'Readius' Cell Phone First to Incorporate Foldable E-Display

The Netherlands-based company has named the device "Readius," and plans to sell the gadget starting in mid-2008. The price is not yet specified, but Polymer Vision´s chief executive Karl McGoldrick says it will be comparable to a high-end cell phone.

The Readius´ e-paper screen displays text and images in black-and-white (16 greyscales) that look almost like they have been printed on paper. McGoldrick has also mentioned that Polymer Vision is planning to develop a cell phone with an 8-inch color display that can show video, which will hopefully be ready within five years.

The Readius connects to the Internet through the third generation (3G) cell phone network, which offers ultra-fast data speeds, similar to WiFi for laptops. Users set up their e-mail accounts and favorite news sources, podcasts, and blog feeds from a PC, and then the data is automatically updated on the Readius. The device supports standard POP3 and IMAP for e-mail servers, and uses Micro SD High Capacity storage for quick and easy access to e-books and other information. The storage is flexible, with the first model providing up to 8GB.

The Readius can also play MP3s and audio books. It has just 8 "SimpleTouch" buttons, and a keyboard may be added to future models. The battery life is up to six times longer than on other cell phones, offering 30 hours of continuous reading.

"We are taking e-reading and bringing it to the mobile phone," McGoldrick says. "You get the large display of e-reading, the super battery life of e-reading, and the high-end connectivity ... and the form factor and weight of a mobile phone."

Polymer Vision hopes that the Readius will offer some competition for Apple´s iPhone and Amazon´s Kindle. The company is currently talking with retailers and mobile operators, and suggests that the device offers the chance for operators to make a profit from increased data storage.

Polymer Vision has hinted at the coming of such a device for the past two years, which it claims "is generations ahead of anything else out there today." Now, the company hopes that the mobile e-reader will be poised for an eventful summer.

via: Reuters

More information: www.polymervision.com