e-ink

13.3-inch Sony tablet is like Etch A Sketch on steroids

If you love doodling with a pen but hate accumulating paper, Sony and E Ink are coming out with a tablet/digital notepad that's large and relatively light for its size compared to big e-readers.

The 13.3-inch Digital Paper touch-panel display was recently shown off at Educational IT Solutions Expo (EDIX) in Tokyo. Sony is planning to try it out at Japanese universities and bring it to the general market this year.

It incorporates the E Ink Mobius electronic paper display, announced earlier this month. Mobius is based on thin film transistor (TFT) technology developed by Sony and is being billed as the first large-format flexible display to enter mass production.

Built on a plastic substrate, they can be much lighter than glass-based TFTs, with 13.3-inch screens weighing only 2.1 ounces. … Read more

Samsung eyes sale of e-ink company to Amazon -- report

Samsung is said to be in talks with Amazon to sell an e-ink technology company it acquired a couple of years ago.

The two tech giants are currently holding discussions for Samsung to sell Liquavista, a firm it acquired in 2011, to Amazon, Bloomberg is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. An exact price hasn't been determined yet, but Liquavista is expected to go for less than $100 million.

Samsung acquired Liquavista in January 2011 after the company, which develops e-ink technology for e-readers, made a splash at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show with … Read more

E-ink smartphone on display at CES 2013

Wednesday's CNET Update from CES 2013:

It's day two of the 2013 International CES, and this is the place to see what gadgets could be in our future. There's lots to talk about, but here's a breakdown of the tech that has our attention:

- The YotaPhone has been the most interesting smartphone seen at CES, because it has an e-ink touch screen on its backside.

- Fulton Innovation is showing off technology that lets you wirelessly transfer power from device to device.

- TheEyeTribe has shown how future tablets and smartphones can be controlled with your eyes. … Read more

The CST-01: The world's thinnest watch makes its debut

LAS VEGAS--The fight to build the thinnest watch has finally been won, folks. At least for now. Central Standard Timing has partnered with E Ink to create the CST-01; purportedly the world's thinnest watch.

At 0.80mm the watch is thinner than a credit card. I briefly got a chance to hold the extremely light watch and it is indeed the thinnest I've ever seen.

According to Central Standard Timing, the patent-pending CST-01 is assembled by laminating thin, flexible components into a 0.5mm pocket etched into a single piece of flexible stainless steel. This is different from … Read more

'Go Fara' aims to revolutionize bike commutes

For many urban dwellers who live close to work, commuting by bike is like eating vegetables. You know you should, but sometimes you just want the burger and fries.

Industrial designer Adam Taylor, who is working toward a master's degree in future design in England, has devised a system that he thinks will help motivate commuters to pedal to the office. The two key features are the system's self-powered smart card and the bike itself, which is a beauty.

On the blog Bicycle Design, Taylor says he envisions the bike, which he calls "Tim," and the system, which he calls "Go Fara," to be bought in bulk by major corporations that institute a "green employee of the week" rewards program. Using the smart card, the employer has access to mileage and time stats to reward the highest achievers.… Read more

Retina Display iPad vs. e-ink Kindle: Which do I prefer for reading?

A few months ago, I bought a Kindle. The cheap kind: $79, with "Special Offers." I bought it because I wanted to read more efficiently, and because the iPad 2's screen was giving me eye fatigue.

You'd think that with the new Retina Display iPad that my Kindle had been one-upped. Clearer, crisper text is exactly what I was hoping for on an iPad, and it did indeed come to pass. I upgraded to a third-generation iPad, although I did it mainly for storage space and to explore gaming with the new A5X graphics.

Yet, the new iPad hasn't been able to unseat my little old Kindle. Not entirely. In fact, I've been surprised to find that the Kindle has carved out a special place in my heart, and it's one that the iPad has a hard time filling.… Read more

My life among the Kindles: Comparing the models

In less than a year, I've gone from mocking e-books to never wanting to buy a print book again. Blame the Amazon Kindle. I've found it a great way to read.

A new generation of Kindles came out at the end of last year, including the Kindle Fire tablet. Here's how I've found them to measure up against each other, over the past four months or so.

Kindle's cool, but e-book high prices and limitations aren't Before I dive into the Kindles, let me get two issues that I hate about the Kindle out … Read more

How the Kindle replaced my iPad...for book reading

There's a case to be made for convergence devices, and for merging every product down to just one. The iPad, in many ways, has been that device for me: I travel light, I read or watch movies or play games or surf the Web on it. It's a security blanket and a thin catchall.

Still...I bought a Kindle. … Read more

Ten things we don't know about the Kindle Fire

Testing and reviewing hardware requires an intimate knowledge of the specs, components, and features of a device (as we see all the time in our laptop and desktop reviews). The new Kindle Fire, however, still has a few too many blank spots on its spec sheet to be able to give it a truly thorough early analysis.

For every interesting thing we learned about the Kindle Fire today, there were one or more important questions not answered. Some of this information may be forthcoming soon, and some answers may have to wait until we can get our hands on the final shipping version to determine.

As of the Kindle Fire's official announce day, these are the most pressing questions we have about the new device. … Read more

Amazon unveils trio of Kindle e-ink readers

Amazon today showed off three new versions of its Kindle e-ink digital book reader.

The company unveiled the Kindle Touch for $99. It also showed off a 3G version, which will sell for $149. A cheaper and smaller non-touch-control Kindle will sell for $79, and will be supported with ads.