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May 16, 2008

Philips spinoff Polymer Vision now has a color version of its flexible, rollup "e-paper" display. Debuting in an eBook reader similar to Amazon's Kindle, but using Windows CE, the company's displays have a 6mm roll radius, resolutions up to 254dpi, and 16-bit color depth (65K colors).

(Click here for a larger view of the Readius)

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The Polymer Vision displays use an organic thin film transistor backplane with an electrophoretic front plane. They are reflective, and need no power to hold an image, says the company. In addition, the displays are as thin as paper, with the ability to be rolled up to the diameter of a pen.

Polymer Vision says the prototypes it will show off at the Society for Information Display (SID) conference feature a "record-breaking" roll radius of only 6mm. The color prototype displays 65K colors and has a resolution of 127ppi, while a monochrome prototype has a resolution of 254ppi -- touted as the highest-resolution e-paper display ever shown.

The Readius half open (left) and fully open (right)
(Click either to enlarge)
Meanwhile, the company released added information and specifications for its Readius (above), first announced in January. This Windows CE-based device combines electronic book reading capabilities with cellular wide area networking. Like the Linux-based Amazon Kindle, it can download content via its cellular modem. In addition, it is compatible with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) service, and can be used as a cell phone worldwide.

Polymer Vision says the five-inch monochrome display gives the Readius high contrast and reflectivity, 16 grayscales, 30-hour battery life, and "twice the surface area of the largest conventional mobile phone display." When not being used, the screen rolls up into a package that, at just 4.5 x 2.5 x .8 inches (115 x 57 x 21mm), is as small as an average mobile phone.

The Readius, which has a custom user interface, can use digital rights management (DRM) for content protection, but is also said to be compatible with open formats such as ASCII text, HTML, and PDF. It will also include email software, an RSS reader, and an audio player. A Web browser is not included, however, likely because of the low refresh rate inherent in "e-paper" displays.

As noted, phone calls can also be made, though the device's eight hardware buttons do not include a numeric keypad. Polymer Vision says calls can be made from a contact list, transferred from a PC via ActiveSync and the device's USB port.

Features and specifications released by Polymer Vision for the Readius include:

Processor -- ARM11-based, clocked at 400MHz
Memory -- 128MB RAM, 256MB flash
Storage -- microSD slot
Display:
- rollable, using organic thin film transistor backplane with electrophoretic front plane
- 5-inch, 320 x 240 resolution
- 16 gray levels
Keys -- five capacitive touch buttons
Wireless:
- WAN -- Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSDPA
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
Other I/O: USB 2.0, with both client and mass storage device modes
Expansion -- microSD slot
Dimensions:
- closed -- 4.5 x 2.5 x 0.8 inches (115 x 57 x 21mm)
- open -- 6.3 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches (160 x 115 x 21mm)
Weight -- 4 ounces (115g)

Availability

Polymer Vision said the Readius will be available in the second half of this year, initially in Italy via Telecom Italia, and then through other cellular carriers. Pricing will be comparable to a high-end smartphone, according to the company. Meanwhile, no timetable for commercial availability of the color displays was provided.

The Polymer Vision prototypes will be shown at booth 1029 of the SID Conference, running from May 18 to May 23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More information on the SID conference is available from the organizers' website, here.

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