Welcome to the world of plastic electronics. This fascinating branch of electronic design is really starting to get the tech heads excited.  This is where the future of electronic display is taking off and moving us on from the phenomenon of Kindle and into the realms of colour video ePaper.

eReaders Take Gold
The success of the Kindle was down to some very clever marketing and product placement.  Convincing people to give up paper books and magazines for an eReader was never going to be an easy task.  Electronic eReaders are expensive to produce and this is an instant set back.  However, by deliberately lowering the costs of the Kindle units (to the point of selling them for less than they cost to make) and ensuring the content was readily and low cost, this manufacturer really struck gold.

By taking an initial loss on their new eReader they ensured it hit the markets hard and stuck fast.  This ingenious and aggressive marketing tactic enabled the Kindle to transform the publishing market and paved the way for eReaders of the future.

A Study in Monochrome
However, there was one big drawback of the first Kindle designs.  They were black and white only. This prohibited a lot of content from being reproduced on these handheld eReaders.  For example, many magazines from genres like Home and Living, Fashion and Photography feature lots of glossy colour photographs.  These were unavailable from early Kindles and so restricted this device from a vast segment of the market.

Kindles were also unable to reproduce video data.  This meant that only text and static images could be viewed with this type of electronic display device.  The screens were also static and inflexible. Again, this restricted the Kindle from a large potential customer base.  Although there are new colour Kindles hitting the markets this eReader manufacturer has a lot of competition to face in the next few years.

The Future is in Technicolor!
Flexible ePaper is now really starting to take centre stage in global technology design.  Leading plastic electronic company Plastic Logic has been working hard on developing new types of flexible screens that will revolutionise digital displays.  The current flexible ePaper product on the market uses plastic transistors to offer a flat, bendable screen.  This a piece of paper but it can also now show both static and colour video images.  The upcoming ultra-light, ultra-thin colour video ePaper product will take on the idea of a handheld eReader and move it to the next level.  So just what can we do with video ePaper?

• Leading ePaper companies have already indicated that they are moving away from eReaders.
• They are thinking bigger and expanding potential applications for this exciting new product.
• Top commercial ideas that stand out include signage and large scale video advertising billboards.  These applications are ideal for video ePaper as this product is lightweight, durable, daylight readable and economic in terms of operation power.
• Flexible video ePaper signage and advertising would also be simple and easy to assemble.  Large applications could be created by ‘tiling’ together many smaller sections as required.
• Video ePaper also offers creative possibilities in other fields too including medicine.  Flat screens that can be bent into different shapes enable the potential for new equipment like curved, full body scanners.
• They could also provide practical handheld information sheets for trainee medical staff and staff working out in the field.

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star

The market for flexible colour video ePaper is a boom that is waiting to happen.  The market is eagerly awaiting new advances in this field and the first company to offer a functional and affordable product is set to make it big.   With the successes of the Kindle eReader growth in this sector is reaching an all-time high.

If you want to invest in the future then flexible ePaper is a good bet.

Jane McCullen loves to write about technology, focused on everything new in this sector. When she is not researching the lates trends, she like to be together with her firends.