The world is moving towards combining features and functionality in singular devices to suit the growing needs of the peopl-on-the-go. And a Dutch company called Polymer Vision hopes to make a big splash this year with the introduction of their new Readius, a 3G mobile phone with a 5 inch display that folds into the device when not in use. The technology that makes this possible is called the Rollable Screen, which involves a display that can literally be rolled up to fit into the device.Last year, the mighty Amazon had introduced the Amazon Kindle, which was simply an e-book reader. It failed to create an impression because of its bulky design and additional requirements. So in response, Polymer Vision announced this latest gadget which bundles up as a phone as well as an e-book reader. It uses the same E-Ink material for its display as Amazon did. E-ink is primarily notable for appearing very similar to paper, including its reflective properties. For this reason it makes a superior display for reading from. It's also capable of retaining an image without requiring any electricity, resulting in devices that are more energy efficient than those using conventional LCD displays, besides being capable of "Rolling Up"!
The 3G HSDPA tri-band phone allows worldwide calls and high speed instant updates from personally selected news sources, special services and email. The Micro SD High Capacity storage ensures easy access to other favorite information and eBooks. The features that work for Readius are the large display of e-reading, the super battery life of e-reading, and the high-end connectivity, yet the look and feel of a mobile phone. ease of use and portability seem to be the other things that work for it. Phillips seems to have a 25% stake in this venture, and Polymer Vision has announced that the Readius will be available some time near the middle of 2008. As of this time no price has been set.
People are surely accepting all-in-one devices with a lot more enthusiasm than what was seen 4-5 years ago. I like this idea because it can be useful for people who travel a lot on business and can catch up on their readings and briefs in the form of e-books. I can even think it would appeal to a few students who use their commute time in the bus or train to read a few chapters. But it might not be for simple people and avid readers, who get engrossed in the books that they read, and can simply not connect to a device as they would to an actual paperback! In any case, we'll soon find out what lies ahead as the Readius releases sometime this year.
If you liked this post, please subscribe to our feed so you'd never miss an article again!
1 comment:
I'm not sure I'd be too comfortable with that, but does sound like a cool gadget, esp that the screen rolls up!
-Amy
Post a Comment