Digital newspapers by 2008?

Imagine unfurling the morning paper to find a flexible electronic display streaming the latest news. This fantasy could become a reality in as soon as two years. The technology behind the so-called e-papers could also be used for paperless printing, in which one simply downloads a file onto a flexible screen instead of printing it out onto a piece of paper.

Herman Hauser, co-founder of venture capital company Amadeus Capital Partners, told Silicon.com there are no technical challenges left for e-papers and said he hopes to have a factory producing flexible electronic screens by 2008. A technology called "plastic electronics" has been harnessed by researchers to produce flexible electronic displays, combining electronics and print technology on a supple screen.

Gemma Simpson of Silicon.com reported from London.