Programmable Paper

cdhostagecdhostage
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
This link from the Register reminded me of an idea I saw in Wired one day. Programmable paper.



<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/23259.html"; target="_blank">http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/23259.html</a>;



Here it is: you keep a single piece of paper in your kitchen with a small button on it that you plug into your home's network.



You pick up the paper in the morning and it shows the day's headlines. Push the button and you go to the second page. Or naviaget however you wish. The button can be a full-fledged console.



Programmable paper, as wshown in Wired, involves millions of tiny plastic beads with one side black the other white, sandwiched between clear plastic sheets and controlled in their orientation by a grid of electric charges. You download a blakc and white image into the button, and it translates it into instructions for the grid. one side of your paper will be a fine dox-matrix of that days newspaper.



Personally, I like the idea of reading your news on a large screen palmtop better. Or even having an iMac-analogue put on your table to read the morning NYT.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    jasonppjasonpp Posts: 308member
    I think e-ink is a little farther along?:



    <a href="http://www.eink.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.eink.com/</a>;





    they've got working products at JC Penny and a colour electronic paper demonstrator.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    I've seen that giant blue display thing at JCPenny. Not too impressive. It changes every once iin a while, and that looks cool I watched it up close. Very strange looking.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    I've seen that giant blue display thing at JCPenny. Not too impressive. It changes every once iin a while, and that looks cool I watched it up close. Very strange looking.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    superkochsuperkoch Posts: 13member
    [quote]Originally posted by cdhostage:

    <strong>This link from the Register reminded me of an idea I saw in Wired one day. Programmable paper.



    <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/23259.html"; target="_blank">http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/23259.html</a>;



    Here it is: you keep a single piece of paper in your kitchen with a small button on it that you plug into your home's network.



    You pick up the paper in the morning and it shows the day's headlines. Push the button and you go to the second page. Or naviaget however you wish. The button can be a full-fledged console.



    Programmable paper, as wshown in Wired, involves millions of tiny plastic beads with one side black the other white, sandwiched between clear plastic sheets and controlled in their orientation by a grid of electric charges. You download a blakc and white image into the button, and it translates it into instructions for the grid. one side of your paper will be a fine dox-matrix of that days newspaper.



    Personally, I like the idea of reading your news on a large screen palmtop better. Or even having an iMac-analogue put on your table to read the morning NYT.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    You will not only keep it in your kitchen, you'll carry it around anywhere you go. But I suppose it won't be e-ink (and it's not THAT far away). I think it'll rather be LEP's, some light emitting polymer foil which is said to be able to have quite a high esolution. How nice: A flexible Powerbook. That stuff also consumes much less energy than TFT/LCD etc.. Anyway, as far as I am concerned the e-ink will mainly be used in advertising (you control your ads WORLDWIDE and don't even have to reprint a single page, or poster...



    Hm. I think there should be more threads like this...
  • Reply 5 of 7
    superkochsuperkoch Posts: 13member
    [quote]Originally posted by SuperKoch:

    <strong>





    You will not only keep it in your kitchen, you'll carry it around anywhere you go. But I suppose it won't be e-ink (and it's not THAT far away). I think it'll rather be LEP's, some light emitting polymer foil which is said to be able to have quite a high esolution. How nice: A flexible Powerbook. That stuff also consumes much less energy than TFT/LCD etc.. Anyway, as far as I am concerned the e-ink will mainly be used in advertising (you control your ads WORLDWIDE and don't even have to reprint a single page, or poster...



    Hm. I think there should be more threads like this... </strong><hr></blockquote>





    I am really visionary, don't you think? (just read the register article AFTER posting. Sorry to have wasted your time before...
  • Reply 6 of 7
    the swanthe swan Posts: 82member
    Not sure what the article says but E-ink has its own product. Xerox PARC, however, was the first ot start developing the idea and they call it Gyricon. Will be close to revolutionary in my view, and a big boon for the environment. Think of all the black and white labels (like on store shelves) and a hundred other places that won't have to thrown away any more. Gyricon's big advantage over LEP is that its cheap, when I first read about it a couple of years ago they were estimating about $1 for a sheet once its being produced and sold in volume. As I understand it an similar sized piece of LEP display would cost hundreds of dollars.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    berbercarpetberbercarpet Posts: 242member
    Wired Magazine (the dead tree edition) has had 3 or 4 articles about various incarnations of e-ink or programable paper or whatever.



    The articles always go the same way:
    • Some dude (it's always a dude--not my fault) is 1 - 3 years from having a production-ready flat computer screen

    • It will change the world (unlimited books in one package, unlimited notes on one notebook)

    • It will be cheap cheap cheap (!)

    It sounds wonderful, but it seems to be more illusive than the <a href="http://www.moller.com/skycar/"; target="_blank">flying car</a>.





    Having said all that:



    It really would be incredible to have a planner/computer/eBook reader in one.
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