When Polymer Vision first announced their flexible e-paper Readius, it definitely caught the attention of those attending Mobile World Congress of 2008. Unfortunately, it failed to appear in the market before its projected November 2008 release date.

Sadly, Polymer Vision went bankrupt on July 7th, and they have recently laid off over 50 jobs at their Southampton location. I’m not certain that we have the economy to blame for all of this, as e-readers such as the Kindle and their recent versions have been dominating the e-reader market.

It is certain that the Readius, with its scrolling effect, would have made quite a splash on the e-reader users, but the price for it might be more than they would be willing to pay.

However, there is hope. Karl McGoldrick, President of Polymer Vision, says that he is not giving up, and that the product shall live on. He is looking for new investors, and he wants to “re-start and get our technology and product into the market, where it should be”.

Personally, I think there is a lesson to be learned from the Readius. That would be one of perseverance, of not quitting simply because the odds are against you. In the case of the Readius, I think the public might like this e-book reader, so don’t give up, Polymer Vision!

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