In mid-July, Fujitsu announced the electronic paper with a thickness of 0.8 mm based on LCD technology, and at the end of November, Samsung Electronics announced the prototype of a flexible LCD solution which measured 7 inches and complemented the 5 inch model launched at the beginning of 2005.

But 2006 takes flexible displays one step further, but not those based on LCD technology, the OLEDs, whose advantages are indisputable.

Universal Display Corporation announced yesterday the achievement of a full-color, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display prototype on flexible metal foil.

The four-inch diagonal display can portray a variety of images, including full-motion video. The display (without external drive electronics and package) is approximately 0.1 mm thick and weighs a mere 6 grams. The comparable glass-based LCD would be approximately 1.0-1.5 mm thick and weigh 20-30 grams.

Flexible OLED displays are significantly thinner and lighter weight than existing LCDs. The use of metal foil, instead of the glass that is typically used in LCDs, also offers significantly enhanced thermal and mechanical durability.

Universal Display Corporation's press release says that this prototype will contribute to the eventual development of the company's proprietary Universal Communication Device, which would allow a user to unroll a thin, metal screen from a pen-like device.