I saw this coming back in 2002, when this article (or one like it) appeared in a magazine.

This is a bit of a recruitment video here, but it shows an early example of the PLED in action.

Between the two styles (full color monitor vs. 1-Bit graphics) I think the 1-bit flexible screen has more of an immediate commercial appeal — it’s truly lightweight and appears to be very flexible. Putting one of those displays on a t-shirt — especially if it allowed you the cabability to program your own messages and animations) would be incredibly creative. It would bring back the novelty t-shirt popularity of the 70s.

Can you imagine what this technology would do for product packaging?

Every box or can in the grocery store would be running it’s own mini-commercial right on the wrapper. It could turn the can-goods or cereal box aisle into the Vegas strip! At least there would be plenty of popcorn at the store with which to enjoy the micro-movies.

You can see the color video version from the Hollywood Reporter article at the official webpage: T-ShirtTV.com. They look rather bulky and uncomfortable, so I’d say it’ll be about 6 months to a year before you start seeing more of them. By then they’ll have all the cable channels as well as WiFi internet access.