E-Paper and Tablet PCs

Was thinking about it. Tablet PCs have been around for like quite a long time and now we have e-paper or e-ink technology which consumes very little power, has no back lighting like LCDs so it does not tire your eyes after looking/ reading it for a while. It will be just like reading a book. Just wondering why doesn't someone combine the both?? If i had the know-how... I will do it. But i have no patents or knowledge on how this stuff works... so someone else will have to do it. I guess that person will be Japanese, as usual. Anyway, someone has probably already thought of it and is doing something about it already. I honestly expect to see it (e-paper tablets) in the next com-ex or the one after or soon enough.

To be more precise, I am talking about slate tablet PCs, not the convertibles which are the ones that look like laptops but have screens that swivel. Like the ones shown above. More precisely, i am referring to hybrids which are basically slate tablets that comes with stands (to place it upright on the table ) and with USB ports (which they should have anyway) for plugging in a keyboard and a mouse. Then if you like, you can like just disconnect the mouse/keyboard and carry the slate PC and use it with a stylus. Yup, tablets are getting more common place. But just imagine if they had e-paper screens instead of LCDs, you literally have a memo pad with an endless supply of "paper", restricted only by the size of your thumb-drive or SD card etc.!! E-paper technology is also not new and e-books are already on the market. Some are shown below. Its just that no one or cooperation has bridged the gap to make tablets use e-paper tech, to be easier on the eyes (and batteries), or make e-books as powerful and functional as tablet PCs.

Hmm... actually, i do not see why cant we replace all PC screens to e-paper screens and do away with LCDs altogether. Anyone who has ever used a computer knows that looking at a PC monitor screen for more than an hour (probably less) WILL cause eye strains... bad for eyes... bad for health... The good thing about e-paper is that there is no back light to cause eye strain. The displays rely on ambient light just like a normal book or piece of paper hence the name e-paper or e-ink (differing name due to marketing ploys from differing companies). So if you can read an interesting novel for hours on end... why not do that on PC (or mac). Macs are considered PCs too right?? The only problem that will arise is probably framerate. I don't think e-paper has a high enough frame rate, yet, for it to replace LCDs altogether. Then again, CRT monitors which have a higher frame rate than LCDs are practically obsolete now. So who knows. Let the geek in you dream on...

Haha.

Cheers,
Ben