FirstPaper e-reader with flexible color touchscreen on the horizon?
Posted by 1337g33k on April 8, 2008
A
wireless newspaper with a flexible color touchscreen the size of a
tabloid may be on the way within the next two years. Media giant Hearst
Corp. has been pumping cash into a stealth startup called FirstPaper,
whose flagship reader will reportedly use a color version of the
energy-sipping E-Ink used in the Sony Reader. It seems like science
fiction, but screens such as this 14.1-inch-wide Philips color e-paper display from a year ago (pictured above), continue to be developed, so this may not be too far-fetched.
The Linux-based FirstPaper reader, if it can be brought to market at a price that’s close to e-readers such as the $280 Sony Reader, the $399 Amazon Kindle or the $350 Ectaco Jetbook,
might be a serious contender. If its flexible screen really does turn
pages just by touching the screen, and if it’s truly flexible as a
newspaper and its wireless capabilities work well, its competitors
might need to go back to the old drawing board. That’s a lot of “ifs.”
Take a look at a clip from Minority Report showing how
such a flexible color display might be used in the future. Of course,
this fictional display in the movie has motion video, but the
FirstPaper’s e-ink could be the next step toward that.”
