Hold the front page... plastic is on way

A new generation of readers have sharp resolution and are energy efficient.

NEW YORK - The newspapers of the future - cheap digital screens that can be rolled up and stuffed into a back pocket - have been just around the corner for the past three decades.

But as early as this year, the future may finally arrive. Some of the world's top newspaper publishers are planning to introduce a form of electronic newspaper that will allow users to download entire editions from the web on to reflective digital screens said to be easier on the eyes than light-emitting laptop or cellphone displays.

The handheld readers couldn't come a moment too soon for the newspaper industry, which has struggled to maintain its readership and advertising from online rivals.

Publishers Hearst in the United States, Pearson in Britain, Les Echos in Paris and Belgian financial paper De Tijd are planning large-scale trials this year.

Earlier attempts by book publishers to sell digital readers failed because of high prices and a lack of downloadable books.

But a new generation of readers from Sony and iRex, a Philips Electronics spin-off, have impressed publishers with their sharp resolution and energy efficiency, galvanising support for the idea again.

"This could be a real substitution for printed paper," said Jochen Dieckow, head of the news media and research division of Ifra, a global newspaper association based in Germany.

It's easy to see why publishers are keen. Digital newspapers, so called e-newspapers, take advantage of two prevailing media trends - the growth of online advertising and widespread use of portable devices such as the iPod music player.

Nearly all papers run websites, but few readers relish pulling out laptops in transit. E-newspapers would cut production and delivery costs that account for some 75 per cent of newspaper expenses.

Circulation has slid steadily for nearly two decades as papers compete with internet news for attention and advertising dollars.

Some publishers now see the new devices as a way to help them snatch a bigger slice of online advertising and protect their franchise in reading away from home. Still, little is known about demand for an e-paper.

"The number of consumers who are interested in reading on the go as opposed to listening to music on the go is probably smaller in the US today," said NPD Group analyst Ross Rubin.

Sony and iRex's new devices employ screen technology by E Ink. The company produces energy-efficient ink sheets that contain tiny capsules showing either black or white depending on the electric current running through it.

By next year, companies such as UK-based Plastic Logic will manufacture screens on flexible plastic sheets, analysts say. Sony's reader will cost between US$300 ($480) and US$400.

"If you can get one of these products to cost less than the cost of a year's subscription, it could probably work," said Kenneth Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media.

In Europe, Ifra is discussing trials with 21 newspapers from 13 countries.

- REUTERS