The recently concluded CES 2013 brought a lot of new jaw-dropping gadgets, leaving the world with plenty to talk about.  But there was probably one technology advancement that took the cake and had everyone pondering the future of mobile devices, and that’s Samsung with the flexible screen, Youm.

Youm is a flexible OLED screen which Brian Berkeley, Samsung’s senior vice president of display, demonstrated at CES, showcasing the possibilities of how the device can be used in gadgets.

But seriously, how can device manufacturers use Youm for their products?  What ingenious devices could we see in real products in the near future?  Here’s a few.

Flexible Smartphone

Some of us seem quite careless with our smartphones, often dropping them or placing them in compromising positions (like our back pockets) that leads to their demise.  Though there a lot of devices equipped with Gorilla Glass and some have tough bodies that make them almost indestructible, there’s still a limit.  But with a flexible phone, even if you drop it or sit on it, it won’t break since it will contour to your body shape or bend when it falls, cushioning the impact.

Flexible Tablet

Tablets are quite big.  Even the 7-inch tablets are big if you want something that can fit into your pocket.  If manufacturers use Youm, they can create a tablet that can be folded up like a book, making storage easier, especially if you’re a woman who’s fond of using small purses.  Or it could be rolled up and stored in a cylindrical container that easily fits inside a bag or purse.

Multifunction Device

Are you familiar with the calendar pen?  It’s a pen that has a strip of paper or plastic rolled up on it’s top part and when you pull at it, it reveals a calendar.  It’s quite handy, especially if find it hard to keep up with what day of the week it is, and in scheduling appointments.  Manufacturers can put a new twist in the pen.  Instead of a simple paper or plastic calendar, they can use Youm to make a digital calendar that connects to an app on your phone to sync your appointments.  Or better yet, the rolled up screen can actually be a smartphone.  So you’ll have a rolled up smartphone in your pen.  Just make sure not to lend it to anyone!

Smart Slap Bracelet

When I was a kid, I was so fascinated with slap bracelets, and their accessories, like watches.  It just amuses me.  Whenever I got bored, I just played with it until my wrists were painfully red.  So it made me think, with more smart watches surfacing, wouldn’t it be cool if Youm was used to make a smart slap bracelet?  No more bulky watches.  The Youm would provide the perfect screen for a slap bracelet to let users see apps connected to their smartphones.  They could make appointments, create notes, or even send a message or update their Facebook status.  Heck, it can even be a slap bracelet smartphone.  I’m sure a lot of kids and teens, and some adults would be interested.

I know we’re still a long way from seeing the gadgets I’ve mentioned, since it would take a long time to figure out how manufacturers would make these things considering the fact that they have a lot of internal components that can’t be bent.  But I didn’t say they were impossible, it just might take years before we actually see those gadgets in the market.