Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Bridgestone Shows Off Ultra-Thin, Full-Color e-Paper

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the magazines-of-the-future dept.

Bridgestone, the company which debuted the "world's thinnest" sheet of two-color e-paper last year, has turned around and delivered a new version which is capable of displaying over four thousand colors. "In case that wasn't enough, the company is also touting what it calls the "world's largest full color e-paper that is A3 size, which is equivalent to a 21.4-inch screen." As you'd expect, the latter is expected to be used solely for advertising and could hit the market as early as next year, while the former technology is set to be commercially available in 2009."

177 comments

  1. Don't make them too thin... by Zymergy · · Score: 1

    It could lead to Bridgestone being forced to have ANOTHER Recall due to blowouts! http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&q=Bridgestone+recall&btnG=Search

    Now is everyone ready for 'digital paper' "DRM" ???

    1. Re:Don't make them too thin... by hack++slash · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Now is everyone ready for 'digital paper' "DRM" ???"

      "This message will self erase in 5 seconds"

      --
      To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
    2. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You can't DRM digital paper because you can just photocopy it, right?

    3. Re:Don't make them too thin... by smallfries · · Score: 1

      Blowouts are avoiding by keeping the product in vapor form prior to installation...

      --
      Slashdot: where don knuth is an idiot because he cant grasp the awesome power of php
    4. Re:Don't make them too thin... by insertwackynamehere · · Score: 1

      I can burn and rip itunes music but quality is arguably lost in many cases. Likewise, if I want a perfect digital conversion I will have to hack away but if I'm content with a low quality bittorrent version then I can just photocopy it Im not sure if I'm being sarcastic or not :P

    5. Re:Don't make them too thin... by BlueParrot · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You can't DRM digital paper because you can just photocopy it, right?


      You can do better than that. Use a lens to focus the thing into a high quality digital camera and you can capture a whole video stream ( this works for TFTs as well ). Only issue is to synchronise the camera to the paper's refresh rate, and this is fairly easy to do if you have good equipment.

      Thing with DRM is that it can't work in a free society. The only way it could work would be if the government banned all recording equipment other than that controlled by the media industry (and the DMCA is certainly playing with the idea by banning you from distributing circumvention methods, given that a non-DRM-crippled digital camera is a perfectly decent circumvention method ). I just hope the media industry will fall apart due to its own incompetence before it comes to that.
    6. Re:Don't make them too thin... by ChrisMP1 · · Score: 1

      By reading this Message, you agree to never reproduce it in any way; photographic, by photocopier, or pencil. You hereby waive your rights to 'fair use', and should you fail to comply with these terms, you may be subject to lawsuit. You may make no copies of the Message. Do not read the Message, since that implies making a copy of the Message into your memory.

      --
      <sig>&nbsp;</sig>
    7. Re:Don't make them too thin... by jollyreaper · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Now is everyone ready for 'digital paper' "DRM" ???"

      "This message will self erase in 5 seconds" Power it with Sony batteries and it can explode like in Inspector Gadget. Poor Chief Quimby!
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    8. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      By reading this Message, you agree to never reproduce it in any way; photographic, by photocopier, or pencil. You hereby waive your rights to 'fair use', and should you fail to comply with these terms, you may be subject to lawsuit. You may make no copies of the Message. Do not read the Message, since that implies making a copy of the Message into your memory. Oops...
    9. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Mozk · · Score: 1

      Heh, I get your point there, but most of the music I've gotten through torrents is at least 192 kbps CBR, usually 256-320 (CBR/VBR). Some FLAC too.
      I do have experience with audio, and for me, 192 kbps sounds perfectly acceptable for normal listening. So you're either using a shitty tracker or looking for some obscure album, or you're a very strict audiophile. :P

      --
      No existe.
    10. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Dachannien · · Score: 1

      "This message will self erase in 5 seconds" At least we can rest assured that the Cone of Silence doesn't work.
    11. Re:Don't make them too thin... by COMICAGOGO · · Score: 1

      Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that e-paper couldn't handle video yet. So isn't the refresh rate one frame every time you hit the next page button? Makes it even easier to use the lens.

    12. Re:Don't make them too thin... by MadnessASAP · · Score: 1

      E-Paper doesn't have a refresh rate, it only changes what needs to be changed. In fact you can shut it off and take out the batteries and the image will still be there, which is why it's catching alot of attention for use in low power devices.

      --
      I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
    13. Re:Don't make them too thin... by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      192? Luxury! I'm quite happy listening to Pandora all day, and that's only 128, I think.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Don't make them too thin... by isaac · · Score: 1

      The only way it could work would be if the government banned all recording equipment other than that controlled by the media industry (and the DMCA is certainly playing with the idea by banning you from distributing circumvention methods, given that a non-DRM-crippled digital camera is a perfectly decent circumvention method).


      Read up on the AHRA. It didn't help the recording industry in the end...

      -Isaac

      --
      I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
    15. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Stonent1 · · Score: 1

      I remember some copy protection in the early 90's for a game. You had to look up a number in a table in the manual. But the text was black on very dark brown. I'm assuming that it wasn't able to be copied by a copy machine because there wasn't enough contrast between the two colors.

    16. Re:Don't make them too thin... by insertwackynamehere · · Score: 1

      Nah actually I don't use bittorrent (hands in geekcard).. I am an audiophile when i'm in control but i cant tell when i get stuff my friends.. i was trying to make a point but yeah the bittorrent comparison was dumb in retrospect.. maybe if we're talking mp3s from kazaa circa 02 or something (hopefully that makes more sense.. just pulling it out of my ass as well lol)

    17. Re:Don't make them too thin... by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 1

      Its ok. I've got alzheimer's.

      But then I might read it again. Am I allowed to read it twice?

      It's ok. I've got alzheimer's.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    18. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Kamineko · · Score: 1

      Have you ever seen Back to the Future 3?

    19. Re:Don't make them too thin... by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      Thing with DRM is that it can't work in a free society. We have noted your concern and wish to inform you that we are currently diligently addressing it.

      Thank you for your feedback.

      The Mgt.
      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
  2. Two Words: Refresh Rates by Serhei · · Score: 2, Informative

    As in, the fact that they aren't revealing them means that they aren't anything to write home about. Refresh rates are going to keep this technology confined to ebook readers and advertising posters. I want stuff like this.

