[MLUG - DISCUSSION] Flexible Display Screens Readied for Production

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

full text:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3845-2004Feb1.html

Washington Post
February 2, 2004; Page A08

Flexible Display Screens Readied for Production
Roll 'Em, Fold 'Em, Stick 'Em in Your Pocket: Long-Envisioned Plastic
Sheets Will Make E-Newspapers, E-Books a Reality

By Rick Weiss, Washington Post Staff Writer

The trail has disappeared and let's face it, you're lost in the woods. But
luckily you've got your trusty map rolled up in a pocket. You unroll the
plastic-coated sheet . . . it's blank -- until you turn the power on.

Suddenly the curly page jumps to life with a detailed screen display,
including a selection of topographic maps showing the way back. Later, at
your car, you unfurl the same sheet, this time to check out restaurant
reviews for local eateries.

Scenes like this one have long been imagined by techno-optimists. But
reality has repeatedly delayed the introduction of flexible electronic
displays. Even today's thinnest and fanciest display screens for laptops
and digital assistants are topped with a layer of glass or plastic that
cannot be folded, bent or mutilated -- much less rolled up into a handy
little tube.

But after years of unabashed hype and dashed hopes, truly flexible
displays are at last being ramped up to commercial production. Among the
uses that manufacturers foresee are electronic newspapers that can be
folded or rolled when not in use and then opened to display the latest
news; flexible strips for store shelves that display constantly updated
price and product information; and watch bands or bracelets that offer
streaming news or other information.

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