Philips shows rollable display for mobile devices

Tired of reading maps or charts on a small display in a handheld device? How about rolling out the screen.

At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch consumer electronics giant Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV is showing a prototype electronic reader whose display can be rolled out to a larger size.

The Readius handheld device is equipped with a monochrome, 5-inch QVGA (320 pixels x 240 pixels) display that provides paper-like viewing.

Using a "bi-stable electrophoretic" display effect from E Ink Corp., the display consumes little power and is easy to use, even in bright daylight, according to Philips. Once users have finished reading, they can roll the display back into the pocket-size device, which measures 100 millimeters (mm) x 60 mm x 20 mm.

The prototype screen is based on Philip's Polymer Vision's PV-QML5 rollable display design.

Philips sees demand for the new rollable technology coming from the mobile sector, which is seeking ways to provide larger screens in ever-smaller devices.

The IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung), which opened Friday, will run through Wednesday.