Flexible Screens are Finally Here

If you haven't heard yet, flexible plastic screens are finally here! I'm using the word "finally" here loosely, as the technology has been around for a while now (ie Entertainment Weekly's video ad), but it sounds like they're finding their way into mainstream consumer items as well.

The new QUE e-reader, developed by Plastic Logic, is one such consumer item that takes direct aim at the Kindle. The new e-reader uses polymer technologies to create a screen that is plastic, flexible and NOT fragile. The reader of course, comes with a hefty price, but I'm sure that as time continues the price point will eventually descend to earth for the rest of us.

The screen that the QUE uses is black and white, just like the Kindle, but I did some poking around, and it looks like color plastic screens are being developed by Sony, so I'm sure/hoping it won't be longer before there are devices with flexible full color screens on the market.

There's also the Readius, which has a roll-up screen. The video below shows an older generation of the Readius; the current model on the market (released in 2009) has a fold up screen rather than one that is pulled out. Again, the device is used primarily as an e-reader (and also has a hefty price tag), but I'm really curious about the possibilities for video as screens become more and more convenient to carry (and fold up!).