Tomorrow’s Tech Treepowered by Astra

Personal Devices · Recorded milestone

E-reader

Recorded year1998

A light slate with a paper-like screen holds thousands of books, reads easily in sunlight and lasts weeks on one charge.

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Built on

Project Gutenberg e-textsRecorded · 1971enables
Flash memoryRecorded · 1984enables
Pocket organiserRecorded · 1984enables
Lithium-ion batteryRecorded · 1991enables
World Wide WebRecorded · 1991enables
Online retailRecorded · 1995enables

Led to

E-ink paper-like screenRecorded · 2004enables
E-paper as vivid as printForecast · ~2030enables
Sheets of smart paperForecast · ~2045enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.