In an analysis of the e-reader and e-books concept published in this week's EE Times Europe that considered whether the decision earlier this month by Plastic Logic (Cambridge England) to spend $100 million on a large plant in Dresden, Germany to make flexible active matrix display backplanes could be the catalyst to better end user products, Jochen Dieckow, head of new media research at Ifra (Darmstadt, Germany) cautioned it is better not to be too "hyperactive" about the near term prospects for better e-readers.

Dieckow said: "We really welcome the initiative by Plastic Logic to push ahead with commercializing its novel display technology. The move should provide a great confidence booster to companies developing second generation devices for delivering all kinds of content to the e-reader community, especially newspapers." But he added that while updates to the first generation of newspaper capable e-readers "are moving things in the direction, it is still very much work in progress."

He added the organization would like to see significant progress in better user interfaces. "They should take a leaf out of the book of a company like Apple whose iPhone interface looks like the type of intuitive design these e-readers may need. Simple interfaces will be the key to these applications to create a mass market. To be fair, manufacturers are improving, but we are definitely not there yet."

Dieckow added the second generation Sony Reader, a follow on from the Japanese group's not very successful Librie, "is much improved", as are some other offerings, "but what we need is more innovation and more competition". However, he stressed the Sony product is targeted at books, not newspapers.

Simon Jones, vice president of product development at Plastic Logic, concurs with Dieckow. "No doubt there is big potential market for e-readers, but none out there now are compelling devices."

He adds Plastic Logic is working closely with partners, which he declines to name, to design and build products 'from the display module up'. The company will also license its technology to established electronic names and brands, and "we also see the opportunity to work with the large contract electronics manufacturers (CEM) who would partner with others to bring branded products to market. There are several ways to make this value chain work, and our partners and potential partners now can see just how committed we are to supplying the right kind of displays."

Jones stresses designers of e-readers need to think unconventionally for the next generation of devices now that they have access to its robust, flexible in all senses including size and cost effectively manufacturable displays.

Ifra launched last year the eNews initiative to help publishers research and create business opportunities around electronic reading devices applicable to newspapers. It now boasts 22 publishing members from 11 European countries, Japan and the U.S including groups responsible for titles such as the New York Times, the U.K. Daily Telegraph, the Frankfurter Rundschau and the Jomiuri Shimbun in Japan. Technology members include Plastic Logic, Arena Partners, Finland, and iRex Technologies.

"We are getting some very useful feedback after one year into the three year project, but it still very much 'work in progress'. Consumers' confidence has still to be proven, and business models developed, so it is better not to be too hyperactive about the short term prospects, despite some promising trials ongoing in he U.S, Belgium and some other countries," Dieckow told EE Times Europe.