Revolutionary Paper Tablet Computer Reveals Future Tablets to be Thin and Flexible as Sheets of Paper

Revolutionary Paper Tablet Computer Reveals Future Tablets to be Thin and Flexible as Sheets of Paper

CAMBRIDGE, England and KINGSTON, Ontario, January 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

               Intel(R), Plastic Logic and Queen's University work together to

                              revolutionize tablet computing

    Watch out tablet lovers - a flexible paper computer developed at Queen's University in
collaboration with Plastic Logic and Intel Labs will revolutionize the way people work
with tablets and computers.

    The PaperTab tablet looks and feels just like a sheet of paper. However, it is fully
interactive with a flexible, high-resolution 10.7" plastic display developed by Plastic
Logic [http://www.plasticlogic.com/technology ], a flexible touchscreen, and powered by
the second generation Intel(R) CoreTM i5 Processor. Instead of using several apps or
windows on a single display, users have ten or more interactive displays or "PaperTabs":
one per app in use.

    Ryan Brotman, Research Scientist at Intel elaborates "We are actively exploring
disruptive user experiences. The 'PaperTab' project, developed by the Human Media Lab at
Queen's University and Plastic Logic, demonstrates innovative interactions powered by
Intel Core processors that could potentially delight tablet users in the future."

    "Using several PaperTabs makes it much easier to work with multiple documents," says
Roel Vertegaal, Director of Queen's University's Human Media Lab. "Within five to ten
years, most computers, from ultra-notebooks to tablets, will look and feel just like these
sheets of printed color paper."

    For example, PaperTab's intuitive interface allows a user to send a photo simply by
tapping one PaperTab showing a draft email with another PaperTab showing the photo. The
photo is then automatically attached to the draft email. The email is sent either by
placing the PaperTab in an out tray, or by bending the top corner of the display.
Similarly, a larger drawing or display surface is created simply by placing two or more
PaperTabs side by side. PaperTab thus emulates the natural handling of multiple sheets of
paper by combining thin-film display, thin-film input and computing technologies through
intuitive interaction design.

    PaperTab can file and display thousands of paper documents, replacing the need for a
computer monitor and stacks of papers or printouts. Unlike traditional tablets, PaperTabs
keep track of their location relative to each other, and the user, providing a seamless
experience across all apps, as if they were physical computer windows. For example, when a
PaperTab is placed outside of reaching distance it reverts to a thumbnail overview of a
document, just like icons on a computer desktop. When picked up or touched a PaperTab
switches back to a full screen page view, just like opening a window on a computer.

    PaperTabs are lightweight and robust, so they can easily be tossed around on a desk
while providing a magazine-like reading experience. By bending one side of the display,
users can also navigate through pages like a magazine, without needing to press a button.

    "Plastic Logic's flexible plastic displays
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/sponsored-features/9742437/plastic-logic-flexible-displays-reality.html ]
are completely transformational in terms of product interaction. They
allow a natural human interaction with electronic paper, being lighter, thinner and more
robust compared with today's standard glass-based displays. This is just one example of
the innovative revolutionary design approaches enabled by flexible displays," explains
Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Plastic Logic.

    A video and high resolution photographs of PaperTab are available here
[http://www.humanmedialab.org/papertab ].

    Plastic Logic and the Queen's University's Human Media Lab will reveal PaperTab to the
press at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2013) in Las Vegas on January 8.

    About Plastic Logic

    Since Plastic Logic was founded by researchers from the Cavendish Laboratory at
Cambridge University, the company has been at the forefront of research and investment
into plastic electronics. The company has achieved many technological firsts including the
production of high quality colour rugged plastic displays, demonstration of animation on
an EPD driven by OTFTs and production yields of its flexible plastic displays comparable
to the LCD industry. Plastic Logic is backed by major investors including Oak Investment
Partners and Rusnano.

    Find out more about Plastic Logic and its robust, flexible displays by visiting
http://www.plasticlogic.com and http://www.youtube.com/plasticlogic.

    Companies interested in working together with Plastic Logic should contact
info@plasticlogic.com.

    About Human Media Lab

    The Human Media Lab (HML) at Queen's University is one of Canada's premier
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) laboratories. Inventions include ubiquitous eye tracking
sensors, eye tracking TVs and cellphones, PaperPhone, the world's first flexible phone and
TeleHuman, the world's first pseudo-holographic teleconferencing system. HML is directed
by Dr. Roel Vertegaal, Professor of HCI at Queen's University's School of Computing.
Working with him is a number of graduate and undergraduate students with computing,
design, psychology and engineering backgrounds. Graduate students Aneesh Tarun and Peng
Wang are the current architects of the PaperTab system.

Plastic Logic

CONTACT: Media Contact at Plastic Logic: Rachel Lichten, Business Communications Manager, An der Bartlake 5, 01109 Dresden, Germany, Tel.: +49-351-88344-120, Email: rachel.lichten@plasticlogic.com; Media Contact at Queen's University, Michael Onesi, Communications Officer, Kingston, Ont., Canada, Tel.: +1-613-533-6000 ext. 77513,  Email: michael.onesi@queensu.ca