The Year of E-Paper

First there was Kindle, Amazon's eReader. Now we have Readius -- a mobile phone/eReader hybrid.

The difference, and it's a mighty one, is that Readius uses ePaper's inherent ability to fold and bend to expand out to 5 full inches of display. That's quite a 43% increase from one of the largest displays -- 3.5 inches from the iPhone. Also, you don't have the weight or battery drain of a 5" color display.

So, the first caveat -- ePaper is monochromatic. So you will be seeing 5 inches of black and white. So, you won't be watching video or browsing the web, but rather reading emails, news feeds, and podcasts.

The device is reported to use third generation mobile phone networks for Internet connectivity.

So, another caveat: this is a passive device. There are only 8 buttons so you won't be typing long emails or looking up travel directions.

Is this device for everyone? Definitely not. But not everyone wants to watch YouTube videos or browse the web on an itty-bitty 3.5" display. Then again, some people prefer a techno-color experience when reading emails.

What is definite, however, is that it is exciting that novel uses gadgets are making of newer technologies, especially in the mobile and convergence gadget market.