Readius ((eInk is coming...one day, some day))

The three eternal questions with eInk ((and especially foldable)) eInk Displays...

- When ?
- How much ?
- When in a colour version ?

Maybe we get a little bit closer...

Polymer Vision's vision, which it came up with three years ago (as a business spun out from Philips Research), is finally coming to fruition. The Readius is the size of most small mobile phones, but has a 5-inch screen that folds up to close.

It uses E-ink, the same technology used in the Sony Reader and Amazon.com's Kindle, but Polymer Vision worked with E-Ink to come up with a thinner version of the technology so it would roll better. In addition, the Readius uses organic semiconductors in the layer underneath the E-ink that process transistors at very low temperatures so there's no need for glass backing to keep the heat away, like an LCD panel. Also, the organic semiconductor layer is malleable, which allows it to bend when folded, and not break.

Right now, the device is on track for release sometime this summer, though no price has been determined yet. Polymer Vision is still negotiating with mobile carriers and retailers that will sell the Readius to consumers in Europe, North America, and some markets in Asia.

But lest you agree with Jobs that e-books aren't anticipating what customers actually want to do with mobile devices, Polymer Vision has grander plans than just books for its technology. Internally, the company calls it the "dream machine"--a device that folds like an actual book and reveals an 8-inch color screen that automatically gets all the mobile content you want wirelessly.

"In four to five years, you can do video on a mobile roll-able device," McGoldrick said. There are mobile devices on the market right now that allow for watching video, and in some countries, broadcast television. "But the reality is, who wants to watch TV on that small display?" he asked. McGoldrick said that it's not pricing, or network quality, that's keeping portable video displays down--it's the size of the screen.

Source: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9891347-7.html?tag=nefd.lede

Sign me up for that "dream machine" :)