Tablets keep getting thinner, but how thin can they realistically get? Perhaps no thicker than a few pieces of paper. Plastic Logic is demonstrating its PaperTab project, which is powered by an Intel Core i5 and uses a bendable e-ink display. Read more »
After years of development, mountains of cash and a false start or two, Plastic Logic says its first e-reader is ready for the market. But even if you want one, your chances are slim: It’s only going to be sold to Russian schoolchildren. Read more »
Big money deals are back in style. Venture firms dropped nearly $5.9 billion on 736 deals during the first quarter of 2011. Fourteen companies got at least $50 million, while four drew more than $100 million – numbers not seen since the third quarter of 2001. Read more »
Plastic Logic has been talking about its Que e-Reader for almost two years, but no more. The company has officially killed the Que, even though it has never shipped a single unit. The Que was supposed to be the Cadillac of readers, aimed at business users. Read more »
The worldwide online market for digital goods will grow amid a state of continuous disruption across all forms of content markets. Fueled by an ever-growing user base, migration from physical formats to digital distribution, and a proliferation of new connected devices, the overall market for digital goods will grow to $36 billion by 2014, up from $16.7 billion in 2009. This report examines the state of paid content and the various monetization and payment models across each of the various digital goods markets. The report examines key players and market dynamics in the film and video, newspaper, online game, music and social networks space relative to their paid content strategies, and includes a revenue forecast of each of these segments relative to the overall paid content market. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Each year, the holidays spill well into January for tech-obsessed geeks, thanks to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). In 2010, CES will continue that tradition with some decidedly green flair. Like Japan’s CEATEC this fall, eco-consciousness will be a major theme, from the show’s larger Sustainable ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As the year winds to a close, GigaOM Pro’s crack team of contributors takes a look back at what went right, what went wrong, and for ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The emergence of a commercially significant electronic book (e-book) market in the past three years has been the result of two quite-recent technological developments. The first, and most critical, has been a breakthrough in the technology for manufacturing reflective electronic paper displays (EPDs), allowing for the introduction of affordable, lightweight and portable e-book readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader.
The second has been the rollout of reliable “3G” wireless broadband networks, which have made it possible to deliver digital books directly to reading devices without the intermediate steps of downloading files to a PC and then transferring them to a reader. Direct-to-device sampling and delivery, particularly with Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPhone, have enabled impulse-driven e-commerce, which has been critical to early consumer adoption of e-books.
The technology for e-books, however, remains nascent. The Kindle and its ilk are very much first-generation devices that deliver the minimally acceptable experience. Further development of the business will be closely tied to future technological developments, including flexible and color displays, format standardization and rich-media applications. As the market grows, there are numerous opportunities for other technology players, from social networks to cloud service providers and more. This report examines the trends and opportunities ahead. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
AT&T said today that it will provide wireless service for an eagerly anticipated e-reader from Plastic Logic, and that it’s inked an agreement with Jasper Wireless to provide 3G service to a variety of consumer devices such as cameras and navigation systems in cars. The two […] Read more »
Chemical giant BASF and a small specialty chemicals company in Skokie, Ill., called Polyera Corp. have come up with a new type of semiconductor ink they plan to market under the name ActivInk. The ink is based on a new molecule that allows printed ink to […] Read more »