    1. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by pavon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I would love to have an A3-sized e-reader for schematics. Having the ability to search my documents (where is R217?) without having to deal with the cumbersome laptops with small displays, would be great. I imagine a scroll with the batteries and processor in the center, or a folding book. Either way you would have the option of using it in A3 or A4 size depending on what you need to do. It wouldn't need a huge amount of memory, especially if it had WiFi. It wouldn't need a high a refresh rate or many colors - I could get by with monochrome, 16 colors would be nice, 256 would be exorbitant. Just high resolution PDF view and file browser and I'd be happy. Bonus points for excel documents.

    2. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by BlueParrot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As in, the fact that they aren't revealing them means that they aren't anything to write home about. Refresh rates are going to keep this technology confined to ebook readers and advertising posters.


      I wouldn't bee too sure. While it will probably be a while before you get HD-video on these things at an affordable price ( 5 years ? ) you really don't need that much in order to browse the web. 5 frames a second would be more than enough to navigate static content, and 24 would be enough for simple animated stuff. Remember that these things don't flicker the same way a CRT does, so you only really need to worry about visual artefacts, like ghosting, which isn't too much of a concern for things that aren't video.
    3. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by smilindog2000 · · Score: 1

      I very much enjoyed reading your blog entry about your info-pad idea. Here's my own idea, worth what you just paid for it: How about a low-tech device that operates as snazzy e-book reader on-the-cheap? E-book readers like Sony's crud are too expensive (though Sony's problem is stupid marketing - not their e-book price). They take cheap e-ink that could be used to paint huge signs, and they cover them with low-yield expensive thin-film transistors. It's a bastardized hybrid, like mating a man and an ape. Instead what if we made a very nice scrolling page device that opened like an old-fashioned window blind? As you pull out the page, the e-ink would run along a thin long write-head in the scroll that would write the image onto the page. If you focused on making the device a pleasure to play with just to open and close, it might sell well if coupled with free books and a reasonable e-book site. If you could get it to display color, then you could also use it as a portable photo album, which would just be too cool for words.

      --
      Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
    4. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by jimmux · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I like where you're going with this. A dual A3/A4 device would be incredibly useful in workplace, where most stuff is printed in A4 but you often need to go to A3 for diagrams (especially Gantt charts).

      The beauty of ISO standard paper sizes is that each in the series is exactly half the size of the next largest - i.e. the long edge of A4 is the same length as the short edge of A3. Therefore, if you want an A4 display you unroll your scroll half way. If you want an A3 display then you unroll it all the way.

    5. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by Serhei · · Score: 1

      It's not my fucking blog entry! It's some other guy's! Yes he is sort of a genius! No he is not me! In fact, he probably makes ten times as much as I do! Seriously, why would you assume that a link to some guy's blog entry is self-promotion?

    6. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ. Consider all the tree paper being used in photocopiers each year. What if a new system were put in place where a photocopier could output images to re-usable e-pages? So instead of throwing out the old memos, you recycle them in the machine. This could save huge amounts of money. Also consider fax machines. Though outdated by email, they are still used widely but are inundated by spam faxes. But if fax sheets were recyclable, this would reduce the amount of ink and paper thrown out. Bridgestone needs to make the technology available cheaply enough that it could spawn new industries. I've got a few ideas for new applications besides advertising, I'm sure other people will too.

    7. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by smilindog2000 · · Score: 1

      Sorry... :-P I would never promote my own stupid blog on slashdot... :-)

      --
      Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
    8. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by MightyYar · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah, but just watch out for the older engineer with his red pencil.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    9. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by Rocketship+Underpant · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that refresh rates are not too important when it comes to the major advantages of electronic paper, namely that (1) it is eventually going to be a great replacement for many uses of normal paper, and (2) it only consumes energy when the image is refreshed, so a single battery charge can be used to view static text and images for a long time.

      --
      He who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
    10. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by Serhei · · Score: 1

      They could coat it with the same material as the glass coating on the labels of my stack of CD-Rs, which (ironically) resist any attempt to label them with any writing implement known to man.

    11. Re:Two Words: Refresh Rates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Refresh rates are going to keep this technology confined to ebook readers and advertising posters.

      I don't know anything about the technology but this is ./ so here goes:

      First off, refresh rates are only useful for animation: advertising, video and real-time games. In fact, the first two don't even need an especially high rate: 34 ms would be perfectly adequate. These screens also have the advantage of not needing any power at all to maintain a static image. According to the most fundamental principal of the universe (TANSTAAFL), is is very likely that these screens require a relatively huge amount of power to set the image. This is OK if you are cycling the image every few minutes or even seconds but at 200/sec one of these screens would to suck your DS dry faster than a starving fembot.

  3. Slightly better picture by pavon · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wow, the e-paper he is holding in that picture has a full 4,096 shades of brown. Perfect for Doom!

    Seriously, Here is an article with a better picture. Still not much contrast, but getting better.

    1. Re:Slightly better picture by matlhDam · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wow, the e-paper he is holding in that picture has a full 4,096 shades of brown. Perfect for Doom!

      "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Steve?"
      "Order the entire production run for our next Zune model! And bring me more chairs!"
    2. Re:Slightly better picture by ColGraff · · Score: 1

      I think you mean Quake. :)

      --
      I'm the stranger...posting to /.
    3. Re:Slightly better picture by mfnickster · · Score: 1

      > Wow, the e-paper he is holding in that picture has a full 4,096 shades of brown. Hey, even 4,096 shades of brown is better than black and white... oops, sorry; I meant dark gray and light gray. :)

      --
      "Slow down, Cowboy! It has been 3 years, 7 months and 26 days since you last successfully posted a comment."
    4. Re:Slightly better picture by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, the e-paper he is holding in that picture has a full 4,096 shades of brown. Perfect for Doom!

      I think you mean perfect for Goatse...

    5. Re:Slightly better picture by Verteiron · · Score: 1

      Haven't you heard? Real is brown.

