there is little material involved. And most of it is probably encapsulating material like some commonly used plastic... so it is probably not more damaging to the environemtn than a plastic grocery bag.

Re:This could end up being a MAJOR problem...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well thought out and researched comment on the possible environmental impact there!! I'm significantly better informed by your perspective on this.

No - wait - Im not - youve just speculated wildly about things you know nothing about! Fuck off and read a book!

PDA Wrist Gauntlet

[G4from128k]

This display tech would make a great wrist-wrapping PDA gauntlet. Rather than have to hand-hold the PDA/cellphone/MP3/video player beastie, an arm-conforming design would enable handsfree display. The only decision is whether to wear the display on the top of the forearm (risking damage to the display) or wearing it on the inside of the forearm (which seems a little less comfortable).

Re:PDA Wrist Gauntlet

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh come on...they already have those. Didn't you watch that MARS movie with Val Kilmer? all the space suites had those on the arm. I mean the robot may have been fake, but those screen were too real looking...right?

Re:PDA Wrist Gauntlet

[Anonymous Coward]

The only decision is whether to wear the display on the top of the forearm (risking damage to the display) or wearing it on the inside of the forearm (which seems a little less comfortable).
Leela wore hers with the display up for 5 years and it never broke.

Re:PDA Wrist Gauntlet

[duggy_92127]

Just to be pedantic, the correct word would be "bracer". A gauntlet is a glove; a bracer is worn on the wrist or forearm.

gauntlet
bracer

Doug

Re:PDA Wrist Gauntlet

[zobier]

http://www.vodafone.com/flash/futures/

Warning: Flash site.

cool but useless

[mickyD]

Something about rolling up your monitor is cool but I can't think of much more useless technology. Only the government could be interested in something so useless. Plus I've read enough scifi to know holographic displays are where its at

eBooks

[savagedome]

One of the big gripes about eBooks is that they don't quite keep up with the convenience of curling up on a couch next to a fireplace (and all you folks with hot weather, think of something to curl up next to) with a regular paper-book. With a foldable display, I am sure it would make things easier. Now, only if they can add the voice activated page flipping, that would be awesome!

Moving Pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

If you read Harry Potter books, you know that pictures in magic world can move. I'd really like to see something like this in real newspapers using these "electronic paper" displays. Imagine the Sports section :-)

Re:Moving Pictures

[pyropaul]

Or, even better, the nano-technology book in Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age". Now that will be cool when it eventually becomes available.

Re:Moving Pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

Now now.. Imagine the centerfold!

Re:Moving Pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

If you read Harry Potter books, you know that pictures in magic world can move. I'd really like to see something like this in real newspapers using these "electronic paper" displays. Imagine the Sports section :-)

Imagine the ad section... ever watched a local car dealer's commercial? Now imagine it stuck in your newspaper along with a sound chip.

2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[wowbagger]

A 2cm bend radius means that rolled up, this display will form a tube 4cm wide. This is NOT "roll-up into a pen", this is more "roll up into a scrollcase".

To put in another way: this is a 5 inch diagonal display - say 3x4 inches - that rolls up into a 2 inch wide tube. <sarcasm>Yes, that is a HUGE improvement.</sarcasm>

WHEN they get this to have a 1mm bending radius I'll get really excited. Until then this isn't all that great, although I suppose a 2 inch diameter by 3 inch long tube diameter tube full of battery and electronics, with a pull-out display might be somewhat useful.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[kinnell]

A 2cm bend radius means that rolled up, this display will form a tube 4cm wide. This is NOT "roll-up into a pen"

...unless you've got a really big pen.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Wun Hung Lo]

Then you can have someone say "Is that a flexible computer in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[iamthemoog]

...a pull-out display might be somewhat useful.

That'd be pretty cool... just roll out as much as you need. A couple of inches for an email or two, and a full page for web browsing or whatever. Just use a locking clip as on a tape measure to hold it in place.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[pfguy]

Until then this isn't all that great, although I suppose a 2 inch diameter by 3 inch long tube diameter tube full of battery and electronics, with a pull-out display might be somewhat useful.

Kind of like in the movie Red Planet...?

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Liones5]

I work for a Physics/Chemistry Professor at the local university, and he's working on these same kinds of things. The advantage to it being flexible, at least from what I, a lowly office assistant/tech support person understand, is that the flexible screens can be attatched to clothing and other non-rigid items, for instance, in the map example, a self-updating, self-illuminating map could be attatched to a soldier's sleeve, giving him instant information about his objective. The 'battery and electronics' you mentioned would be sewn elsewhere into his uniform in an out-of-the-way place.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[EulerX07]

To put in another way: this is a 5 inch diagonal display - say 3x4 inches - that rolls up into a 2 inch wide tube.

