The Future Potential of E-paper

The future of E-paper seems promising and has the potential to replace many older technologies and tools. With the new features of E-paper, it can be applied in wide ranges of areas that requires regular updates of information display. Such as:

• Public Transit advertisements and schedules. Since the public transit schedule changes regularly, E-paper is an ideal technology. It provides quick information and notices if there are any emergencies and traffic delays. Advertisements, on the other hand, can constantly change images if you have more than one product to promote. E-paper has the ability to rewrite and change the image indefinitely and immediately since everything is done electronically. It saves time, money, effort, and most importantly paper materials. This may also include places such as airports, train station, etc.
  

• Price tags in stores and restaurant menus. With its lightweight and thin characteristics, E-paper can be hanged on shelves or from the ceiling. The prices and descriptions for each product can be easily changed. Instead of manually changing the prices or printing out more price tags, E-paper does it electronically within seconds. It is especially useful for retail stores in case they label the wrong price for the product and must reimburse the customer according to the customer rights law. As for restaurant menus, prices and items can also be modified as desired.

• New cell phone display screen. The new Motorola F3 was the first to use E-paper display on their cellular phones. It is only available in black and white at the moment. With the characteristics of the E-paper, F3 is a low cost and energy saving mobile phone. There would be more E-paper mobile phones in production.

• In the office. E-paper could be used as operating manuals, work orders, and other short-term information displays. This method facilitates a paperless trend in offices. Information can be sent wirelessly from cell phones with bluetooth or any other devices to an E-paper. The images and texts on E-paper are larger and clearer. It is especially useful for conferences and meetings.
  

• Newspapers, magazines, and books. E-paper has the capacity to hold many pages of images and texts. Newspapers and magazines can be updated daily or even hourly with wireless technology. For example, Amazon has released an E-book called Amazon Kindle which can hold an entire book in an E-paper. It is also beneficial for students. There would be no more carrying heavy books in backpacks and also E-paper enhances information sharing with wireless.

• Publishing Companies. Many newspapers, magazines, and books could be replaced by E-paper. Leaving many publishing companies to change their way of doing business and generating revenues. They will most likely have to adapt to this new business model of publishing books and newspapers electronically.
  

With further development, E-paper has much potential and provides many advantages in the future. Many well-known E-paper vendors include Philips Electronics, Kent Displays, Niterre, E-ink, Sony, Fujitsu, etc.


Sources:

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2005/20050713-01.html
http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/ECO/rep2006/2006report11-12-e.pdf

http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci535038,00.html