Sony's new E Ink tablet has flexible paper-like display
Sony's second-generation DPT-RP1 features a crisper display, slightly slimmer design and a more responsive touchscreen.
Sony new Digital Paper ships in June.
Sony killed off its consumer e-reader business a few years ago, but its Pro division has continued to carry the e-reader torch. Now it's releasing a new, second-generation version of its Digital Paper notepad. The DPT-RP1 will be available in June with some noteworthy improvements and a slightly lower price tag of $700. (UK and Australian details weren't announced, but that converts to £545 or AU$935.)
The biggest update is a crisper E Ink Mobius high-resolution flexible display, which Sony says is easier to read and allows for a slightly slimmer design. Sony says the touchscreen is now more responsive (less lag), which makes handwritten note-taking using the included stylus feel more natural, and you can now wirelessly transfer documents to a PC or Mac. Internal storage has been bumped from 4GB up to 16GB, but this new model leaves off the SD card expansion slot.
The touchscreen is now more responsive, making note-taking feel more natural.
A 13-inch E Ink digital notepad and PDF reader obviously isn't for everybody, but Sony says its original Digital Paper device (the DPT-S1) has caught on with professors, researchers and graduate students in varied science and technology disciplines. It's also used "extensively by legal, financial and medical professionals."
Here are its key specs, according to Sony:
- 13.3-inch flexible electronic paper display (1,650x2,200 pixels), 16-level gray scale (displays full-size views of 8.5 by 11-inch documents)
- Projected capacitive touchscreen capable of pen input
- Dimensions (HWD): 8.82 x 11.9 x 0.23 inches (224 x 302.6 x 5.9 mm)
- 12.3 ounces (349 grams) -- about the weight of a 70-page print out
- Up to 3 weeks of battery life with Wi-Fi off, or up to 1 week with Wi-Fi on (takes 3.5 hours to fully charge)
- Rechargeable stylus included
- Stylus tracking speeds have been optimized for minimal delay between pen and Digital Paper, so writing feels natural and responsive
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- 16GB of internal memory (11GB usable; stores around 10,000 PDF files)
- Send any file direct from your PC wirelessly to view it on your Digital Paper device, for paperless printing (Digital Paper Application is required for synchronization and document transfer)
- Supported unsecured file format: PDF
- Ships in June for $700
Other new feature of Sony's Digital Paper include:
- Side Note function -- you can page through a document on one side of the screen while taking notes on the other
- Parallel Reading/Review -- enables display of separate documents in two-page view for easy review/comparison of multiple documents
- Zoom function -- zoom into small text by touching or circling the desired area and annotated in zoomed area
- Advanced search function -- for searching by title, text, author and handwritten symbols (star/asterisk)
- Advanced security -- prevent unauthorized access to Digital Paper using a screen lock password and secure all content using 128-bit, AES, encryption technology
- Marvell 64 bits Quad-core processor -- for improved page turning and document management speed
- Marvell MIMO Wireless Technology -- transfer documents easily between PC and Digital Paper using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless technology
