Plastic Logic
Encyclopedia
Plastic Logic is a spin-off company
from Cambridge University's
Cavendish Laboratory
and specializes in polymer
transistor
s and electronics
.
The firm was founded in 2000.
The main product the firm claims it has developed is a flexible A4
-size and robust plastic electronic display the thickness of a credit-card.
The headquarters of Plastic Logic is in Mountain View
, California
.
First factory of Plastic Logic was opened on November 11, 2003 in Cambridge
, UK
http://web.archive.org/web/20031215181021/www.plasticlogic.com/news-detail.php?id=105.
A factory for the mass-production of the display units was opened on September 17, 2008 in Dresden
, Germany
.
Plastic Logic announced its first plastic screen device on November 30, 2004, these screens were to be used by Siemens Communications in their mobile devices. This was followed by the announcement of an ereader
called the QUE proReader. However by August 2010, they had cancelled their QUE proReader, and their plastic screen devices were still unreleased.
As of 2009, Plastic Logic has raised more than $200m in venture capital to develop its technology. On January 18, 2011, Russian Nanotechnology Corporation
announced that Plastic Logic will receive another $700m in venture capital, intended particularly for paying off debts caused by QUE proReader cancellation and for opening a new Plastic Logic factory in Zelenograd
.
Original planned release date was January 2009.
It is based on an electrophoretic display, allowing electronic documents to be transported and read just like paper documents with the advantages of electronic paper
(e-paper) like decreased eye-strain and low energy use.
It was intended to have a thickness of less than 7 mm, a form factor of 8.5" x 11" and a mass of less than 16 oz (453 grams).
It was intended to be able to display documents in formats for Microsoft Office
(Excel, PowerPoint, Word), PDF, and others.
After multiple delays, the product was cancelled on August 2010, with the firm noting that "We recognize the market has dramatically changed, and with the product delays we have experienced, it no longer make sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reading product."
Plastic Logic 100 uses the same plastic-based e-paper technology as was intended for the QUE reader. The device boasts a 10.7" glare-free, shatterproof, and anti fingerprint display, as well as a touch-based UI.
The storage limit is 4GB and the device will be running Windows CE on a 800 MHz processor. The battery is intended to last a week under regular use, which includes reading, underlining, and annotation of text.
At the time of release Plastic Logic retails for 12,000 Russian rubles.
University spin-off
University spin-offs transform technological inventions developed from university research that are likely to remain unexploited otherwise. As such, university spin-offs are a subcategory of research spin-offs. Prominent examples of university spin-offs are Genentech, Crucell, Lycos and Plastic...
from Cambridge University's
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
and specializes in polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
s and electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
.
The firm was founded in 2000.
The main product the firm claims it has developed is a flexible A4
ISO 216
ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes used in most countries in the world today. It defines the "A" and "B" series of paper sizes, including A4, the most commonly available size...
-size and robust plastic electronic display the thickness of a credit-card.
The headquarters of Plastic Logic is in Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
First factory of Plastic Logic was opened on November 11, 2003 in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
http://web.archive.org/web/20031215181021/www.plasticlogic.com/news-detail.php?id=105.
A factory for the mass-production of the display units was opened on September 17, 2008 in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Plastic Logic announced its first plastic screen device on November 30, 2004, these screens were to be used by Siemens Communications in their mobile devices. This was followed by the announcement of an ereader
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
called the QUE proReader. However by August 2010, they had cancelled their QUE proReader, and their plastic screen devices were still unreleased.
As of 2009, Plastic Logic has raised more than $200m in venture capital to develop its technology. On January 18, 2011, Russian Nanotechnology Corporation
Russian Nanotechnology Corporation
Rusnano is a joint-stock company created and owned by the government of Russia and aimed at commercializing developments in nanotechnology...
announced that Plastic Logic will receive another $700m in venture capital, intended particularly for paying off debts caused by QUE proReader cancellation and for opening a new Plastic Logic factory in Zelenograd
Zelenograd
Zelenograd is a city, which, along with the territories and settlements under its jurisdiction, forms one of the administrative okrugs of Moscow - Zelenograd Administrative Okrug...
.
The QUE proReader
The QUE proReader was an intended but cancelled first generation e-reader product from Plastic Logic.Original planned release date was January 2009.
It is based on an electrophoretic display, allowing electronic documents to be transported and read just like paper documents with the advantages of electronic paper
Electronic paper
Electronic paper, e-paper and electronic ink are a range of display technology which are designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional backlit flat panel displays, electronic paper displays reflect light like ordinary paper...
(e-paper) like decreased eye-strain and low energy use.
It was intended to have a thickness of less than 7 mm, a form factor of 8.5" x 11" and a mass of less than 16 oz (453 grams).
It was intended to be able to display documents in formats for Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
(Excel, PowerPoint, Word), PDF, and others.
After multiple delays, the product was cancelled on August 2010, with the firm noting that "We recognize the market has dramatically changed, and with the product delays we have experienced, it no longer make sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reading product."
Plastic Logic 100
Plastic Logic 100 is an "electronic textbook" which is intended for educational use. Its availability was announced by Plastic Logic on September 12, 2011. Beginning later that month, a shipment of devices is scheduled to be used on a trial basis in selected schools in Russia which will be pioneering the electronic textbook program.Plastic Logic 100 uses the same plastic-based e-paper technology as was intended for the QUE reader. The device boasts a 10.7" glare-free, shatterproof, and anti fingerprint display, as well as a touch-based UI.
The storage limit is 4GB and the device will be running Windows CE on a 800 MHz processor. The battery is intended to last a week under regular use, which includes reading, underlining, and annotation of text.
At the time of release Plastic Logic retails for 12,000 Russian rubles.
External links
- QUE proReader official website (Link redirects to Plastic Logic homepage.)
- Plastic challenge to silicon microchip, Peter Marsh, Financial TimesFinancial TimesThe Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
- Plastic Logic will make flexible polymer displays and launch its product in January 2009 (Technology ReviewTechnology ReviewTechnology Review is a magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was founded in 1899 as "The Technology Review", and was re-launched without the "The" in its name on April 23, 1998 under then publisher R. Bruce Journey...
) - Plastic Logic Reader video demo