      --
      End of lesson. You may press the button.
  4. Now about distortion... by Penguinisto · · Score: 4, Interesting
    ...can you bend the critter (or at least build it as a wrap-around type screen), without optical distortion (or at least some sort of compensation against it by a GPU)? It would add one hell of a dimension to gaming, simulators, immersion-type entertainment, things like that.

    I realize it's probably possible to do when building it, but it takes a pretty (relatively) hefty chunk of time to do anisotropic conversions of flat images (e.g. when creating image-based lighting maps for CG artwork raytracing and such), but if that could be fixed, a semi-spherical screen with the focal point being a person's head would be hella nice.

    (of course, they'd still have to add about 15.9-something million colors in capability and perhaps a tighter resolution to it as well, but still... looks like it could go to some interesting places if they actually get it working).

    /P

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    1. Re:Now about distortion... by moogied · · Score: 2, Informative

      http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/01/bridgestones-super-thin-qr-lpd-e-paper/ Seems pretty damned flexible to me?

      --
      So basically, -1 troll/offtopic is really slashdots way of saying "I hate that you thought of something before me."
    2. Re:Now about distortion... by moogied · · Score: 1

      Sorry guys, thats the OLD stuff.. The new stuff is the next gen of that, but I can't imagine them losing flexibility..

      --
      So basically, -1 troll/offtopic is really slashdots way of saying "I hate that you thought of something before me."
  5. Wow - Amiga by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 2, Funny

    which is capable of displaying over four thousand colors.

    Wow, now we're up to Amiga range from 22 years ago.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
    1. Re:Wow - Amiga by mikael · · Score: 1

      Well, in one year they have advanced from 8 color (1 bit RGB) to 4096 color (4 bits RGB). That's pretty good considering they have to create a high resolution flexible display A3 size. By next year, they probably will have 8-bit RGB, and in the future maybe even 16-bit channels, which would be good enough for photography. Just make sure the top of the display is glossy and it will look like a magazine.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    2. Re:Wow - Amiga by timeOday · · Score: 1

      If the contrast is really as bad as it appears in the picture, bit depth is the least of their concerns.

    3. Re:Wow - Amiga by The+Living+Fractal · · Score: 1

      Granted, Amigas *were* thin.. but I don't remember seeing an Amiga that was that thin.. And while we're at it let's compare a display to an entire computer...Apples, meet oranges.

      --
      I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
    4. Re:Wow - Amiga by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Much more different than apples and oranges

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    5. Re:Wow - Amiga by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OMG, is it really 22 years ago? No wonder why I feel old...

  6. How many colors are we talking about? by MR.Mic · · Score: 1

    It's over four THOOOO0OOOOOOUSAND!!!

    1. Re:How many colors are we talking about? by psergiu · · Score: 1

      Five thousand more and Vegeta can start worrying ...

      --
      1% APY, No fees, Online Bank https://captl1.co/2uIErYq Don't let your $$$ sit in a no-interest acct.
  7. Bridgestone, huh? by Trogre · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not meaning to tread on their parade, but won't these people ever get tyred of re-inventing the wheel?

    *rimshot*

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
    1. Re:Bridgestone, huh? by Zouden · · Score: 1

      Surely you are skidding! I think this is a very bald move on their part.

      --
      "A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
  8. Full-Color? by DragonWriter · · Score: 1

    4k colors -- 12-bit color -- is "Full-color"? Really?

    1. Re:Full-Color? by barwasp · · Score: 1

      yes

    2. Re:Full-Color? by springbox · · Score: 1

      4k colors -- 12-bit color -- is "Full-color"? Really?

      With dithering it's OVER NINE THOUSAND!!

    3. Re:Full-Color? by tepples · · Score: 2, Informative

      4k colors -- 12-bit color -- is "Full-color"? Really? Print is 4-bit (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black either on or off). The difference is halftoning. How much full color can you get out of a 12-bit display using appropriate dithering?
  9. Plugging the analog hole by tepples · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can't DRM digital paper because you can just photocopy it, right? To make high-quality analog reconversion more difficult, the manufacturer can have the e-paper display turn off while exposed to light that's as bright as a flatbed scanner's lamp.
    1. Re:Plugging the analog hole by The_Wilschon · · Score: 1

      I thought one of the main selling points of e-paper was that you could read it just as well in bright sunlight as in normal interior lighting. Texas summer sun is probably brighter than a scanner's lamp.

      --
      SIGSEGV caught, terminating

      wait... not that kind of sig.
    2. Re:Plugging the analog hole by Telvin_3d · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As I understand it, part of why everyone is so excited about e-paper is that the image remains on the page when the power is no longer being applied. So, the fail-proof way around ANY e-paper DRM is just take out the batteries before you photocopy/scan it.

    3. Re:Plugging the analog hole by TrnsltLife · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought you were going to say: Poke out people's eyes and make them install DRMed optic sensors. The Microsoft version would be ViziOrbs - Human Light Interface. And the Apple ones would be iBalls.

    4. Re:Plugging the analog hole by pairo · · Score: 1

      Eh, while that may or may not be true, there are differences in the spectrum of the two kinds of light that are a tad harder to 'fake'.

    5. Re:Plugging the analog hole by Belacgod · · Score: 2, Funny

      Geeks would just install FOSS Leyenux instead.

    6. Re:Plugging the analog hole by blhack · · Score: 1

      Not if they make the paper sensitive to high intensity light. Put a disclaimer on it that says "Don't put this into a photocopier, or expose it to high heat/light....

      you put it in the xerox and it turns completely black and never works again because "the circuitry is so delicate".

      IT worked for the box office industry.

      --
      NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
    7. Re:Plugging the analog hole by GroeFaZ · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That would require some form of brightness sensor that a)would drive up costs and b) could be easily defeated by just taping over the seonsor area. Covering the whole of the reading area with tiny sensors seems a little like overkill (not that this would ever have stopped DRM proponents, but still).

      --
      The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
    8. Re:Plugging the analog hole by sp9q!S6D · · Score: 1

      unless they build the battery into the paper http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6945732.stm

    9. Re:Plugging the analog hole by mark-t · · Score: 1

      As somebody else has pointed out already, natural sunlight is _FAR_ brighter than any scanner lamp.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    10. Re:Plugging the analog hole by COMICAGOGO · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You could use just about any kind of halfway decent digital camera to take long exposures (when I say long I mean 1/5 of a second or so.) You get the same image as then scanner and there would be no way for the E-paper to tell what was soaking up all the photons that were reflected off of it.

