The OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) is a new, emerging technology to generate light using organic materials. The nature of this technology lends to extremely thin and lightweight designs, so, thanks to it, it has been possible to realize flexible displays (called paper thin displays also). They are made, almost entirely, of plastic; they are easily portable and consume lower power than current displays; they are sunlight readable and resistant. HP is improving a process for the fabrication of thin film transistor arrays on flexible plastic materials. The displays would be realized using roll-to-roll manufacturing, like a newspaper is printed in the press.

The flexible displays will give the opportunity to create a new generation of mobiles, portable computers and electronic books. Last year Samsung showed a mobile prototype with a flexible display that folds like a book, now the Flexible Display Center (housed at Arizona State University) is ready with a touchscreen version. This touchscreen has been realized integrating a low power display from E Ink and Epson, it supports user input either by stylus pen or by touch. Only when the electronic paper is activated it wastes power and, once the information is on the display, it can be stored or sent wirelessly before erasing. Within three years the U.S army could have the first flexible displays available for trials.

Source: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/you-can-check-o.html