Metric or imperial, pick one. If it's 2cm, that 5 inch display rolls into a 0.78", or 13/16", wide tube.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Garble Snarky]

Yes, that is a HUGE improvement. yeah... youre right, this is hardly an improvement over displays that don't bend at all...

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[wowbagger]

The article quoted the size of the display as "5 inches diagonal".

I was picking a set of units that gave numbers in single digit of precision - quoting more than one digit of accuracy in this case cannot be justified given the quality of the data.

I suggest you take a course in metrology, and learn the importance of significant digits.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Yewbert]

To put in another way: this is a 5 inch diagonal display - say 3x4 inches - that rolls up into a 2 inch wide tube. Yes, that is a HUGE improvement.

But, when they scale this up to, say, a 17"-monitor-sized display, having that rolled up into a not-much-larger-than-4cm tube will be a big improvement.

As others have said, besides, the flexibility allows the device to be fixed to other flexible articles, like clothes, where the ultimate bending radius isn't really the major concern, so much as some bendability.

So yer threshold of excitability is inversely proportional to the size of the tube being contemplated... Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[EulerX07]

Well, let's re-read your post :

A 2cm bend radius means that rolled up, this display will form a tube 4cm wide. This is NOT "roll-up into a pen", this is more "roll up into a scrollcase".

To put in another way: this is a 5 inch diagonal display - say 3x4 inches - that rolls up into a 2 inch wide tube. Yes, that is a HUGE improvement.

See, at the start where it says 2 cm, and during your text where you switched to 2 inches? You've just equated 1 cm to 1 inch. So you're 2.54 times off in your diameter. That's not about significant digits.

I've had more than my share of experience with significant digits during my 6 years of post-secondary scientific education. Unfortunately YOU need to go back and redo a simple english course, because you misunderstood the original article and you did not understand my post.

Once again, since you have a hard time reading : 2 cm != 2 inches, 2 cm = 0.79 inches. That's not a few digits appart, that's 1.21 inches appart. That's why your original post was wrong, which prompted my correction which just totally flew over your head.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Anonymous Coward]

And YOU need to redo intro to geometry. 2 cm bend radius means a 4 cm diameter tube. 4 cm is about 1.6 inches, and that's the interior diameter. Now add the thickness of the digital paper wrapped around itself and pretty soon you're approaching *gasp* 2 inches. His conversion from metric to Imperial was correct, and your self-righteous babbling caused you to miss out on that subtle point.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[Anonymous Coward]

D'oh! You're right. My bad. Well he's still 20% off. Switching between a metric radius and an english diameter is a good way to totally destroy comprehension of your post.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[deadbadger]

Oh, come now, don't you think you're being just a little demanding? This is a technology in its infancy, and you're standing around like a spectator at the Wright brothers' first flight asking "what about in-flight entertainment, eh?" You're damn right it is a huge improvement - could you bend any commercial display technology at all, prior to this? No*. So we've gone from an infinite tube diameter to 1.57 inches. Not bad, in my book. I'm sure it'll play ogg vorbis presently, too. ;-)

*Well, you could, but I think you'd void the warranty...

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[wowbagger]

Diameter is twice radius. 2cm is close enough to an inch that twice 2 cm, plus fudge factor for thickness of display is 2 inches.

Perhaps YOU should dust off your old geometry book, and look at the difference between RADIUS and DIAMETER.

Re:2cm bend radius != "roll up into pen"

[wowbagger]

and you're standing around like a spectator at the Wright brothers' first flight asking "what about in-flight entertainment, eh?"

No, I am like a spectator at the Wright Brothers' demo, looking at another spectator who is gushing over how this will revolutionize the world tommorrow, and saying "No, it will revolutionize the world SOMEDAY, but not just yet. There is much to be done, so let us not delude ourselves that this is the final item."

Finally what I needed.

[InfoVore]

I've wanted to build a custom portable computer into a staff/walking stick for a while. This would be perfect for the display. A 2 inch curve is about right to wrap around the top of a staff, particularly if it is widened to about a 5 inch circumference at the top.

Re:Finally what I needed.

