The BBC has an interesting news report, along with a short video clip, about plastic paper being developed by Plastic Logic.
“”It’s very robust,” says Mr Baker.
To prove it he whacks the screen with his fist. Not a scratch.
The machine’s so tough, because everything, from the screen to the electronics inside, is made of plastic.
That’s why the electronic newspaper is so light, flexible and revolutionary. ”
Looks fascinating, especially the durability. But the contrast doesn’t look too high, at least as shown in the video.
I went and watched the video, and that looks like a wonderful prototype.
My response to the issue of people loving their paper, is that in regards to Newspapers, they are a dying business model right now. Newspaper readership, at least in the U.S., has been declining for years and newspapers are slashing the size of their editions. Craigslist has killed classified revenue. Electronic distribution and subscriptions will be their only saviors, and then such companies can focus on producing decent content, which has also been deteriorating for years, instead of on the consumption of forest products and burning of fossil fuel.
As a self-described news junkie, I gave up newspapers years ago for online news sources. I just can’t stand all that paper piling up in the house and I have always disliked the format. All that turning of unwieldy pages and folding and having to flip through a bunch of pages in the middle of an article. Plus dirty hands. Ridiculous.
Best of luck to Plastic Logic.
Sure it’s great that scientists and engineers are working on futuristic stuff. But we’ve been stuck with ‘any day now’ for flexible low-cost displays for years now. I don’t have any complaints about following future technologies, but I’d hate for people to delay purchases in pretty-good solutions today because new technology may be better in a few years.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
Unlike Tracy, I can’t stand to read newspapers on my computer. I have a love-hate relationship with my computer: I love how easy it makes my job as an editor; I hate all the time I spend reading on it. As a consequence, I limit what I read online. Teleread, Mobile Read, 2 business lists — that’s the extent of what I’m willing to read online. There is only so much time I am willing to be chained to my computer.
Thus I am hoping that my daily newspapers (my local paper and the New York Times) will eventually offer subscriptions that take advantage of the Plastic Logic-type device. I want to read my newspapers over breakfast. If the Plastic Logic device pans out, then perhaps in addition to the New York Times, I will be able to get some of my magazines delivered that way as well.
I know that I can get feeds for, for example, the Economist and the NY Times for my Sony Reader, but the screen is too small for comfortable reading of either. The Plastic Logic device may well be the answer, especially if newspapers and magazines adopt the cell phone subscription model currently in vogue in the United States.
The electronics inside are made of plastic ?!
Stop repeating obvious nonsense.