The holy grail of flexible electronics is a reading device that you can roll up and stuff in your pocket. And now, thanks to Sony and E Ink, we’re almost, sort of, kinda there. If you have $US1,100 to spare.
Much prototyped and teased in the past, Sony’s 13.3-inch Digital Paper device — really intended for legal, educational and business environments — is finally a real thing. With a high-res 16-level grayscale screen — it measures 1,200 by 1,600 pixels — there’s no backlight, but it does feature touch controls and stylus input.
Documents can be popped onto the device via Wi-Fi and stored on the 4GB of internal storage or an SD card. Charging via AC or USB should provide up to three weeks battery life, claims Sony. And it only weighs 12.6 oz , which is pretty damn light.
All of which is great! But it does cost $US1,100. However you look at it, that seems a lot of money for an oversized, flexible PDF reader. But it is the first of its kind, so if it’s just what you’ve been waiting for, you’ll be able to buy one from May. [Sony]