[chennes]

Since this is Slashdot, I should point out that a 2" diameter curve should actually *contract* to a 5" circumference, not widen.

Re:Finally what I needed.

[NerdSlayer]

Huh? Who the hell needs this?

Let me guess, you wave the stick menacingly at whippersnappers to enter characters? And yelling "dag-nab-it!" is the enter key?

Re:Finally what I needed.

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps he's a space-wizard. Or maybe this guy is just the Alpha Nerd at the Society for Creative Anachronism meetings.

Re:Finally what I needed.

[InfoVore]

Need? Who said anything about needing it? Said I wanted to make one.

If you really want a 'useful' reason: how about a simple computer that you can use while outdoors that you don't need to store in a backpack, stick in a pocket, or wear ala Steve Mann. I want to see if a staff computer might actually *be* useful.

But I do like your idea of waving it menacingly at those rascalous whippersnappers. 'dag-nab-it' is a little long for enter. Perhaps 'dang-it'?

cheers,
I.V.

Re:Finally what I needed.

[InfoVore]

I meant widen the staff head *circumference* to 5", not widen the display curve.

Re:color shifting paint jobs on cars ?

[Inda]

Colour changing cars? First step? Pearlescent paint?

Actually, you're an idiot.

crossword puzzles

[foxhound01]

how are you supposed to do the crossword puzzle in the Times? with a dry erase pen or something?

old-school!

[line.at.infinity]

finally! bendable e-book screens would be a hit, and it'll be old-school just like paper! Next thing you know it, people will be choosing old-school curved CRTs over flat-screen CRTs!

Re:old-school!

[Anonymous Coward]

Why the fuck would I buy a CRT? you on crack? Thin is in, son.

Re:old-school!

[line.at.infinity]

LCD's are thin too, but that wasn't my point.

Oh great...

[Steamhead]

The next version of "AdIN" advertising....

For those who don't know, those ads in the bathrooms at your local universities...

Earth Final Conflict: Phone

[Midnight Thunder]

I don't why, but I kind of imagine the phone from Earth Final Conflict in my head when I read this. Take a little G3 technology, built in cameras and these roll up screens and I think we have everything we need to build a working version.

Re:Earth Final Conflict: Phone

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't why

Don't think you're special, most people don't why.

Re:Earth Final Conflict: Phone

[tchapin]

Yes! That's one of the few parts of that show that I loved! I can't wait until something like that happens; I will buy it almost instantly!

Todd

Re:Earth Final Conflict: Phone

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefully, it will be without that big MCI WorldCom logo before and after each call :)

Re:Earth Final Conflict: Phone

[Dogers]

Nah, I think more of the little computer thing they had in the film Red Planet.. Remember when they'd landed away from their point, they got a small rectangular box out, yanked out a clear filmlike material and held it up to the horizon? It mapped out the current landscape, flipped it, then projected where they needed to go, all overlaid with what they could see!

Now THAT would be cool :)

Heck, just think, if they made this e-paper stuff with a mini universal adapter.. You could have different dongles for doing different things!
Plug in a combined USB-memory-stick-with-battery (think Creative Muvo) and you've got a ebook.
Plug in a USB lead plugged into a computer, youve got a monitor.
Plug in a pre-filled memory-stick-with-battery, you've got a reuseable map.. Now theres a market right there, sticks with maps, tourist info..

Heck, you could make the battery and memory stick seperate, (have the battery removeable of course) allowing you to charge when you like, with different memory-sticks providing different functionality! Think digital cameras, think HUD's on army helmets, cars, etc

Good god, whens this coming out? ;)

Help my imaginations working!!

Display specs....

[Ratface]

Interesting to note what's current and what's in production...

Dimensions: display + pixels + aperture
Display size: 71 mm x 96 mm (diameter 119 mm).
Number of pixels: 240 x 320.
Optical aperture: 79%.
Driving: refresh rate, voltages, power consumption, volume electronics
Optimum refresh rate: 50 Hz.
Operating voltages: column voltage range: -15V, +15V; row voltage range: -25V, +25V; common electrode voltage range: 0, +5 V.