    11. Re:Plugging the analog hole by YU+Nicks+NE+Way · · Score: 1

      A better solution would be to space the dots in order to generate a Moire pattern when the image is scanned or photographed.

    12. Re:Plugging the analog hole by brusk · · Score: 4, Funny

      REAL geeks use BSD (Bispherical Seeing Device).

      --
      .sig withheld by request
    13. Re:Plugging the analog hole by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Of course, you would only get the moire pattern if the resolution of the scanner/copier was worse than the display...

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Plugging the analog hole by YU+Nicks+NE+Way · · Score: 1

      Well, actually, if the resolution of the scanner/copier was not significantly greater than that of the display. But it's a good point, all the same.

    15. Re:Plugging the analog hole by iminplaya · · Score: 1

      Well, just turn the light off and make a negative.

      --
      What?
    16. Re:Plugging the analog hole by aproposofwhat · · Score: 1

      Total bastards use SCO (Superficially Copyrighted Optics)!

      --
      One swallow does not a fellatrix make
    17. Re:Plugging the analog hole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You almost owed me a new keyboard. Had I mod points, yadda yadda yadda...

    18. Re:Plugging the analog hole by riffzifnab · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sorry, netcraft confirms you can't see anything anymore because your optics are dead. d:

    19. Re:Plugging the analog hole by jimbojw · · Score: 1

      That's funny - I figured iBalls would be something else.

    20. Re:Plugging the analog hole by tepples · · Score: 1

      That would require some form of brightness sensor that a)would drive up costs Never stopped Microsoft from driving up costs for DRM measures in Windows Vista.

      Covering the whole of the reading area with tiny sensors seems a little like overkill It would take only a few dozen pseudorandomly arranged sensors spaced throughout the screen to detect whether a scanner bulb is crawling across it.
    21. Re:Plugging the analog hole by tepples · · Score: 1

      natural sunlight is _FAR_ brighter than any scanner lamp. Natural sunlight doesn't start at the top/bottom of the page and slowly crawl to the other side.
    22. Re:Plugging the analog hole by mark-t · · Score: 1

      That's true... but it's not at all inconceivable to have a scanner that illuminates the entire page at once also.

      --
      File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    23. Re:Plugging the analog hole by MahariBalzitch · · Score: 1

      iBalls? Sounds like some type of shiney upgrade from Apple for your nutts.

      --
      Kickass Cheap Web Hosting
    24. Re:Plugging the analog hole by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      I thought you were going to say: Poke out people's eyes and make them install DRMed optic sensors. The Microsoft version would be ViziOrbs - Human Light Interface. And the Apple ones would be iBalls. Only nutters would install iBalls.
      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
  10. I'm Lovin It! (TM) by CODiNE · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Can't wait til these babies start rolling out as it'll seriously push the display market with some nice competition to increase pixel density and so on. Once people figure out how to hack these things it's going to seriously affect LCD prices. Wheee. Sadly that'll lead to DRM usage on them so people don't hijack their ads. Eh.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  11. Flexible? Color? by owlstead · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What I need is a rather thin (.5 mm is enough), black and white e-paper screen with high res and low power use, in an A4/letter format. This would save me hundreds of copies of paper. I'm willing to pay up to a grand for that. Why are these idiots always focusing on full color, bendable screens? I would consider them nice extras, nothing more.

    1. Re:Flexible? Color? by GroeFaZ · · Score: 1

      Assuming you unstated unit of currency is a US dollar or something worth more per unit (not hard these days *cough*) AND "hundreds of copies" is no more than 1000, then I have to diagnose a merely tenuous grasp on Economics on your part. That, or you just love gadgets, which makes this your place then. Carry on.

      Either way, to not embarass yourself, you should stop insulting people that satisfy a market subset that has more elements than {You}

      --
      The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
    2. Re:Flexible? Color? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They aren't satisfying any market yet, Bub, and better to walk before you run.

    3. Re:Flexible? Color? by patonw · · Score: 1

      The iRex almost meets your specs: http://www.irextechnologies.com/

      I've considered getting one but my budget is a bit lower than yours. That, and I haven't heard anything positive or negative about it from end users yet.

    4. Re:Flexible? Color? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At .5mm, it had better be bendable. The current substrate for all these displays is currently glass, and at that thickness, the reliability of an un-reinforced glass sheet is not encouraging. What they're going towards is either a flexible metal or polymer substrate which can tolerate more abuse - but haven't been sufficiently developed. Right now they can piggyback off of the LCD manufacturing, but with the same mechanical drawbacks - just a little too much pressure and your ebook reader now needs to have the rather expensive screen replaced.

      I agree on the color, but flexibility is a *must*.

    5. Re:Flexible? Color? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This looks close to what you are looking for :
      http://www.jinke.com.cn/Compagesql/English/embedpro/newpro.asp

      Price unknown, probably around US $600.
      They already sell this for US$329 :
      http://www.jinke.com.cn/Compagesql/English/embedpro/index.asp

    6. Re:Flexible? Color? by Danny+Rathjens · · Score: 1

      The iliad looks pretty cool. It runs linux, even. :) But it's pricer than a PS3. This german review of it includes a nifty video to get an idea of the refresh rate - and slow boot time.
      http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.joachim-uhl.de/2007/10/09/review-iliad-2nd-edition-von-irex/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DiLiad%2B2nd%2BEdition%2Breview%2B-homer%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

    7. Re:Flexible? Color? by dedo_jozef · · Score: 1

      You can read plenty of reactions at mobileread.com. I think the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. My sure is :). It's a great device.

    8. Re:Flexible? Color? by owlstead · · Score: 1

      It would save me hundreds of copies of paper in my bag, my bad. It would save thousands of copies of paper each year. I try to do things on my laptop, but this is in general just not feasible. It would also make it much easier to search and annotate things, provided that this is supported of course. And I know any of my colleagues would feel the same. In my opinion, this is not a minor niche of the market. It's a *huge* market. Instead these guys keep on focusing on (slightly) bendable screens and colors.

