AUO demonstrates 6-inch flexible electronic paper, pledges production for next year
By Tim Stevens 
posted Oct 20th 2009 7:29AM
posted Oct 20th 2009 7:29AM
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Why does it have to be flexible? I usually prefer my paper to be flat & I don't see what advantages flexibility get you.
Besides, Plastic Logic have had flexible display technology for years, but apparently consumers didn't like it because it felt like they might break it.
I am inclined to agree. I think to take off big time they need to produce a very thin e-reader with a discrete wireless delivery system so that at work people can send charts and reports to your device instantly in preparation for meetings etc. Imagine walking into a meeting room and the agenda etc is delivered to your device automatically if you have not been sent it before hand. I think e-paper is pretty much good enough for many tasks now, it is the application of the tech that needs thought.
I think flexible is important. Current hardware is designed to have as little flex as possible, because that could damage the screen. A flexible screen and perhaps even a flexible motherboard could mean less stiffness required and thus thinner designs.
It has to be flexible so it doesnt break. You know all those LCD screens in phones are breaking with just one nice hit of the floor. If its flexible its going to be much harder to break it. Also flexibility could open new way to create small gadgets which could have a fold out big screen. Everything is possible
The point of flexible displays isn't to make the device flexible... at least not initially... but rather to improve durability! Rigid displays use a glass substrate which can crack as a result of an impact or shearing. Screens which instead use flexible plastic substrates are potentially far more resilient to this type of abuse!
One advantage of being flexible would be that it can also be folded, thus allowing reading devices to be smaller. Imagine a mobile phone that has a perfectly normal shape but has a secondary ePaper-type screen that rolls out - like in the good old days of the Romans :)
Hey tim, can you tell me where you buy your flat slabs of of paper from? mine always keep bending.
I think e-paper is a huge gimmick that only those who don't want to get away from "paper" would adopt. I don't read the paper newspaper anymore. Why would I read that, or a magazine in an e-paper form?
I already tell people not to hand me things, but to email it to me. Most of my contacts in my phone have email addresses for that exact reason. Easier "paper trail". ;-)
You do understand that "ePaper" is a generic term for an ultra-low power (usually bistable), high-reflective-contrast display?
You must not be much of a book reader. Most avid readers can spend hours at a time engrossed in a book, and many do this while supine. E-Ink isn't a gimmick for this application--it's the only technology that can replace the paperback and still give a similar visual and physical experience that many readers are already very comfortable with.
I'm all about a visual experience. I'm not saying a physical experience isn't important. It just doesn't have to be paper, or something that feels like it. If it just has to be slimmer than a book, you already have a lot of options.
I have a feeling that tablet PCs and laptops will be slimer and more mobile enough to serve as ebook readers sooner than later. I already carry around two cell phones, a laptop to get the nerdiness I demand. On top of that, I have the ZundHD knocking on my door. I only want to carry so much with me. Considering these are all developing technologies, I'd put more of a bet on slim and fast netbooks/tablets to fill this void.
wow you hold two completely contradictory beliefs at the same time, are you a republikkklansman?
You think only people who want to get away from paper would use it and therefore its a gimmick...but you yourself ask everything to be sent to you electronically...something that an e-reader would be perfect for. Are you living a gimmick?
@polo - Thanks for getting personal. Great way to try to get your point across.
I never said an ebook reader was a poor idea. It's already just an ultra low power netbook. I believe that these devices will evolve into something that is more than just a reader. That is what I will invest in.
So, they are demonstrating that their e-paper CAN be flexible, but then show their actual production models that are solid plastic frames. What's the news here again?
Do they measure contrast ratios differently for e-paper? Every time an lcd manufacturer releases there's something about a contrast ratio in the thousands. But having read e-journals and stuff on my (reasonably good) monitor, I know e-paper kicks it's ass.
Or is it because the highest white point is much lower? I know you wouldn't want pure shining white as the background on these things, but the text needs to be as clear and dark as possible.
Some of the contrast ratios quoted for LCD screens are, frankly, lies. (Thanks to 'adaptive' backlighting, which can turn off parts of the backlight; so you get to compare the full maximum brightness of the display, which is usually way too bright, against the screen being basically turned off.)
That said, screen white is certainly a lot brighter (and screen black a bit blacker) than epaper displays! But for reading in b+w you don't need a contrast ratio that high. I did a quick search and wasn't particularly satisfied with the results, but one source claimed that newsprint is about 10:1, so this is close. Books printed on higher-quality paper are a lot better, though - room for improvement, but personally I don't have a problem reading newspapers.
I'd like to see improved contrast in epaper displays but it's probably not the most important factor stopping me from getting an ebook reader; that's availability of books. Until it gets to the point where almost every book is available in an open-ish fomat that will survive different devices (epub), at the same price or less than a typically discount on the currently-cheapest paper version, I don't think I'm interested. Still, in the meantime, I hope the technology continues to improve too.
A contrast ratio of 9:1 is visually quite a bit (rather than "slightly") better than 7:1, is it not?
I know what 6 inches looks like!
I'll show her MY 6-inch flexible
That all?
This is using SiPix's ePaper technology. AUO bought them a while ago. It will be intresting to see what happens with E Ink now that PVI has bought them and that AUO has started it push into this area. PVI is a tier 3 TFT supplier, AOU Tier 1. Wonder who will win in the end?
Both can be measured by the contrast between their brightest and darkest pixels.
LCDs emit a bright light.
E-ink reflects the ambient light.
Paper reflects the ambient light.
Too much brightness shining in your eyes can tire them. E-ink and paper offer less stress on your eyes.
i wonder how e-toilet paper will look like and how much ass-enviroment friendly it will be