ElectronRun is now a hosted blog. New posts will continue to appear here for limited time. Continue to read new posts by pointing your browser to http://electronrun.com and subscribing there by clicking on the RSS icon.
From all countries, Japan seems to be the best prepared to start widely using e-paper. As Reuters reports, Japanese companies are already very active in e-paper R&D, while the first colour versions have started to appear. We are talking about thin sheets of fabric that accept electronic signals and can be bent or even folded like traditional paper.
Apart from companies that see new product opportunities and try to create the necessary push, here is what could generate consumer demand for e-paper in Japan and to an extent world-wide:
- BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are flexing their industrial muscle. Both business and consumers need ever more paper and as a result A4 paper prices have recently risen by 20% to 30%. Forests are depleted at alarming rates, therefore prices are bound to increase even further.
- Japan consumers have the right culture for the adoption of new mobile ideas. Things done by the Japanese on mobile phones, the rest of us only bother to do on laptops or large desktop screens. Take for example novels that are both written and read on cellphones. I bet practical epaper would be perfect for those long hours in the Tokyo metro… Read the rest of this entry »
