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Comment by brk | Hacker News Reader

This is neat, but I'm sort of wondering what value it really is. It would seem that until we have highly flexible batteries, LCD controller chips, and all the other periphery that would have to go with this to make a finished product the applications are somewhat limited.

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1. Roll-up phone display to make the pocket size smaller and simultaneously make the usable display size larger.

2. Animated blowout party favors for those $100k+ parties people seem fond of throwing.

- curved displays so you don't have to refocus all the time on a wide screen

- an e-book reader that is just a spine with a roll out display

an e-magazine

A roll-up blind for your windows! Have any weather you like!

The curved display makes sense.

The e-book idea still seems too far out, the battery alone would make the "spine" pretty big, then you'd need room to store the rolled-up display, plus the mechanics/arms/etc. that keep it flat when rolled out.

Apparently it's been done already, see above. So it wasn't that far out :)

Philips made an e-ink reader that does this:

http://gizmodo.com/197227/philips-readius-e+reader-scroll-pr...

So much for me being able to think an original thought.

The natural use for this would be a laptop with a netbook form factor and 21" roll-out screen.

Now that 3G is ubiquitous and cheap in the developing world (more so than in the US or Europe even), this is the final piece in the puzzle for truly portable dev on the road. A machine the size of a paperback that you can do real work on while hopping chicken buses across South America.

To me, a roll-out screen implies a certain amount of non-rigidness (unless you're going to make the device weigh 10lbs.). Seems like a 21" screen on a chicken bus (or subway, or plane, etc.) wouldn't be such a great fit.

On the larger scale, how about a projector screen that doesn't require a projector.

How about giant scrolls that could be used as blueprints? They could be networked between the contractor on site and the engineers and architects at the office. Currently whenever there's a change in the plan an entire blueprint page must be reprinted and couriered over. Plus, one page could hold the plans for an entire skyscraper.

I don't think the answer lies in making all those components flexible... more likely in just making them smaller.

Batteries may have to go flexible though... you can only store so much energy in a space

with new and improved battery tech, how about a bottle of coke wrapped around with something like this, at least promo bottles? Of course, when it reaches a stage of cheap production.

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