Is that a library in your pocket?
From Gizmodo we get news of a First-Generation Electronic Paper Display from Philips, Sony and E Ink to Be Used in New Electronic Reading Device... #
The Electronic Paper Display is reflective and can be easily read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments while being able to be seen at virtually any angle—just like paper. Its black and white ink-on-paper look, combined with a resolution in excess of most portable devices at approximately 170 pixels per inch (PPI), gives an appearance similar to that of the most widely read material on the planet—newspaper. Because the display uses power only when an image is changed, a user can read more than 10,000 pages before the four AAA Alkaline batteries need to be replaced. The unique technology also results in a compact and lightweight form factor allowing it to be ideal for highly portable applications. #The LIBRIe can store up to 500 downloaded books in its built-in memory. I don’t see any word in the press release on what format it would be able to display. One can hope that it would read a variety of electronic files – PDFs, .txt files, .doc files and so on. #
This is a really promising technology. The display is a real drawback in portable devices like PDAs, and this new electronic paper display has the potential to provide huge benefits in portability and readability. I don’t know if people will want to carry books around with them in this format, but as a newsreader or portable document library – for service technicians, consultants, sales people and so on – it could be a real boon. #
[Update: Ars Technica has a few more details on price and such. $400 is probably going to be a bit steep for even this gadget hound to consider being a first-adopter, but I have no doubt we’ll see dirt-cheap models within a couple of years.] #
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Wednesday, March 24th, 2004 @ 11:00 am 
Computer & Gadget Matters
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