There have been reports today that flexible phones will hit the market by 2013, but what exactly are they and how will they make our lives better?
Is it true that someone has created a flexible phone?
Yes, surprisingly, a number of the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturers have developed prototype mobile phones that are fully flexible, which basically means you can bend it, shape it, anyway you want it without breaking the phone. It would come in handy for anyone who’s somewhat prone to breaking their mobile, especially on a night out… you know who you are.
According to reports LG, Philips, Sharp, Sony and Nokia are all working on their own prototype, but it looks like Samsung could be the first to deliver. No word on Apple yet, but no doubt they won’t be too far behind.
It all sounds a bit futuristic… How does it work?
Well, Samsung will be making their smart phones with so-called flexible OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology. The screens will be “foldable, rollable, wearable and more, [and] will allow for a high degree of durability through their use of a plastic substrate that is thinner, lighter and more flexible than conventional LCD technology,” said a Samsung spokesperson.
But why now? Surely they could have come up with this before?
You’re actually right on that one. This won’t be the first time that flexible displays hit the mainstream. Amazon’s first Kindle e-reader used a plastic non-rigid screen back in the day, which is why the screen looks more like paper and less like a computer screen. The problem was that in order to work, the non-rigid screen needed a stiff backing, which defeats the purpose of a flexible screen.
As for only getting around to developing bendy phones now? Simple. The cost. Until now the idea of creating a completely flexible mobile phone was just too expensive, but now it looks like we’ll be seeing the first one’s on the market in 2013.
