E Ink says it will be able to provide a range of colors. J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is eager to start testing the signs, says Edward Sample, the retailer's manager of systems support and technology. He looks forward to printed signs that present eye-catching moving messages or count down the days to the arrival of a new line of sportswear. Because, Sample says, that would take them away from their main job of helping customers. Back home, those customers may someday read books with ever-changing stories.
Electronic books are on the market, but they present words on screens.
People might prefer to read on paper, says Kenneth Bronfin, senior vice president at the Hearst Corp.'s new-media group. Similarly, people might buy one electronic newspaper of perhaps 24 pages and simply update the pages with new stories by computer or radio transmission. Inc. Interpublic, a holding company for ad agencies and marketing communications companies, has also invested in E Ink. For example, if you last bought a General Motors car five years ago, GM might order up an ad for a new car for your copy of a magazine. Some observers, however, question just how popular electronic ink will be.