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E Ink shows off a foldable e-reader prototype you can take notes on
It has a huge 10.3-inch screen, which could be great for digital newspapers.
E Ink display lets you write on it as if it were paper
You can already get e-paper notepads that come close to replicating the feel of writing on dead trees, but E Ink thinks it can do better. The company has unveiled a new film, JustWrite, that promises more natural scribbling. It doesn't require a backlight or another display layer, and there's "almost no" lag. You won't have to strain your eyes or second-guess your drawing. The technology is also bendable, works with virtually any size and shape, and needs just a basic stylus as well as some basic electronics -- it shouldn't carry a significant premium.
Sony's FES team and New Balance made an e-paper sneaker
The FES Watch was an e-paper fashion accessory borne out of Sony's interesting idea incubator, First Flight. It was one of the earliest products to make it onto Sony's domestic crowdfunding platform, and it was successful enough to warrant a second-generation product, the more intricate FES Watch U. It's rare to see the e-paper timepieces outside of Japan, but the FES team are here at Sony's IFA booth with a new concept product: A sneaker with e-ink soles and side detailing created in collaboration with New Balance.
Sony's smaller, cheaper Digital Paper tablet reaches the US
Was your heart aflutter when you heard that Sony was releasing a smaller version of its Digital Paper E Ink tablet? If you live in the US, you can satisfy your heart's desire... well, almost. Sony has started pre-orders for the 10.3-inch model (the DPT-CP1) through retailers for $600. That's far from a trivial purchase, but the $200 price advantage over the 13.3-inch variant might be just enough to sway you if you don't need the size of the larger model. You're still getting a long-lasting, lightweight tool for annotating documents and filling out your calendar, just in a notebook size that stands a better chance of fitting in your bag.
Sony's latest E Ink tablet comes to the US in June
Did you see Sony's second-generation Digital Paper and realize you found your dream e-reader? If so, you'll get to do something about it very soon. Sony has announced that its latest 13.3-inch E Ink tablet (the DPT-RP1) will reach the US sometime in June, when it will sell for the previously announced $700. As mentioned in April, it's really about a lot of incremental improvements: you're most likely to notice the higher resolution (1,650 x 2,200), but the thinner, lighter design and NFC unlocking will also be helpful. The centerpiece remains the ability to read and annotate documents in exceptional detail -- this is aimed at pros and students who need to plow through complex documents like research papers.
This e-paper backpack is the kind of crazy we deserve
Just to be clear, this is exactly what you think it is: a backpack with a hole cut in it, and an e-paper display wedged inside. And yes, that e-paper display has my face on it. Normally, this is the time when I'd start talking about hitting peak CES absurdity, but POP-I president Vikram Joshi has more in store than just these rough early models.
Apple could bring E Ink keyboards to MacBooks in 2018
You may have to wait a while if you want a Mac with an E Ink keyboard. Wall Street Journal tipsters understand that Apple wants to make Sonder's e-paper keys a "standard feature" on MacBooks, but that it's aiming for a 2018 launch. Don't expect to see anything at that reported October 27th event, then. At least we're getting a hint of the functionality. As you'd expect, E Ink would let your Mac use "any" alphabet, along with special characters and media editing shortcuts. You could write emoji more like you do on a smartphone (where you replace the keyboard with an emoji picker) instead of using a keyboard shortcut and wading through an on-screen dialog box.
Apple reportedly wants to use changeable E Ink keyboards
Apple's plans for advanced laptop controls may extend beyond that rumored OLED touch strip. Both 9to5Mac and TrustedReviews report that Apple has been in talks to use a laptop version of Sonder Design's dynamic keyboard technology, which uses E Ink to change key labels on the fly. Just how Tim Cook and company would implement the hardware isn't clear, but it might work the way these keyboards have operated since the days of Art Lebedev's Optimus Maximus. If so, you'd get handy labels on keys as you switch contexts, such as brushes in an image editor or different characters when you switch languages.
Sony's new e-paper watch actually looks like a timepiece
Earlier this week, Sony introduced its FES Watch U, an e-paper timepiece that it is crowdfunding in Japan. And today, at IFA 2016, we had the chance to see it in person for the first time. As we pointed out before, the FES Watch U is a much more polished version of Sony's original e-ink watch, which was revealed in 2014. The new wearable features a steel frame, instantly giving it that premium look and feel, as well as sapphire glass on the higher-end model.
Sony returns to crowdfunding for its next e-paper watch
Miss out on Sony's original crowdfunded watch? You're about to get a second chance... at least, if you live in Japan. It's running a campaign to fund the FES Watch U, a more polished-looking version of its e-paper wristwear. You can still customize the always-on face and band (with or without a phone), but it's decidedly posher. Where the previous model looked more like an experiment, the Watch U has a steel body and (on the black premium model) scratch-resistant sapphire glass that make it more of a fashion item. As you might guess, the choice of energy-efficient e-paper gives it a healthy battery life of three weeks.
Graphene e-paper is brighter and bendier
Who said that e-paper was old stuff? Certainly not China -- the country's Guangzhou OED Technologies has created what it says is the world's first graphene-based e-paper. The extremely strong yet light material promises very thin screens that are both brighter and more flexible. You could get e-readers that are easier to read on a sunny day, for instance, or activity trackers that can put up with more abuse. It should even be less expensive, as graphene's carbon is much easier to find than the exotic indium metal you see in conventional e-paper.
E-paper sneakers change your style on the fly
If you're the sort to buy multiple pairs of sneakers just to make sure your footwear is always fashionable, you might soon have a way to save a lot of money. David Coelho is crowdfunding ShiftWear, or sneakers that have color e-paper displays in their sides. You only need a mobile app to change your look at a moment's notice (there are promises of a shoe design store), and you can even use animations if you're feeling ostentatious. The shoes are machine-washable, and the e-paper consumes virtually no power if you're using static imagery -- there's even talk of walk-to-charge tech that would save you from ever having to plug in or swap batteries.
