Plastic Logic: the New E-book for Business

[DEMOFall08] Today, Plastic Logic launched its new thin electronic reader targeted to business customers. I have not had the opportunity to see the device, but from the photo, I am excited about its thinness. Its 8.5×11 inch size makes it a perfect tablet to browse business documents such as Word, Excel PowerPoint and PDF and it fits the size of a magazine page unlike other e-books on the market (Kindle, Sony eBook, JetBook). In addition to business documents, the device supports newspaper, periodicals and books and features wired and wireless connectivity. The company did not want to reveal the type of wireless connection as well as the battery life, we just know that it will be “days not hours”, sounds good. And there are no answers about an internet connection – we will update this article later with the info.

It uses the standard e-ink technology for the frontplane. The backplane (what turns the ink on and off) uses Plastic Logic’s proprietary plastic electronic technology that enables the large, thin, lightweight and robust form factor according to the company. Many other e-reading devices use a glass-based TFT backplane, which makes them more fragile, according to Plastic Logic. Well, I have to check on that as soon as I can see the device. The technology was first developed by the Cambridge University, uses high-resolution transistor arrays on flexible plastic substrates, manufactured at low temperature. The device will ship in the first half of 2009 for an unknown price.

Eliane Fiolet
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Tags: DEMO