Sony has presented the first prototypes of a new digital flexible display devices.

As you can watch in this video, the organic transistors technology provides the needed flexibility to fold, roll, and add applications with sensors and input devices.

Expensive?

Yes, these are breaking ground prototypes, but there is a huge market for these flexible digital displays.

And more flexible than these ones.

That’s the reason of my expression “rubber newspapers”

As INNOVATION has been preaching for more than 20 years, this is the future of almost any news digital display.

Like the first stone carved newspapers, we are still in the Digital Acta Diurna Era, displaying today’s news content in “digital stones” doesn’t matter if they are called flat computers, fancy smart phones or, pay attention to the word, digital “tablets”.

That’s good news for all of us, news content producers and consumers.

So, don’t worry about the future of print newspapers, and concentrate, invest and excel on unique multi-media story-telling.

The rest is history.

Well, today’s “une” is good.

Instead of the predictable and boring EU new mandarins, Libé played the football card in a big way.

So, I am sure that today they well sell more copies.

Plus, they have a terrific double spread on pages 2-3.

This is magic!

Simple.

Clear.

Smart.

Inviting.

Well designed.

These two pages are going to become a classic!

Congratulations to the INNOVATION team that was working this week in Paris, and to the Libé staff.

WOW!

This is why LIBE is unique.

With the INNOVATION’s team in Paris.

Le Monde front page deserves some attention.

After several failed redesigns, now the paper seems to go backwards.

Today’s front page is an example.

Looks like the Monde that rejected pictures as a non rational content.

Well, if you want to connect with the new generations of readers, you better pay more atention to visual journalism.

Pictures matter.

Too wordy.

Back to the past.

This is an excellent front page from i, the National European Newspaper of the Year.

Instead to present just the bas news (more jobless people), the newspaper present the other side of the news: more people than ever are investing in their own education.

That’s a trend happening in many countries.

The negative/positive front page strategy is a good one.

Readers want to know the problems (well, let’s say that they need to know), but they looking for solutions.

Yes, the Problems & Solutions Journalism works.

It’s Smart Journalism!

We have INNOVATION’s Javier Errea and Antonio Martin in Paris working with LIBE, so today’s front page looks great.

The paper is doing very well, and publisher, editors and reporters are happy with the new editorial and graphic formula.

In the next few days we will start a new project with LIBE lead by INNOVATION’s director, Marta Botero.

We always wanted a very flexible logo.

And today, the “i” logo sells the big news of the day.

Parabens!

A few minutes ago, the 11th European Newspaper Awards were announced and, i, the fantastic new paper from Lisbon is the big winner.

The European Newspaper Awards are organized by Norbert Küpper from Meerbusch (Germany) with the journalism magazines “Medium Magazin” from Frankfurt/Main, “Der Österreichische Journalist” from Salzburg (Austria) and “Schweizer Journalist” from Wilen/Wil (Switzerland).

A few weeks ago i was awarded as one the best designed newspaper of Portugal and Spain of the year.

Now i gets this European Newspaper Award.

This is not just a design contest.

The European Award includes “design and concept” and i is unique in both areas.

The Jury statement said;

“i” persuaded the jury through its special innovative approach. Newly established, the newspaper can start full of energy. It is precisely this that makes “informação” fascinating in all fields: Photography, page layout, alternative types of journalistic articles and innovative sections – completely focusing on the power of new ideas. All in all, a newspaper is evolved quintessentially, an all-round innovation. It almost goes without saying: The homepage www.ionline.pt has a similarly innovative appearance as the printed newspaper.”

INNOVATION’s Javier Errea has won right now more European Newspaper Awards than any other design consultant in the world.

Read here the INNOVATION MANIFESTO FOR i.

See here and here, a large selection of its best pages.

And here you can find a interview with its Art Director, Nick Mrozowski.

Yes, i is becoming the most innovative newspaper done by the INNOVATION team in the last 20 years.

A real revolution.

A needed revolution.

Launched just six months ago during the worst economic times…

A lesson for the newspaper industry.

And here are the real winners.

A young newsroom.

With energetic team of editors and managers.

And a brave company, Grupo Lena, investing in times of crisis.

The Award will be presented to i during the 2010 European Newspaper Congress (Vienna, April, 25-27).

(Picture by Joachim Blum)

He is gone.

Thanks God!

The CNN bulling advocacy journalists and political activist is leaving CNN.

A great news for CNN, and for Hispanics and other U.S. minorities that Lou Dobbs targeted to become a popular TV presenter.

FOX News said that they are not interested in him.

Imagine how bad is now his reputation.

As Bill Gates said:

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

Listen to your readers.

Or, better, to your non-readers.

Another first.

This time in New Delhi, a mega city with 100 million people living in its metropolitan area.

Today we had our first ONE DAY WITH INNOVATION in India.

And in our way to the ONE DAY we found 24 billboards promoting the Seminar.

A big event with a massive audience.

Thanks to the efforts of our INNOVATION’s Director in India, Pradeep Sharma.

He has done the same show for many years.

To show the crazy structure of multi-section broadsheets.

And specially with the dammed JUMPS!

So here it is again, this time during an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America.

Better than ever.

LIBE leads today the French press with its coverage of the Berlin Wall anniversary.

What a day, November 9 1989, to review today the failure of the world media to forecast the end of the Wall.

The New York Times reports about i:

It would be hard to find a less promising country in which to start a newspaper than Portugal. Not only are readers defecting to the Internet, as they are elsewhere, but relatively few people ever picked up a paper to begin with. And print advertising has plunged by more than 40 percent this year.Yet while newspapers elsewhere are shutting down or grappling with an uncertain future, Portugal recently got a new one, called i, short for informação, or information.

“Everyone was astonished that they went ahead with the launch when they did,” said João Palmeiro, president of the Portuguese Publishers Association, referring to Lena Group, the Portuguese industrial conglomerate that owns the paper. But he added, “Most of the people are sticking with it once they read it.”

Well, this Thursday, the regional chapter of the Society of News Design holds its annual meeting in Lisbon with a fantastic program that includes the award ceremony for the best designed newspapers of Spain and Portugal.

And the editors of  i will explain and present the new paper.

A colorized version of St. Louis Newsies in a May 5, 1910 photo by Lewis Hine.

Watch here the most recent and longest interview with Rupert Murdoch.

Tired?

Yes, but still willing to move ahead.

Retiring?

No.

Pay for content?

Yes.

How soon?

Very soon.

Stay tuned.

The news industry is facing big challenges.

Like in the past.

Like today.

Like tomorrow.

So let’s remember:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO HOO what a ride”

(Thanks to INNOVATION’s Claude Erbsen)

The blog of the World Editors Forum writes about “i”, the newspaper that INNOVATION did with Sojormedia in Portugal.

As Emma Heald writes: Portugal’s newest daily newspaper, i, was launched in early May and has attracted a significant amount of attention due to its rising circulation figures and innovative approach. It recently won a design award from the Society of News Design.

See here a recent cover story with a unique front and inside pages that were produced on deadline:

I had been this week in Madrid to speak in an international seminar organized by El Mundo during its 20 Anniversary celebration.

Among other speakers were Robert Thompson (Wall Street Journal), Will Lewis (The Daily Telegraph), Pedro J. Ramirez (El Mundo), Ben Macintyre (The Times), Giorgio Valerio (RCS), Antonio Fernandez Galiano (Unedisa) and Martim Figueiredo (i-Sojornal).

This was my interview published in El Mundo this Wednesday.

(In the above picture, the King of Spain and Will Lewis during the El Mundo Awards ceremony where The Daily Telegraph was honored for its coverage of the MP’s expenses scandal)