Taking Stock Of E-paper

Linda Rosencrance   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Hardware Stories  

Server Management: The tried and true vendors vs. the new-idea startups Server Virtualization: From Planning to Deployment Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security Free copy of Virtualization for Dummies. Click here for access to instant pdf download. Myth of the Million Dollar Database Case Study: AISO grows its "green" business Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up Sign up to receive Hardware Resource Alerts

September 20, 2004 (Computerworld) -- For years, analysts have been predicting that electronic paper, or e-paper, would set the stage for the paperless office. Until recently, however, developing a paper substitute was not an easy proposition. And even today, business applications of the technology remain limited.

E-paper is a thin, flexible polymer sheet with the look of paper. But e-paper is a bit thicker than regular paper and weighs more because it contains microscopic electronic ink particles sandwiched between two polymer sheets that display as either white or black in response to an electrical charge.

E-paper is reflective, like real paper, so it can be read in any light. It uses no backlighting, as LCDs do, nor does it use an emissive light source, as with a CRT monitor, says Tom Ashley, director of Pivotal Resources USA, a Lexington, Ky.-based research firm that follows the digital printing market.

E-paper is also bi-stable, which means that the display uses power only to change the content. Once the image is created, it stays there, even when the power is turned off, Ashley says.

"Those two main characteristics are what give a paperlike display its good qualities—it's comfortable to read because it's reflective, and the bi-stable aspect allows you to have low power and lightweight batteries so the whole device could be extremely thin and lightweight," Ashley says.

Several companies are developing commercial applications of e-paper technology. SmartPaper, an e-paper technology from Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Gyricon LLC, first appeared in an e-paper pricing-sign system for retail stores in May. The sign is controlled by software that links it wirelessly to in-store pricing databases, says Robert Sprague, chief technology officer at Gyricon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox Corp.

Gyricon's e-paper price signs receive updated pricing information wirelessly for display on retail store shelves.

"This gives IT departments a way to control a lot of signage and information around an entire building or campus from one centralized computing point," Sprague adds.

Gyricon also offers SmartPaper in a line of dynamic message boards, which it sells to hotels, conference centers and large campuses, he says. The message boards sell for $1,295 each.

The E-book

In April, Cambridge, Mass.-based E Ink Corp., Amsterdam-based Royal Philips Electronics and Tokyo-based Sony Corp. together launched their first-generation e-ink display in Sony's e-book reader, the Librie, in Japan. The e-book incorporates the e-ink technology used in e-paper into a traditional display.

Continued...
1 | 2 | 3 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

Taking Stock Of E-paper Sidebar: Inside E-paper

Sidebar: Searching for a Niche

"Desktop Linux still has three serious problems to overcome before it can go mass-market...." Read more... "For the first time ever at LinuxWorld, a group of volunteers gathered en masse to help the ongoing Alameda County..." Read more... Read more Hardware posts or See all Blogs

When the meteor and the 1PB database collide Former prosecutor: UFO hack looked like terrorist attack Russian hacker gang steals with impunity, says researcher Facebook stamps out malware attack Ohio official sues e-voting vendor for lost votes Politics 2.0 heats up traditional summer doldrums Researchers look to cloud computing to fight malware WAN optimization: Better than a 'real' upgrade? Judge rejects student visa injunction sought by H-1B opponents At LinuxWorld, problem-solvers hunt open-source solutions More top stories...

Mozilla experiments push Firefox envelope Microsoft: We'll help other vendors find, fix their bugs Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse Olympics goes all-HD for the first time Microsoft promises 12 patches next week WAN acceleration smells good to Coty IBM launches three mobile software products and services Bet on it: Employee wagers help companies predict the future Search closing in on e-mail as most popular online activity, report says First responders get more emergency communications options

How to configure and deploy the iPhone 3G for business, part 1 Before the iPhone will ever rival the BlackBerry in the workplace, IT admins need to know how to best activate and deploy it to their workers. Part 1 of a three-part series focuses on activation and configuration. All-screen clamshell concept phone: A glimpse of the future How do you make a phone with the smallest possible size, but the largest possible screen? Blogger Mike Elgan knows. How to build a free computer from spare parts Got a basement full of old components? Why not use them to build yourself a new PC? We show you how to do it. Narcissists at work: How to deal with arrogant, controlling, manipulative bullies Narcissistic employees — yes, IT has its fair share — can wreak havoc in the office and put your own job at risk. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Identity & Security Management Zone See your link here

Learn-Fast Guide: Get Up to Speed on Green IT (Source: Computerworld) Whether it's in the front office or the server room, green thinking can save energy, trees and money. From the Editorial Staff at Computerworld, here's the latest thinking on greening your operations. Download this executive briefing  Virtualization Everywhere Download this white paper, free, compliments of Citrix. (Source: Citrix) Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, the cost and complexity of server virtualization solutions has been a barrier. In this paper, we'll discuss how Citrix XenServer" provides simple, economical server virtualization for any size company. Download now! Download this white paper  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. A Guide to Understanding Messaging Archiving Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver The Impact of Messaging and Web Threats View more whitepapers

• Taking Stock Of E-paper
• Sidebar: Searching for a Niche
• Sidebar: Inside E-paper

• When the meteor and the 1PB database collide
• Mozilla experiments push Firefox envelope
• Former prosecutor: UFO hack looked like terrorist attack
• More top stories 

Google's Universal Search for Business As the volume of information inside enterprises explodes, most executives recognize the importance of a Google-like search solution for business content. To this end, Google has developed Universal Search for Business, powered by the Google Search Appliance, which searches all enterprise content through one secure box. Attend this webinar to learn how your business can benefit from universal search capabilities. Register for this live webcast now! See more Webcasts

Get Into Gear! Check out our new personal technology section -- TechGear -- for the latest on those cool gadgets that you just gotta have! Host Mike Elgan provides hands-on reviews and analysis of the stuff that makes IT fun. Head to TechGear

Free 802.11n Wireless Poster This wireless technical reference poster includes channel frequencies and appropriate worldwide channel selections for 802.11a/b/g, typical indoor WLAN coverage range with data rates, and more. 24" x 36" (61 x 91 cm). Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Get this poster.