Power consumption: maximum power consumption of the display: 52 mW. Typical power consumption (10% duty cycle) of the display: 1 mW.
Contrast, reflectance, switching time, bi-stable, grey levels, colour
Contrast: 9:1.
White reflectance: 25%
Switching time: 800 ms.
Bi-stable
Number of grey levels: current: 2; in product: 4.
Colour: current 1; in future product: 1
Flexibility, thickness
Display thickness: current: 350 m; product: 100 m.
Display flexibility: current bending radius: 20 mm;
future product bending radius: 10 mm.
Stick facts: (user interface, bluetooth)
Component area of the addressing electronics: 48 cm2.
Height of the addressing electronics: 2 mm.
Typical size of a 0.5 Wh rechargeable Li-ion battery (10% duty cycle, 1 hour use per day): 1,3 cm3.
Battery life under the same conditions: approximately 1 month.
Bluetooth interface

Re:Display specs....

[tijnbraun]

A picture says more than a thousand words ;)

thumbs and highres pictures here

Version 1.0....

[JollyFinn]

Firstly they are making it enough volumes to attract others to build applications that need it, but not enough to generate any real money...But have plans for mass manufacturing plant with 12 to 24 month period from now, but they are seeking funding to build it, which means they have to show SOMETHING, with future potential. They are doing active research, meanwhile which means that they can make it bigger, last longer ,cheaper, and have better resolution, they just don't know yet which of those are going to improve and how much in the period before mass production. The first generation product is probably usably mainly as prototype design and perhaps some rare cases, where cost is not such a problem...

Flexi's

[vlad30]

First thought I had was "Flexi's" the PDA like devices that is used in the Andromeda series

How about a deposit system?

[addie]

If the companies that make these things really want to win in the public relations field, and they're concerned about the issue you've raised, they could implement some sort of deposit system. You pay a deposit on top of the price of the display that will only be refunded if at the end of its useful life, you return it to the company and get that amount back. Phillips (in this case) could then re-use the components that are salvagable and thus cut down on the amount of waste.

I know I'm dreaming here, but recycling and reusing have to become part of the electronics world, not just paper and plastic! Good post.

Re:How about a deposit system?

[Anonymous Coward]

If the technology becomes ubiquituous and there is more than one manufacturer, could come a time when they're like pop bottles. Boy Scouts could go on drives collecting them.

Might raise some security/privacy issues, depending on the degree of integration between devices and displays, and if the displays have any kind of memory.

Marauder's Map

[giminy]

military uses (maps anyone?)

Am I not the only person that immediately thought of the Marauder's Map?

Re:Marauder's Map

[giminy]

Am I not the only person that immediately thought of the Marauder's Map?

Kind of adds new meaning to that famous quote:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. clarke

Black & white

[CelticWhisper]

The possibilities for pr0n-related use are endless. Imagine, stand inside a giant one curled into a ring and just tell Mom to ignore any strange comments she hears about Natalie Portman for the next two hours.

Looks like the fujitsu product

[Beautyon]

Fujitsu have come out with a similar looking flexible display product.

It looks like we are going to get very light, very energy efficient displays, rsn. These might not be used in a flat form, but would be very useful in making hard cased laptops even lighter...or clipboard devices...its just amazing.

Re:color shifting paint jobs on cars ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pearlescent paint is color shifting, ie: red and blue or what ever you choose blending into each other

the idea was for solid colors. 1 second, white car, next second, black car

why am i a idiot ? Cause im thinking of a way to use a new technology ? Or are you the idiot for being scared of embrassing new technologies.

Universal Display, Cambridge Technology & SID

[PeterCook]

Three other sources on this topic - worth looking at - UDC has a video of an early working green monochrome display: Universal Display Corporation (NJ) www.universaldisplay.com Cambridge Display Technology (UK) www.cdtltd.co.uk Society for Information Display www.sid.org

Can't wait for 3rd generation Tablet PCs

[Anonymous Coward]

With these they should be awesome.

Next step: Put the processor on flexible plastic

[G4from128k]

If they can move the circuitry of an active panel display from glass to flexible plastic, then they should be able to put the processor on the same flex material too. Back in 2002, they put a Z80 processor on glass. That Z80 had only 13,000 transistors and this roll-up display uses 85,000 so the feature count is not out of the question (the biggest hurdle is the transistor count for RAM).

Changing Bumper Stickers

[JumperCable]

How about a bumper sticker you can change when you go home for the holidays, go to work, or have a cop trailing you for a possible speeding ticket. The "Evolve" stick ons are cool but just not practical for every situation.

Re:Changing Bumper Stickers

[Anonymous Coward]

How about a LICENSE PLATE you can change instantly from a keypad in the car? :-)

I hope this works!

