GigaOm 2/28/08

On the last GigaOm show, Josh Vyomesh, EVP imaging and printing for HP was talking about many technologies that HP/Hewlett Packard is interested in. One that stuck out in my mind was Electronic paper, or E-paper. E-paper is a technology that looks very similar to paper. Unlike other flat displays which utilizes a back light to display the picture. E-paper reflects light like a regular piece of paper. Vyomesh's point was that HP tries to be environmentally friendly and unlike traditional paper, e-paper is not processed from trees and is reusable, so once it has been used, you don't have to archive it or throw it away. The biggest drawback is that e-paper does not display color nearly as well as a traditional ink-jet printer.
E-paper can be used for a variety of things besides emulating traditional paper. Computer screens can be made using E-paper. The difference between these screens and LCDs, CRTs, and Plasmas is that E-paper screens can be worn, are flexible, and can even be rolled up. E-books may be used on E-paper as well. This is a very practical application for E-paper. Many people do not want to sit at a computer screen to read an E-book, yet printing it would take several pages, but an entire e-book could be read using one piece of E-paper. Another interesting use of E-paper is in watches. The entire watch, including the face display, is as flexible as the band when using E-paper. These are just a few of the hundreds of applications for E-paper.
E-paper will most likely become more available in the next few years. Even now, companies are investing heavily into E-paper. The problems right now with E-paper is that the uses, such as clocks and E-book readers are more novel than serious markets. E-paper has the potential to be used in everything from street signs to computer displays however.