Sony announces large-format, flexible e-reader
Sony Japan has announced the biggest E Ink reader to hit the market, with a 13.3-inch flexible display.
Sony Japan has announced the biggest E Ink reader to hit the market, with a 13.3-inch flexible display.
The e-reader will be the biggest E Ink display we've seen. Previously, the biggest was the Amazon Kindle DX, at 9.7 inches, discontinued last year. The display, called "Mobius", has been created by E Ink and uses Thin Film Transistor (TFT) technology to not only make it large and light, weighing just 60 grams, but also flexible.
The A4-sized e-reader is aimed at professional and educational environments, designed to display what you would normally see on a sheet of paper, whether it be a document or a PDF. An accompanying stylus would allow the user, through the use of electromagnetic induction and an optical touch panel, to write on the screen as if writing on paper.
The device will also feature a 1200x1600-pixel display, or about 150ppi (a pretty low resolution, compared to the Sony PRS-T2, which has 212ppi); 4GB of memory with a microSD card slot and micro-USB port; up to three weeks of battery life; and Wi-Fi on the IEEE 802.11b/g/n spectrum. It will measure 233x310x6.8 millimetres, and have a weight of 358 grams, which is hefty, compared to other readers on the market, but commensurate with its size.
If Sony's new reader does go to market — slated for later this year — it might just succeed where devices such as Plastic Logic's device, LG's flexible displays and the PaperTab have yet to succeed.
CNET Australia has contacted Sony for more information on the device, including whether it will be available outside of Japan. We will update when we know more.