E-paper set to revolutionise our reading habits
Scientists Johan Feenstra and Rob Hayes think they've figured out how a process called electrowetting can make paper do anything a videoscreen does. So far, though, all they've got to show for their efforts is a tiny piece of e-paper one centimetre square only 225 pixels, or picture elements. That won't be nearly enough for headlines and news videos.
The only hint of the technology's potential is a laptop presentation the inventors have rigged up. It features Professor Snape, Harry Potter's potions teacher, holding an electronic newspaper with an embedded video clip. "That's what we want," says Hayes.
And they're likely to get it. Late last month in Tokyo, Sony took an important leap in this direction by introducing Librie, an e-book reader. The device, which costs $370 and is about the size of a paperback, holds the equivalent of dozens of books, which readers can download from the Web for $2.20 each. Although it's available only in black and white, Librie has the most important characteristic of paper: it reflects natural light. That means it can be read on sunny days or viewed from any angle. You can even choose your own font size. Sony expects to sell 5,000 units a month. Is this finally the beginning of the end of paper?
The answer is closer to "yes" than you may think. The hold-up so far has been user-unfriendly screens, but now e-paper no longer relies on backlit displays. A reflective display is easy on the eyes, with twice the contrast of computer screens and up to six times the brightness. It uses power only when changing the page, so a battery can last 300 hours.
The Philip's display on Librie uses technology from Massachusetts-based E-Ink Corp.
The US military is funding research into e-paper to produce real-time maps for battlefield use.
Philips researchers are working on a technology for laminating E-ink on a plastic layer instead of glass, which would then roll into a pen-sized tube. A flexible product for mobile phones and digital cameras can be ready in three to five years, says Peter Wierenga, head of display research at Philips. "We're on the path of attack to video posters," he says.
E-paper could save newspapers a bundle on printing and distribution. In 10 years, 12% of newspapers could be published on e-paper, says Harald Ritter, technology chief for Ifra, the publisher's group; eventually they'll all follow suit, just as the recording industry dropped vinyl.
"In 20 to 30 years we will see newspaper publishers abandon print for economic reasons," says Roger Fidler, director of the Centre for Cyber Information at Kent State University.
Digital newspapers may never get to full broadsheet or even tabloid size, say researchers, because e-paper would be too expensive and cumbersome. Instead, they expect something closer to A4 size sold as a single sheet or as two sheets with a spine in the middle. Initially such an e-newspaper would merely receive data from a computer at home or wireless hot spot.
Price is another key point. Fidler expects we will see a $200 device in colour by the end of the decade, but flexible e-paper will take longer and cost more. Advertisers are watching, because real-time delivery would allow them to tailor their messages to the individual customer, submit a last-minute ad and even slash a price during the day if sales are not going well.
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