E Ink's blueChute bluetooth enabled e-ink concept

Even with certain forms of e-ink displays starting to drip drip drip into real world settings -- see what we did there? -- it's still unlikely that you'll meet someone on the street with some e-ink tech on their person. Until e-ink gets cheap and ordinary people can gaze into their very own super high contrast electronic copy of the NY Times, we'll have to settle for sneak peeks at concept devices like this, E Ink's blueChute e-ink tablet. Even though the exact functionality of the device has yet to be decided -- currently it's functioning as a glorified demo platform -- the blueChute's Bluetooth support and microSD slot would suggest that it could be used to display maps streamed from a mobile phone, or have it display widget-like information from a nearby tethered computer. Unfortunately, as the device's overview states, all that "depends on software which probably won't ever get written," so for now it's just wishful thinking: just like almost everything else to do with e-ink at present.

[JoshLowry @ Mar 11th 2007 1:00AM]

Why did he make revolutionary the smallest and hardest word to read? XD

I am sure that the guy did put in quite a bit of work to this concept. But someone is going to have to invent a whole new material that is foldable and bendable before the masses will carry something like that around. A big metal plate no matter how thin it is will not do anyone much good.


- Josh


Where's your head at? - http://www.StateOfBrain.com

[Jeff @ Mar 11th 2007 1:17AM]

Here's what it needs to be better than the Sony offering:

-Lighting of some kind, back/side/whatever
-To not do that annoying black-white flash when changing pages
-A decent battery life
-A decent price ($199 is a good target)
-Better software

[nuguns101 @ Mar 11th 2007 1:25AM]

Why is the big drive behind e-ink technology e-books? Speaking as someone from the US, books aren't exactly a big hit these days. Why don't they start to develop this e-ink with stuff that will really help this new tech take off on the market place. But then again I'm just pissed I can't get that amazing seiko e-ink watch.....

[whl @ Mar 11th 2007 9:25PM]

Actually, the people I knew in the e-ink field were working for a company that was aiming it at signs, not books.

Signs change infrequently enough that the major comments I've heard about the Sony eBook ("It looks funny when the pages turn, and it takes too long") were not an issue.

Unfortunately, there are already pretty good (and cheaper) solutions for signs, so they ended up going out of business.

[John Doe @ Mar 11th 2007 1:57AM]

"books aren't exactly a big hit these days"

Which is pretty much why the US is going down the shithole. I'm sorry but a society and a generation that is more interested in playing games, chatting online, etc then educating one self, or stimulating oneself with story that makes you THINK deserves to be flushed down the toilet with all the other failed cultures that have come and gone.

The simple fact of the matter is text in one from (textbooks) or another (novels) will always be here and as such will always need something to display it on. Personally I would give a pinky finger if Apple got into this racket. Screw the fracking iPhone. there are some pretty good phones out there already. What we don't have is a complete ecosystem for books. Think iPod and itunes but with books. I would KILL everyone within a 5 mile radius for Apple to create an ebook reader and team up with ereader.com to create a new store in iTunes for books. I got to play around with Sony's ereader at CompUSA the other day. NOT impressed. Too much shit stuffed into the reader. Too many buttons, not ergonomic enough, and I would imagine holding it for more then an hour would be a complete PITA. This is what Apple does best....design.
And while Mr. nuguns101 thinks them there word pages not no matter no more. the fact is books are still as big as ever. The problem is no one has stepped up to the plate with an offering that is really kick ass.
I'm straight and all but good god who do I have to blow?

[nuguns101 @ Mar 11th 2007 3:05AM]

Hmm i think you misunderstood me a bit. I like to read, I don't read too many books because i have other things going on, but I enjoy putting an evening down so i can get to the end of a good book. But I was speaking strictly from a business standpoint and trying to say that this isn't e-ink's goldmine. And yes, I agree, an ebook by apple would be amazing, but it would be more amazing if the pricing was 2/3 or half of the price was the technology developed a bit through things more desired in our society

[Tony Rayo @ Mar 11th 2007 8:50AM]

"books aren't exactly a big hit these days"

[Veritas II @ Mar 11th 2007 5:08AM]

The prices are pretty much dictated by the eInk screen at this point. Waiting for that to come down is just a matter of time. I liked the Iliad but the price was way too high (800!?!). So I went with the Sony, and I have to say I get a lot of use out of it. Haven't noticed any problems holding it, and it takes straight text files as well. As for light, well, I use the same desk lamp I use for normal books. Seems to work just fine. ;)

[kadajawi @ Mar 11th 2007 9:00AM]

Engadget forgot about one e-ink device, which is available and dirt cheep. The Motorola Motofone F3. Price is supposed to be under $50. Granted the screen has an extremely low resolution of an 80s digital watch, but still it's e-ink.

I'm quite interested in an e-book reader, right now I'm using my smartphone for it, but the screen could be bigger. But the price needs to be lower.

[Simon @ Mar 11th 2007 11:29AM]

They shouldn't care about the software at all. Make the hardware cheap and the basic Software Open Source and there will be lots of people writing any kind of software in no time.

[Hardy @ Mar 11th 2007 11:45AM]

Shame the device is obviously for right-handers :P

If I could get my weekly copy of The Economist in e-ink it would be wonderful, I'm consistently throwing out old copies. In total it's about 5000 pages per year + printing + shipping... Feels really wasteful.

[charlie @ Mar 24th 2007 7:28PM]

with the controls on the long edge like that the device can be rotated to be portrait style for left or right hand use AND rotated into landscape mode with the controls at the bottom.

[Acceptable Risk @ Mar 11th 2007 1:22PM]

As soon as I can get one of these things in a decent resolution for less than $150, I'm all over it. I really like the idea. The cost is just too high for me.

I'd transcribe all of my class notes and put them on there. It'd be worth it just for that. Bonus points if I can hook a little folding keyboard up to it.

[Rank One @ Mar 11th 2007 6:18PM]

John Doe is the reason the U.S. is headed down. John Doe can't hold a conversation that is not loaded with expletives - that's America, folks!

[Sam @ Mar 12th 2007 5:29PM]

Make it cheap and make it open, release a dev kit - and the community will write the software for it.

That is all.