A dead simple, cheap 8.5x11 e-ink device with no wifi or touchscreen or anything like that. Just the ability to page through my already owned pdfs. Some of them are scanned images, not text so no text conversion. Even if the only way to get the docs on it was via some kind of virtual printer driver I'd be happy. I'd basically like a way to read stuff on e-ink as if it had been printed.
You are correct; an Android-based e-reader with a simple stand Bluetooth keyboard could work. I have used a Remarkable and Dasung Not-ereader for this purpose.
I believe creating an e-ink device is, in many ways, a new category of devices that requires changes to the hardware, software, and many other areas to create a cohesive experience for people.
In the long term, I see it as a process of creating an ecosystem of e-ink devices that is open-hardware and open-source.
When I clicked through, what I was hoping for was an e-ink tablet without the battery, where you have to hold it close to an inductive charging surface each time you flip the page.
Such a thing sounds stupid at first blush, but in combination with ubiquitous inductive charging mats (imagine them on e.g. every desk in an office), it could make for extremely cheap, thin and light e-ink devices—to the point that they start being more like documents than readers: flimsy laminated 'paper' sheets that happen to be able to update themselves.
Heck, if you didn't expect to use them outside of the installation (if they were for displaying internal manifests in a warehouse, or patient charts in a hospital, etc.) then you could externalize all the "document reader" electronics, and just make the device into a dumb framebuffer that hardware in the mat can push images to. (Though you might not need to do this; we can fit some pretty complex logic inside e.g. a credit card, so we might be able to fit all the storage+firmware chips for a full e-reader inside a piece of paper without that making it less piece-of-paper-y.)
Yes! Imagine a smartphone with an e-ink display, with a custom built interface and apps that focus on text. Basically phone (4G mobile internet, apps) meets reader (e-ink, text as main screen content, long battery life)
E-ink readers are a luxury, unfortunately. Where phone and tablets can be justified in most homes as being multipurpose, ereaders are fundamentally single-purpose. This is why their share of the market grows so slowly - it's limited to hardcore readers and the wealthy. We need eink to go beyond dedicated devices.
Yes! Same here. I feel like I'm part of a niche group that wants an e-ink device that at least reads web content rather than having to download or email myself articles. Are there particular technological limits aside from the cheap processor/e-ink controllers that are preventing an e-ink device from having a really usable web browser?
What I'd really like, is an E-Ink device about the size of a sheet of letter-writing paper (A5), based on an open platform (BSD, Linux, etc.), with a touchscreen. It would make not only an excellent platform for textbooks and reference, but also for taking notes and drawing.
I'm half-tempted to build one of these for my own use; anybody know where I can get an A5-size E-Ink display?
It's funny that you mention vesselmancy. As an early adopter of e-ink, I had to endure years of talk about how e-ink will never smell or feel like a real book. I'm the opposite of the person who ordered the leatherbound Encyclopedia Britannica. I bought an early ereader and put all my books in the attic!
Phone displays and computer screens are just fine for reading text, but the fact that you completely discount the value of e-ink makes me wonder if you've seen a recent e-ink display in person. The advantages really become apparent at the extremes: bright sunlight or dim rooms in the evening. Also, the ergonomics of reading on a phone or a computer are not great for books and long articles. It's no coincidence that e-readers tend to be about the size of paperback books. Tablets are better, but they are more expensive, more fragile and more power-hungry.
Actually the point of an e-reader is the e-book, not the e-ink. E-ink is just a way to show text in a way that drains little battery and gives little eye strain. It has, however, a couple very significant drawbacks. And it seems more expensive to manufacture than a very good LCD.
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