Phillips is on the verge of a breakthrough with their innovative technology—a flexible screen capable of rolling out from a pocket-sized carrier, presenting a promising solution to the long-standing paradox of mobile technology. Although the current version of the screen is monochrome, there is optimism surrounding the development of color technology once the fundamental aspects are refined. This remarkable progress in the field of mobile screens exemplifies Gene Roddenbury's timeless statement about surpassing science fiction, as concepts once limited to shows like Earth-Final Conflict are rapidly transforming into tangible realities.
If you've watched any episode of Gene Roddenbury's Earth—Final Conflict, you've seen the concept:It's a flexible screen that rolls out of a carrier that fits easily into your pocket. As Roddenbury himself once said, "The problem with writing science fiction is staying ahead of science fact." This is proving true with the announcement from Phillips that it is only two years away from producing the Polymer Vision PV-QML5, a 5-inch ultra-thin and very light 320 x 240 pixel active-matrix display. A flexible screen of this sort would solve one of the major paradoxes of mobile technology: The device has to be small enough to carry comfortably in a pocket, yet has to have a screen large enough to be useful for viewing documents and browsing the Internet.
Currently, the display is only monochrome, but, once the basic technology is working, color will undoubtedly follow.
Read more about the Polymer Vision in this article on Personal Tech Pipeline.