Plenty of smartphones are slowly making their way into the mainstream. Can foldable e-readers be next? The E Ink Corporation, the company behind the digital paper technology found in the majority of e-readers, is trying to make it. The company’s R&D lab has been developing foldable e-ink screens for some time, and its latest prototype clearly demonstrates the potential of the idea.
The video above comes from GoodEReader.com and shows a foldable e-reader prototype developed by E Ink. An earlier version came out in June, but the latest hardware adds a stiffer hinge, five dedicated buttons on the right side of the device, and two light bars placed at the top of the screen for lighting. Wacom technology is also integrated for taking notes, making annotations and marking passages with a stylus.
The overall concept is intriguing. As with many smartphones, a fold-out e-reader promises more screen space in a smaller package. There is also the pleasant familiarity of the folding format, which makes the device more like a book than a flipchart. Add the ability to take notes and sync reading material and you would have a very useful piece of kit.
But it seems that the technology is not quite there yet. The edges on this prototype are enormous, the retractable light bars are reminiscent of gadgets from the 1990s, while note-taking on e-readers in general is still limited by low latency. Using e-readers to take notes is certainly a growing market, but it is not yet a seamless experience to take old-fashioned pen and paper. However, we will be watching the development of this tech with interest.