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Gvido Dual-Screen Sheet Music Reader to Ship This Summer, Will Cost Twice the Price of an iPad Pro 12.9

Here’s something I never expected to happen.

Announced last summer, the Gvido is a sheet music reader based on two 13.3″ E-ink screens. It’s not the first device designed to display sheet music (both E-ink and Plastic Logic have shown off concept designs, and another startup even announced a similar product, the Zephyr) but the Gvido is going to be the first to reach the market.

The Gvido website was updated recently with the new details about the device.

Edit: And the site was updated a few days later. Some details were changed, some were removed, and others added. The changes have been noted in the text of the post.

According to the FAQ, the developers have completed a second-gen prototype, and plan to have the Gvido on the market in Japan, Europe, and America this summer:

For the hardware, we have the final design and it’s being Mass produced. For the software, it’s under development by increasing the member to produce better one. … We are making great effort to be ready in mid 2017.

The Gvido’s two 13.3″ Mobius E-ink screens each have a screen resolution of 1200 x 1600. They have an electromagnetic stylus touchscreen but no frontlight or capacitive touchscreen. (Edit: the screens are now described as Carta and Mobius E-ink, but the screen resolution has been removed.)

Weighing in at 660 grams, the production unit is slightly heavier than the original prototype but is relatively the same size. It has 8GB storage, a microSD card slot, and wifi, but is missing the Bluetooth mentioned in the original announcement.

It’s designed to work with a foot pedal (wired or wireless) although it’s not clear how that will work without Bluetooth. (Edit: the spec list says no BT, but the press release mentions Bluetooth.)

As for software, the Gvido supports only PDF, but it will let them edit the sheet music:

And as for the price, the latest word is that this is going to be an expensive little bugger:

The final price hasn’t yet set. Since it has 2 large scale E-INK monitors, the price of the first model is expected to be slightly higher than two of iPad Pro 12.9 inches. It’s getting slightly higher because of the new components though, We try hard to keep it as low as possible.

Apple sells the iPad Pro 12.9 at $800 and up, which means that the Gvido could cost $1,600 or more. (Edit: The press release confirms the list price is $,600.)

The price will probably go down a little when the Gvido officially goes up for pre-order, but I would be incredibly surprised if the price cracks $1,000.

After all, the two E-ink screens alone cost close to $500 each, and that doesn’t include the cost of the shell, electronics, or assembly.

At best, this is going to be an incredibly expensive device that makes the Sony DPT-S1 look moderately priced.

 

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Comments


user April 4, 2017 um 6:31 pm

When GoodEreader’s review was on YouTube earlier on today they claimed (after discussion with Gvido makers) this reader would sport Carta display instead of the Mobius. It will also have Bluetooth.
Video review also showed neat infrared electrostatic touch switches instead capacitive touchscreen where you can wave hand above the sensor to turn pages.
The price is going to be around $1200.

Nate Hoffelder April 4, 2017 um 6:40 pm

Yeah, I don’t trust them to get their facts right. Carta would mean a bump in screen resolution – but we don’t see that. Also, the screen can have both Carta and Mobius – as I understand it, it’s not an either/or situation.


KS "Kaz" Augustin April 4, 2017 um 10:09 pm

Pity about the price. Having (briefly) played with an amateur classical group, this would be a godsend to musicians. Hope this sparks more inventors in this space.


Frank April 10, 2017 um 10:38 am

I didn’t notice this typo before; the title says "…Twice the Price of an iPad Pro 2.9" is missing a "1", so it should say "iPad Pro 12.9".

Nate Hoffelder April 10, 2017 um 10:50 am

Thanks! fixed it.

Nate Hoffelder April 10, 2017 um 10:50 am

Thanks! fixed it.


Paul Biba’s eBook, eLibrary, eMuseum and ePublishing news compilation for week ending Saturday, April 8 | The Digital Reader June 12, 2017 um 8:27 pm

[…] Gvido Dual-Screen Sheet Music Reader to Ship This Summer, Will Cost Twice the Price of an iPad Pro 2.9 (The Digital Reader) […]


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