      I'm NOT after a gadget. I think these guys are after gadgets much more than I am. What is the business case of this kind of screen really? But in business, having a leather portfolio with one side A4/Letter ePaper (executive look). Well, if that does not sell.

    9. Re:Flexible? Color? by owlstead · · Score: 1

      My budget is not that big that I try this technology without looking. 1024 x 768 is not exactly hi-res, nor is it 4A. Otherwise, the price is fine with me. But I've been following the technology for some time, and I'm seriously interested in it. Maybe I can order one to test for my company.

  12. if it's A3 in size... by huckda · · Score: 1

    it's colour! ;)

    --
    "Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
  13. Advertising Only? by Thyrteen · · Score: 1

    Screw that, I'd want one hanging on my wall! Although I'd hate to see what it sets you back for a dynamic poster :) So far, the regular e-ink paper hasn't been too bad.

  14. Colors by Hao+Wu · · Score: 1
    4,096 colors is 1024 * 4.

    The "1024" is predictable, but I wonder why 4-times that figure?

    --
    I suggest you read Slashdot
    1. Re:Colors by AnotherSteve · · Score: 2, Informative

      I dunno. I haven't read the article or even just looked at the pictures. But I'm thinking that the answer to your question is "Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black."

      --
      Information wants to be $1.98/lb.
    2. Re:Colors by ArTourter · · Score: 1

      a guess: CMYK colour space?

      seeing that the main target is the printing industry, it would make sense.

    3. Re:Colors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2^12=4,096. 12-bit color because of space-memory limitations?-)

    4. Re:Colors by prosys · · Score: 1

      Really... you can't work out that its 12 bits wide, so that like... 4 bits of colour for red and four for blue and four for green... Boy what are they teaching in college these days...

    5. Re:Colors by droopycom · · Score: 1

      They dont have 4096 colors devices in college anymore... remember the time when our device could only simultaneously display 16 color out of 4096 possible choice ?

      But anyway, the article mention something about it being a 2 color device, so it might well be 6 bits per color.

    6. Re:Colors by seven7h · · Score: 1

      I would guess it would be likely to be 3 colours, each with that can be set to 16 different levels (4 bit)

    7. Re:Colors by Feanturi · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's not 1024*4. Although that is mathematically correct, it's not the correct way to interpret colour depth on a computer. 4096 in this instance is 16*16*16. There are 4096 colours available to the display because it is using a range of 16 values (4 bits) for each of the three channels, Red, Green, and Blue. 0 means none of that particular colour and 15 means the most intense shade of that colour. The three base RGB colours get combined with their various values of 0 to 15 to give new colours like shades of purple, or yellows, etc. When all three have the same value you get some shade of grey (black with all at 0, white with all at 15). Together all 3 colour channels use 12 binary bits (3 base colours * 4 bits for each) which gives you, in decimal numbers, 4096 different possible colours that can be expressed this way.

    8. Re:Colors by rossifer · · Score: 1

      I suspect it's 4096 = 8 * 8 * 8 * 8. As in three bits of color depth for each of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. At least, I hope the colorspace is CMYK.

    9. Re:Colors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because it provides 3 colors of the same "size": 4096 = 2^12 = (2^4)^3, so 16 shades per color. What is the significance of 1024?

    10. Re:Colors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its probably additive (RGB) not subtractive (CMYK) color.

    11. Re:Colors by logicassasin · · Score: 1

      ... so it can properly display Amiga HAM images.

      --
      Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
  15. For what? by jours · · Score: 1

    Maybe I'm missing something, but don't we already have a means of displaying digital documents? Can someone explain to me the point of distributing an "e-subscription" on "e-paper" when most people are spending more and more of their time on computers?

    Novel, yes. Useful, I don't know...but I can buy more paper than I'll need in an entire year for $30 at Staples.

    --
    This sig intentionally left blank.
    1. Re:For what? by Constantine+XVI · · Score: 2

      Tell me, what would you rather look at: an LCD display, or something that is (for reading purposes) just like a sheet of paper? These are easier on your eyes, they're readable in sunlight, and consume less power (only on for changing pages)

      --
      "I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
    2. Re:For what? by belg4mit · · Score: 1

      power consumption

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
    3. Re:For what? by ucblockhead · · Score: 1

      Ever try to use an LCD screen in bright sunlight? Ever get annoyed at your PDA running out of batteries?

      --
      The cake is a pie
    4. Re:For what? by jours · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but real paper is easier yet on my eyes, also readable in sunlight and uses no power at all once it's printed.

      Let's say an "e-paper tablet" comes on the market for...what...$500? I can buy 80,000 sheets of paper for the same price. I could use 50 sheets a day, every day, for FOUR YEARS and still come out ahead.

      --
      This sig intentionally left blank.
    5. Re:For what? by MadUndergrad · · Score: 1

      Enjoy toting those 80,000 sheets of paper around with you.

    6. Re:For what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe I'm missing something, but don't we already have a means of displaying digital documents? Can someone explain to me the point of distributing an "e-subscription" on "e-paper" when most people are spending more and more of their time on computers?

      I think a major use for e-paper will be mostly static or infrequently changing displays. That is it will be used for e-book displays, but also large sheets for advertising in stores, malls, on buses, and in bus and train stations. And for infrequently changing information like airplane departures and arrivals in airports or bus and train schedules.
    7. Re:For what? by jours · · Score: 1

      You must take really long bathroom breaks if you need that much reading material with you...

      --
      This sig intentionally left blank.
    8. Re:For what? by Helios1182 · · Score: 1

      No, but if I could carry all of my textbooks and journals around with me in something the size of a legal pad it would be wonderful.

  16. Etch a Sketch by WaterDamage · · Score: 1

    I'm glad to hear that they're coming along nicely with eBook readers. The real question agony that I'm facing is a lack of eBook readers out in the public. I haven't seen much out there other than Sony with a $300 eBook reader that I may consider purchasing once it's released. I literally have hundreds of notes and eBooks in PDF format. I would love to carry it all with me and have the crispness of paper and not worry about battery life as compared to a laptop.

    Now, only if I could only somehow rig my Etch-A-Sketch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etch_A_Sketch) to read SD Flash memory I'll be set.

