It's what? Digital paper. The future. Well a potential future for books and newspapers.

Go on. Put simply it's flexible electronic paper, so bendable it can be rolled up like a newspaper and still perform at a resolution similar to your average desptop PC screen.

Why would I want that? Forget tabloid papers - get all your news the way you like it on a 10.1-inch display that you can connect up to the internet and which automatically updates. Travelling far afield? Forget cramming War and Peace or Eugene Onegin into your carry-on bag - read the whole thing on a bendy electronic screen less than 300 microns thick. Adverts, food and other packaging may never be the same again.

How does it work? Developed by Philips and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spin-off E Ink, the screen uses super-thin sheet steel topped with another anorexic layer of circuits, then a thin film of digital ink. The ink, developed at MIT, consists of microscopic capsules each containing black and white particles. Apply a negative electrical charge and the white bits float to the top; a positive one and the black bits move. Bring in the marvel that is the human eye and, hey presto, you have readable text.

What's the downside? The possibility of Jamie Oliver or Loyd Grossman waving at you from the front of an overpriced jar of tomato, rocket and seaweed sauce as you walk down the aisles at Sainsbury's.

When can I get one? First generation is still very much the name of the game in e-paper, although Microsoft used a version to whizz up the packaging on one of its Xbox games last year, and Sony has an E Ink-enabled book reader - but only if you live in Japan. Expect mass-ish take-off to begin towards the end of next year.