Completely different
We love what we can do with our computers, yet when it comes to reading, given the choice, most people prefer printing their material. But a new device to be launched early next year by Plastic Logic will be utterly different from any electronic reader we are familiar with.

The technology was originally developed at Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory in the 1990s, where they discovered how to put transistors on plastic. The use of plastic in these devices is the big idea, as Dr Seamus Burns explains, ‘we are making the display on plastic rather than glass. Our core technology is the ability to put electronics on a plastic substrate rather than a glass substrate. This means that we can make a display device that is thin, lightweight and robust, without it being prohibitively expensive.

Looks like paper
The device is initially aimed at business people who carry around briefcases full of papers. It supports the standard software used to read and create documents, but also allows for the reading of newspapers, magazines and books. The device is built to make for easy reading, ‘this new media looks like paper and uses reflective light so it’s easier on the eye,’ says Burns.  ‘It doesn’t have a backlight, consumes much less power, and you can turn power off between image updates. So, if you were to read a book, it uses no power whatsoever between page turns, which adds massively to the portability as it has a longer battery life.’

Digital future
At the moment most people tend not to read on electronic devices, but the Plastic Logic reader may prove a milestone simply because it is more like paper in its size and durability. ‘Not only is the display made on a lighter material, it also isn’t as fragile as glass. It needs less protection so the device can be made in a less bulky way. Secondly, the display is much larger, at 10.7 inches diagonally, making the device closer to a sheet of paper.’ They are also giving it touchscreen capability, which makes it more tactile and removes the need for extra buttons on the device. ‘In the future people will do a lot more reading digitally,’ says Burns. And this device looks like a step in that direction.