    1. Re:Etch a Sketch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sony's has been out for a while actually, the 2nd Generation one is about to be released. I just got the 1st Generation one for $50 with a deal from http://www.fatwallet.com/t/74/745156

    2. Re:Etch a Sketch by piper-noiter · · Score: 1

      I want Sony's second gen reader too. You'll have a problem with PDF's though. The Reader has issues with the PDF format because it doesn't have an 8.5x11 display and the size is an issue. Might be fixed in the new version.

      --
      Shick's Law: There is no problem a good miracle can't solve.
  17. Re:I'm Lovin It! (TM) by Skylinux · · Score: 1

    I don't know, look at the picture in the article. The e-paper has the same problem early LCDs had, a very narrow viewing angle. Literally, nothing to see yet ;)

    --
    Everyone who buys Wild Hunt will receive 16 specially prepared DLCs absolutely for free, regardless of platform.
  18. Re:I'm Lovin It! (TM) by Constantine+XVI · · Score: 1

    We still have the long refresh rates (sometimes in seconds) to deal with.

    --
    "I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
  19. That would be nice to have. by Neanderthal+Ninny · · Score: 1

    I already read newspaper in electronic form on my Palm V PDA using AvantGo. I would like something a little lighter and easier to handle compared to the Palm. Also I like to have color rather than the black and white screen of the Palm V.

  20. Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Someone thought of the trees!

    1. Re:Finally... by Z34107 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Someone thought of the trees!

      ...and replaced them with horrible, toxic, non-renewable phosphorescent chemicals and heavy metals!

      --
      DATABASE WOW WOW
    2. Re:Finally... by ChrisMP1 · · Score: 1

      Horrible, toxic, non-renewable phosphorescent chemicals and heavy metals that are only used once, instead of once per page.

      --
      <sig>&nbsp;</sig>
    3. Re:Finally... by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1

      Horrible, toxic, non-renewable phosphorescent chemicals and heavy metals that are only used once, instead of once per page, but which still inevitably head to the land fill where they fail to rot into base organics the way paper does.

    4. Re:Finally... by Echolima · · Score: 1

      How can I light a campfire with that?? You ever try to crumple metals and light it on fire and roast mallows?

    5. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      phosphorescent chemicals and heavy metal - awesome!

  21. programmable clothes are coming! by victorvodka · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Make clothing from this material and see what it does to fashion! I'm a tech guy and shouldn't be allowing my brain to go here, but imagine: as with your dumb-ass you-paid-$2.99-for-what? ringtones, you'll be able to download patterns for your shirts, slacks and skirts! Hooked up to your cameraphone, hell, you could even be invisible!

    --

    The flag just makes more sense than the constitution. - Judas Gutenberg

    1. Re:programmable clothes are coming! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hell, you could even be invisible! Nope, I'm pretty sure the Dweeb-Cloak is still a couple'a decades off yet.
    2. Re:programmable clothes are coming! by wonkavader · · Score: 1

      Patterns? Screw that -- I'm gonna show Blade Runner on mine. Since it won't have speakers, you won't be able to hear the voice-overs by Harrison Ford that were put in at the last minute to save Ridley Scott's ass! Woot!!!!

  22. So... Dither by DumbSwede · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So many comments about the small color range, but really this isn't a problem if the dot pitch is small enough. Printed paper only has 8 colors (16 if you include black in CMYB). Back in the day with only 4-16 colors we dithered to get a better range of colors, the look was similar to old comic books and for much the same reason. With 4096 colors to choose from dithering is very subtle and hard to notice. My 1998 laptop monitor only had 4096 colors, but dithering made it look fine. It's unclear to me whether most LCDs even today have full true 24 bit color.

    --
    Letter To Iran
    1. Re:So... Dither by Ambiguous+Puzuma · · Score: 1

      Most don't; I think 18 bit color (262144 colors, advertised as "16.2 million") is the most common. Depending on the dithering method used by the monitor it can be hard to tell the difference under most normal circumstances.

    2. Re:So... Dither by xbrain · · Score: 1

      actually it is sufficient for now as more colors makes the cost goes up more. you still can watch movie with the screen without having color error. to me it's just find and do hope that Asian market will get those benefits faster.. -a thought from Malaysian Village Boy- http://xbrain.biz/

  23. I want affordable by BlueHands · · Score: 1

    The only readers out currently are way over priced. $300 is a bit too much for the feature set that the sony reader provides. This new tech is great but if the price is the same, or worse, the market is just going to take forever to develop and these things are just not gonna sell. I have craved epaper for over a decade now and I still can't quite justify spending $300. I have never seen anyone with one and i live in the valley.

    I hope at some point drops into the reasonable range and I can enjoy the future i have been promised for a while.

    --
    I mod everyone down who says "I'll get modded down for this." I hate to disappoint.
  24. Ubuntu by flyingfsck · · Score: 1

    Four thousand shades of brown would make it perfect for an Ubuntu theme!

    Ubuntu - the beige minivan of Linux - not quite good enough for anything...

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  25. Price and resolution? by mark-t · · Score: 1

    Because the last time I checked, color e-paper had a resolution of about 70dpi, and an A4-paper sized ebook reader using color epaper was about 2500 bucks. Since the article does not address either of these details, I have no reason to assume that their state of affairs is any different than what I've already known about. Both price and resolution need to be favorably improved by about a factor of 5 before I expect that they will be seriously considered as popular consumer-level devices.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  26. Vejita what does the scouter say about it's power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    level? it's over 4000!!!

  27. Pine & Oats... Good for You!!! by bjbest · · Score: 1
    The first thing that comes to my mind when talking about e-paper, and its advertising uses, is the scene from "Minority Report". Tom Cruise is supremely annoyed with a cereal box made of e-paper playing a silly commercial, and pitches it across the room.

    Easily the best highlight of the movie!!

