The next few years should get interesting. Xerox has announced the availability of silver-based inks that can print circuits on materials other than silicon; for example plastic, film or textiles.

The implications of these silver circuits are interesting. We will be able to embed electronics more cheaply and in much more useful materials. No one wants to walk around wearing a silicon board. But what if regular clothing could become ‘intelligent?’

One immediate application would be RFID tags. This breakthrough will lower their cost dramatically paving the way for huge efficiency gains in warehousing and shipping logistics. I wouldn’t be surprised if RFID readers start making their way into consumer electronics in the next few years, allowing consumers to scan all sorts of objects around them – from milk cartoons, clothing items and restaurant menus – to gather more relevant and real-time information about those objects. Imagine scanning a restaurant menu to be taken to a Web site on your iPhone that shows you pictures of the actual dishes.

P.S. Some rumors on RFID circuitry making it to the iPhone.