Citizen's paper-thin digital clock

Citizen Watch recently unveiled a digital clock that's as thin as a piece of paper and fully flexible. The clock uses E Ink Imaging Film, which doesn't require a backlight and consumes about 1/100th the power of traditional displays. It also apparently has an inherently stable "memory effect," requiring no power to maintain an image. No word yet on how much it'll cost, but Citizen plans to market the clock in Japan sometime this year, with a possible international release to follow.

[Drewsef @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Point?

[Jerb @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

well a company called started to develope a product simmilar to thsi which they called "paper lcd" it had many of the samefeatures provided by this display. they would work Perfect in a DAP, PMP, or PDA wouldnt they? cmon they use 1/100th of the battery power and with battery life the way it is i can take all the extra i can get.

just immagine a laptop made with this stuff...

[TZK @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This would make a nice fashion accessorie for just about [no]one. Could tape it around your wrist though! Cant wait for the color version.

[Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

it looks as if the letters are inset a little, based on the slight rectangular shadows around the numbers. it looks as if the clock is as thin as two pieces of paper. i guess that's not as cool to say as one piece of paper.

[indolene @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Drew,
IMO, Point: Say hello to one-page newspapers, books, and other printed material in the not-so-distant future.

[AH @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I look forward to the one-page newspaper, but the even more exciting bit will be when they have something that thin that works with a digital pen

[Drewsef @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I know the endless possiblities with this electronic ink & paper, but my comment was directed toward the actual clock.

Although I can see this as a first step...

[peter @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

#1, Stop being so ignorant as to disregarding new technology just because you don't see a use. It's just plain stupid.

[speedwell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Now let's see the one-dimensional alarm and the hair-thin snooze button ;)

[digicatz @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I am a field tech, and I do not wear a watch because it constantly gets snaged on things, recahing behind equipment, etal so I giot tired of replacing a watch to only have it last a moth or so, something like that aside from the bleeding edge coolness (and about time, I have only been reading about the technology for years now, not to mention Sony has an E-book reader out in japan, onfortunatly it has worse DRM than the aidio format) I could possibly have a watch that would last. Also think what the display tech could do for cell phone batery life, regardless shape or size of saidphone. Or how about E-paper that once it was loaded with data, could be powered for page turns by ambient body current , say hold the contact point, and use finger strip down other side to page through data. It would look like the flimsy's from season 1 Andromida, thow without the anitated display. Cause well that was the far future.

[Buzz @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Quote from the original review:

"These benefits allow the clock to be installed in locations that would otherwise be difficult. Especially in the case of using Battery, this Clock is �Mobile�."

While I find the advancement of such technology cool and promising for the future, I wonder about the usefulness of this particular product implementation. If you must know the time down to the minute in a "difficult" environment, what use are you going to have for that specific environment? If you are able to see the sun, and you know the approximate date for your location, you can probably deduce the time well enough by noting the position of the sun. That might be enough accuracy for most casual situations. How, if you need it in an really "harsh" environment like space, you probably already have other better suited devices. Long terms power outages? Remote villages sans generator? And a million other low-or-no power situations. How much do we really need to know the exact minute all the time? This particular clock will only serve to test and advance the technology towards more useful devices, IMHO.