[pair-a-noyd]

I badly need a small, lightweight, portable flat screen display that I can carry with me on service calls, I mean really small, like 5" or so, so that it can fix in a tool box but I can plug it into any vga card to check the status of headless routers. Yeah, I can log into the routers from remote, when they are up, but when they go down I need to see why and get them back up again.

Anyone know of a tiny little display that would fit this ticket?

Re:I hope this works!

[djeaux]

Anyone know of a tiny little display that would fit this ticket?

There's one hanging on the side of my Sony camcorder.

And that might be an application for a roll-up screen: a camcorder viewscreen that rolls out of the camera like a windowshade...

Re:I hope this works!

[Anonymous Coward]

Go check the linux MP3 car-player project... think it was called EMPEG.

Basically, look for in-car / mobile applications - some of those might be VGA monitors in disguise.

usability

[7*6]

Wouldn't these maintain a certain amount of curvature after been curled into a tube for any amount of time? Just think of a poster that is rolled up for you to take home from the store. It takes quite a bit of trouble to flatten that thing out again. having a screen that does not unfurl completely would be pretty annoying.

I don't know about you but...

[JumperCable]

I'm going to invest in thin water soluble dry erase markers. If this market explodes, so will the demand for something to write on them.

Re:Use and technology

[whittrash]

The applications for this are endless. It means a screen can be built into just about anything and 3-D surfaces can theoretically become interactive screens. My favorite is the stealth suit, which gives a soldier a chameleons changing ability, like the alien in Predator. It could also be built into things like PDA's with big roll out screens that when combined with a keyboard give them the functionality of a laptop, which would be my second favorite use.

Scientific American

[Tibor the Hun]

SciAm has a good primer about the tech of these displays on their website.

They also have an artist's impression of these screens, stating that "Future looks flexible".

Apparently the future is finally here.

A product you might not have thought of...

[Baron_Yam]

If you could get these things up to a lifespan of a decade, and get them in colour, you could panel a car with them.

You could also get by with pixels that are huge - say, 1 cm diameter, and still get some neat effects, like zebra stripes that move along the car in proportion to your speed.

Mimetic polycar

[zerocircle]

With these new types of screens, if economies of scale can get the price down low enough, you know somebody is going to put them all over their car. That's all we need. Rolling advertisements. Frankly, I don't want to see popup ads while I'm stuck in traffic.

A moving image on a moving object? Ergonomic nightmare -- that's dynamic camouflage. Guaranteed traffic accident. It'd be banned.

Article in Sci Am about Organic Displays

[Anonymous Coward]

There's actually an article in the february Scientific American about organic displays, though it talks more about organic leds and not really electronic ink. Still, a pretty interesting read, which has been kindly been placed online at the Sci Am website here

Re:Can they make condoms out of this stuff?

[Pakaran2]

Well obviously isn't that why you'd use a Frensel lens?

Didn't we see this in Red Planet?

[baine]

Val Kilmer and company sported a few displays like these in the movie. It never fails to be cool when something neat from a movie makes it into production, regardless of how bad the movie may have been...

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Mil Maps

[HermanZA]

Cool, now you can fly over the battle field and reprogram the enemy's maps...

Earth: Final Conflict Globals?

[strredwolf]

Let us think about this:

240x320 in a 5" diagonal display.
Bending radius 2 cm (aka almost an inch)

If they can tighten up the bend radious slighly, and create a 800x600 display at 100 dpi (so it's a 6" display from top to bottom), we will have only one more step to create those GlobalComms from Earth: Final Conflict -- the hardware.

I hope it runs Linux!!!!

320x240

[bl8n8r]

They need to get the resolution up so the pr0n industry and further the advancement and acceptance of the technology.

Maps

[Swedentom]

"(maps anyone?)," That's the last thing I'd want a BSOD on.

errata

[kfg]

But the biggest thing that negates some of the disadvantages this display has is that it is inherently static state.

I hate when I do that.

KFG

Plains?

[Anonymous Coward]

I should hope that an extensive level and treeless area of land can support a laptop.

80dpi No thanks

[John.P.Jones]

Call me back when they make it 2.5" or double the resolution to get a decent pixel density.

Military?

[Saeed al-Sahaf]

...will eventually be targeted towards applications such as military uses...Actually, when the wonks that own this technology max out on the Military contracts, expect to see it at Best Buy for a whole lot cheaper.

Survival strategies for street games?

