Citizen's flexible e-ink wall clock nears release

Seiko Spectrum wristwatch not got enough e-ink for your tastes? Well why not try out Citizen's upcoming flexible digital wall clock, which measures 21-inches high by 52-inches wide and can wrap around corners, so you'll always know either the hour or the minute depending on where you sit. Citizen claims the battery life is 20 times longer than traditional digital clocks, which is a good thing, because you'll need the money you save on batteries to afford the $4000+ pricetag. Seems like only a Japanese release to start with, but we're sure it'll soon find a home in our country of supersized, overpriced objets d'art.

[Kurt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Hasn't this woman heard of a wristwatch?

[Spi Waterwing @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Friggin' awesome. I wonder when they'll have the second-generation TV shirt.

(http://69.20.6.242/news2004/may04/may24/1_mon/news5monday.html for a thing on the original.)

[blackf0rk @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

That is really neeto!

[Osiris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

That is soooo cool.
Can't wait for this technology to be cheap to manufacture and become standard.

[Merkidemis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Wonderous technology, crisp detail, and they still use LCD clock style numbers. Can't we get a nice font? Or is it customizable?

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Just imagine using this technology for a wristwatch, a very thin watch. That would be sweeet.

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

AHHHH!!! I want this! I wish it was priced a little more reasonably (around $100... maybe even $200 or so).

Brian

[Logan @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

They should make one of these for a TV!

[Brad C @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

http://www.raceamerica.com/displays.html

Considering it's bigger than one of those and only about 3x-4x the price it really isn't that expensive...

[VQH @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I'm digging this.

[jason @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I want to be tatooed with and eink watch on my wrist! Those animated tatoos that popeye had are just around the corner!!

[hydrogen_wv @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

They should have used this picture for a caption contest.

Anyways.. I'm thrilled by this technology... Think about this... Full color paper-thin displays.... Along with the customizable keyboards with the light that displays the keyboard, and pressure sensors to detect typing... You could have a whole computer you could fit into a pocket of a notebook. Or, take 2 thick plastic covers from 5-star notebooks, attach them together so they fold like a folder, have the keyboard on one and the display on the other. Put the little no-slide rubber pads on the side with hte keyboard, then open it up, set something behind it to prop the back up against. Hell, make a computer that looks like a 1 subject 5star.

Cover the walls in your house with it, hook it to a PC, load up a Winamp visualization plugin (G-force, I think it's called, would be excellent)... Pump up some music and have a jammin' house....

The possibilities are endless...

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Hey Jason - I don't think that's such a far-fetched idea! For those of us (like me) of the caucasion persuasion, a small e-ink display just under the skin with a small backlight would be very cool indeed! Power it with the human body and you've got a neat gadget. I'm not into tatoos/mutilation/whatever, but this is something that I'd consider.

Should I file a patent? :-D

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Does it glow in the dark?

[vectorbug @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I wouldnt mind an e-ink calendar, especially if it was designed like that Pentagram calendar ( http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=8180 ).

[Farang Noi @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

That would look really nice covering the entire wall of my miniscule apartment.

[Samuel Lago @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I fully expect this to be in Argos oneday for �16.99

[Russ @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

is there a video of the clock ticking over somewhere? e-ink does look pretty awesome.. can't wait until there's a laptop that I can use out in the park on a sunny day - that's just as readable as a newspaper!

[james @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Citizen does timing for all kinds of occasions - sporting evens comes to mind. This thing is a bit less bulky than most timing clocks.

[Michael Shada @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

This is a great product for sporting events and the like.
The price is a little high for home use, but what did digital watches cost when they first came out?
I see shortly a smaller standard size that would fit in a 3-ring binder (or ON it), and could also be placed on a wall.

COST? Just wait in line at your local 'Burger King, or McDonalds'. (Of course free means some form of advertising on it.)

[hydrogen_wv @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I can't wait to get my free Burger King Star Wars e-ink reversible wristwatch.

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

4 grand for something that you'll throw away with every cereal box you finish off in a few years? This would be like buying a $500 singing greeding card today.

[peeInMyPantz @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

looks quite flexible...
how about using it to make clothes... just press a button and you change the pattern..
if you really need attention.. just flash it black and white.. haha

[Windows Update Advisor @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I got an idea....

Make clothes from these thin digital sheet.

When time comes, just press a switch and you and change your clothes design and colors....or wallpapers changing every minutes...

hahaha...

[sync-mobile @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

My grandma could really use that.

[Belal @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

This is being used in Mobile phones. They had one at the technology exhibition a couple of months ago. You can roll out a bigger screen on your mobile phone if you need to run applications or view movies etc. otherwise you see a small screen for standard stuff ....