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Friday, May 18, 2007

Bendy Electronic Paper

posted by on May 18 at 9:55 AM

It’s likely coming to Seattle, and could be delivering the Post-Intelligencer within two years. Yet another development that could upend the local media market…

BendyScreen.jpg

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1

The future is finally now! Wooooo!

Posted by Gitai | May 18, 2007 10:36 AM
2

Wow, that is some wild stuff...

Posted by Brad | May 18, 2007 10:54 AM
3

I have a whole list of questions about how this is going to work, and how much it's going to cost, and how likely it is you're going to want to roll up your expensive screen and jam it in your pocket, and what's going to drive it. Sounds like Media Lab whiz-bang to me. I'll believe it when I see it.

Posted by Fnarf | May 18, 2007 10:59 AM
4

Fnarf, are you getting telecyberpathic messages? Gates may have said something about that at the conference last week, except it had more to do with the wrist.

Posted by Garrett | May 18, 2007 11:23 AM
5

fnarf, i think you are being too cynical. personally, i can't wait to read one of these while riding my segwey and wearing one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd99gyE4jCk

Posted by infrequent | May 18, 2007 11:23 AM
6

do you have to wear those sexy gloves when you read it?

Posted by steve | May 18, 2007 11:53 AM
7

Fnarf,
I've seen eInk on a Sony eBook and I liked it.
When the price of an eBook reader comes down to $150 or so and the screen gets just a bit bigger, I think we'll have a sea change in the way we read i.e. paper will diminish in importance.

Posted by David Sucher | May 18, 2007 12:00 PM
8

I've seen a new ebook too. Not bad. But:
Who's "we"? Is the P-I going to buy everybody who subscribes a $150 reader? Or are they going to make YOU buy it? What happens if it breaks? What happens if it crashes? Can I write on it? Can I print out an article/comic/crossword/want ad? Is the software going to want to connect to the internet every five minutes and download another 100 MB update, like Adobe Acrobat? Can I take it in the bathtub? When I roll it up and jam it in my pocket and then sit on it, what happens? How easy is it to scroll around (bearing in mind that scrolling around on a newsprint sheet is as easy as rolling your eyes slightly)? Is it going to be tempting for lowlifes to steal from me? Will it protect my ass from a damp park bench?

From a historian's perspective, will it still be there to read a hundred years from now? Old newspapers are a fantastically powerful research tool.

I've been hearing about this diminished importance of paper for over three decades now. During those three decades the importance of paper, measured by its use, has gone up a hundredfold or a thousandfold. Color me skeptical.

Posted by Fnarf | May 18, 2007 12:14 PM
9

While I think this will be great in libraries, cafes, and diners, I can just see Michael Jackson gloves coming in to our houses to read our bendy screens.

Two bucks on the thing breaking within 90 days of most households with kids.

Why does the PI hate parents so? You KNOW the kids will crayon the thing, break it, get smudge marks, and put the cat on it.

Speaking of cats, how long until they decide to sit on the nice warm "electronic paper"?

Posted by Will in Seattle | May 18, 2007 12:15 PM
10

This makes me feel like my profession has a fighting chance. Good stuff.

I want one.

Posted by Sam | May 18, 2007 12:29 PM
11

As a kid I earned all my spending money delivering newspapers. Therefore this makes me sad and wistful in a Garrison Keillor, "Gosh the world is changing so quickly" kind of way. Whither the paper carriers of yesteryear? Alas.

Posted by flamingbanjo | May 18, 2007 12:32 PM
12

These don't seem like they'd give the warmth of newpaper when you're homeless and trying to get some sleep on a park bench on a chilly night.

Posted by Sally Struthers Lawnchair | May 18, 2007 12:37 PM
13

The newspaper carrier of yesteryear has morphed into a middle-aged Sikh in a turban who drives a clapped-out 1987 Honda at breakneck speed through our neighborhood. Hits the corner of the top step perfectly every single morning, though. He ought to pitch for the M's.

Posted by Fnarf | May 18, 2007 12:40 PM
14

frank herbert and son called this one in the eighties, in seattle even. (man of two worlds)

Posted by pocket amazon | May 18, 2007 1:08 PM
15

Is this the end of paper mache (sp?)crafts? and what am i supposed to roll out on the table when i'm carving a pumpkin?

Posted by longball | May 18, 2007 2:12 PM
16


It reminds me of that funny Phil Hartman SNL sketch called "Virtual Book". Hilarious.

Posted by hee | May 18, 2007 3:06 PM
17
Posted by not so much | May 18, 2007 3:24 PM
18

Fnarf raises some good points w/r/t the cost, the viability of the technology, plus the possibility of bugs. I don't see it supplanting paper. After all, we were told way back that computers would eliminate the need for paper, and yet people still want paper trails even today because they realize computers crash and can be hacked.

As a purveyor of media... it COULD work, but I get the feeling that Hearst et al will jack the subscription price so far beyond a societally acceptable price threshold that it'll be as niche as the Laserdisc was and never develop the customer base it needs to thrive.

I'm not paying $150 for an electronic newspaper thingy and neither are most citizens, to be honest. Nor am I paying $30-60 a month for news'paper' service on top of it. That price will need to come WAY down if it's gonna work.

Posted by Gomez | May 18, 2007 4:08 PM
19

Gomez, people don't "still want" paper after the advent of computers. Computers are in fact MASSIVELY INCREASING the use of paper. There's been an explosion of growth in office paper directly because of the PC and the internet.

Posted by Fnarf | May 18, 2007 5:41 PM
20

Brad @ 2 - Nice Johnny Carson!

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | May 19, 2007 9:55 AM
21

Fnarf,
The big issue (besides technology) is that publishers of books are scared to lower the cost of $25 paper book to a $5 eBook, which is roughly where it should be considering the fantsastically lower costs involved i.e. no paper, no inventory, no stores etc etc. Of course since there is no great eBook reader yet, it doesn't matter. But publishers will be forced to come around once there is great technology.

Posted by David Sucher | May 19, 2007 4:01 PM

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