[fastenrath]

I was wondering if anybody could recommend suitable survival strategies for street games? I'm not talking about games for children but about the very expensive type of game where whole cities start acting around a single person (the player) and newspaper articles, TV news and hollywood movies are made with bits and pieces taken from that person's diary or even his brain ..

(Yes, telepathy is possible, just very expensive - read last year's news if you don't believe it.)

While it can be very entertaining to have the whole world revolve around you (including politicians and hollywood stars) the ultimate goal of this kind of game is to kill the player.

My interest is not purly academical: I'm trapped in a street game right now and you might see why I very much want to break out of this one.

If you're wondering what a street game is like: It's like being trapped in The Matrix and The Game, with a bit of The Truman Show and Being John Malkovich thrown in.

The game is wasting a lot of money around me to annoy me and surprise me, but it's more like a cat playing with a mouse it intends to kill sooner or later.

If you want to help me break ouf of this game you can make 25.000 Euro, which is my offer for anybody who explains to me what this matrix is, I'm trapped in.

I'm not sure I can be reached by internet or by phone and even if you reach somebody it might be somebody pretending to be me (so don't waste your time on that). The only way I recommend (without really knowing what's going on, of course) is to get close enough to me that the game has to pay your for your cooperation. Since my offer is 25.000 Euro you should be able to get this money from the game if they need you to cooperate.

Please make them pay this amount as I really would like to see them run out of money!

You can find me in the following places. (please have a look at my homepage and/or my journal for updates to this travel plan):

Addis Ababa: just getting thrown out by the police...
Berlin, Potsdamer Platz, 28-29 January 2004.
New York, Central Park, 01-03 February 2004.
Chicao, ?, 04-06 February 2004.
Los Angeles, 07-12 February 2004.
Sydney, 13-15 February 2004.
Tokyo, 16-18 Feburary 2004.
Bombay, 19-21 Feburary 2004.

My map is broke

[heyitsme]

The display, currently measuring 5" diagonal and capable of displaying QVGA at 320x240, will eventually be targeted towards applications such as military uses (maps anyone?)

A paper map with a bullet hole in it is still a map. You cannot say the same about an electronic device

invisibility cloak!

[Quickening]

make a total body suit out of these, and project a rear image forward... ok so it would only work in grey light conditions now, but we're getting there.

Re:invisibility cloak!

[IronicCheese]

I wish people would stop suggesting this.

Parallax, my friend, will kill this idea.

Suppose you're wearing a suit of this stuff and you have two friends standing right in front of you.

For you to be invisible, the friend on your left will need to see the stuff that's behind you to your right, and the one on the right will need to see the stuff behind you to the left.
So, tell me, what are you going to put on the display? The lefthand side stuff or the right.

sorry to burst your bubble.

[OT] Re:important factoid,

[Craig Davison]

Newspapers are more like 800 DPI, not 200 (Hi-res faxes are 200 DPI)

In a pen?

[Paisley Phrog]

...could be rolled up inside a pen...
...a bending radius of 2 cm.

That's a damn big pen.

the wang factor

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone who is seeking to make a computer for his "staff/walking stick" makes me doubt that said "staff" is thick enough for this little wrap around.... That's a really disturbing idea isn't it?

The new Polaroid camera

[SomeoneGotMyNick]

Takes a picture and spits out a rollable display as the print.

but...

[Run4yourlives]

the electronic device will show you real time unit locations, both friendly and foe, the changing environment (that bridge is out now), and have indirect fire call in's without a radio.

Of course, you'll still need a piece of paper for when it breaks though.

let the good times roll

[Doc Ruby]

Might it be possible to include electroplastics in the display substrate? Those materials are manufactured in one shape, returning to it after a mechanical deformation (eg. manual pulling). Additionally, a small applied charge deforms them into another "baked-in" shape; more advanced versions have manifold states, addressable by charge. How about a display that's prerolled into a scroll, then rolled again like a string into a disc, in its uncharged form? A 1" disc might snap into a 15" display on powerup, giving new meaning to "quarter VGA".

Paperless Society

[knarfling]

One of the big problems with my vision of a "paperless society" has been that most of our electronic paper (i.e. PDA's, Laptops, eBooks, etc.) shows one page at a time. Often when we look at paper, we look at one and compare it with another. When I read a book, I often like to flip back to a previous page and compare what was said on one page with what is being said on the current page. Some times, I even like to compare what is being said in my current book with what was said by the same author in a different book.

Until now, it was possible to have multiple books in an eBook reader, but only one screen/book displayed at a time. I know that there are some that display two books at once, but it has been very inconvenient to view.