  28. Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by bratwiz · · Score: 1

    I would like to be able to purchase some book-length (ie. 200-300+ page) e-paper "blanks" that I could then have some e-book thingies (USB sticks, whatever, I don't care) that I could energize them with at any time so that I could invest in 6-10 book "chassis" and then plug in the set of reading materials I'm currently working with. I like the idea of saving trees, but I'm old-fashioned in that I much prefer working with a "book" style object to read, flip through, bookmark and come back to, etc. My fear is that the people who make this stuff and go to market it are going to take the idiot route and price it very high in hopes of getting a lot of money per sheet, rather than to price it very low and make an astounding pile of money when the whole world starts converting books to this new format. Think libraries, schools, businesses, book publishers, etc-- all will have a serious need for book-length "blanks" to stock their shelves with. And you could get Newspaper and Magazine length blanks too. So your subscription could come electronically and then just be loaded into the blank. You could go back however many issues you like and have it as clear and crisp as the day you first saw it. And think of all the microfiche that's out there with archival information-- that could be transferred to e-book (newspaper) format as well to make it more easily disseminated and used. Lots and lots and lots of possibilities exist for this new e-paper. I am *totally* stoked and waiting for this stuff to hit the consumer market for real. And I've got my fingers totally crossed hoping they price it cheap instead of expensive (even though I know that's complete wishful thinking)

    1. Re:Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by vidarh · · Score: 1

      None of the available e-paper solutions are anywhere near the thickness or flexibility needed to make it practical to produce devices consisting of more than one or two "sheets". I doubt we'll see devices anything remotely like what you're suggesting for decades vs. at most two-"sheet" devices.

    2. Re:Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by thehatmaker · · Score: 1

      "..all will have a serious need for book-length "blanks" to stock their shelves with" stocking? shelves? blank books? are you completely mad?
      talk about missing the win. If you are going to have lots of pages, why not make them REALLY cheap and um, disposable? as you read your new ebook simply tear out pages as you read them, also this means you dont have to carry such a heavy load home. and as long as you dont tear out the last page you can load that with new content later - by scanning in a book you bought (cut the spine out!). yeah.
      -- "of course, im, er, retired now" "you are, a retard?"
    3. Re:Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by bratwiz · · Score: 1


      No, I'm not a retard and its kind of silly to resort to name-calling just because you have a different opinion. I happen to like the physical process of "reading" a book. I can carry it around with me as I like. I can curl up in bed with it. I can sit on the John with it. I can leave it open on my desk under a pile of other similarly-treated books while I'm working. If its small enough, I can roll it up and stick it in my back pocket and take it with me. If you can make that "disposable", fine. I'm not sure why that makes me a retard. If they're not as cheap as you suggest then there will be a good market for book "chassis" and a lot of entities will be working to trade-out paper books with e-paper book chassis and stocking up on whatever storage doo-dad has the info. And as for "missing the win"-- I think what I just described is winning pretty big. I would rather have reusable books than disposable books because then I would be adding a lot of nasty stuff back into the environment and contributing to the pollution epidemic. And if I did as YOU suggest, THAT would be pretty retarded.

    4. Re:Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by bratwiz · · Score: 1


      Yes, that's what I figure. That's the short-sighted marketing angle that is likely to dominate. But it never hurts to hope for more eh?

    5. Re:Anxiously Waiting for E-Paper!!! by thehatmaker · · Score: 1

      yeah sorry, i dint mean you were a retard. its a quotation of a conversation.. a botched sig if you will.

  29. Re:I'm Lovin It! (TM) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    E-paper really doesn't have the 'view from narrow angles issue'. All the engineering samples I have seen and all the production samples I have seen have a very close to 180 degree viewing range. You can look at it from basically just above the 'edge' and you get just as much content from it as you do from a printed sheet of paper. Something that low cost LCDs still
    The problem with the photo is the fact that E-paper simply doesn't photograph well. Especially when it is not backlit. E-paper for the most part relies upon the reflection of ambient light. If you don't have it in a lightbox, you can't get good photographs with a camera without a flash as it looks 'dull'. Drop a flash in there, and all you get is surface glare from the screen.

    The biggest problem with E-paper is refresh rate and 'shadow' artifacting. In order to completely clear the screen of an image, you have to 'flash' an exact negative of it, and then put the new image onscreen. Given the trigger times with E-paper, this means that you get refresh rates measured more closely in seconds per frame rather than frames per second.

    I am an early adopter of it in a ebook reader format. For me, it is a great device, given that I am a voracious reader, and on a given weekend of travel I'll go through anywhere from 5-6 books a day. With a portable 3000+ book library I'm never without something to read.

    It works well as a portable static map/schematic/manual reader too. I personally fail to see the personal consumer market for a true color e-ink display. It might be a great

  30. Billg by madbawa · · Score: 1

    4000 colors ought to be enough for everybody.

  31. That'd be the OLPC... by Joce640k · · Score: 1

    That'd be the OLPC then (or XO as it's called these days).

    Sort of. The OLPC screen isn't A4 size, but the idea is the same - low power, high res, high contrast screen to replace textbooks (what they do is switch off the backlight and use each RGB pixel as three black&white pixels viewable using natural light.

    --
    No sig today...
  32. Funky tire by RandySC · · Score: 1

    What about applying this tech to tires? Then the riceboys could have funky neon colors on their tires, rims, and paint:)

    --
    Organization: alphabetical, sometimes numerical or messy
  33. Clunky by architimmy · · Score: 1

    Does anyone else think e-Paper loses a lot of its cool factor when you see the gigantic boxes always attached to them?

    Tire Salesman: "Yes, here's my sexy svelte e-Paper"
    Englishman: "Oy! What's the gigantic black box attached to it?"
    Tire Salesman: "Oh that, that's the... umm... e-Paper-Printer it is!"

  34. reminds me of a great line from a novel by commodoresloat · · Score: 1

    "Hey who designed your cloak; Mandelbrot?"

  35. Traction by cybereal · · Score: 1

    Well I can only hope this catches on.. the pavement. I really need to know what kind of traction this technology will provide. I don't know how I feel about 4,000 colors spinning around the corner as I speed down the pike, but, I'll accept it as long as it keeps me on the road.

    Seriously. Bridgestone? I thought they made tires.

    Your whitewalls will advertise for Coca-Cola.

    --
    I read the script, and I think it would help my character's motivation if he was on fire. -Bender
    1. Re:Traction by yashinka · · Score: 1

      It's in partnership with Hitachi. Here's the press release.

