An E-Paper Roundup

Technology can have such an impact on the world that sometimes you need to keep in touch with new developments if you want your head to stay above water. I think e-paper is such a technology for the publishing business. This Kindle is just the beginning: these low-power, high contrast screens can start putting content anywhere:

E-paper displays are already showing up in consumer applications, even though consumers may not recognize them. Jennifer Colegrove, an analyst at market researcher iSuppli Corp., identified several product categories in addition to e-book readers, including displays for wearable and carryable products like watch dials, cell phones, credit cards and security-system cards; instrumentation applications like the capacity meter on Lexar JumpDrive USB drives; and signage. Point-of-sale devices like electronic shelf labels can be updated remotely, Colegrove explains, or promotional signage can be updated by time of day -- breakfast specials in the morning, for example, and dinner in the evening.

That means almost anything could display content, possibly creating entirely new markets. Can you imagine writing marketing copy to wrap around a product? I'd recommend taking a look at this Computerworld article.