Now imagine a "book" with a few pages of this display in it. One display could show one book while another page showed a different book. You could even have one page show the beginning of a book while another page showed somewhere in the middle.

With a "book" like this, you could have multiple textbooks in a single book. Simply switch from a science book to a math book in a snap. Compare problems on one page with answers on the next page without flipping back and forth. Need a textbook for school? Simply download the latest version. Have your syllabus on one page, your textbook on another. Carry 10 textbooks in a single folder.

That being said, there is still a lot to do before this can be done. Obviously, it must be a lot less expensive. A bigger page with better resolution would be most helpful. And for textbooks, you almost have to have color. And a format that would allow several of these displays to be bound into a single book.

I have wanted a "book" like this for years and can't wait until it is finally possible.

decomposition in landfills

[MenTaLguY]

Actually, in the anaerobic environment of most landfills, even plain newsprint takes an obscenely long period of time to decompose.

Cool, but poor market targeting...

[ShieldW0lf]

By 2005, the rollable displays, which can now be used to read e-mail, could initially be used in military applications as electronic, updatable maps on the battlefield, van Rens predicted. The monochrome display offers four gray levels.

Soldier 1: Where's the pickup point?
Soldier 2: Just a sec... SHIT!
Soldier 1: What?!?
Soldier 2: Got to reboot the map... got a grey screen of death!

<boom>

<splat>

Re:Cool, but poor market targeting...

[jfdawes]

<ignore filter="humour">

If you had RTFA you'd know they are low power devices and once displaying something will display the same thing "forever" until actively changed - the "ink particles" stick to the substrate

</ignore>

Re:Cool, but poor market targeting...

[ShieldW0lf]

I did RTFA... but I never let reality get in the way of a joke...

Besides, the target market for this joke is Slashdot... WTF does the article have to do with it?!?

Global from Earth Final Conflict

[gavinjolly]

Finally combining GPS, wireless communication and a rollup screen the Global is becoming a reality today.

Earth: Final Conflict Global Communicator?

[PoisonousPhat]

Am I the only one who thinks this idea is ripe for science-fiction-turned-science-fact? Here's a picture of the darned thing if you never watched the series: Global

Re:Earth: Final Conflict Global Communicator?

[PoisonousPhat]

Apparently not, since I decided I was too cool for my own good and didn't try searching the replies for "Earth: Final Conflict". Feel free to mod down my ineptitude; I deserve this one!!!

Has Talon technology arrived?

[Hadji Baba]

I wonder if these things could be used to make a "Global". The nifty pop-out communicators that were used on the Sci-fi show "Earth Final Conflict". They were pretty cool video communication devices in the show. I always wanted one...now maybe I can! - Hadji

Anyone else find "maps anyone" condescending?

[Anonymous Coward]

I dunno, I just think when someone says "maps anyone?" instead of simply saying "such as maps," it makes the speaker's words come across as condescending and smarmy, even if that's not the intention.

This is nowhere near being a product

[Animats]

This is yet another vaporware "digital ink" product. The contrast is lousy, it's low greyscale, the cost is high, the updated time is almost a second, the lifetime is short, it's expensive to make, and it's not really in production.

It's great that research is proceeding in this area, but the "real soon now" press releases from the "digital ink" people put them in line for the vaporware awards.

Re:This is nowhere near being a product

[Sarrek]

Vaporware .. Not quite .. But it's a start. Tv was crappie when it started out, has was a Mono Monitor. Look where they are now. Give it a few years. You will be throwing out all of your current screen related devices for this.

This mission, planned by the lowest bidder!

[jabber01]

If our mission planner's contractors don't know the difference between a plain and a plane (not to mention intermediate grammar), I not only fear for the future, but also suddenly have a whole new perspective on the Iraqi war.

MOD PARENT DOWN

[Anonymous Coward]

They're clearly confused about radius and diameter. Its parent spoke about a 2cm bend radius and 2 inch wide tube; the latter obviously being diameter and allowing for overlap and for the size of the housing.

You have a window!!!??? Such luxury.. why in my d

[Anonymous Coward]

Aaaaaargh!!!!!

Hey

[geekoid]

it's Leela!

Missing the Biggest Advantage!

