I had previously been very sceptical about the concept of ePaper screens. I applaud the manufacturers for pushing the boundaries and developing new ways of displaying electronic data. However I remained unconvinced that any electronic device could ever take the place of paper.
There are three fundamental reasons why traditional paper has remained top even after all the amazing developments when it comes to computers and electronics.
- Paper is cheap and easy to produce
- Paper is flexible and durable
- Paper is incredibly versatile
At the end of the day electronic devices are wonderful and do offer ways to store and display vast amounts of data. They make life a lot easier when it comes to creating, editing and storing information. However electronic devices can be expensive and time-consuming to produce. Previously they have been unable to match paper in terms of versatility and ease of use.
I Stand Corrected
However I am just about to eat a big slice of humble pie. I have just witnessed a product that has radically altered my attitude towards paper and electronic devices. The innovative new ePaper colour video screen has actually blown my mind wide open. Goodbye paper hello paper-less office!
If you have not been keeping up with the developments in ePaper then you will be in for a big surprise. Designers have been battling for years against sceptics like me. They understood from the beginning that for electronic devices to truly take over the workplace then they needed to understand the advantages of paper and match them. This meant for a paper-less office to become a reality they needed to create electronic devices that were affordable, flexible, durable and versatile. This would be the only way people would accept them fully and finally move forward from the traditional medium of paper.
However the path to a paper-less office did not run smooth. Huge advances needed to be made in technology and design before the flexible aspect of ePaper could be achieved. For decades computer and electronic devices have included glass-based display screens. These types of screens offered the optimum combination of durability, resolution and affordability. However these screens were inherently brittle and inflexible. This meant that they could not be manipulated into different shapes once in place.
It was not until the development of plastic electronics that the idea of a flexible ePaper product could be realised. With plastic transistors scientists were able to create screens that could be flexed. These could also be as flat as a piece of traditional paper. This meant that electronic devices could be created that mimicked the basic properties of paper but that would also store and display a greatly enhanced range of data.
For example you might put together a portfolio of work to take to a meeting with you. However once in the meeting you realise you have forgotten and important page of information. With flexible ePaper you would be able to store far more information than you would be able to carry with you in paper form. This means you will simply be able to go back to your ePaper device and scan through your saved content until you find the information you required.
With the new advances in colour ePaper you would also be able to carry to your meeting video data as well. This means without any fuss you could simply access your flexible ePaper device and show any clips of moving data that you wanted in your meeting (without the need for laptops and other bulky display devices).
ePaper is the Future Here Now!
With flexible colour ePaper scientists are really challenging traditional perceptions. This electronic display device can offer two of the main advantages of traditional paper:
- Flexibility
- Versatility
Once manufacturers have managed to make this product cheap to produce as well then we may be seeing an end of the dominance paper has held in the office environment. The future is here and it is ePaper!
Jon Jon Jackson is a very dedicated writer to everything technology related. When he is not writing or researching the latest trends related to technology he likes to play the guitar.
