Roll Up Those Digital Publications

I realize this news is a couple of weeks old, but it is so exciting that I couldn’t not write about it. Polymer Vision, a Dutch company specializing in rollable displays, and Telecom Italia, a mobile operator in Italy, have announced that they will be jointly developing the first mobile device with a rollable display. The device itself is smaller than most mobile phones, but has a screen that can extend up to 5 inches. Newspapers and books will be delivered via Telecom Italia’s mobile network and stored on the device’s 4GB+ memory (which I assume is flash). The device will also be able to play music, podcasts, etc. If only this device could display color and not just 16 grey levels, it would be an amazing mobile device! But, from all appearances, it will still be very useful and convenient.

Polymer Vision’s rollable displays are based on technology from DuPont Teijin Films, SiPix, and E Ink. We have discussed E Ink’s technology many times before; their technology seems to be involved in almost all the new reading-focused display technologies that are being developed.