It's a unique product - but can it challenge the iPhone? A Dutch company intends to try, with a new gadget that's unlike anything that's ever come before it. It's a handset the size of two business cards with a hidden secret. It has an amazing 13 centimetre (or about 5 inch) fold-away screen that allows you to read news, blogs, ebooks, email or text wherever you are.
The "Readius" can actually fit into your pocket but promises to be a good thing in a very small package. "You get the large display of e-reading, the super battery life of e-reading, and the high-end connectivity ... and the form factor and weight of a mobile phone," explains Karl McGoldrick of Polymer Vision, an offshoot of electronics giant Phillips. "We are taking e-reading and bringing it to the mobile phone."
The gadget - which also doubles as a cell phone - comes with "electronic paper" which makes the letters it displays appear to have been written on the real thing. And it can connect to the Internet at high speed.
The company won't say just yet how much it will cost, adding only that it will be 'comparable' to other devices. Translation: expect to pay a pretty penny. There's no word yet on when or if they'll be available in Canada - we're still waiting for the iPhone to hit here.
While that Apple product can perform many different functions, the Readius is just what its name implies - a device for those who like to peruse everything from books to newspapers without having to lug the volumes around, while still having the convenience of a phone.
But the developers stress this is only the initial model and they have bigger things in mind for the technology.
McGoldrick notes they're already planning on an upgrade that will boast many of the same features, along with a foldaway 8 inch colour display capable of showing video. That should be ready within the next five years, presumably allowing you to read the book - and then watch the movie.
See it in action here
Company website