[lommer]

Everybody here seems to be missing the biggest advantage that these have for military uses - realtime display of deployments! Imagine a company lieutenant pulling one of these out of his pack and looking at it. It syncs via wifi to the HQ and he instantly can see where the nearest frienldly armoured unit is, the current target of his backup artillery, and where other units are and whether they are in a position to support him. If every unit carries a GPS unit that automagically radios their position back to HQ, then it would not be infeasible to preoduce data like this on the map.

Obviously, with such a system reliability is going to be the biggest issue. The biggest advantage of these screens then is that they keep there last image even if power is lost. Thus, if there are any problems with the wifi link or power supply, they're still useful as a basic map. The biggest issue then is reduced to durability (i.e. dirt, water, shocks). While admittedly a big issue, the technology has serious potential now.

Re:color shifting paint jobs on cars ?

[Anonymous Coward]

there are some thermo-sensitive (or whatever it's name is) paints, but the only car I've seen sporting it was a 2-3 inches long model :) it could change from white to dark blue when hold in hand, though :)

Uhmm... how is it...?

[mark-t]

How is this any different from E paper?

It seems to me that epaper has far higher resolution, plus having the advantage of requiring only a trickle voltage to sustain a static image.

Electronic Ink questions

[jfdawes]

This thing is using "static ink" - once set, the display doesn't change until some power is applied to move/rotate/modify/change/whatever the ink particles. So how quick is the change?
What's the refresh rate? Can you refresh just part of the display? Can you use some external device (a "pen") to modify the the ink? If you can, is the device capable of determining what state the ink is in or is the ink "write only"?

Banner Ads!

[Quixadhal]

and you thought your silly blocking software could stop us!

Rolled up inside a pen?

[cul8r]

"Promising ultra-thin displays so skinny and flexible they could be rolled up inside a pen"..."and a bending radius of 2 cm"

That's one thick pen!

As long as...

[devphil]

how about real time placement of military resources,

What, saying "gold squandron, move 2 klicks east" into a radio isn't real-time enough?

Yeah, I guess ordering movement by clicking on a screen would be useful. As long as the commander can order them to attack-move or retreat-move by holding down the Ctrl key as he clicks.

Maps

[Seanasy]

Maps?

I'm betting that a 320x240 map would be pretty much useless in the battlefield. Unless it's a map of the tank in which you're sitting, Then it might have enough resolution to geo-locate your ass.

Cars?

[thogard]

The real killer app for this stuff will be aftermarket car accessories. Just think of the cheesy things you could do with a 5" (200mm) wide roll of this stuff and a decked out old car with the a super spoiler and the 6" exhaust.

Bright

[mollyhackit]

One of the Nobel prize winners responsible for this technology is an alum at my school. He gave a talk about three years ago with some product mockups. What I found amazing was how bright the displays were. You could tell the cell phone he had was lit from the back of the auditorium. I think the lack of a back light is one of the best benefits of this tech.

In-car displays

[Catharz]

is where I'd like to see this used.

The cost reduction in producing a car with these instead of different instruments would probably amount to thousands. Then the customer can choose how they want the instrument layout in their car designed. People could provide custom skins, and have it configurable on the fly.

Some on-the-fly uses I can think of are:

- Lost somewhere? Put the GPS map in the middle and all the other instruments around the edge.

- Put video from a rear mounted camera centre-dash when you're reversing. Once colour displays are available you could remove external mirrors from the car all together. That would reduce drag and require less time spent looking away from the instruments and/or the road ahead.

- Put the tacho in the middle when racing, speedo in the middle for normal driving. If you're serious about racing, put your lap times on the dash too.

- Traffic alerts via wi-fi could flash on the dash board. Also have mobile speed camera reports pop up when you're close to one.

I'm a car nut (and EV nut), so I see these as the future to that sort of vehicle. Low power usage, configurability, flexibility. I think these will be much more useful in that area (along with electronic paper uses) than as the next pda screen.

Re:In-car displays

[Catharz]

Oh, and we'd get the ultimate excuse:

Umm, sorry officer. I had a BSOD and my speedo isn't working...

Please send the ticket to Sir Bill.

QVGA?

[UrGeek]

What baka at Apple worked overtime to come up with THAT gem? If I recall correctly 320x240 was all the rage back in 1986, only we called it EGA. Okay, it was only 16 colors but why not call it Enhanced EGA then or EGA+ if you hate typing.

Multitasking?

[DarwinDan]

Can I watch TV and smoke at the same time?

Re: Paperweight

[jamesh]

So you start out with your computer. If that happens to get a bullet hole in it, you can then use it to stop your map blowing away.