Coming Soon: Solar-powered E-book Readers

In the quickly evolving world of e-book readers, perhaps it's a good idea to wait a few months before plunking down your credit card on something that could become an antique in less than a year. We've already reported on Barnes & Noble's planned full-color e-reader, but now South Korea-based LG has unveiled a thin-film solar panel specially designed for e-book readers.

LG announced the new super-thin (less than one millimeter) solar panel in conjunction with a Sony e-reader to "prove the concept," as a Computerworld article states, but it's unclear whether or not the panel will appear in future versions of the Sony e-book device. As you can see in the photograph from LG's PR department, the solar cell is located inside the front cover of the e-reader case and adds a negligible amount of bulk and weight.

Exposure to the sun for four to five hours extends the e-reader's battery life by about a day, according to the press release. But the Computerworld article points out that since e-book readers already enjoy a relatively low power drain -- the displays only use energy when "turning" the page -- the solar panel may nearly eliminate the need to recharge through a standard plug-in connection.

LG plans to increase its efficiency from the prototype's current 9.6 percent to 14 percent by 2012, so maybe you don't want to wait three years. But who knows, maybe LG will make these as add-ons for whichever e-book reader you end up buying.

I can see the marketing campaign now -- an attractive, smart-looking individual relaxing at the beach with her solar-powered e-book reader while her less-sophisticated beach-blanket companion runs out of juice and is forced to pick up an old-fashioned newspaper or magazine instead.

Photo courtesy of LG Display