The Future of Documents

Kindle Review has two very interesting posts for anyone that is interested in ePaper and eBook / eReader technologies.

The State of ePaper lists most (if not all) of the technologies that are currently in play for next-generation eReaders. Beyond eInk’s technology, the this post lists most of the runner-ups, and compares their technology with the current champion. Whether LCD-derived technologies (Pixel Qi), Color (Bridgestone, Fujitsu), or many others, the post explains the differences and illustrates with videos, when applicable.

The State of the eReader lists  the key characteristics of eReaders (price, screen technology, usability, social aspects, and many more) and for each of those reviews the current state (”best-of-breed” products) as well as what the ideal eReader should be.

Excellent and very impressive work putting all this together and analyzing it – definitely worth reading for anyone that has interest in the future of eReaders !

It’s always nice to hear others refer to the ePaper original invention … and realize it comes from Xerox, in the 70s ( more precisely at PARC in 1974) – including a picture of one of the first ePaper sample.

This interesting blog post also mentions Fuji Xerox’s color ePaper prototype, which I already blogged upon in the past. The original article it refers to, “The Future of Electronic Paper” is worth reading again.

The e-Paper market is slowly (but surely) moving.

iRex has annouced its new product, the iRex Digital Reader 1000, a 10.2″ e-Paper reader which weights between 500 and 600g. That is a major step from such current displays which are 6 to 8″. The entry version will come without a pen-driven interface, but the real interesting version will be the ones that come with stylus-based tactile interface (developed through their partnership with Wacom), and or the top-of-the-range model which adds WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

Sony has just announced its new PRS-700 e-Reader. It adds LED lighting capabilities, a touch-screen interface, and a zippier interface. On the not so positive side though, it is still only a 6-inch screen, and does not have wireless capabilities.

But a major player to watch is Plastic Logic.  The UK-based company has raised over 200 M$ to build an e-Paper facility in Dresden (Germany) which opened in September. It will be launching its own soft e-Paper reader first half of 2009. Although not quite foldable as real paper yet, their reader looks like a rather rigid cardboard A4 sheet with touch interface. Make sure you check out their cool video.

Both are still Black & White, and based on e-Ink e-Paper technology, which predicts they will have production version of a display that offers newspaper-like color in 2010.

Also promising is Liquavista, a spinout of Philips Research lab, is now investigating how its electrowetting technology (used on mobile phone screens) can be used for e-Paper. Indeed, their technology could bring both color and video capability. They have been funded through a £12m collaborative project from the Technology Strategy Board to develop lightweight, foldable and low-consumption e-Paper displays.