      --
      "Haven't you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclaimation?"
      "I don't listen to Hip-Hop!"
  36. Car paint? by Synthaxx · · Score: 1

    Am i the only one who wants to use this stuff as car paint? That way i can change its color, add a "carpaper", or just add go-faster-stripes till it gives me a headache, all from the comforts of my own photoshop.

    1. Re:Car paint? by jimicus · · Score: 1

      I doubt it. Myself, I rather like the idea of decorating my house in it.

      Once complete, I could completely redecorate my house without having to spend hours moving furniture and spilling paint.

    2. Re:Car paint? by nonos · · Score: 1

      Recorate just my licence plates on the motorway would be sufficient for me...

  37. Re:Traction - don't count on it .. by cheros · · Score: 1

    If I recall correctly they had a little problem a while back.

    Maybe that's why they're diversifying, and I would presume they'll continue to work with Ford - they're in good company then :-)

    --
    Insert .sig here. Send no money now. Owner may sue, contents will settle. Batteries not included.
  38. e-toiletpaper by tsjaikdus · · Score: 1

    I hope they come up with e-toiletpaper, too. I'm bored with the little bears.

  39. Singing birthday cards ... by ThirdPrize · · Score: 1

    can now come with a little animation on the front. I guess that "in the wild" the paper will come with a little battery/PCB that tells it what to show and powers it. Be a while before its useful i would guess.

    --
    I have excellent Karma and I am not afraid to Troll it.
  40. Electronic wallpaper by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

    I'm with you on this one. The first time I ever heard about E-Ink (years ago), I thought about electronic wallpaper. Make the thing wi-fi, where you simply upload an image (FTP, networked drive, etc) to each specific panel, and it would be incredible. Make them standard 4x8 panels for about 100$ each and you'll make a fortune.

    Then imagine linking your wall to a webcam service from around the world, it could give you a "real-time" view from anywhere. "Where do you want to go today?" would have been the perfect tagline...

  41. Flexible? by sherriw · · Score: 1

    That's nice, but is it flexible? I'll be happy when I can start rolling a 4" x 5" screen out of a PDA/Cellphone a-la the movie Red Planet. Make it a touch screen too, then I'll really be psyched.

  42. hell of a lot of colors by MM_LONEWOLF · · Score: 1

    Well this makes me happy. You know, I just wasn't satisfied with the only 2000 colors available in the last version. This one really makes me enjoy color differences that my eye cannot even differentiate between.

    --
    To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world, if men were capable of staying awake long enough.
  43. Till I smash that shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, wait till someone smashes that shit, bitch! Smash your little electronic library and laugh while you are sitting there crying that all the knowledge you collected over so long is just a bunch of silicon and plastic shards at your feet. Dork.

  44. Speed by Natales · · Score: 1

    A lot of the comments focus on LCD replacement. In my experience, unless they fix the speed of rewriting the screen, it won't happen. I own an iLiad Rex ebook reader (http://www.irextechnologies.com/) which uses B&W epaper and although the visual is excellent, you can tell it is not easy to do something as simple as turning a page. The whole page needs to be re-written every time, which takes about a second. For an e-reader that is relatively acceptable, but for any kind of regular LCD-type usage, that won't fly.

    That said, I agree with a previous poster. I would pay up to 1K for an A4-size ebook reader. The iLiad screen is too small for most PDFs out there.

  45. Re:electronic picture by boristdog · · Score: 1

    Visit Wendover Nevada. Some of the casinos there have HDTV screens hanging like pictures on the wall with beautiful, clear scenes displayed on them. They initially appear like static pictures, but the first time you notice a ship slowly crossing the ocean picture, or a camel walking across the desert picture is really cool. The scenes change every few minutes and you can stand there for an hour and just watch the pretty pictures. The casino put these near anywhere you may have to stand in line and wait. (bell desk, buffet line, cashier cage, etc.) One of the best applications of HDTV I've seen yet.

  46. Wow! Just imagine... by jabber · · Score: 1

    A beowulf cluster of these...

    No, seriously, getting like 60 sheets of this stuff together would be the perfect way to peruse your pr0n collection.

    Is it water-proof?

    --

    -- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
  47. Diamond Age? by BubbaJonBoy · · Score: 1

    didn't Neal "predict" this in the "Diamond Age"? Thump the paper to turn the page...

  48. World's Largest? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    world's largest full color e-paper that is A3 size, which is equivalent to a 21.4-inch screen
    What exactly do they mean by this? A3 is a specific size, so any A3 paper should be tied for "world's largest". If they meant "highest resolution" (which is what I suspect they meant) it would have been better to say that.
  49. Never mind the refresh rates by luigi6699 · · Score: 1

    There are plenty of sweet applications for this. - electronic posters - digital picture frames - e-books - e-MUSIC-books - wall calendars I could go on. Personally, I want a music book made out of e-paper. I cart around a 50lb backpack everywhere because of the amount of sheet music I have to carry. I want a two page binder where touching a button "turns the page", with a memory of thousands of pages.

    --
    **** You never REALLY learn to swear until you own a computer. ****
  50. copyright??? by epilido · · Score: 1

    A quick pass through the scanner would open a huge analog hole to the normal user for e-book copyright infringment.

  51. The obscure answer is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The "1024" is predictable, but I wonder why 4-times that figure?

    Because (10 % 3) != 0

  52. That's called a camera by tepples · · Score: 1

    but it's not at all inconceivable to have a scanner that illuminates the entire page at once also. I know; it's called a "camera with flash". Those tend to have lower resolution than flatbed scanners, making it more difficult to correct moiré patterns.
  53. Hmm.. Colorful Toilet Paper Anyone??? :) by bratwiz · · Score: 1


    Two-sheets?? Hmmm... colorful toilet paper. Who's your favorite dirtbag this week??? Download an image to your e-toilet paper roll and... um... you get the idea.

    BTW-- whoever invents this stuff-- you owe me 10% of the profits! :)

  54. why use eIn only for ePaper - how about ePaint by bukuman · · Score: 1

    Why not use this kind of eInk tech as 'paint' on objects? This would play to it's main advantages (reflective => use in full sun, no power draw except to change color) and it main problem (refresh rates) would not be a problem. Pimp your ride at the touch of a button. A doll you can put eraseable makeup on. 'Wallpaper' for the outside of your phone. ...