Philips spin-off Polymer Vision has been to the vnunet.com offices to demonstrate a new form of electronic paper for the first time in the UK. 

VIDEO: Polymer Vision electronic paper

The invention consists of a layer of small spheres, coloured grey on one side and white on the other. They are rotated to display text and images on the paper, but critically use no power when not creating a new image.

This technique has been manufactured in a thin strip that is perfectly flexible, allowing the screen to be wrapped around a mobile phone.

"We have talked to the BBC and Reuters and they are happy using a technology like this," said Ewan Ward-Thomas, a consultant at Polymer Vision. "After all, newspapers used greyscale printing like this for over 400 years."

The system typically has an 8-10 day battery life, and a leading Italian telecoms company has already signed up to buy the devices and sell them as mobile newspapers.

Electronic books will also be available for the device. The company won the 3GSM Most Innovative Technology award for the device at a ceremony in Barcelona this year.