If you happen
Sony is going to be shipping their 13.3" E-ink writing slate next month in Japan. This device had originally been announced back in May, and it has spent the past 5 months in beta tests at several Japanese universities, collecting user feedback.
The DPT -S1, which in the past has been nicknamed the Mobius eReader, has a 13.3" screen with a resolution of 1,200 × 1,600. It comes with a dual touchscreen (optical and active digitizer). One can operate this ereader either by touching it with your fingers or by using the included stylus.
According to the specs posted by Sony, it also has Wifi, a microSD card slot, 2.8GB of Flash storage, and weighs about 358 grams.
The DPT -S1 is equipped with an entirely new E-ink screen. The Mobius screen tech is the result of 3 plus years of screen tech research by Sony which resulted in a plastic-backed E-ink screen which was flexible and more durable than most commercially available screens. From time to time Sony has dropped hints about the screen tech, even going so far as to show off a flexible color screen in 2011.
Sony had always conceived of this device as a writing slate for business professionals, and not an ereader. That explains the price and the stylus, and it also explains the format support. The DPT-S1 only supports PDF. It doesn't even support Epub, much less Epub3 like Sony's reading apps.
That's going to radically limit the usefulness of the DPT -S1, IMO, and it doesn't help that the 2.8GB of storage can hold 3 or 4 average sized PDFs.
Sony has further limited its usefulness by leaving out most apps and features. The DPT -S1 has a web browser but I don't see any mention in Sony's announcement of an email client or other useful apps which might have helped to justify the high price.
But on the plus side this writing slate also has support for an online backup of a user's notes and annotations. There is also mentions of collaboration and conferencing features, but since I am using Google I am not sure how much detail is being translated properly.
found via MobileRead
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I've been wanting a device like this for years. I dislike reading papers and technical documents on a screen. I like to regularly get away from the computer. For years, my work process has been: type, print, edit with real ink, retype. I don't care about formats other than pdf. If I want to read a novel, I'll read it on a appropriately sized e-book reader. If this genuinely replaces A4 and letter sized printing then it is worth more than $1000 to me. I think Sony have a significant niche here.
Looking forward to buying it. As a musician I think this is a great device, which is going to save a lot of trees from being cut for paper. And than My music bag is going to become significantly lighter. So the electronic music stand is finally here! Hurrah!
Now, where do I buy one?
Add ability to easily install side applications (android, linux?), support djvu, epub, chm formats, maybe bluetooth and I would seriously consider buying it even for 1000. For 300 I take it without thinking.
Otherwise crippled device for ridiculous price... I would say this is pretty much a niche product.
Very nice development! I have been waiting for e-readers with larger screens to appear for many years. Meanwhile, I continue using my Onyx M92 reader (9,7 ", now goes for about 300€), which has about the same functionality (e.g. an ability to make notes on PDFs with stylus), but often needs some zooming and scrolling when reading certain PDF's (especially scientific papers in the double-column format).
When reading e.g. a mathematical paper, it would help to see all the related formulae, diagrams, etc. in one view, without scrolling back and forth.
I'm sure the price will come down, and more software functionality will be added, unless of course they decide to kill it before that. However, the technology for these big screens is developed by E-Ink Corporation, and sooner or later something similar would appear under some other brand name.
Just wait for a couple of years...
Shot through the heart!
Bloody B@******!
I've been following this since they leaked in March 2013...I want one I want one etc.
Then they tell you its $1K.!! Shot through the heart.
But the idea is brilliant. Ok pdf only no prob. Stylus is GREAT. Please include some PDA capability like the palm pilot and I WILL DITCH THE INSECURE ANDROID APPS.
B@*****s! $1K is tooo much.
With the grey scale A4-sized display, a 32-bit MPU, battery, transceiver, and suitable Flash memory, a display device of this size would have a bill of materials of less than $160. Granted, this device has more going on so that the cost is higher, but at $1000, Sony is vastly over-reaching in an attempt to recoup development costs.
The danger of outlandish pricing on bi-stable display products like this should be obvious -- the lack of adoption initiates a negative business feedback loop, discouraging further development. It isn't that the technology isn't innovative and useful -- it's just overpriced because Sony feels that they can get it.
I will certainly be one of the largest ebook reader that would challenge the publication industries . On-line backup of the notes and annotations is so good. It is costlier now. In few years it may come at affordable rates.
It would challenge the publication industries . On-line backup of the notes and annotations is so good. It is costlier now. In few years it may come at affordable rates.
Yup, that explains it, there is an industry backlash...
1) "dot com industry" does not like "handwriting input". Remember Steve the dictator Jobs proclaimed that there should be NO stylus for tablets! He didn't like styluses. Makes Sense b/c the dot com industry wants to snoop on everything you do....so much EASIER with KEYBOARD inputs. Stylus handwritten analog inputs are hard to SNOOP on. User Data collection is VITAL.
2) publishing industry is threatened. Especially in the open PDF formats.
I would buy it for $1100 if it were a color eink with frontlights supported more formats, had an audio dock and probably a camera and a sim card you know like a NORMAL tab which costs half the price