Sony's crowdfunded e-paper watch is coming to Japanese stores
Sony's one-of-a-kind FES Watch is about to become more than a clever crowdfunded idea. The mostly e-paper timepiece is going on sale in Tokyo at Omotesando's MoMA Design Store on November 21st, when it will cost you a not-completely-unreasonable ¥29,700 ($241). It'll reach the city's Isetan boutique more than a week later, on December 1st. There's no mention of retail launches elsewhere in the world, but something tells us that you'll have to order it online (either through Sony's First Flight or the MoMA store) if you want any hope of strapping on this customizable wristwear outside of Japan.
Super-thin E Ink watch is the latest crowdfunding casualty
You're about to get an all-too-blunt reminder of why crowdfunding sites shouldn't be treated like stores. Central Standard Timing has shelved its extra-thin, Kickstarter-backed CST-01 watch after running into numerous production problems. The project is nearly out of money, and the team has ditched its chosen manufacturer (Flextronics) after deciding that it wasn't a "good fit" for a small startup designing an exotic E Ink wearable. Also, the math behind the production costs simply didn't work out. CST-01's unique design was twice as expensive to build as first thought -- while you typically pledged $129 to get a watch during the crowdfunding campaign, the low part yields meant that the watch actually cost $260.
Sony was hiding its e-paper watch in plain sight all along
You know those cartoons where the culprit was revealed to be Old Mr. Jones, the Caretaker, all along? It turns out that Sony's been pulling the same trick concerning Fashion Entertainments' e-paper watch. The story goes that the company wanted to create innovative new products, but without the weight of expectation (or, possibly, dread) that goes with the Sony name. According to the Wall Street Journal, FES' plan is to combine the company's e-paper know-how with fashionable accessories, including the watch and customizable bow ties. Admittedly, the idea of an e-paper bow tie that you can somehow alter with a digital device sounds like the sort of thing you'd buy from Brookstone, so we hope Kaz Hirai knows how to make it cool.
60 seconds with a giant, rollable display for your mobile devices
At some point, you've probably wished that your smartphone had a much larger screen to watch a movie or get work done... but you can't always lug a desktop display or tablet around, can you? If Insert Coin finalist RollRR has its way, you won't have to. It's developing rollable displays that would give your mobile devices a lot more visual real estate without consuming much space in your bag. The prototype on the Engadget Expand show floor is a 10.7-inch roll of e-paper attached to a giant tube, but the ultimate goal is to fit a 21-inch or larger screen (ideally, full color plastic OLED) into a gadget the size of a small umbrella. It's also considering touch technology like 3M's silver nanowires, so RollRR could expand your input area, too -- you could edit a large image on your phone just by unrolling the sheet on a table.
Sony outfits the SmartBand Talk with an e-paper screen and voice calling
When does a fitness band become a smartwatch? We'd argue that an e-paper display is one feature you can use to make that distinction, which is exactly what Sony's added to its "lifelogging" SmartBand. A display isn't the only thing new about the SmartBand Talk, because as the name suggests, you can also make/take calls on the wearable thanks to an embedded microphone and loudspeaker. You can only do this when paired with a smartphone, of course, which will also respond to a limited number of other voice commands barked through the wearable. There's an ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit processor to power the whole thing, with 2MB of flash memory and that 1.4-inch black-and-white display to keep you updated on progress. As you might expect, a Core is at work here as well, with edge-mounted volume and menu buttons to round out the onboard controls. And yes, you can swap out the band as the need arises. The IP68 waterproof and dustproof wearable connects to any Android 4.4 (and above) device via NFC and Bluetooth to wrangle tasks for up to three days before needing a charge. If you're looking to get a bit more active, €160 (around $210) will be the cost of admission when the SmartBand Talk arrives this fall in four different color options.
Kisai's Rorschach watch is a test in telling time
"So it's extremely difficult to read the time, but how do you feel about that?" That's the question Kisai is posing with its new Rorschach watch, which puts one of the company's trademark inscrutable watchfaces into the shape of the famous psychiatrist's inkblots. You can choose between three levels from "readable but still not easily" to "please just tell me what the hell time it is!" (Actually, once you get the hang of it, the hours are read at the top right, and the minutes from the bottom left.) The watch uses an e-paper display, giving it high contrast and a battery life of 2-3 years while letting you switch between black on white or vice-versa. You can grab one in white, brown or black with a leather strap, or black and silver with a metal bracelet at $179 for the next two days -- though you may have to line up behind Watchmen fans.
Daily Roundup: Yahoo's new logo, Kobo Aura review, Galaxy Note 3 S View cover hands-on, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Distro Issue 105: The tale of the amazing multi-colored e-paper display
Once upon a time, the possibility of a color e-reader seemed a reality just around the bend. As the sun set on the 2000s, though, prototypes and the potential for multi-hued e-paper devices seemed to disappear. In this issue of our weekly, Sean Buckley examines the events surrounding the once bright future of the tech and why we're still e-reading in black-and-white. As far as reviews go, we offer up our detailed analysis of the TiVo Roamio Pro, OLPC XO Tablet and Motorola Droid Ultra. Eyes-On peeks at Blue Microphone's latest, Weekly Stat examines the broadband build-up and Recommended Reading profiles Marissa Mayer. The weekend is finally here, and there's plenty to peruse, so go on cozy up with a fresh copy via the usual download spots. Distro Issue 105 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro in the Windows Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
