At DEMOfall 2008 (The Launchpad for Emerging Technology) Richard Archuleta, CEO Plastic Logic demonstrated the world's first electronic reader aimed specifically for business users.

And yes, we are getting there! 

The device is the size and thickness of a pad of 8.5"x11" paper, and is designed for reading corporate reports, marketing literature, public relations files, and all variety of other business documents, as well as books and magazines. Professionals read more business content than recreational content, and the Plastic Logic reader is designed to accommodate that, said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta. 

The black and white, E Ink device features a wireless link to download content, room enough to store "hundreds of pages of newspapers, books, and documents," and a display more than twice the size of the wee Kindle while suffering just half the ugly. 

 Plastic Logic Press Release - September 8th 2008

 DEMOfall 08, San Diego and Mountain View, CA, – September 8, 2008 – The nascent electronic reader industry is poised for explosive growth beginning in 2009. But current products in the category focus on leisure reading and ignore a large and untapped market: business users. Today, before industry influencers at the DEMOfall 08 technology conference, Plastic Logic previewed a gamechanging new device that brings a panoply of business information to your fingertips with powerful tools to make people more productive and simplify their work lives.

Differentiated by a stunning form factor (the size of 8.5 x 11-inch paper), the Plastic Logic reader features a big readable display. Yet it’s thinner than a pad of paper, lighter than many business periodicals, and offers a high-quality reading experience - better than alternatives of paper or other electronic readers on the market today. “Research confirms professionals read much more business content than recreational content. They require access to all formats of digital content at their fingertips, and want a large readable screen,” said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta.

The Plastic Logic reader supports a full range of business document formats, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, and Adobe PDFs, as well as newspapers, periodicals and books. It has an easy gesture-based user interface and powerful software tools that will help business users to organize and manage their information. Users can connect to their information either wired or wirelessly and store thousands of documents on the device. The reader incorporates E Ink technology for great readability and features low power consumption and long battery life. The Plastic Logic reader is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2009.

"The display is the key to the digital reading experience, and this is the key differentiator that sets Plastic Logic's product apart," said DEMO Executive Producer Chris Shipley. Core to the Plastic Logic product is its display. Current electronic reading devices feature small displays that are based on fragile glass screens that negatively impact their bulk, durability and weight. Plastic Logic has achieved a product that is the ideally sized for business needs and robust enough to take the push and shove of daily usage, based on its revolutionary plastic electronics display technology.